THURSDAY, september 21, 2017 Vol. 74, No. 38
Serving Fort St. John, B.C. and Surrounding Communities
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pipeline expansion almost done
fonteyne’s legacy remembered
building community literacy
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Northern B.C. tops provincial incomes
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Aleisha Hendry ahendry@ahnfsj.ca
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Peace River MP Bob Zimmer joins his Evangel teammates at the United Way’s annual fire truck pull on Sept. 16. The team placed second with a time of 14:65, while the community as a whole raised $35,000 for the United Way. Turn to A3.
A walk toward a better future 9224 100 Street, Fort St. John, BC (250) 785-0463
Reconciliation Walk a chance to bridge cultures
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Site C on budget, but not if it’s delayed
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Creating an open dialogue and a safe place to have it will be the focus of a reconciliation walk set for this weekend in Fort St. John. Nenan Dane Zaa Deh Zona Family Services will host the Walk for Reconciliation Sunday and want to see as many people come out as possible, no matter their age, race, faith, or background. “We just wanted to continue to promote safe spaces to talk about the joint history that both the indigenous and nonindigenous population have to share in this area,” said Adrienne Greyeyes, Nenan’s cultural connection manager. The walk began in 2013 in Vancouver by Reconciliation
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Adrienne Greyeyes and Sarah Dickie with Nenan Dane Zaa Deh Zona Family Services are ready to Walk for Reconciliation and invite everyone in the community to join them on Sept. 24.
Canada as a way to bring people together after the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The event begins with an opening ceremony featuring drummers and speakers before hitting the streets. Those with mobility issues will have the
chance to ride in a van so they can still take part. A hot lunch will be served after the walk for participants to continue their conversations. See WALK on A3
Seed bank looks to preserve Peace Region’s food system tom summer Alaska Highway News
Attention farmers and green thumbs—the Hudson’s Hope library wants your seeds. The library plans to launch a new seed bank in the district this fall, on the heels of the Chetwynd library opening one of its own last year. “It was quite well attended, there seemed to be quite a bit of interest. So, I thought it would be something that could benefit our community as well,” said board
member Caitlin Vince, who is spearheading the initiative. The seed bank is slated to open in October, what Vince called a “passion project” for her and library director Amber Norton. Despite the open nature and resource sharing involved in a seed bank, Vince said there are set guidelines on the types of seeds that will be accepted. “We’re not allowing people to bring in GMO seeds, or seeds that are overly hybridized,” she said. See SEEDS on A2
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Caitlin Vince shows off some organic poppy seeds from a seed saving demonstration in Hudson’s Hope.
PAVING 100 Canadian
Northeast B.C. has some of the highest household incomes in the province, according to recently released census data. The Peace Region saw significant median income growth from 2005 to 2015, according to Statistics Canada. However, due to the economic downturn over the last two years, the data may not be an accurate representation of the Peace Region today, analysts note. In 2015, incomes in Area C of the Peace River Regional District topped out at $123,648 among 2,470 households. See INCOME on A2
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Even if the Site C dam project goes over budget, completing it is still the best option while suspending it for completion at a later date might be the worst. That’s the conclusion Marvin Shaffer, an adjunct economics professor at Simon Fraser University’s public policy program, came to last week after reading two Deloitte LLP reports. But Marc Eliesen, who was CEO of BC Hydro in the 1990s under the Mike Harcourt BC NDP government, came to a diametrically opposed reading of the accounting firm’s reports. “You’re better off cutting your losses at the present time,” Eliesen said, “and I think Deloitte confirms my analysis and my critique.” Shaffer and Eliesen agree that Deloitte confirms their views that BC Hydro has historically overestimated power demand forecasts. However, they disagree on whether the project should be completed or cancelled. Cancelling Site C would mean ratepayers and the government will have to absorb about $3.3 billion in sunk costs without getting a single additional electron of power. See SITE on A4
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