THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018 Vol. 75, No. 39
Serving Fort St. John, B.C. and Surrounding Communities
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From left: Jacqualyn Rowsell, Cherisse Ready, Yhannie Lozana, Aneudy Grullon, Priya Sharma, and Joanna Moon, in dress representing the Goa region of India and its carnival style of dance. The Energetic Dance Explosion will perform five dances as part of Bollywood Nite on Sunday, Oct. 14. Turn to A12 to read more.
Steel tariffs, design standards could challenge new RCMP HQ build CONTACT US
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Steel tariffs and costly energy efficient design standards could crunch the budget to build Fort St. John’s new RCMP detachment. On Monday, councillors got an update on the project, and directed staff to bring back a report on the energy efficiency of both the city’s fire hall and passive house project, and what’s needed to certify a new detachment to the passive house standard. “We talk about ambitious building performance targets and saving money in the long run in the operation of the building, I think for council to make the decision we really need some data,” Mayor Lori Ackerman said. The city has estimated a new detachment will cost as much as $43 million to build. David Wilkinson, the city’s consulting project director from LMNTS Project Services, told council estimates are being refined in talks with the RCMP about their immediate and long-term needs as the new detachment is built out for the next 20 years. Capital projects are a “lightning rod for community leadership,” Wilkinson said,
and the project’s goals are to overcome local labour market challenges and maximize building performance targets. Setting high targets costs more in the short term, but saves money in the long term, he said. “That’s to do with how much energy this building consumes and, as landlords, how much you’d like to reduce that amount over time,” Wilkinson said. “To me, it’s just common sense that we try to find ways to identify those savings early on and evaluate what design strategies and technical strategies to use in the building, how sophisticated to make the building in order to get those savings to come back. “So, you pay a little bit more, percentage points more, for the building in the first instance, but you reap benefits down range,” he said. Passive house building principles incorporate everything from sun exposure to super insulation to airtightness to improve a building’s energy performance. Passive House Canada estimates it costs 10 per cent more to build to these standards, assuming contractors have the experience and training, and
access to the high quality materials that are needed. In the long run, energy savings of up to 90 per cent a year eventually cancel out those up front costs, according to the organization. In 2012, the city began building its first passive house project as a building showcase at 9904 94th Street. The house cost $580,000, around $240,000 more than its original budget. The new 50-unit BC Housing and BC Hydro apartment block next to the fire hall is also being built to passive house standards. That building has a price tag around $21 million. During a tour of the building last week, contractors estimated the cost at around 15 per cent more than conventional construction. The planning team for the RCMP detachment includes an energy expert that’s simulating the performance of the building and assumptions on its engineering features. That will inform how much the features can be fine-tuned, Wilksinson said. “We don’t want to end up with a Ferrari even if it runs on a pint of gas, because it costs too much to get the Ferrari,” he said. See RCMP on A11
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City council ballot at 12 Denise Menard has withdrawn from Fort St. John’s city council race. Written notification was given to the chief election officer at 1:15 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 21, the city says. Menard did not be respond to a request for comment. Remaining in the race are Becky Grimsrud, Larry Evans, Gord Klassen, Byron Stewart, Bruce Christensen, Lilia Hansen, Tony Zabinsky, Justin Jones, Chuck Fowler, Trevor Bolin, Jim Harris, and Gabor Haris. All of the candidates have confirmed their attendance for the All Candidates Forum on Tuesday, Oct. 2, at the Lido Theatre. The event is open to the public and free to attend, and questions will be taken from the audience. Doors open at 6 p.m., the forum starts at 7. General voting takes place Saturday, Oct. 20 at the Fort St. John Legion from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Advanced voting takes place Wednesday, Oct. 10 and 17, also at the Legion from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Special voting opportunities will be given at senior care homes and the hospital on Oct. 18. For more election news: alaskahighwaynews. ca/2018-civic-elections
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