Alaska Highway News June 9 2016

THURSDAY, JUNE 9 2016 VOL. 73, NO. 70

SERVING FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES

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This summer, crews will grade a 1.2-kilometre stretch of highway on the South Taylor Hill between Johnson Road and the project’s south end, stabilize a section of slope, install new lighting, and install lane markings.

Shifting slope slows construction JONNY WAKEFIELD reporter@dcdn.ca

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It’s the white-knuckle portion of the drive between Dawson Creek and Fort St. John—the infamous South Taylor Hill.

After three years of construction, including a $3.9 million delay brought on by a shift in the hillside, the Ministry of Transportation says work on the section of Highway 97 through the Peace River Valley is entering the homestretch.

Work on the winding, bumpy two-lane stretch resumed on May 9. This summer, road crews will grade a 1.2-kilometre section of highway between Johnson Road and the project’s south end, stabilize a section of slope, install new lighting, pave a chain-off area, and install lane markings for the entire stretch of road. New asphalt will be laid throughout the project.

In an email, a transportation ministry spokesperson said work is expected to be finished by September. It was

South Taylor Hill roadwork nearing completion, but many upgrades still needed through major regional bottleneck

“There are people upset with the delays, but I think most people realize it’s a cost of doing business in the north.�

- Taylor Mayor Rob Fraser initially set for completion in fall 2015 but encountered delays during the first year of construction when crews “experienced movement in the slope,� Ministry of Transporta-

tion spokesperson Trish Rorison said in an email.

The shifting slope added $3.9 million to the project’s $26 million budget. “The budget increase is due to additional work needed to stabilize a slope with a large berm that is part of the project,� Rorison said. “This additional work will ensure the area is properly stabilized for safety during and after the project.�

Taylor Mayor Rob Fraser said that while this phase of construction is nearly done, there’s more work to come. “It’s really just the first phase of that South Hill construction,� he said, adding work still needs to be done on the top section of the hill.

See TAYLOR HILL on A5

Municipal tax bills have been mailed out in Fort St. John this week.

Property owners can expect an increase to the amount of taxes owing due to higher property value assessments. This increase is mitigated by a simultaneous decrease in the tax rate.

On average, residents will pay $1,921 in taxes in 2016, a $37 increase over last year. This amount is equal to $4.75 per $1,000 of assessed property value.

Levies for schools, garbage collection, BC transit and Peace River Regional District services and hospitals are also charged in addition to municipal taxes.

The total tax rate, including levies, is $7.90 per $1,000 of assessed property value.

A homeowner grant can reduce payable taxes by up to $770 for those who own the home they live in. The grant amount is determined based on assessed value and property taxes owing.

The application form is included in the tax package.

The city will collect more than $32 million in property taxes this year, nearly half of its total operating budget of $75 million for the year. The other large income source is transfers from the provincial and federal governments.

Protection services, such as firefighting and police, take up a quarter of the tax revenue, followed by recreation services and general government operations. Water, health services, sewage treatment and transit make up the rest of the municipal expenses.

Property taxes are charged based on property value. The average single family home in Fort St. John is assessed at just over $400,000, up from $380,000 last year, meaning taxes will increase. To mitigate this, council voted in April to reduce the tax rate by 4.23 per cent.

Taxes are due July 4. Contact the finance department at 250787-8150 or tax@fortstjohn.ca if you have not received your bill, or have questions.

BCGEU digs up new downtown digs BRONWYN SCOTT peacereporter@ahnfsj.ca

Work on the new $5 million BC Government and Service Employees’ Union (BCGEU) building in Fort St. John is set to begin in the coming days.

The lot, at 100 Avenue and 102 Street downtown next to the Condill Hotel, is a desirable location for the union. “We’re pleased to have secured this corner lot in down-

town Fort St. John,� union president Stephanie Smith said in an address during the groundbreaking on May 29. “The BCGEU’s new Fort St. John office will be well suited to the city’s Downtown Revitalization Plan, premised on the understanding a healthy and vibrant downtown is the cornerstone of a liveable and sustainable community.�

See BCGEU on A5

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BCGEU Treasurer Paul Finch, President Stephanie Smith and Vice-President Richard Schaeffer get their shovels dirty during the BCGEU’s groundbreaking event on Sunday, May 29, in Fort St. John.

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A2 THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2016

LOCAL NEWS

A $10,000 SMILE

CONTENTS

Taking a 2010 Dodge Ram 2500 out for a test drive back in May turned out to be a solid, $10,000 decision for Marc Lincourt. Lincourt, who moved to Fort St. John from Quebec last summer, won the top prize in FortCity Chrysler’s first ever $10,000 giveaway on May 31. Lincourt ended up buying the Ram after the test drive. As to what he plans to do with his prize? “Probably putting it on the truck, I guess,” he said. From left:Fort City Dealer Principal Dwight Bazin, Marc Lincourt, General Sales Manager Jodie Kluserits, and Sales Consultant Ryan Clarke pose with the giant cheque.

Bazin said Fort City will hold another $10,000 draw in December.

Weather ....................................... A2 Local News ................................. A3 Opinion ....................................... A6 Sports ........................................... B1 Arts & Culture ............................ B5 Community ................................ B9

THIS WEEK’S FLYERS Home Hardware Walmart Jysk Canadian Tire Shoppers Drug Mart No Frills Save-On Foods Safeway Ashley Homestore Peavy Mart The Brick

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Clarification In last week’s article on the Classes of ‘56 and ‘57 holding a combined reunion, it was stated that anyone from Grades 9-12 were welcome to attend. Organizers say they are looking for “their classmates that were in their grades with them from Grades 9 to 12, but did not graduate from North Peace Secondary School.” We apologize for any confusion.

GAS WATCH KNOWBEFOREYOUGO PREVAILING PRICES Dawson Creek

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MATT PREPROST PHOTO

Alberta doctors learn spoon bending COSTCO CHAOS: Every week I’m here to chew the news so you don’t have to. A very nasty Canadian video was viewed by millions online and on TV. Fists flew as two angry oldsters fought over a parking spot at a Toronto area Costco. I’ve never seen this type of senior citizen violence at Costco. Although I did once witness an elderly couple arguing loudly over whether they should buy a 14 year supply of PoliGrip. (Hey, a bargain’s a bargain, right?)

DORY STORY: Also online last week: A trailer for Finding Dory, the movie opens next month. Dory’s fishy friends from Finding Nemo are back. The villain is a talent scout for a sushi restaurant.

RAIN REPORT: The only people wetter than Dory? Vancouverites. On Saturday 116.9 John,Fort BCSt.- John 7 Day Forecast - Environment Canada Vancouver had a record 24 hour rainfall.

More than 30 millimeters. It was so wet, Alberta-B.C. border 108.9 they had to revive one guy by throwing a bucket of sand in his face.

buddy of mine. He owns a cat. Judging by what his cat can do to a roll of toilet paper in ten seconds, there should be no problem shredding a million documents in a couple of hours.

Bob Snyder CHEWS THE NEWS

MARS MEMO: Last week Mars was the closest it’s been to Earth since 2005. It was so close Martians with binoculars could count every pimple on Justin Bieber.

pollution, a very high crime rate, the Zika Virus. Forget the athletes—anyone who goes to the Olympics and gets out of there alive deserves a medal.

TRAVEL: In a survey: The biggest regret older Canadians have is not traveling enough and seeing more of the world. My Grandpa lived to 98, he traveled all over the world. Grandpa could say “Turn down that noise! You call that music?” in nine different languages.

PSYCHIC SCHMYCHIC: In Virginia, a psychic stole more than $1 million from a client by promising to lift a curse. I may have a joke about this later. But first I have to pay a psychic to lift the curse another psychic put on me for making jokes about psychics.

HEIMLICH HUMOR: Dr. Henry Heimhttps://weather.gc.ca/city/pages/bc-78_metric_e.html SPOON STORY: Speaking of psychlich is famous for inventing the Heimic-type stuff, the medical school at the lich Maneuver. Last week at the Ohio University of Alberta is being ridiculed retirement home where the 96 year old for offering a class in “spoon bending”. doctor now lives, a woman was choking The instructor is a woman who claims on a piece of meat. He saved her life by Fort Nelson 129.9 SELECT ELECTRIC: An expert preshe can bend spoons just by focussing performing, you guessed it, the Heimlich dicts electric cars will be popular, even in her thoughts on them. The class is deManeuver. Dr. Heimlich said: “Step aside!

Groundbirch 115.9 northern regionsinformation like the PeaceCountry. a way for trainee doctors to I’ll do a me on her!”  Environment and natural resources  Weather Weather scribed Localas forecasts  British Columbia You can charge an electric car for free learn, quote, “transfer of energy using the from solar panels on your roof. And with power of the mind.” Many people would THAT’S UGLY! Last week scientists at a Chetwynd 115.9 the weird winters we’ve been having in be happy if their doctor forgot about using conference in London voted the Blobfish the Peace, the odds are you won’t have to the power of his mind to bend spoons and “The World’s Ugliest Animal.” Have you Tumbler Ridge 119.9 climb on your roof to clear snow off your used tohttps://weather.gc.ca/city/pages/bc-83_metric_e.html power of his mind to update the seen one of these creatures? It certainly is son, BC 7 Day Forecast Environment Canada rrent Conditions Past 24 hours Radar Satellite Lightning solar panels. Geez, with our weird winters, 10 year old magazines in his waiting room. extremely ugly. If you haven’t seen it, try to Prince George you could buy an electric convertible and imagine the lovechild of the Michelin Tire 117.9 Observed at: Fort St. John Airport drive it in January with the top down.

SHRED THIS: Revenue Canada was Man and Dory the Fish.

Date: 1:00 PM MST Tuesday 7 June 2016 to shred millions of criticized for failing Hythe 109.9 RIO Condition: REPORT: AnPartly expertCloudy was on CBC documents they were instructed to shred.

Bob Snyder writes the satirical Chews Temperature: 20.0°C predicting the Brazil Olympics will be a If they’re having problems finding a good the News column weekly. He can be 101.0 kPa Dewpoint: 4.2°C Grande Prairie 106.9 disaster.Pressure: Rio is a dangerous city. They have shredder, I can put them in touch with a reached at chewsthenews@fastmail.com.

rt St. John, BC

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Environment and natural resources

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CAD$ per litre, prices as of June 7.

Source: GasBuddy.com

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recastConditions MEMORIAM rrent

Tue Wed Gunder Thompson 6, 2016 7 JunApril 23, 1936 to June 8 Jun

A memorial to honour the life of Gunder Thompson will be held in the Lutheran Church Banquet Hall in Fort St John B.C. on Monday June 13, 2016 at 2 p.m.

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THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2016 A3

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A United Way of Northern BC Day of Caring was held in Fort St. John at the Abbeyfield Houses for seniors in partnership with Progress Energy on May 25. Thirteen volunteers turned out to help with a spring clean up and fill garden beds full of tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini and more. According to the United Way, the garden beds help take a bite out of rising food costs and allow Abbeyfield residents to “enjoy fresh, healthy produce from the gardens as the harvest helps supply fresh and affordable food for residence meals prepared by the kitchen.” Volunteers included Fran Charchuck, Sara Johnson, Danielle Brownlee, Kirsten V, Andrew Charters, Jenn Roe, Tanya Joy, Joelle Mickey, Stacey Jackson, Tracy McKinley, Dawn Webb, Danica Gitscheff, and Dan Glover.

City accessibility committee no more

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Mayor Lori Ackerman: “They’ve provided over 10 years of really good input to both city council and staff over the years.”

to meet the objectives going forward, as far as, if the city is reviewing a bylaw or something that could potentially impact accessibility in the community, that they would kind of do ad hoc committees depending on the people that would be affected,” said Cindy Mohr, who co-chaired the committee.

“The actual committee itself is dissolved, but I think that they’re looking at different avenues for input.”

Mohr agreed the committee had run its course.

“I really felt like it wasn’t functioning well as it was. I don’t feel like the committee felt like we were making as much progress as we should be making, and so I think it was time to revisit that structure and how we work with the city,” she said.

Lori Slater, one of the committee’s founding members who stepped away from the committee last year, was disheartened to learn that the committee is gone, but hopeful the city’s new task force structure

will make positive changes.

“I’m sad to hear that it’s been dissolved, but at the same time, I never wanted a committee to come to a meeting once a month and feel like they were just wasting time,” she told the Alaska Highway News.

“If they brought together the people that are living the issues, the people who understand the issues that are not disabled, then yes, it (the task force) will work.

“But it’s got to be a task force that the city is willing to be involved in as well, and willing to make the changes that a task force brings forward to them.”

Slater, who uses a wheelchair, believes “we still have a really long way to go in order to become a truly accessible community.”

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Lori Slater, accessibility advocate: “We still have a really long way to go in order to become a truly accessible community.”

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The Mayor’s Accessibility Advisory Committee, which has worked to improve accessibility for people with mobility limitations in Fort St. John for 10 years, has officially been dissolved.

Council made the decision to do away with the committee at its May 24 meeting, opting instead to have an “ad hoc” task force assemble to address specific accessibility issues as they arise.

“They’ve provided over 10 years of really good input to both city council and staff over the years. They’ve helped us create development guidelines, and some policies within the city that helped to move things forward with accessibility,” Mayor Lori Ackerman said in an interview.

Ackerman explained that she’d had a conversation with some of the long-time members of the committee, and it was decided there wasn’t much more to do. “(They) just felt that everything that they could do as a committee had been done.

And so what happens is a committee comes together every month, so if there’s not much to do, then we’re really wasting people’s time,” she said.

Over the years, the committee worked to raise awareness about accessibility issues, pushed to make city buildings more accessible, and worked with council to increase the fine for people who park in accessible stalls without a permit, which has been approved by council but not yet come into effect.

The committee was part of the decision to disband.

“I had a conversation with the mayor and she had felt ... there could be better ways in which

A4 THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2016

LOCAL NEWS

In Northeast B.C., foreign-owned farms a fire hazard JONNY WAKEFIELD reporter@dcdn.ca

PRRD PHOTO

Karen Goodings, Area B Director: “Either farm it or rent it out, or somehow manage that tall dry grass.

That created a real issue for some of the neighbours of that land because it was a definite fire source.”

HEATHER HIEBERT PHOTO

This year’s unprecedented early fire season is raising new questions about foreign ownership of B.C.’s farms.

some of the neighbours of that land because it was a definite fire source.”

The impact of absentee-owned land on wildfires, which burned an unprecedented 80,000 hectares in Northeast B.C. by mid-May, is a new wrinkle in the ongoing debate over foreign ownership of B.C. farmland.

B.C. has no restrictions on out of country ownership, which has long led to speculation that foreign investment is driving up prices. The province does not yet track

LOUISIANA PACIFIC DAWSON CREEK passed 2 YEARS without a recordable injury in May 2016

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The land next to Kelvin and Heather Hiebert’s property in Rose Prairie hasn’t been farmed in more than 30 years.

It’s covered in waist-high grass, with an unkempt fence line that backs onto a stand of trees. They’ve seen the owner, who’s from Germany, just a handful of times.

But as wildfires tore through the region last month, the property quickly went from eyesore to hazard.

“We’ve been saying for years that it’s only going to take a lightening strike or a carelessly thrown match to cause a lot of damage in the neighbourhood, because of these areas that are not looked after,” Heather Hiebert said.

The Hieberts, who grow grain and raise cattle in Rose Prairie, are one of an untold number of farmers in the Peace Region living adjacent to absentee-owned land.

For Karen Goodings, who represents the rural area at the Peace River Regional District, this year’s early fire season is raising new questions about foreign ownership of B.C.’s farms.

“Either farm it or rent it out, or somehow manage that tall dry grass,” Goodings said.

“That created a real issue for

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the country of origin of a land purchaser, so much of the information about the phenomena is anecdotal.

Kevin Boon, general manager of the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association, said that, to his knowledge, B.C. is the only province in Canada “that doesn’t have some sort of foreign ownership regulations on farmland.”

“It is fairly extensive. We have a fair number of ranches that are foreign-owned,” Boon said. “It is a concern for us, as to why they’re purchas-

ing land and what is our ability to integrate that into our own province’s economy, as well as its food supply.”

The issue most recently came to light last May, when it was revealed the British multinational Reckitt Benckiser Inc. had purchased swathes of B.C. farmland for reforestation for carbon offsets.

Boon said that while he wasn’t familiar with the context in the Peace, he was aware of other out of country buyers picking up B.C. farmland as investment proper-

ties. “They know the value of land’s going to go up, and they can purchase some land up there,” he said.

Goodings, a farmer in Cecil Lake, said foreign ownership is a factor in the agricultural land market in Northeast B.C. She hopes to push the province’s Agricultural Land Commission to set new conditions on absentee property owners, requiring upkeep of properties that are increasingly becoming fire hazards.

“We’re fortunate to have relatively cheaply-priced farm land in Canada,” she said.

However, the buyers “may not be Canadian citizens or may not do anything with the land.”

See FIRE HAZARD on A11

Feds warn BC Hydro after Site C air quality monitors failed to function JONNY WAKEFIELD reporter@dcdn.ca

BC Hydro is in hot water with the federal government after an inspection last month found that air monitors at the Site C construction site were not functioning.

During an inspection of the worksite on the $8.8-billion project, a Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) official found that none of the project’s monitors for carbon monoxide, suspended particulate, nitrogen dioxide, and sulphur dioxide were collecting data.

The failure to monitor for those substances goes against federal regulations, CEAA Compliance and Enforcement Chief Michel Vitou wrote in a letter to BC Hydro dated May 26.

The inspections took place April 26 to 29.

“Consequently, (BC Hydro) has been unable to monitor air qual-

ity effects in order to inform the appropriate authorities of exceedance of federal and provincial air quality standards,” the inspector wrote.

The written warning says that Hydro could face fines of up to $400,000 if it fails to comply with Canadian Environmental Assessment Act rules.

According to a CEAA filing, building and operating Site C—the third dam on the Peace River—has the potential to change local and regional air quality.

Emissions sources include dust from road and civil works construction, quarries, burning vegetation, and construction equipment. According to a Site C mitigation plan reviewed by the Peace River Regional District last summer, 46 per cent of the 2.3 million cubic metres of vegetation cleared from the banks of the Peace River will be burned. BC Hydro is required to monitor for airborne matter that could have effects on the

environment or human health.

“BC Hydro takes the letter from the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency very seriously and we’re committed to meeting all the conditions of environmental certification,” Site C Manager of Communications and Issues Management Craig Fitzsimmons wrote in an email. “The reviews and audits of the construction site are important and, ultimately, they help us improve performance at the construction site.”

This is not the first time Site C has been written up for failing to comply with environmental rules since construction started last July.

In April, B.C.’s Environmental Assessment Office cited the project for failing to control sediment and runoff into the Peace River.

Arlene Boon, a Peace Valley farmer and opponent of the dam, said the faulty monitors “beg the question how many other things aren’t working.”

Site C work ‘astounding,’ energy minister says

Bennett marks main civil works start MATT PREPROST editor@ahnfsj.ca

Energy Minister Bill Bennett was in Fort St. John on May 30 to tour the Site C dam site as main civil works construction got underway. It’s the first time Bennett has toured the site since construction began last summer.

“It’s pretty astounding actually to see how much work has been done, how much clearing has been done, how much earth has been moved, the number of pieces of equipment,” he said following his tour.

“It’s cool to see all the people working and a pretty good vibe there. Everyone seems to be happy they have a good job like that. I’d say the project is going very, very well.”

The Peace River Hydro Partners consortium is carrying out the main civil works, a $1.75-billion contract to build the earth filled dam, tunnels to divert the flow of the Peace River, and the concrete base for the generating station.

Before the dam’s powerhouse and substation can be built, “millions and millions of cubic metres of materials” have to be moved on both sides of the Peace River, Bennett said.

“So you’re going to see big machinery working out there for the next five years moving dirt,” he said.

Local hiring Bennett said more than 100 Fort St.

MATT PREPROST PHOTO

Energy Minister Bill Bennett was in Fort St. John on May 30 to tour the Site C dam site as main civil works construction got under way.

John businesses have work tied to the dam, and that the province has averaged around 70 per cent of the workforce being B.C. workers.

“It goes up and down each month. I think 70 (per cent) is probably a minimum (standard),” he said.

Hiring practices at the dam have raised questions in recent months, from references to the Temporary Foreign Worker program in a job posting, to a freedom of information request revealing discrepancies between the actual number of B.C. workers on the project and what BC Hydro officials were publicly reporting.

See BENNETT on A12

THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2016 A5

LOCAL NEWS

Baldonnel parents raising funds for new school kitchen Baldonnel Elementary School needs a new kitchen, and parents are stepping up to support the cause.

The school’s parent advisory committee often holds fundraisers to support school initiatives, but its main goal this year, and in the coming years, is to expand and update the kitchen, according to PAC president Dixie Modde.

“Our kitchen is pretty small, so it makes it difficult to serve hot lunches to the students,” she said.

“If our kitchen were bigger, the kids could actually use it more in their curriculum.”

Although some of the kitchen appliances have been upgraded over the years, the kitchen hasn’t changed since the current structure was built. They hope bring down some walls and increase the size of their working space.

“There’s two big change rooms that are between the office and the gym and they actually have showers and everything in them, but nobody uses them anymore,” Modde said.

They want make use of that wasted space and extend the kitchen.

Although the school has ap-

proached School District 60 about funding the project, it’s not something they can afford.

“It’s just not something that’s in the school district’s budget to do. And it’s not a necessity, it’s not like the kitchen is falling apart, but it’s something that we would like to see,” Modde said.

The school’s aboriginal student support worker also holds bannock making lessons with her students in the kitchen.

“This is quite an undertaking, but only two or three students can assist at a time given the small workspace,” said Laurie Wright, principal, in an email.

Baldonnel Elementary also participates in the British Columbia School Fruit and Vegetable Nutritional Program, but “storage is needed for the items that are distributed to schools,” and “this is currently difficult with our tiny kitchen,” Wright said.

The PAC was planning to host an outdoor movie night fundraiser on Thursday, June 9, with Finding Nemo on the big screen. However, forecasted rain could put a damper on those plans. An alternate day is set for Thursday, June 16. It will take place in the school field, and is open to all.

Pizza will be available for sale by the slice at 6 p.m., and the movie starts at 6:30.

BRONWYN SCOTT PHOTO

The Baldonnel Elementary School Parent Advisory Committee is raising funds to renovate and expand the school’s kitchen, and is holding an Outdoor Movie Night fundraiser with pizza, and Finding Nemo on the big screen. Jess Thompson, vice president of the Baldonnel Elementary Parent Advisory Committee (left), and Dixie Modde, president, say the current kitchen is so small it’s hard to prepare hot lunches for the students.

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BRONWYN SCOTT peacereporter@ahnfsj.ca

The City of Fort St. John is preparing our first Parks and Recreation Master Plan.

Opportunities for Participation Focus Group Discussions A series of 6 Focus Group Discussions with key parks and recreation user groups will take place in June. A letter will be sent out to user groups. Visit the link below for detailed information: www.placespeak.com/FSJRecPlan

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The two-storey, 6,300-squarefoot building will be constructed of steel, brick and metal panel chosen on the basis of sustainable practices. It will have a high efficiency heating and cooling system, recycled flooring materials, low flush toilets and automated facets.

Ample parking that can accommodate block heater outlets will be available on site. The building itself will feature meeting rooms, amenity space and a lounge area for members. “(The building) will be constructed by union labour,” said BCGEU spokesperson Karen Tankard in an email. “Work should begin in the next week or two.”

The building is expected to be complete and open in the fall of 2017.

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Tower Lake four laning nears completion A project to add lanes to Highway 97 near Tower Lake, south of the Taylor Hill, is also nearly finished.

According to the ministry, the Tower Lake highway expansion 38 kilometres north of Dawson Creek is entering its second year of construction.

Brocor Construction of Dawson Creek won the $11.7 million contract in July 2015.

The full project budget is $17 million, with a completion date set for September 2016.

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“There are people upset with the delays, but I think most people realize it’s a cost of doing business in the north.

People want to see that upgraded so they put up with it,” he said. “People squak a little bit because it takes longer to get anywhere, but I think they understand it needs to be done.”

Jacob Bros. Construction of Surrey holds the contract for South Taylor Hill construction.

Regional leaders have also highlighted the Taylor Bridge as a major bottleneck, but the future of the span remains an open question.

“There’s more concern about the bridge itself,” Fraser said. “The bridge is a huge thing. They talk about four-laning through Taylor.

We’d like to see four lanes across the river before we see four lanes through Taylor.”

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A6 THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2016

Opinion

CONTACT US MATT PREPROST 250-785-5631 editor@ahnfsj.ca

INGRID RICE Published every Thursday at 9916 - 98th Street, Fort St. John, BC V1J 3T8

by Glacier Media Tel: 250-785-5631 Fax: 250-785-3522 Online at alaskahighwaynews.ca

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WHAT’S YOUR OPINION? Send your letters to: editor@ahnfsj.ca Please put “Letter to the Editor” in the subject line. All letters must be accompanied by a daytime phone number (for verification purposes only) and your full name.

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Letters to the Editor FOR THE SAKE OF 30 SECONDS [Editor’s Note: The following was a letter sent to Maria Butts, District Manager of Transportation for the Peace Region, on May 31.]

I am concerned that the M.O.T. is considering increasing the speed limit on the East Bypass Rd around the hospital from 50 km/ hr to 60 km/hr (or even higher). Increasing the speed limit by just 10 km/hr increases the risk of serious injury to pedestrians from 50 per cent to 75 per cent if an accident should occur.

I did an (admittedly uncontrolled) experiment this morning. I drove the East Bypass from the intersection with 100th St to the intersection with 100th Ave first at 50 km/ hr then 60 km/hr. At 50 km/hr, it took me 5 min 4.68 secs. At 60 km/hr, it took 4 min 25.8 secs. Thus is seems to be inviting an unnecessarily dramatic increase in risk of serious pedestrian injury for the sake of 30 secs.

I should point out that during my “exper-

iment” I was travelling significantly more slowly than any other vehicle on the road at the time, even when travelling at 60mk/ hr. Thus, increasing the speed limit will only invite drivers to drive even faster and thus the risk of serious injury will be even more than the 75 per cent.

Dr. Paul Mackey, Fort St. John 50 YEARS SINCE GRAD AND STILL GOING STRONG The weekend of May 27 and 28, 2016, saw the 50-year reunion of NPSS Students from 1966, and included students from the years of ‘65, ‘67, and some from ‘68. It was four years in the planning, in which the whereabouts of every student from ‘65 to ‘67 had been found, including those who are deceased.

In the planning stages, it was determined that the majority of former students wanted a more central location. Vernon was chosen and it was attended by 150 former students; 20 spouses, seven teachers and one prin-

cipal from all parts of B.C., Alberta, Eastern Canada and as far away as Wyoming and Colorado.

A huge number of us have known each other since elementary school; others, since high school. It was an overwhelming success and although unfortunately we hadn’t been able to locate a lot of the class of 1968, if anyone from that class reading this would like to be included on our list should we do it again in a few years, we welcome them to email us at: NPSSReunion2016@shaw.ca.

We held a very successful silent auction, the proceeds of which will go to a foundation to administer a scholarship or bursary for post-secondary education to an NPSS student in an as yet undetermined category. We did establish a scholarship after our 2002 reunion, which carried on until Reunion 2012, at which time it was discontinued. We are very happy that we will be able to resume the fund beginning next year, and contribute to furthering the education of a student from our former high school: NPSS. Mary Daniel, Nanaimo

Ontario announces sweeping climate action plan

O

ntario will slash its carbon footprint with a new $7-billion action plan.

After fine tuning at the cabinet level, complete details are expected to be released to the public in June.

“We are at the cusp of a oncein-a-lifetime transformation,” says the plan, signed by Premier Kathleen Wynne. “It’s a transformation of how we look at our planet and the impact we have on it. It’s a transformation that will forever change how we live, work, play and move about.”

With this plan, Ontario will begin to phase out gas heating in homes, provide incentives to switch to electric and geothermal heat sources, encourage electric vehicles, and much more.

BIG CHANGES The plan includes changes that will affect the way Ontario residents and businesses do most everything, including: • $3.8 million for new grants, rebates and subsidies to help improve the energy efficiency of buildings, move them off of natural gas heat to geothermal and solar. A new Green Bank will administer these programs and provide financing options; • $285 million for electric vehicle incentives, including up to a $14,000 rebate per electric vehicle purchased and up to

Don Pettit WATT’S HAPPENING

$1,000 to help install a home EV charger, plus free electricity for overnight charging, and lots of new charging stations. The plan sets targets that will expand EV sales to five per cent of all vehicle sales by 2020 and up to 12 per cent by 2025, a total of about 1.7 million cars. This is a major shift for the province’s $16-billion auto sector; • New fuel standards that will require all liquid transportation fuels like gasoline and diesel to slash their life-cycle carbon content. $176 million will provide incentives to fuel retailers to buy more biodiesel and ethanol blends. Natural gas will be required to contain more renewable content, like gas from agricultural waste products; • $280 million to help school boards and trucking companies to switch to lower carbon vehicles including electric buses; • $200 million for new cycling infrastructure; • $375 million for research and development into new clean tech, plus $140 million for a new Global Centre for Low-Carbon

Mobility at an Ontario university or college for research into new EV technology; • $1.2 billion to help industry cut pollution and buy more energy-efficient machinery; • $174 million to make the Ontario government carbon neutral; Wow. Controversial? Yep. Going to happen? Probably.

BIG SAVINGS It’s interesting to note that the biggest carbon savings will be from upgrading the thermal efficiency of buildings and moving them off of natural gas heat, currently supplying 76 per cent of all heating in the province. Eligible for rebates will be geothermal heating systems, air heat pumps and rooftop solar heating, all of which once installed will provide heat at a much lower cost than gas heat and a near zero carbon footprint while operating.

The $7-billion budget for the new plan is to be spent over four years, paid for with money raised with the province’s new cap-and-trade carbon pricing system to come into effect next year. Between the new plan and cap-and-trade, Ontario plans to cut its carbon emissions to 15 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020, 37 per cent by 2030 and 80 per cent by 2050.

These are the kinds of goals recently set at the global climate talks in Paris, and that much of the world has agreed to adopt.

Ontario’s plan is therefore a hint of what we can expect to see implemented around the world if we are to keep climate heating below 1.5 to 2 degrees, thus averting the very worst effects of human-caused climate disruption.

Of course, while we’re at it, we’ll improve our overall quality of life, reduce pollution in general, reduce our utility bills, create countless jobs and become more efficient and thus competitive.

Disruptive? Sure, but loads of benefits too.

Which reminds me of the old global warming joke: A man stands up at a climate summit and asks, “What if it’s all a big hoax and we end up creating a better world for nothing?”

The move to clean energy and a low-carbon economy just makes sense. At the moment, Ontario continues to lead the charge in Canada.

Will other provinces soon follow? Yep, because that’s watt’s happening.

Don Pettit, a resident of Dawson Creek, is a founding member of the Peace Energy Cooperative. He can be reached at dpettit@pris.ca

THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2016 A7

NORTHERN GATEWAY TOO GREAT A RISK

AS I SEE IT

only reliable source was Turner, who claimed it was consensual.

For the record, if your partner is A) unconscious, B) can’t remove their clothes on their own, C) isn’t giving you a very enthusiastic “yes�, or D) all off the above, it’s not consensual.

With the permission of Emily Doe, Buzzfeed published her entire victim statement that was read in court. Take 15 minutes and go give it a read. It’s a very powerful piece, and I’m glad she was able to read it out in court.

She points out that during the proceedings, no thought was given to how HE impacted HER life; rather it’s how SHE is wrecking HIS life.

He did not have to be probed and prodded, with pine needles removed from private areas, standing exposed while wounds were documented. He didn’t have to wonder what on earth happened to him, only to read about it in a newspaper outlining all the gory details in an article. She’s not doing this to him— he did this to her.

That’s the problem, isn’t it?

For some reason in sexual assault cases people are more sympathetic to the accused than the victim.

Whereas with other assault or even murder cases, the sympathy lies with the victim and the accused is usually painted as a scumbag. I mean, if a guy is convicted of aggravated assault and sentenced to jail, it’s NBD, because he totally deserves it. A guy rapes a woman and suddenly it’s so sad because his life is ruined.

There is no spin on this situation where we should feel bad for him. He violated an incapacitated woman and he should be appropriately punished for it. Not a fraction of what the punishment should be.

Side note: Although I respect that they don’t seem to want to be in the spotlight, I’d really like to see more coverage on the young men that stopped to help Emily Doe. They saw the rape in progress, yelled at Turner—who bolted, by the way—then caught and tackled him while two other young men saw and went to get help.

We need more men like them in this world; ones that will step up to help and put a stop to violence being committed against women.

waters, which are turbulent at the best of times.

A spill is 100 per cent certain and will pollute most of our pristine coast. Enbridge’s record of numerous spills and cleanup is very poor even in placid waters.

This project has too great an environmental

I am strongly opposed to this pipeline proposal to our pristine west coast. The conditions are nonsense and will not prevent a catastrophic oil spill. Clean up is impossible in these

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Aleisha Hendry is a proud feminist writer who loves cold weather, her cats, roller skates and righteous indignation.

Follow her on Twitter at @aleishahendry

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risk and is an insane plan.

There are many aspects of hearings that were not above board.

Number of conditions will not prevent a major spill and cleanup is impossible in these waters.

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girl has a past. A boy has potential.

I read that line on a post regarding the former Standford University student convicted of raping an unconscious woman behind a dumpster after a frat party.

Those nine words are probably the most accurate description of what it’s like for a woman to actively seek justice for being sexually assaulted.

In all the cases made public, you hear about how the (usually) female victim has a history of going to parties and getting drunk, while the (usually) male suspect is facing life on the sex offender list and how he had so many hopes and dreams before some harlot decided to ruin his life.

That is the most ass-backwards way to cover a sexual assault case. And yet it’s how they’re all covered.

In the case of Brock Turner, the aforementioned convicted rapist, American media are painting him as some kind of saint that just drank a little too much and shouldn’t be punished for raping an unconscious woman, who is referred to as Emily Doe to protect her identity. His father refers to the rape as “20 minutes of action� and how Turner doesn’t want to eat steaks anymore because he’s so traumatized from being in trial.

Emily Doe probably doesn’t feel like eating her favourite foods either.

Since she was the one who actually experienced trauma done to her body.

Turner’s female childhood friend is blaming the conviction on “political correctness.�

In her letter, she doesn’t seem to understand that any, and I do mean any, non-consensual sexual contact qualifies as rape. It doesn’t matter if it’s between two drunk people and one passes out, or someone is kidnapped and sexually assaulted—it’s all the same thing.

I kind of want someone, a counsellor maybe, to sit down and have a serious discussion with this girl, because it’s mind-boggling to think that she actually believes that.

I get that it’s difficult to hear that a friend or loved one committed such a crime. It’s hard to fathom that your little pal from elementary school or your baby boy did something awful to another person. But part of being a good human being is taking responsibility for your actions and not blaming the victim for something she had no control over.

In the U.S., that crime carries a minimum sentence of 14 years in prison, but the judge in the case figured that was too harsh and only gave the kid six months incarceration with two year probation.

That’s disgusting.

The defense attorney spent his time trying to show that because she had completely blacked out and couldn’t remember anything that the

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A8 THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2016

LOCAL NEWS

New barn needed

North Peace Light Horse Association seeks $30K grant to help build anew BRONWYN SCOTT peacereporter@ahnfsj.ca

BRONWYN SCOTT PHOTO

The North Peace Light Horse Association is looking to build a new 20-stall barn as its current facilities are in need of major repairs. The group is hoping for a $30,000 grant from the Northern Development Initiative Trust .

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Land Act:

Public input sought on rest stop facilities

Notice of intention to Apply for a Disposition of Crown Land Take notice that British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority of Vancouver, BC, has applied to the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations (MFLNRO), Northeast Region, for

BRONWYN SCOTT

a Licence of Occupation for Transmission Line situated on Provincial Crown land located in Taylor, Peace River District.

peacereporter@ahnfsj.ca

When you’re driving along the highway, how do the rest areas in the Peace Region measure up?

The North Peace Economic Development Commission is soliciting public input on existing rest areas and how they can be improved for their North Peace “Gotta Go” Project.

“Transportation is one of our strategic pillars, so we talk about the safe movement of goods and people,” said Jennifer Moore, economic development officer with the commission.

“Part of that is not only having transportation corridors that are safe for people to travel on, but also having the auxiliary pieces in place, so rest places where people can pull over, stretch their legs, have a nap, use the facilities, perhaps get some historical or regional information if they’re visitors to the area.”

The commission wants to find out if the rest stops are in the right places, and if the public feels upgrades are needed.

If upgrades are deemed necessary, the commission will “charge those who are responsible for building these things ... we can give them the

The Lands File Number is 8015862.

Written comments concerning this application should be directed to FrontCounter BC, at #100 – 10003 110th Avenue, Fort St. John, BC V1J 6M7, or by email to AuthorizingAgency.FortStJohn@gov.bc.ca. Comments will be received by MFLNRO up to July 18, 2016. MFLNRO may not be able to consider comments received after this date. Please visit the Applications and Reasons for Decision Database website at www.arfd.gov.bc.ca/ApplicationPosting/index.jsp for more information and a map of the application area.

Be advised that any response to this advertisement will be considered part of the public record.

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information so they can move forward,” Moore said.

The initiative is in preparation for the 75th anniversary of the Alaska Highway in 2017.

The focus area for the study is main highway corridors, including Fort St. John to north of Buckinghorse River Lodge, the Cecil Lake Road from the Alberta border into Fort St. John, and Highway 29 to Hudson’s Hope.

The public consultation is short. It started June 2 and will wrap up before the end of the month. For more, visit prrd. bc.ca.

Late last year, the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality was looking to improve its rest stop facilities along the Alaska Highway. In particular, two roadside outhouses were very remote and difficult for contractors to maintain.

To resolve the problem, the municipality offered to compensate businesses along the highway that opened their washroom facilities to the travelling public.

Early this year, the municipality entered into partnership agreements with the interested regional tourism operators, and has been paying them out of the funds that would have gone to contractors to maintain the outhouses, which have since been decommissioned.

Liard loos get $750K retrofit

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Access to these records requires the submission of a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.

Visit www.gov.bc.ca/freedomofinformation to learn more about FOI submissions.

Publication(s): Size: Insertion Date(s): Deadline:

Horseback riding could become an even more popular pastime in Fort St. John if the North Peace Light Horse Association, a non-profit, public use riding facility, gets the funding it’s applied for to build a new 20-stall barn.

On Thursday, May 26, the Peace River Regional District board agreed to write a letter of support for the organization’s application for a $30,000 grant from the Northern Development Initiative Trust (NDIT).

If approved, the funding would come from NDIT’s Community Halls and Recreation Facilities grant program. The full project will cost $56,000.

“We are the only public riding facility in Fort St. John and our facility is used by many riders locally as well as the surrounding area,” Teana Graham, a director with the organization, wrote in the association’s application.

“It is estimated that several

hundred will use the facility on an annual basis, and having a new barn will help them to stable their horses during the entire year.”

The current barn is “very old and is in need of major repairs,” Graham added.

The association anticipates a monthly revenue increase of at least $2,600 through the rental of stalls and new memberships. Graham could not be reached for further comment.

“Horse riding is an activity that promotes healthy living and active lifestyles and is a favourite recreational pastime for many of the residents in the North Peace,” regional district staff note in a report.

“It is anticipated that increasing the facility’s capacity with a new barn, it will generate thousands of dollars annually for local businesses that can provide equipment, services and supplies, and create a direct economic benefit to the area.”

If NDIT funding is approved, construction will get underway in mid August, and be completed by the end of October.

A unique, waterless and environmentally friendly waste disposal system upgrade to the Liard Hot Springs washroom is slated for completion this July, three years after the project began.

Late last month, the province announced $150,000 to support the final phase of the toilet building upgrade, which the province says will support the sensitive hot springs environment.

“Liard Hot Springs is a popular destination and we want to make sure that the park continues to offer high level service by upgrading facilities,” said North Peace MLA Pat Pimm said in a statement.

The work has involved retrofitting from a composting toilet—which was “not work-

ing in this harsh climate and cold winter temperatures,” according to David Karn, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment—to a collect-and-haul system with inground septic tanks.

The toilets are currently in use and functioning, but the retrofitting is not yet finished. Once complete, the project will have cost a total of $750,000, Karn said.

In 2015, BC Parks invested more than $13 million into facility and capital projects in parks across the province. In the past five years, BC Parks invested $60 million in park facilities.

There are more than 14 million hectares—approximately 14.4 per cent of the land base—of provincial parks, recreation areas, conservancies, ecological reserves and protected areas in B.C.

THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2016 A9

Business

“The main thing here has to do with cumulative impacts. In our opinion (the project) is being viewed too narrowly.”

- George Desjarlais, A10

CONTACT US MATT PREPROST 250-785-5631 editor@ahnfsj.ca

Feds accused of ‘dithering’ as decision on Pacific NorthWest LNG pushed to fall Canada’s Natural Resources Minister says a federal decision on Pacific NorthWest LNG will likely come some time this fall.

According to a Canadian Press report, Minister Jim Carr told reporters at a clean energy conference in San Francisco last week that the federal government’s decision on the controversial project will “likely be some time after the 15th of September.”

The $11.4 billion terminal on Lelu Island outside Prince Rupert would liquefy natural gas sourced in the Peace Region.

It is considered a crucial piece of B.C.’s oil and gas industry, as the sector struggles with a North American supply glut. Developing an LNG industry was also a major plank of the provincial B.C. Liberal government in the 2013 election.

However, the plant has encountered opposition from environmental groups and First Nations over its impact on Canada’s greenhouse gas reduction commitments, as well as its impact on the Skeena River salmon fishery.

In March, the federal government asked from more information on the project, delaying approval by several months.

Carr told reporters that the Sept. 15 timeline depends on when Pacific NorthWest LNG submits its final paperwork.

“I expect a decision before

the end of September—unless for reasons I don’t know about today, there is significant delay in the filing of the final application to the regulator.”

He said project proponent Petronas is expected to make its final submissions to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency in the coming weeks. If the agency accepts the filings, it then has 90 days to make a decision whether to approve the project.

Meanwhile, Peace Region MP Bob Zimmer accused the Liberal government of “dithering” on the project.

“It’s one thing to delay. Now it just seems like dithering,” Zimmer said. “They don’t accept what’s given to them even though it’s already passed an environmental process provin-

cially and even federally with (the previous government).

They seem to be dithering about it and pushing it further down the calendar.”

Zimmer said the possibility of Petronas walking on the project due to regulatory delays is a concern.

“They’re not leaving easily,” Zimmer said. “They’ve got a whole bunch invested already and they see the potential here and are sticking with that. But believe me, I’m as concerned as everyone in Northeast B.C. that the longer this goes on, the more the proponent looks and says ‘are we still in this game?’

That’s my biggest concern.”

The company will make a decision whether to invest in the project after the results of the CEAA process.

GOVERNMENT OF CANADA PHOTO

Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr (right) speaks with Mark Kenber, CEO of the Climate Group, at the Clean Energy Ministerial in San Francisco on June 2.

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JONNY WAKEFIELD reporter@dcdn.ca

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B.C. energy exports tumble 16%, but natural gas sees gains JONNY WAKEFIELD reporter@dcdn.ca

B.C. is shipping more natural gas south of the border, but increased export volumes aren’t making up for stubbornly low prices. That was one of the trends in a BC Stats report on exports released June 3.

Overall, the value of B.C.’s energy exports tumbled 16 per cent over the first four months of 2016. The province saw an across the board increase in exports of one per cent over the same period last year, driven mostly by growth in shipments to the U.S., which saw 8.9 per cent growth.

Natural gas shipment volumes grew 10.8 per cent, pushing the overall value of natural gas exports up 1.6 per cent.

Nearly all of that gas went to the U.S. as the province struggles to develop export facilities for liquefied natural gas. Prices for the commodity remain low amid a glut in supply, which has led to a major downturn in drilling and exploration activity in the province’s northeast.

Coal led the way in energy export losses, with export values falling 22.9 per cent. Total shipments of coal fell just 2.3 per cent, with the rest of the shortfall explained by low commodity prices.

Electricity exports also fell (8.3 per cent), along with exports of other energy products (25.8 per cent).

With the exception of India— where B.C. exports saw gains of 35.5 per cent—demand was weak in much of the rest of Asia.

Taiwan saw the biggest declines (22.2 per cent), followed by Hong Kong (15.2), South Korea (14.2), Japan (11) and Mainland China (3.1).

Shipments to the European Union and Mexico fell 8.3 and 72.7 per cent, respectively.

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A10 THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2016

BUSINESS & INDUSTRY

First Nation wants Towerbirch pipeline impacts minimized

West Moberly First Nations elder George Dejarlais delivers oral traditional evidence during day one of the National Energy Board hearings on the Towerbirch pipeline expansion project in Dawson Creek May 31.

MIKE CARTER dcreporter@dcdn.ca

MIKE CARTER PHOTO

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First Nations elders highlighted their concerns over habitat loss and traditional land use impacts during the first day of hearings on a natural gas pipeline proposed near Dawson Creek last week.

National Energy Board hearings on TransCanada’s 88-kilometre Towerbirch pipeline took place May 31 to June 3.

The project, an expansion of an existing transmission network, would carry natural gas east from the Montney shale formation near Tower Lake to the Nova Gas Transmission Ltd. (NGTL) pipeline system in Alberta. TransCanada hopes to eventually sell the gas to U.S., Eastern Canadian and oilsands customers.

The three-member NEB panel, chaired by former Prince Edward Island Environment Minister Jamie Ballem, heard from West Moberly First Nations elder George Desjarlais, who spoke about traditional uses of the land in the Groundbirch area, where the majority of the pipeline would be built.

“We are not opposed, we just wanted to make sure (TransCanada) minimized the impacts,” West Moberly Chief Roland Willson said.

A separate expansion project, roughly 230-kilometres long, will add capacity to the NGTL system on the Alberta side of the border. That project was given conditional approval by the NEB June 1.

Desjarlais’ testimony focused on how the land was traditionally use for hunting, fishing, trapping, and gathering of plants—activities that have been impacted by both farming and oil and gas development.

Industrial developments in recent years have cause linear disturbances to the land, increasing unwanted access by

backcountry enthusiasts and dispersing herds of moose, deer, caribou, and elk, whose habitat has become “condensed” as a result.

“Too much industrial activity is happening on the land,” Desjarlais said.

“Things like well sites, wind energy, pipelines, logging. All that creates access to the general public and that has a big impact on the movement of wildlife. Not only that, but it destroys critical habitat for wildlife, including things for gathering purposes: berry picking, gathering medicines. A lot of that gets destroyed.”

Increases in predator numbers have also occurred as a result of industrial developments in the area, Desjarlais said.

A big concern for the First Nation was whether naturally occurring vegetation will return once the pipeline is built. TransCanada’s reclamation plan calls for reseeding areas along the pipeline right of way with a mixture of grass seeds. “(That) changes a lot,” Desjarlais said, “because grass and weeds will take over. If you just plant grass, it’s not natural. It doesn’t really give a chance of what used to be there to grow back when you do that.”

“The main thing here has to do with cumulative impacts,” Desjarlais added. “In our opinion (the project) is being viewed too narrowly. Industry and/or government never look at the big picture. They only look at this little part of it. They don’t look at things over time, they just look at now. If we’re going to preserve Mother Earth so that she can live a little longer and support us, we need as a people to start looking at the big picture.”

The NEB panel has until March 22, 2017, to deliver a final report on the project. The federal government has the final say over whether the project goes forward.

Oil and Gas Commission stepping up earthquake monitoring at well sites 4.6-magnitude quake last year north of Wonowon largest on record in B.C. JONNY WAKEFIELD reporter@dcdn.ca

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B.C.’s oil and gas regulator is stepping up monitoring of seismic activity after hydraulic fracturing triggered a series of small but high-profile earthquakes last year.

Starting June 1, the B.C. Oil and Gas Commission (OGC) will collect ground motion data from new wells in gas fields near Fort St. John and Dawson Creek, the regulator announced in an industry bulletin last week.

The new permit conditions require companies to have “adequate monitoring” systems in place during hydraulic fracturing. In addition, companies will have to file a ground motion monitoring report within 30 days of completing a fracture.

“This is the next step in mitigation measures that started with earlier permit conditions in 2012, increased seismic monitoring in the northeast in 2013 and new regulations in 2015,” OGC spokesperson Alan Clay wrote in an email.

Fracking was deemed the cause of a 4.6-magnitude earth-

quake north of Fort St. John last summer—the largest “induced seismicity” event on record in B.C. The quake had its epicentre at a drilling site north of Wonowon, operated by Progress Energy, the largest drilling company in B.C. The company temporarily suspended operations during an investigation. Shaking could be felt as far away as Charlie Lake.

While the quake caused no damage, it raised debate about industry regulation as the provincial government pins its hopes to a liquefied natural gas industry.

Progress Energy is the upstream subsidiary of Petronas, the company behind the $11 billion Pacific NorthWest LNG export facility outside Prince Rupert. The company recently slashed its Northeast B.C. operations as it awaits a federal decision on the facility.

More than 230 earthquakes were linked to fracking in an earlier Oil and Gas Commission study between August 2013 and November 2014, but only 11 could be felt at the surface.

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THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2016 A11

LOCAL NEWS

Farmers’ advocate wants B.C. to bring in ‘cooling off ’ period after deals signed with oil & gas land agents Legal window would help rural residents get fair deal for rigs, wells on land JONNY WAKEFIELD reporter@dcdn.ca

Gina Goad knows the drill when the land agent comes comes calling.

“They do it on very short notice,” said Goad, who lives on a rural property surrounded by natural gas wells in Tomslake, south of Dawson Creek. “We’ve had them come and sit at our house, we’ve had them take us out to dinner.”

A farmers’ organization is pushing the B.C. government for new rules that would give rural landowners time for sober second thought after signing deals with oil and gas companies.

The B.C. Farmers Advocacy Office, which was created in 2010 as a voice for landowners on oil and gas development, wants B.C. to bring in a “cooling off” period during which a landowner can nullify a contract signed with a land agent.

Advocates say a two to threeday window would help farm-

JONNY WAKEFIELD PHOTO

Land agents negotiate deals for surface access for oil and gas developments. But one advocacy group says the deck is stacked against rural landowners when it comes to negotiating deals.

ers get fair compensation for access to land for wells, drilling rigs and roads.

“When a land agent comes out to your house, they make you an offer of compensation,” said Anne Clayton of the Farmers Advocacy Office. “You might think it’s reasonable at the time, but you don’t have an opportunity to get any advice to see if it is reasonable.”

“This would give you a chance to go back to the company and say ‘look, I know you paid other people this

amount, I want to put the agreement aside and renegotiate,’” she said.

Above and below In B.C., farmers rarely own the mineral resources beneath their properties. That often leads to tensions between farmers and oil and gas companies, which lease subsurface drilling rights from the province.

Land agents enter the picture when an oil company

A DANCE IN THEIR STEP

FIRE HAZARD from A4

ZOË DUCKLOW PHOTO

Five-year old tap dancers perform at The Move Dance Centre’s 17th annual recital on Sunday, June 5. Performances ranged from ballet to hip-hop, jazz to tap dancing.

School bus fee remains for rural students BRONWYN SCOTT peacereporter@ahnfsj.ca

The $100 registration fee for School District 60 students who live in rural areas and need to bus to school has now been implemented for the second consecutive year to offset reduced transportation funding from the province.

The school district will begin collecting payment from families in the coming days for the 2016-17 school year, according to SD60 secretary-treasurer Doug Boyd.

“The fee has now been implemented and the bulletin and registration forms are out.

They are starting to collect next week,” he said, during a June 6 board meeting.

The fee is a result of the province changing the transportation line item to a student location factor in 2012.

The impact on School District 60—a district where many students from outlying areas have to travel to attend school – was a funding cut of $541,000.

The school district has been lobbying the provincial government to reverse the change since it came into effect, so that rural students don’t have to pay for bus service.

In October, Education Minister and South Peace MLA Mike Bernier said a review of bus funding is underway, but

needs to negotiate with a private landowner to build a road or a well on their property.

Hosting oil and gas infrastructure can be a sizable source of income for farmers.

But according to Clayton, it can be difficult for landowners to know if they’re getting a good deal when they’re first approached by a land agent.

A landowner near Dawson Creek, for example, was paid $6,500 in 2011 for access to 18 acres of property, according to B.C. Surface Rights Board

data collected by the Farmers Advocacy Office. Another near Tomslake was paid $4,500 for a take of just five acres.

“If they come to your place, and they negotiate in your house, and they make pleasant conversation with you and they’re friendly, you might feel obligated to sign,” Clayton said.

Alberta has mandated a cooling off period since 1980, preventing a land agent from accepting a signed deal within 48 hours of the start of negotiations.

In a letter to B.C.’s natural gas minister, Peace River Regional District board chair Don McPherson said similar rules in B.C. would not be “an onerous hardship for industry” and would “benefit landowners by providing further opportunity to carefully review important legal documents.”

Clayton has also pushed for online access to surface leases, which are only available through the Surface Rights Board, headquartered in Richmond.

While she argued for a 72hour cooling off period, Goad said any window to review contracts would benefit her and neighbours in Tomslake.

As it stands, “you’re basically forced to sign in the moment without any chance to really look at it or discuss it with anyone else,” she said.

“You get schmoozled.”

In that way, there are parallels with the foreign ownership debate in Vancouver—where housing prices are skyrocketing amid a flood of mostlyChinese investment.

According to the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, the average price of a detached home in Metro Vancouver jumped 36.9 per cent year over year last month.

A Farm Credit Canada report released in April shows that farmland values in B.C. continue to rise, however more slowly than a decade ago. The average value of B.C. farmland grew 6.5 per cent last year, well below the national average of 10.1 per cent.

Growth peaked in 2006, when B.C. saw 19.3 per cent year over year gains in the price of farmland. The report notes that in the Peace, most parcels sold privately to local producers. And while B.C. does not restrict foreign ownership, the Agricultural Land Commission places stringent rules on non-agricultural use of farmland.

While there’s less money at play, Vancouver’s foreign ownership debate is already having an impact on rural areas.

New rules brought in to

gauge the impact of out-ofcountry investment in the Lower Mainland promise to shed some light on foreign ownership of farmland. Starting June 10, B.C.’s finance ministry will begin collecting citizenship data on property transfer tax forms. According to a ministry spokesperson, those new rules will apply to ranches and agricultural land, meaning Vancouver’s real estate market will give some insight into foreign ownership of farmland.

At the end of the day, though, Heather Hiebert just wants her neighbour to cut the grass.

During the worst of the blaze, her husband cut a fireguard into the absentee-owned land to keep it from spreading.

A water bomber soon made short work of the fire on the adjacent field.

She supported Goodings’ push for more regulations on absentee-owned property, but added there are plenty of locals who also fail to keep up their land.

“It is becoming more and more of a problem,” she said.

“The land is becoming a fire hazard because the grass is waist deep and there’s nothing you can really do about it.”

SCHOOL PORTABLES ARRIVE

ZOË DUCKLOW PHOTO

Doug Boyd, secretary-treasurer for School District 60.

for now, the student location factor funding formula still stands.

“The technical review committee has reviewed our request for change, and they’ve indicated that no change can be implemented through them,” Boyd said in an interview.

“It would have to go through the Minister of Education, and that’s what we’re working on right now.”

The school district has been involved with the technical review committee, which was active throughout the winter months.

“At this point we have not heard any more news from the ministry in consideration of our dilemma with the

shortfall in the transportation area, however, we will continue on that endeavour,” Boyd said.

“This year, however, we will only have the registration fee that was in place for this year and also for next year.”

The first year the funding formula was changed and implemented to a student location factor, the rural communities through the Peace River Regional District provided additional funds to help offset the charge to families.

For this past school year, the school board decided to cap the fee at $100 per family, which is a cap the board has maintained for the 2016-17 school year.

BRONWYN SCOTT PHOTO

Several local schools will have some breathing space next year with the addition of 10 portables, which have begun to arrive and are ready to install on school property. École Central Elementary and Alwin Holland Elementary will each get three portables, and Robert Ogilvie Elementary and C.M. Finch Elementary will each get two, according to Doug Boyd, secretary-treasurer for the school district. “They do look very well constructed ... a majority of the units would be installed by the 13th,” he said.

The portables will help accommodate a expected increase in enrolment, and provide a better learning space for students. The portables at École Central will provide much needed classroom space after a renovation of the school’s interior relinquished some rooms for an open concept learning area. The portables are arriving in half units, and are currently being staged next to the school district office until enough arrive to begin the installations.

A12 THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2016

LOCAL NEWS

PEACE REGION

COURT DOCKET Here is what happened in Peace Region courts for the week ending June 3.

Fort St. John Law Courts:

MATT PREPROST PHOTO

RCMP arrested two 24-year-old men on May 31 following a traffic stop on 87 Street in the Mathews Park neighbourhood. The men were arrested in connection with the stabbing of a 40-year-old man.

Stabbing suspect charged MATT PREPROST editor@ahnfsj.ca

One man has been charged with aggravated assault in connection with the stabbing of a 40-year-old man in Fort St. John on May 31.

Curtis Jeffrey Bagan was due in court Friday, June 3, to set a hearing date for the charge, however, the matter was adjourned to June 8, court records show.

Bagan was one of four men arrested May 31 in connection with the stabbing, and remains in custody, according to court records. Bagan appears to be the only suspect charged so far, and has not been found guilty of the charge.

However, if convicted, he faces up to 14 years in prison.

Police conducted a sweeping investigation in the Mathews Park neighbourhood late in the afternoon after

the 40-year-old man, who has not been identified, walked into the hospital with several stab wounds. He was last listed in stable condition with non-life threatening injuries.

RCMP said an investigation led officers to a home in the 8900 block of 87 Avenue, where it’s believed the man was stabbed. A 45-year-old man was arrested outside the home.

Officers then moved onto a second home in the 8200 block of 87 Street where a 22-year-old man was arrested.

While at the scene, officers saw a vehicle travelling down 87 Avenue with two more suspects inside. Two 24-year-old men were arrested and taken into custody following a traffic stop.

Of the four arrests, one man was released, while two others were held for investigation. Bagan had his first court appearance June 1.

• Ann Marie Capot Blanc (born 1981) was sentenced to 18 months probation, given a 10-year firearms ban, ordered to provide a DNA sample, and issued $200 in victim surcharges for one count of assault with a weapon, one count of possession of stolen property under $5,000, and one count of breaching an undertaking or recognizance.

• Kelly Ward Dressler (born 1959) was given a conditional discharge, sentenced to six months probation, and handed a $100 victim surcharge for one count of theft $5,000 or under.

• Darren Dwayne Kennedy (born 1970) was sentenced to one year of probation and handed $200 in victim surcharges for one charge of assault.

• Kalum Curtis Sun Kim (born 1995) was sentenced to one year of probation after which he will be given a suspended sentence, issued a 10-year ban from firearms possession, and handed a $100 victim surcharge for one count of possession for the purpose of trafficking.

Kim was also sentenced to this same charge in April 2016.

was sentenced to 36 months probation, handed a 10-year ban from firearms and ordered to pay $200 in victim surcharges for one count uttering threats and one count breach of an undertaking or recognizance.

Dawson Creek Law Courts: • William Ray Rash (born 1994) was sentenced to jail time served and a $100 victim surcharge for one count of breaching his probation stemming from an earlier charge of arson damaging property July 2014 in Dawson Creek.

• Dalena Jeanette Belcourt (born 1987) was sentenced to 171 days in jail and handed $700 in victim surcharges for five counts of theft $5,000 or under, one charge of failing to appear pursuant to a court order, and one count of breaching probation that stemmed from a January 2015 charge of theft $5,000 or under.

• Donald Everet Guay (born 1957) was sentenced to one year of probation, issued a $1,500 fine and a $450 victim surcharge after being found guilty of a lesser included charge of driving a motor vehicle without due care and attention. The original charge was care or control of a vehicle while impaired.

• Tammy Lynn Platts (born 1968) was issued a $150 fine and a $45 victim surcharge for one count of possession of stolen property under $5,000.

• Thomas Erin O’Shea (born 1986)

—Mike Carter

BENNETT from A4

laid off, and she’s now working full time at Site C. Those are the stories we like to hear, and frankly one of the main reasons that our government decided to build the project, over and above the fact that it gives you relatively cheap, clean electricity, is because of the economic development factors and the jobs.”

Lawsuits not eating into budget The Peace Valley Landowner Association along with the West Moberly and Prophet

GLASS HOUSE FIR PELLETS, SPF PELLETS & STOVES

River First Nations currently have lawsuits against the dam before provincial and federal appeals courts.

Bennett said litigation against the dam is incorporated into the project’s $8.8-billion budget, but couldn’t say how much BC Hydro and the province has spent to date fighting its opponents in the courtroom.

“This project is a $8.335-billion project with a $440-million allowance set aside if they need it. It’s obviously a big project and within that

AUTO GLASS

in stock

No thoughts to naming the dam Meanwhile, Bennett said he’s yet to have discussions in his department or with Premier Christy Clark on naming the dam.

“I don’t think any of us are really thinking about what it’s

BRONWYN SCOTT

We do ICBC Claims at shop

peacereporter@ahnfsj.ca

10996 Clairmont Frontage Rd., Fort St. John • 250.785.3433

SPECIAL DELIVERY...

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amount, you have a lot that is for legal costs,” Bennett said.

“Nothing that has happened so far, 10 months in, that would indicate that we have any trouble with the budget.”

going to be called other than Site C. We’re really focused on making sure it gets a good, strong start and that we’re signing contracts that are within budget, making sure that we’ve got all the local employees possible and local small businesses involved,” he said.

“We’ll focus on that and I guess eight, eight-and-a-half years from now, when the project is completed, maybe they’ll bring me up in a wheelchair and we’ll find out then what they’re going to call it.”

Northern Health seeks to boost HIV, hepatitis C services

R0011226475

Bennett said he had the chance to talk with several local residents working on the project during his tour.

“There was one man, a middle-aged man, who has spent time working in Russia in the oil and gas industry and just recently came back from Africa and now he’s back here and he’s able to spend time with his 15-year-old son because he has work back here,” he said.

“I talked to another young lady who was working in the oil and gas industry and got

Northern Health is seeking proposals from community partners and First Nations health organizations to help enhance HIV and hepatitis C services in communities across Northern B.C. The health authority is committing $180,000 towards successful community-based projects. It’s looking for proposals that will prevent and reduce the risk of HIV and hepatitis C transmission, demonstrate partnerships that will enable quick and easy-to-access testing, and that will assist people who are living with HIV or hepatitis C. “One of our overall goals with this funding announcement is to try and increase the number of partnerships we have across the north, so we can have more community-based organizations in different communities across the north, like Fort St. John,” explained Ciro Panessa, regional director of chronic diseases for Northern Health.

While some northern municipalities,

such as Dawson Creek, have community organizations dedicated to HIV and hepatitis C prevention and awareness, others, including Fort St. John, have limited resources.

“There aren’t any dedicated organizations at this time in Fort St. John that are community-based organizations dedicated to raising awareness around HIV and hepatitis C, and doing HIV and hepatitis C community-based work,” Panessa said.

However, some services are available through the Fort St. John Health Unit, such as testing, and the distribution of condoms and needles. Patients can also get tested by a doctor or at the hospital.

Further, opioid substitution is available through Dr. Charles Badenhorst, who helps addicts recover.

“This (initiative) is an opportunity for community organizations in Fort St. John,” Panessa said.

Interested organizations should visit HIV101.ca for more information.

Contracted services will begin on Oct. 1, 2016.

A FINE EVENING OF FAMILY FILM

Fort St. John Hospital Foundation Baby Bouquet Wall This is a wonderful way for family and friends to acknowledge these special miracles

ated in the t Wall is loc re Baby Bouque Hospital Birthing Cent hn Fort St. Jo

Your minimum donation of $125 to the FSJ Hospital Foundation will not only purchase a flower petal, but the money raised will also go towards much needed medical equipment that will help to provide the best healthcare and service possible.

Ph: 250.261.7563 | email: fsjhf@northernhealth.ca

www.fsjhospitalfoundation.ca

BRONWYN SCOTT PHOTO

A great crowd showed up for the first of three Movies in the Park nights at Centennial Park on Friday, June 3. The next night is Friday, July 8, with The Peanuts Movie and Never Been Kissed.

THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2016 A13

LOCAL NEWS

Fort St. John buildings win awards

HAULIN’ DIRT, GROWIN’ FOOD

Four buildings in Fort St. John were recognized at the Northern BC Commercial Building Awards in Prince George June 2.

Macro Industries took home an Award of Excellence in the industrial category, while the City of Fort St. John took home the Green Award for its Passive House project.

Meanwhile, Rogers Trucking was given an Award of Merit in the industrial category, while Century 21 Energy Realty won

an award of merit for its office renovation.

In all, seven buildings in the North Peace were nominated for an award. The ceremony, put on by the Business Examiner, is a celebration of the north’s best in commercial and industrial construction, recognizing buildings completed between Jan. 2014 and Dec. 31. 2015.

The Calvin Kruk Centre For The Arts in Dawson Creek won

the Judges’ Choice Award as well as the Award of Excellence winner in the Community Renovation category.

The project was a restoration of the original post office in downtown Dawson Creek, converting it into a multi-use community centre that provides space for theatre, dance, pottery, childcare, meeting spaces, music rooms and a restaurant.

—Staff

Power outage notice: planned maintenance East of the Beatton River BRONWYN SCOTT PHOTOS

Above: Seth Austin, in Grade 3, drives a green-handled shovel into a dirt pile, while Grade 6 student Adam Bourgeois, in Grade 6, positions himself at the top of the mound to help break up the soil. The Robert Ogilvie Elementary kids were working alongside Grade 10 Energetic Learning Campus students to fill planters with soil. The work was part of the Northern Environmental Action Team’s Food Secure Kids program. Below: Ashton Reid and Devon Lee, both in Grade 6 at Robert Ogilvie, help to shovel dirt into the planters.

The students will move the plants they’ve been growing indoors to their new outdoor flower beds this week.

We need to switch off power in your area for about 6 hours while we conduct system maintenance. To keep our crews and the public safe, power must be switched off while we complete this important work.

Where:

East of the Beatton River and includes Cecil Lake, Doig, Osborne, Flatrock, Golata Creek, and Clayhurst.

When:

Friday, June 10, 2016

Time:

9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

To protect your equipment from damage during the outage, please turn off all lights, electrical heaters, major appliances and unplug all electronics. We’ll restore power as soon as we can.

Visit bchydro.com/outages or call 1 888 POWERON (1 888 769 3766) for more information.

5023

Alaska Highway News (GM) Size: 6.19” x 81 lines Insertion date: June 02 and 09 Deadline: Monday May 30

R0021159180

R0011227689

House

of the

k e e W

BARRETT

A rhapsody of shapes and textures makes this estate-size contemporary chalet a treat for the eye. King posts and gently curved struts highlight the Barrett's four front-facing gables, while shingles and stone veneer wrap around the entire exterior. Diamond-shaped and Craftsman windows add their sparkle outside, and admit abundant light inside.

Arrays of slender posts flank the lofty entry portico. Sidelights and a wide transom wrap around the Craftsman door.

Inside, closets line the vaulted entry that leads directly into an expansive hexagonal great room.

Drop beams outline the six pieshaped ceiling panels that meet at a central peak. The three rear walls are richly glassed, and the center section there is almost entirely glass. Its lower windows are crowned by two more levels of gridded glass that highlight the triangular apex.

A fireplace graces the right rear section, designated as a living room; the dining area is in the left section. Both offer

Covered Patio

access to wide decks. A long conversation bar rims the work island in a kitchen that is partly open to the dining area. Its roomy pantry fills one corner.

Bedroom suites fit neatly into wings on both sides of the central hexagon. A powder room along the hallway to the guest suite is available for general use.

The large utility room further along that hallway also serves as a pass-through to the three-car garage. Luxury features abound in the spacious owners' suite that fills the left wing.

A bunk room and yet another bedroom are in the Barrett's daylight basement below, to the left of a huge recreation room that accesses covered patios on three sides. The roomy workshop on this level also has double door access to the exterior.

Associated Designs is the original source for the Barrett 30-773. For more information or to view other designs, visit www.AssociatedDesigns.com or call 800634-0123.

Barrett

PLAN 30-773

Recreation 39'1'' x 28'9''

Up Dn

nk Bu om o R '3'' 13 '6'' 4 x1

Shop 13'8'' x 18'8''

Mech.

Bedroom 18'4'' x 16'4'' Deck

Vaulted Great Room 38'10'' x 28'8''

First Floor 2951 sq.ft.

Second Floor 2159 sq.ft.

Living Area 5110 sq.ft.

Garage 1306 sq.ft.

Dimensions 121'7'' x84'1'' ESTATE SERIES www.AssociatedDesigns.com

Deck

Dining Living Dn

Dn Owners’ Suite 27'7'' x 15'

Entry

Dn Guest Suite 15' x 18'10''

Dn

Porch Utility

© 2016 Associated Designs, Inc.

Garage 35'6'' x 41' (25' at 3rd bay)

Entry Courtyard

Arlen Brekkaas NEW LISTING

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Professionally designed, restaurant quality kitchen. 4 bedrooms, 4.5 acres.

NEW LISTING

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5000 sq ft of living space and a waterfront view 10 minutes to town with a mom-in-law suite too? Yes, it’s true! On site sewer system means no big bills for service and 3 years new means all the modern amenities and none of the fix up or maintenance of the older ones! Too many features to describe so you’ll just have to come and see them yourself!

$355,000

Modern and maintained! Nice family home on a larger lot with ample parking and a huge rec room too! Excellent space for kids and pets, and you won't find a home any cleaner than this! 5 bedrooms and an eat-in kitchen have this one set up for fun and relaxed times with friends.

NEW LISTING

$199,950

Tons of renos here! Super clean, fresh paint & flooring just compliment the upgraded windows & doors. Great sq ft for the price too!

Must see!

$74,900

$465,400

NEW LISTING

$269,900

Super clean and well reno'ed! Fence is great for kids and pets and inside you'll see upgrades all over including furnace, paint and flooring! Check out the kitchen cabinets too!

Great value here.

Perfectly maintained 4 bedroom home on a half acre 1 minute from the city! This energy efficient 2000 sq. ft home has had many updated such as newer windows, heated tile in the main bath, new flooring and paint through out the basement. On site sewer system is a huge savings and the detached 24 X 26 shop with 10� ceiling is waiting for your vehicles! Plus, you have great RV parking with power plug. Large covered deck and Hot tub is where you watch kids play in the big fully fenced yard with trees and space to explore!

Rare find - 1 lot, 2 homes (guest) in town. Live in 1 and let other pay for it or generate 2 rentals for 1 price! Close to downtown, great holding property!

2 fridges and 2 stoves included.

NEW LISTING

$639,900

$279,900

$509,900

Great home in Ambrose area with nice yard and roomy garage! Very well maintained and nice room sizes bring a very modern feel to a traditional home. Nice deck for summers outside, and a toasty fireplace for winter evenings, too!

Amazing investment here! Rare zoning, walking distance to services, lots of parking and return numbers that would even make Scrooge happy!

NEW LISTING

$539,900

Perfectly maintained! Solid and spotless 3 bedroom (up) home with attached garage (fits families) and a 2-bedroom legal suite down...great help with extra family or mortgage payments! You won't need much time to decide that this home has huge value for your dollar!

NEW LISTING

Perfectly maintained and quick possession!

Newer 16' wide modular on its own lot has 2 nice sheds, concrete drive, huge deck, RV space and a corner lot with alley access too!

Super clean inside and all appliances stay, including the lawn mower! See this one now!

$349,900

per side

4 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath master ensuite. parking front and rear too!

$579,900

Close to Kin park in a quiet cul-de-sac you'll cozy up to the fireplace on a cool winter evening in the vaulted ceiling great room. Big pantry space in the well designed kitchen makes for easy prep for the family and friends you'll have to fill up the 6 bedrooms. 3 full baths, attached garage and RV parking too!

$539,900

2 acres, house with garage, 28 X 38 detached garage with carport, and Mom-inlaw suite with a lake view and 8 min to Fort St John ! Charlie Lake sewer system in place and lots of windows to soak in the trees!

Unique property with potential for growth or subdivision. Call today for your viewing!

LOCAL NEWS

North Peace students full of ideas to improve city

ZOË DUCKLOW PHOTOS

Above: Nick Young, Deklan Franklin and Jackson Tegart want to see an indoor skate park built in Fort St. John so skaters, scooters, and bike riders have an all-weather place to ride.

Right: Allison Ostle, Jesse Plamondon, Kodie Roste and Grace Giesbrecht will be painting the wall of Evangel Chapel this summer as soon as school’s out. They’re looking for volunteers to help paint. Contact Evangel Chapel if you’re interested in signing up.

teammates plan to start painting right when they’re finished school near the end of June.

Their display at the trade show had iterations of the mural design, from its first stages to the near-final version. They’ve worked closely with Warriner on the concept.

“I really hope he comes today,” Ostle said. “We invited him to come. He hasn’t seen this latest version yet. I can’t wait for him to see it.”

Rotary has been a strong part of our community since the formation of the first club in Dawson Creek 65 years ago.

A few of the projects that Rotary has helped establish right here include:

Rotary Harbour 1957 (Seniors Housing)

Rotary Health Centre 1959 (Currently SPRCS offices)

Notices & Public Info ANNUAL WATER MAIN CLEANING

NEWS

The City of Fort St. John is conducting its annual water main cleaning. Crews are currently working in the SE Quadrant of the City.

IV PEAC E R

90 ST

86 ST

Water Main Flushing

93 AVE

RD 259

85 AVE

Ala sk

72 ST

85 AVE

RD

TAKE THE NEWS WITH YOU!

aH wy

PICK UP THE LATEST EDITION TODAY!

77 AVE

Meets Fridays, 7:00 pm at the DC Curling Club We are a dynamic group making a meaningful impact on individuals and their communities

RT

Airport Rd

89 AVE 89 ST

92A ST

93 AVE ST

100 AVE

100 Ave

93 ST

100 St

AIR P

O

105 AVE 102 ST

104 ST

112 AVE RD

104 ST

108 ST

ER

96 ST

108 ST

110 AVE

93 ST

Rotary

Club of Dawson Creek Sunrise

111 AVE

79 ST

Together We Can Change The World

Energetic Learning Campus students Jayden Piket, Reid Jacobs, and Rachelle Mackey have noticed a lot of cigarette butts on the ground. They’ve come up with a new disposal unit that polls smokers on fun questions—such as “Messi v. Ronaldo”—by having them drop butts into a container with a centre partition. A plexiglass front lets everyone see the results of the poll, and questions can be changed periodically. The containers mount on a wall, and are less susceptible to damage than the free-standing units commonly used. They want to install the units outside of bars and grocery stores, hoping the bright yellow colour and fun polls encourage smokers to discard their butts there instead of on the ground. This project is one among dozens that students displayed at the ELC’s community project trade show on Tuesday, June 7.

100 St

Just think... What if...

Rotary was not in our community?

Meets Tuesdays, NOON at the George Dawson Inn

ZOË DUCKLOW PHOTO

This program will run Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. until July 1, 2016.

Rotary Skateboard Park Established 2005

Rotary

“One covered money management, one talked about how to get your ideas heard in council,” said teacher Phil Hiscock.

“Then the students came back and generated hundreds of ideas about how to change the city. The project started with the idea, but the rest of it was really them making it go,” he said.

This could result in a change in water pressure or water discoloration. Please check your water prior to washing clothes, dishes, etc.

Rotary Lake Established 1965

Club of Dawson Creek

Paint and scaffolding have already been donated, the team just needs volunteers now, to help execute their design.

All of these projects started with a local field trip earlier this year. Six buses took the students on tours of Fort St. John, with six different guides who talked about issues going on in the city.

10 7

In appreciation to those companies who seek to strengthen aboriginal business relations in the Peace Regional, we are proud to inform you that Keian Coating & Sandblasting is 51% aboriginal owned and operated. With the most qualified team to serve you, anywhere any place from sandblasting to airless paint or special coatings 24/7. We have three mobile blasters on call, as well use modern state of the art equipment and are environmentally friendly blasting media to best serve our clients to be 100% satisfied.

We are ISN approved, fully insured, fully certified as well Work Safe BC clean.

If you may have any further questions or concerns, please do contact us at anytime.

Proudly here to serve you, warriors to the end, we get the job done!

109 ST

To whom it may concern/ project coordinator;

116 ST

R0011237736 keiancoatingandsandblasting@telus.net

Deklan Franklin messes around on his scooter beside the hockey rink in the Pomeroy Sport Centre. He jumps and flips the scooter around from side to side before landing on it, gliding away on the smooth concourse floor.

Franklin is a Grade 10 student at the Energetic Learning Campus who wants to see an indoor skate park built in Fort St. John.

“There’s two small outdoor parks,” he said, “but you can’t use them most of the year because of the snow or rain.” Franklin envisions an indoor park that would charge somewhere around $5 for drop in, and maybe have a punch card-style membership.

He was one of dozens of students to take part in a trade show at the Energetic Learning Campus June 7 to share their ideas about how they want to make Fort St. John better. The ideas are diverse, ranging from humanitarian fundraisers to arts engagement to cleaning up cigarette butts.

This isn’t just a theoretical assignment; the main part of the project is to figure out how to make their ideas happen.

And so far it seems to be working. Some ideas are ambitious and some are simple enough they’ve already been implemented.

The large blank wall on Evangel Chapel caught the eye of another group. They reached out to the building owner and pastor, Tony Warriner, to ask if they could paint a mural on it.

“We were looking for a wall for a mural, and Tony was looking for someone to do a mural on his wall. It was perfect that we got connected,” Allison Ostle said. She and her

OLD FORT RD

ZOË DUCKLOW reporter@ahnfsj.ca

T 96 A S

ry

A14 THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2016

CALL (250) 785-5631 www.fortstjohn.ca

Alaska Highway NEWS

THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2016 A15

�ank y�

#FortMacStrong $4 million raised across the country for the Canadian Red Cross.

R0011258055

Thank you to every customer who made a donation. 100% of the funds raised will go directly to the relief efforts from the Northern Alberta wildfires.

Sin� �e evacua�on of community memb�s, �r t�ms have w�ked ��nd �e clock to make $400,000 of provisions possible �r em��ncy p�sonn�, displa�d r�idents and �e Canadian Red Cross. We con�n� to be insp�ed and pr�d to stand alongside �r n��b�rs and local p�tn�s.

T:10.417”

A16 THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2016

EG:

20

% = $12,297 CASH CREDIT

OF MSRP

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ON SILVERADO 1500 CREW CAB SHORT BOX LTZ Z71 4X4, BASED ON MSRP OF $61,485

1500 CREW CAB SHORT BOX LTZ Z71 4X4 MODEL SHOWN

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ON EQUINOX LTZ AWD. BASED ON MSRP OF $39,575

ALL NEW VEHICLES COME WITH:

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Sports & Leisure

B

THURSDAY JUNE 9, 2016 CONTACT US 250-785-5631 editor@ahnfsj.ca

CLAYS SHOOT DRAWS A CROWD

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SPORTS B4

ARTS B7

Triathlon community comes together 17 years after it began, the Fort St. John Triathlon is slowly becoming a staple in the region BYRON HACKETT sports@ahnfsj.ca

As each of the 60-plus participants passed by the finish line at the 17th Fort St. John Triathlon, an unmitigated, unsolicited and spirit-lifting applause rang out.

Whether it became tradition by accident or practice, it’s that community spirit that continues to drive athletes out to the race, which brought a smile to organizer Rebeccah McLean’s face.

“That’s why I volunteered to take over organizing. I’ve done the triathlon the last two years and it’s just the community here is so great, everyone is so supportive and cheers each other along.

I wanted to keep that going,” McLean explained after the festivities wrapped up Sunday morning, June 5.

There were volunteers in light blue T-shirts scattered across the starting area, around the North Peace Leisure Pool, where the swimming portion of the race started, and all throughout the course. That was perhaps the one factor that helped McLean and the organizing committee make the event run so smoothly.

And that community nature was no surprise to former organizer Sandra McDonald, who ran in the first ever triathlon in Fort St. John and headed up the organizing committee for the last few years. McDonald also happened to have the top time in female long course event, finishing with a total time of 1:32:09.2.

“The community support is great, the drivers are careful of all of us out there and there’s really great support,” McDonald said. “There’s quite a wide range of athletes too. In my swim we had some very fast athletes so really competitive and then you’ve got people that it’s their first time too.”

It wasn’t always smooth sailing for the new organizing committee, who had to make a plea for participants a few weeks out of the race, which McLean said filled

BYRON HACKETT PHOTOS

Patrick Howell dominated the long course event at the 17th Fort St. John Triathlon.

Right: Sandra McDonald grabs her helment and gears up for her ride. McDonald was the top women in the long course race.

Bottom right: Jordon Fairlie cruises in from his run as the top youth finisher.

plenty of spots in the days leading up to the race.

“It went really well, I think people leave it to the last minute, to see how they’re feeling, to see if they’re prepared for the race. We actually had a lot of people sign up after we put out the notice on Facebook,” McLean said. “We had a lot of registrants register in the last week. They came in and it all went pretty smoothly. There was 63 people total, and we had six relay teams.”

Patrick Howell, who had the top time in the male long course event, said he always loves the Fort St. John, and local races in general because of the community-mindedness that exists around them.

“It’s just awesome for people that live in the Peace Region,” Howell, who won the event two years ago, said. “Whether you are trying your first race or you’re amping up for something else, it’s just really nice

to do a race at home. Obviously it’s a fun race, people are very friendly here… that’s kind of the basis of all triathlons. It’s just a great group of people.”

In the duathlon, Irvin Tang come out on top, finishing the race in 1:05:55.7. Rachel Fell had the best time in the female duathlon in 1:34:55.1.

Dirk Finkensiep had the best male short course time (350m swim, 11km bike, 3.5 km run), as he finished with a time of 44:19. Lexie Pomeroy was the fasted female in the short course with a time of 47:48.4. Jordon Fairlie was the best junior as he finished the race in 44:24.4. The top relay team was Sunshine on a Cloudy Day as they finished in 1:37.02.

McNee wins fourth straight Oilmen’s golf tourney BYRON HACKETT sports@ahnfsj.ca

Kevin McNee still isn’t tired of winning.

For the fourth straight year, McNee, a long-time Fort St. John resident who now makes his home in Fort Nelson, won the championship flight at the annual Oilmen’s golf tournament on Saturday.

McNee took home the big prize in the 54th version of the event at Lakepoint from June 1 to 4, but it wasn’t until he survived a shaking start in his first round matchup that things started to turn around.

“It was one of those weekends where I looked at a putt inside 10 feet I was lucky enough to putt it in the hole and that puts a little pressure on your opponent as well when you keep doing that,” he said.

“I was quite worried coming down. I hadn’t been playing very well and then the first round against Percy, he had me down two and I was hitting some poor shots and just kind

of hung in there. He let me have a window a little bit later in the match and I was fortunate to get through that first match.”

McNee ended the weekend with a win against Layne Peterkin on Saturday morning, one that the former staffer at Lakepoint called one of his best rounds of the year.

“The final round was kind of a fortunate start, I slept in for my tee time and a couple of my buddies got me up and around for the tee time,” McNee recalled Sunday. “Started off really well, it was the best round that I had this year.

I was just pretty fortunate that it happened at the right time… with my driver, I was never in trouble. If I had a putt that I needed to make I made it.”

But while McNee continues to find a way to be the best golfer out of the more than 200 players who routinely turn out, it’s never been the main reason why he played. He credits the Fort St. John Petroleum Association for putting on an event that he and many of his friends refuse to

BYRON HACKETT PHOTO

More than 200 golfers were out at the 54 annual Oilmen’s golf tournament from June 1 to 4.

miss summer after summer.

“This is such a fun tournament,” McNee explained. “I grew up around this and I owe a lot to the all the people that I’ve met over the years at this golf tournament. All my friends play. It’s something that I’ll always play in and I’d be happy no matter what. I really care about the guys that are in this tournament and they are all good friends of mine.”

And while times are tough in

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Thank you to everyone who test drove and helped make this event a huge success!

gling and it’s hard to see good people struggle. You go and play in a golf tournament like this and for four days everyone can kind of take their minds off things and talk about whatever they want to talk about.”

In the first flight, Ryan Currie beat out Todd Alexander to take home the win. Mike Hamre was the second flight winner and Dustin Hill was the third flight winner.

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the Peace Region for many of the members of the petroleum association, McNee also noted that the tournament is the perfect distraction and getaway from that reality.

“This tournament is like nothing else,” McNee added.

“The camaraderie with the guys, the sponsorship dollars and the support (and) the town just embraces it. Especially with an economy that we’re in right now and guys are strug-

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B2 THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2016

LOCAL SPORTS

Inconnu swimmers shine at Mel Zajac meet There was a slight sense of awe when three members of the Fort St. John Inconnu described their experience at the Mel Zajac International swim meet.

Alex Hedges, 14, Skyeler Kerr 17, and Brittany Welsh, 15, all represented the club at the UBC Aquatic Centre in Vancouver at the end of May in a meet that brought some of the best swimmers in the world together as they prepare for the Rio Olympics in August.

“The first (meet) that I saw Canadian Olympic athletes at and it was so amazing seeing them.

They’re so tall, it was crazy, you just look up at them,” Hedges explained as she leaned her head back and looked skyward to emphasize their height.

Any shock quickly wore off for Hedges, who made her first final on the international stage in the 50-metre fly and swam her prelim in a club record time of 29.23.

“The 50 fly, I took off five-

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Alex Hedges, 14, Skyeler Kerr 17, and Brittany Welsh, 15 all competed at the Mel Zajac Internation Swim Meet in Vancouver in late May.

tenths of a second and that was a lot for me. I beat the club record here and I went into the A finals,” Hedges said.

“I wasn’t really thinking about it (the big stage) but once I went into the A final, (I thought) this is incredible, I can’t imagine being here right now with all these

swimmers. I don’t know what happened, the feeling of being there and everyone was so focused.”

For her first experience at the Mel Zajac, there was a little bit more pressure but mostly from herself. That ended up propelling her to three finals over

INCONNU SWIMMERS CRUISE IN GP

the course of the meet in the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle and the 100m backstroke.

“It was up and down for me, there were a couple swims that I wasn’t very happy with and there were also some ones I was surprised with,” Welsh said.

“My 50 freestyle, I didn’t expect to make a final and I did end up making a final. So it was a very pleasant surprise. I was really excited for the race because I don’t get to swim it very often because I’m not considered a sprinter. I was really excited and just went in and had fun with it.”

Kerr was making his second appearance at the Mel Zajac meet, and while he wasn’t exactly in awe, he still noted that this time around he really relied on his experience last year at the meet to push himself.

“It was an interesting meet in terms of the time of year, being in grade 12 and considering I’m graduating in two weeks. Going

to a competition in the midst of it all made it a little more stressful than I thought it was going to be,” Kerr said. “We didn’t really worry about times…we just focused on locking down technical things and tried to execute them and I think I did really well with that.”

Kerr made finals in the 100m fly, 200m individual medley and the 100m backstroke but explained results weren’t necessarily the focus at the event as he was really hoping to iron out some technical aspects of his strokes.

“It was mainly overall, worked on upping stroke rate in all the strokes. Especially, we did some longer distances… so in all those I just had to up my rate and hold it,” Kerr said.

Next up for Inconnu swimmers who have qualified is AA provincials from June 26-28, before the Swim BC Open AAA Championships from July 7-10.

SWINGIN’ FOR SPECIAL O

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Members of the Fort St. John Inconnu took the short trip to Grande Prairie on the weekend, which marked the end of their regional meets this season. Coach Danna Batara was impressed by the complete performance of the team. “Overall, our club swam very well (on the) weekend. All swimmers made finals in at least one event, with most swimmers placing top three in their respective age groups,” she said. “I was particularly impressed with juniors and novices, as this was their first long course meet for a few of them and they had a wonderful attitude about swimming back-to-back swims and finals on top of that.”

R0021217976

MATT PREPROST PHOTO

Rhynn Eggers drives a ball off the tee during the Special Olympics BC Charity Golf Tournament at Lone Wolf Golf Club in Taylor on June 4, as Manny Dejesus looks on.

PRO GOLF WEEKLY UPDATE Golf News, Tips, Trivia & Stats

This Week: The FedEx St. Jude Classic

The St. Jude Classic began in 1958 as the Memphis Open. The idea came from seven Memphis businessmen looking to bring golf Defending: Fabian Gomez to western Tennessee. Most people Winning Score: 13-under par have known this tournament as Winning Share: $1,080,000 being hosted by Danny Thomas and his tireless work with the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

One of the greatest golf accomplishments occurred at this tournament in 1977. Al Geiberger did the unthinkable and fired a 13-under par round of 59 during his second round on the longest course on the PGA Tour.

TPC Southwind Memphis, Tenn.

7,244 yards, Par 70

Golf TV Schedule

Last Week: William McGirt won the Memorial

William McGirt knocked Tournament Results in a 6-footer for par on 1. William McGirt Score: -15 *win in playoff the second playoff hole Earnings: $1,530,000 to defeat Jon Curran and 2. Jon Curran Score: -15 win the Memorial at Muirfield Earnings: $918,000 Village on Sunday. McGirt shot 3. Dustin Johnson Score: -14 a bogey-free, 1-under-par 71 in Earnings: $578,000 regulation and then two pars in the playoff for his first PGA Tour title in his 165th start. It was the third consecutive year a first-time winner won at Jack’s place, as McGirt joins Hideki Matsuyama (2014) and David Lingmerth (2015) in that span.

Golfing News

PGA Event: FedEx St. Jude Classic Day Time Network Thu, 6/9 3:30pm-6:30pm GOLF Fri, 6/10 3:30pm-6:30pm GOLF Sat, 6/11 3:00pm-6:00pm CBS Sun, 6/12 3:00pm-6:00pm CBS

The PGA Tour’s long-established tournament in Miami will move to Mexico City next year, a switch prompted by sponsorship issues and blasted by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. The WGC-Cadillac Championship will no longer be staged at Trump’s Doral course after the tour was unable to find a Golf Trivia new title sponsor. Trump blasted the PGA Tour, saying the move was akin to decisions by some When was the first PGA Tour event US companies to move jobs to Mexico, which played at the Blue Monster at Doral? has been a frequent refrain of his presidential campaign. “The PGA Tour has put profit ahead of a) 1952 c) 1972 thousands of American jobs, millions of dollars in b) 1962 d) 1982 revenue for local communities and charities and Answer: b) The Blue Monster played host to the the enjoyment of hundreds of thousands of fans Doral Open on the PGA Tour from 1962 to 2006, and who make the tournament an annual tradition,” from 2007 to 2016 the WGC-Cadillac Championship. he said in a statement.

?

Lessons from the Golf Pro One of the biggest weaknesses that the amateur golfer has is the tendency to get very tentative when it comes to putting. We try to hit the putt so perfect that we are looking for it to “die” as it reaches the hole. This is a good strategy on long putts where you want to lag them near the hole, but we do it too many times on the short putts. You need to have the reverse mindset and try to slam the putt into the hole. The area within a couple feet of the hole is where everybody walks during their round. As a result, there is a greater likelihood of having more spike marks in place to knock putts off-line. Therefore, you need to put enough authority into the short putts to make sure you keep the line. Even if you go past the hole more than a few times, this is a better way to make more putts in the future.

Player Profile

William McGirt

Turned Professional: 2004 FedEx Cup Ranking: 10th World Ranking: 44th PGA Tour Wins: 1

FedEx Cup Standings Through June 6, 2016

1) Jason Day

2,082 pts. / 6 top tens

2) Adam Scott

1,861 pts. / 4 top tens

3) Jordan Spieth 1,695 pts. / 5 top tens

4) Russell Knox 1,357 pts. / 5 top tens

5) Brandt Snedeker 1,352 pts. / 5 top tens

FedEx Cup Standings continued...

Player Points 6) Patrick Reed 1,296 7) Kevin Kisner 1,252 8) Kevin Chappell 1,245 9) Justin Thomas 1,198 10) William McGirt 1,183

PLACE YOUR AD HERE!

Top 10s 5 5 5 4 5

THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2016 B3

LOCAL SPORTS

Making the memories last at memorial slopitch tourney BYRON HACKETT sports@ahnfsj.ca

Inscribed on the trophy for the Travis Waite Memorial Slopitch Tournament are the words “If you asked me what I came into this life to do, I will tell you: I came to live out loud!”

The weekend and the tournament was nothing if not loud in memory of Waite, the young man who lost his life last year in a tragic incident.

The tournament was spearheaded by his cousin, Tara Waite-Myers, and was designed to be an outlet for family members and friends to remember Travis in a positive way. Another major focus of the weekend was an opportunity to raise money for the Travis Waite Memorial Foundation that was started to help underprivileged kids get involved in sport.

“We started the foundation last year after Travis passed away. People in Fort St. John kind of knew everything that had gone on with (his) passing and I wanted his name to represent something other than that,” Waite-Myers explained June 4 at the tournament.

“Travis had spent time coaching sports in Fort St. John, mostly soccer, and he’d come out to ball tournaments

and our family is into ball tournaments… We sponsor kids (now) we can’t play organized sports. Our family has always been big on (sports).”

Ten teams lined up for the first-ever memorial event at Charlie Lake, which is also special as Waite-Myers’ family grew up on those diamonds.

The diamonds had recently fallen into a disrepair, and the family decided to rejuvenate them for the tournament.

“Our family is quite large and everyone of them jumped in, wholeheartedly, two feet in,” she said. “My grandparents played ball out here, my aunts and uncles played ball out here…So to fix up the diamonds was even a bit nostalgic. The whole thing around it is nostalgic, I’ve had a lot of people come to me and thank me for fixing the diamonds.”

And in that same spirit of creating a lasting legacy, all winnings for the tournament, including the 50/50 were donated back to the foundation, which Waite-Myers anticipates to be about $4,000.

“This is Fort St. John. This is my town, the people that pull through in this town and come out and they know it’s for a good cause and they know it’s staying in their community and they want to be a part of it. My

BYRON HACKETT PHOTOS

Ten teams battled it out June 3 to 5 at the first annual Travis Waite Memorial Slopitch Tournament in Charlie Lake.

heart is kind of like the Grinch, it just grew two sizes that day,” she said.

The McGolvins were the top team, with the Travengers finishing second, and the Team TDubs finishing third.

Waite-Myers hopes she can make the tournament an annual event after the weekend’s success. Teams had to be turned away this year because of the chaotic schedule with only two diamonds available at Charlie Lake.

In the end, the weekend served as the lift that Travis himself embodied, something that has inspired Waite-Myers ever since his passing.

“Around the memorial of his passing, I didn’t want my family

to spend those days sad. Travis was one of those guys, he lived life to the fullest,” she said.

“He captured every moment that he possibly could. I wanted to spend this weekend

celebrating him. In turn, raise some money to put back into the foundation that represented his name, what he stood for and what we wanted to do to remember him.”

W EEKLY P RO R ACING U PDATE Racing News, Stats & Trivia

R0021159210

2016 Standings Sprint Cup Series Top Ten 1) Kevin Harvick

Race Det Race Detail tail ils s

Location: Brooklyn, Mich.

Date: June 12th, 1:00 p.m.

TV: FOX Sports 1 Last Year’s Pole: Kasey Kahne - 201.992 mph Last Year’s Winner: Kurt Busch

Michigan International Speedway

Points: 457 Wins: 1 Top 5: 6 Top 10: 10

2) Kurt Busch

Points: 421 Wins: 0 Top 5: 4 Top 10: 11

3) Jimmie Johnson

Points: 409 Wins: 2 Top 5: 6 Top 10: 7

Xfinity Series Top Ten Driver 1) Daniel Suarez 2) Elliott Sadler 3) Ty Dillon 4) Brendan Gaughan 5) Erik Jones 6) Brandon Jones 7) Justin Allgaier 8) Brennan Poole 9) Darrell Wallace Jr. 10) Ryan Reed

4) Kyle Busch

Points: 405 Wins: 3 Top 5: 9 Top 10: 9

5) Carl Edwards

Points: 404 Wins: 2 Top 5: 5 Top 10: 8

6) Brad Keselowski Michigan International Speedway hosts some of America’s best racing action on its 1,400-plus acres in the scenic Irish Hills.

The raceway has 18 degree banking and 73-foot wide sweeping turns on a twomile speedway. The wide corners often feature three distinct grooves which allows for exciting racing.

Races at Michigan often come down to fuel mileage battles as the long green flag runs make pit strategy critical to finding victory lane. David Pearson heads the all-time victory list at Michigan with nine wins.

Current points leader, Kevin Harvick, finished 29th in last year’s race.

Points: 404 Wins: 2 Top 5: 4 Top 10: 8

7) Martin Truex Jr.

Points: 381 Wins: 1 Top 5: 2 Top 10: 6

8) Chase Elliott

Racing News

NASCAR handed down penalties to four Sprint Cup teams for infractions found either during pre- or postrace inspection at the CocaCola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The teams of Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch and AJ Allmendinger were issued P3 penalties, while Tony Stewart’s team was assessed a P2 penalty. Biffle’s penalty was the most severe. His crew chief, Brian Pattie, was fined $50,000 and suspended from all points races through June 15.

Racing Trivia

Points: 374 Wins: 0 Top 5: 4 Top 10: 9

9) Joey Logano

Points: 373 Wins: 0 Top 5: 3 Top 10: 7

10) Matt Kenseth

Points: 347 Wins: 1 Top 5: 2 Top 10: 5

?

Which driver set the qualifying speed record at Michigan International Speedway? a) Kevin Harvick c) Brad Keselowski b) Tony Stewart d) Jeff Gordon Answer : d) Jeff Gordon set the qualifying speed record in 2014 with an average speed of 206.558 mph.

Shape: D-shaped Oval Distance: 2.0 miles Banking / Front / Back: 18º / 12º / 5º

Points 408 397 390 363 359 357 355 343 308 274

Last Weekend’s Race: Axalta ‘We Paint Winners’ 400 Postponed Axalta 400 Qualifying Top 10 Driver Speed Brad Keselowski 181.726 Joey Logano 181.400 Matt Kenseth 181.316 Kevin Harvick 181.192 Carl Edwards 180.759 Tony Stewart 180.563 Jimmie Johnson 180.047 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 179.605 Kurt Busch 179.472 Denny Hamlin 179.451

The Sprint Cup Series’ Axalta ‘We Paint Winners’ 400 at Pocono Raceway was postponed due to inclement weather. The race, originally scheduled for a 1 p.m. ET start time on Sunday, was delayed for weather initially.

Equipped with 20 Air Titan dryers and 10 conventional jet dryers, NASCAR officials were prepared to dry the track, but were unable to find a dry window through persistent rain, fog and mist. The race was reschedule for Monday, June 6 at noon ET. Weather created hurdles for the teams throughout the weekend, as rain and fog ended Friday Cup practice prematurely and canceled a pair of XFINITY Series practices the same day.

Brad Keselowski Born: Feb 12, 1984 Crew Chief: Paul Wolfe Car: Ford

Year 2016 2015

Wins 3 1

Top 10s 9 25

Avg. Finish 10.2 11.1

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B4 THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2016

LOCAL SPORTS

Sporting Clays shoot brings well-travelled shooters BYRON HACKETT sports@ahnfsj.ca

On the grounds of the North Peace Rod and Gun Club, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, or gunholder in their case.

This past weekend marked the fifth annual Sporting Clays Shoot for the club, where 50 participants from as far as Edmonton descend on the Peace Region to compete in the event.

“A whole bunch of people, whole bunch of kids, come from all over, as far as Edmonton. Way more people from out of town than local, which is a little disappointing, but that’s reality,” John Fisher, director at the North Peace Rod and Gun Club said June 4 during a break in the action.

Fisher said when the idea to host the shoot was born five years ago, 30 participants eagerly jotted their names down to compete. The club just wanted to play their part in giving people as many op-

BYRON HACKETT PHOTO

Sean Esau, 13, looks on as Ben Stewart, 14, lines up a clay pigeon at the annual Sporting Clays Shoot at the North Peace Rod and Gun Club.

portunities to shoot as they could.

“All summer, every weekend we go to shoots elsewhere, so this is our part of hosting,” he said.

“We host our own shoot, it’s a pile of work but you know what, next weekend it’s someone else’s. We go as far as Phoenix, I go to Mesa, Vancouver and shoot as

much as possible. Just like a golfer, except we’re using a gun.”

Fisher hoped that each and every shooter that sets foot on the North Peace Rod and Gun Club grounds takes away a few simple lessons.

“Fun, smiles, end of story,” he said.

“If they don’t know how to shoot, they’re going to learn how to shoot and they’re going to be grinning when they leave. They’re going to be well-fed and smiling.”

And the shoot tends to draw out a few new participants from year to year, and Fisher added that they experience something they’ve likely never had the opportunity to when they join the sporting clay shoot.

“They’re just going to see what we’re doing out here, [what it takes] to enjoy the sport. It’s a lot of fun. There’s guys that will pass you a $20,000 shotgun, brand new kid never shot a gun…this is different group of individuals,” he said.

SCOREBOARD 1 Cleveland 2 Kansas City 3 Chi White Sox 4 Detroit 5 Minnesota

MLB AMERICAN LEAGUE East Team 1 Baltimore 2 Boston 3 Toronto 4 NY Yankees 5 Tampa Bay

W 33 33 31 27 26

L 23 24 28 30 30

West 1 Texas 2 Seattle 3 Houston 4 LA Angels 5 Oakland

GB PCT - 0.579 0.5 0.589 3.5 0.525 6.5 0.474 7.0 0.464

Central

32 30 29 29 16 35 31 28 26 25

24 27 28 28 40

2.5 3.5 3.5 16.0

0.571 0.526 0.509 0.509 0.286

22 26 31 31 32

4.0 8.0 9.0 10.0

0.614 0.544 0.475 0.456 0.439

NATIONAL LEAGUE

East Team 1 Washington 2 NY Mets 3 Miami 4 Philadelphia 5 Atlanta

W 34 31 30 28 16

L 23 24 27 30 41

GB PCT 0.596 2.0 0.564 4.0 0.526 6.5 0.483 18.0 0.281

Central 1 Chi Cubs 2 Pittsburgh 3 St. Louis 4 Milwaukee 5 Cincinnati

40 30 30 26 21

16 26 27 31 36

10.0 10.5 14.5 19.5

West 1 San Francisco 2 LA Dodgers 3 Colorado 4 Arizona 5 San Diego

35 31 26 25 24

24 28 31 35 35

4.0 8.0 10.5 11.0

0.593 0.525 0.456 0.417 0.407

*Standings as of June 7, 2016

0.714 0.536 0.526 0.456 0.368 R001424720

Derby scrimmage shows off high-octane action BYRON HACKETT sports@ahnfsj.ca

Blast from the past!

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By the action on the rink Saturday night, you would have never guessed teammates were squaring off against one another.

The Fort St. John Killbillies were unable to find an opponent for their bout at North Peace Arena on June 4, but they sent fans home happy with a bombastic, hit-filled night of action in what was effectively just a scrimmage.

The Black Aces finished the evening on top with a 201-111 win over the other half of the squad that went by the “White Walkers.”

Energetic City Roller Derby Association President Jenna Hildebrand, also known as Jennacide, explained that she wasn’t at all surprised by the intensity the two sides brought to the action on Saturday.

“It was actually lots of fun, we do a lot of jamming and scrimmaging in practice,” She said.

“So to sit down and have an actually game that people can watch, it was fun.

We have a lot of really high-end skill and so we match up pretty good, there were some hard hits for sure.”

While the final score might have

looked like it was a one-sided victory, the White Walkers were well within striking distance, only trailing 83-53 at halftime.

The game was also a great measure for what is termed “fresh meat” in roller derby circles, which refers to players who are in their first year playing the sport. In order to compete in an official bout, players have to meet certain requirements, including skating 27 laps in less than five minutes and jumping over obstacles.

“A lot of our freshies just benchmarked, which is a minimum level you have to meet for safety,” Hildebrand said.

“So it was really good for them to come out and have one of their first games. Which was exciting for their family and friends to come watch and also have some high-end competitiveness.”

The scrimmage marked the last home action for the Killbillies this summer because of the difficulty finding opponents, but the group will still travel to two tournaments before the summer is over.

“We’ve had a very hard time getting people to travel to us. A lot of teams are really struggling this year with finances and everything else. We have a few more away tournaments and then that’s it,” Hildebrand said.

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BYRON HACKETT PHOTO

The Fort St. John Killbillies played an intersquad scrimmage for their final home bout of the season on June 4, with many new players getting a chance to taste their first minute of real action.

THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2016 B5

Arts & Culture

The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.

- Pablo Picasso

CONTACT US ALEISHA HENDRY 250-785-5631 ahendry@ahnfsj.ca

Ravens offer inspiration for Peace Region artists BRONWYN SCOTT peacereporter@ahnfsj.ca

The artist community was ravin’ for ravens at Peace Gallery North’s latest exhibit opening on Friday, June 3, with the Peace Region’s iconic bird portrayed in every medium, from pastels to paper mache.

More than 30 artists from across the region contributed to Ravens, which displays 41 pieces of original artwork.

“This is the first exhibition where I’ve curated the exhibition, and at the end of the exhibition, say, ‘I want it all.’ I never say that,” gallery manager Barry Moss said.

“There’s normally one or two pieces, because I’m quite selective, but the entire show could come home with

me, easily.”

The exhibit covers the gamut, from high realism to impressionistic pieces, sculpture to prints.

Sharon Krushel, an established photographer, has recently ventured into printmaking, and was thrilled to receive high praise from accomplished printmaker Mary Parslow for her work, and to learn the gallery wanted to carry her prints.

“I’m used to displaying my photography, not my art,” said Krushel, who has two pieces in the exhibit.

“Ravens (are) one of my favourite birds ... it’s just so cool to watch ravens because they’re one of the few birds that’s so aerobatic. They can fly inverted,” Krushel said.

See RAVENS on B7

BRONWYN SCOTT PHOTO

Susan Krushel, an established photographer, has her art displayed for the first time at Peace Gallery North’s newest exhibit, Ravens.

Stage North set to host Buddy Holly auditions Stage North is looking for Buddy Holly and a cast of Crickets to play the devil’s music.

Auditions for the company’s 2016-17 season kick off June 16 for the rock ‘n’ roll musical spectacle Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story. With more than two dozen of Holly’s greatest hits on the set list, Stage North is looking for Peace Region musicians and performers to revive the life and times of one of rock ‘n’ roll’s most tragic figures.

Three nights of open mic live auditions will take place at Good Ole’ Dayz in Fort St. John June 16, 17, 18 at 7 p.m.

The production is looking for Holly, the Crickets, Ritchie Valens and more. Musicians and performers of all ages are encouraged to attend.

“This is a launch pad for our year. We want members and the community to come out and enjoy the night,” says Vice-President Paul Swartz.

“Come learn more about Stage North, come participate, be

the audience to the fabulous music of Buddy Holly.

Stage North members and theatre fans will want to catch opening night live as the company will also unveil the season’s ‘magnificent seven’ lineup—an exciting mix of black comedy, a family-favourite musical, mystery, and, for the first time ever, an original, four-dimensional dinner theatre experience.

Stage North will also host an open casting call for actors, actresses, singers, and anyone

Hello Readers!

The spring months have brought in the green grass and warm weather, as well as many fun activities to the Lakeshore 4-H Club! Our beef members participated in a special grooming and showing seminar with their animals, and our club held its mini judging rally to help us hone our judging skills for the district rally.

When raising a beef animal for 4-H, one of the many things there is to learn are the proper methods for grooming the animal before show day. Our beef club had an opportunity to participate in a grooming and showing seminar at the Rod Hedges Arena on April 23rd, at 9:00 a.m..

My brothers and I took our steers. To prepare for this event, we washed our animals the day before so that they would be clean enough for clipping. We also needed to take along combs, electrical cords, and our grooming clippers.

Thanks to other 4-H members, there were plenty of grooming chutes for us to use. Everyone took turns clipping their beef project, and the instructor showed us some really good techniques for grooming our calves. We also got to prac-

interested in the theatrical arts onstage or backstage on June 25 and 26 at the rehearsal space at 11520 East Bypass Rd. Ages 10 and up are encouraged to attend. Be prepared for a cold read, but don’t hesitate to come prepared with memorized material. If you’re auditioning for a musical, come prepared with a song, either on CD or digital device.

Thursday, June 16, 2016: 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Friday, June 17, 2016: 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Saturday, June 18, 2016: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

AUDITION DATES Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story

-- Submitted by Stage North Theatre Society

Casting Call Saturday June 25, 2016: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Sunday, June 26, 2015: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

HEATHER CARLSON Lakeshore 4H

tice some showmanship. Going to this seminar taught me how to properly groom my 4-H project to be prepared for Achievement Day. Our club had our annual club level judging day at John and Emma Bergen’s on May 14.

The different projects that we judged were photography, swine, foods, beef, and identification.

The identification table contains multiple items and tools that are used in the projects that we judged. At the end, ribbons were handed out to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners. To wrap things up, we had a nice barbecue hamburger supper with lots of food for everyone. All in all, it was a lot of fun, and hopefully our members have been well prepared for the district rally.

See you next month!

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B6 THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2016

ARTS & CULTURE

provincial performing arts festival

ALEISHA HENDRY PHOTO

Wesley Kao Phan was the local delegate for intermediate piano at the Provincial Performing Arts Festival that ran from May 31 to June 4 in Fort St. John. He played pieces from Beethovan and Chopin.

ALEISHA HENDRY PHOTO

Emily Cui plays the violin at a Future Stars Concert, which featured performers that were selected as observers for the festival. Cui was also a dance alternate for Stage II.

ALEISHA HENDRY PHOTO

Morgan Mora brought the sass in her Modern III performance.

Abby Taylor does a tap dance for her Stage I performance.

ALEISHA HENDRY PHOTO

ALEISHA HENDRY PHOTO

Elan Miller-Jeannotte was so over that guy in her Stage III performance.

ALEISHA HENDRY PHOTO

Hailie Towns performed a routine for Ballet I.

ALEISHA HENDRY PHOTO

Abby White does her routine for her Modern II performance.

ALEISHA HENDRY PHOTO

Ashlyn Taylor was graceful in her Ballet II performance.

ALEISHA HENDRY PHOTO

Festival observer Esther Li plays her violin at the Future Stars concert.

THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2016 B7

ARTS & CULTURE

R0021161782

Make sure you never Miss out on an event!

To inquire about tickets or reserving a booth, contact the Lido.

The Lido Theatre is available to rent for Special Events, Corporate Functions, Parties, etc.

Please contact us for more information.

10156 - 100 Avenue Phone. 250.785.3011

Fort St. John, BC V1J 1Y6 www.thelido.ca

bring in the bagpipes The Johnny McCuaig Band coming to Big Bam June Jam ALEISHA HENDRY ahendry@ahnfsj.ca

The bagpipes often conjure up memories of certain milestones in our lives, from joyful to mourning. People seem to love them or hate them.

For Johnny McCuaig, he’s out to make people love the sound that he grew up with.

Hailing from Nelson, B.C., McCuaig is the man behind the eponymous Johnny McCuaig Band, which is a co-headliner for the Big Bam June Jam coming up on June 10.

McCuaig has been playing the bagpipes since he was a kid, following in his father’s footsteps along with his siblings in learning the instrument.

Starting off his career by calling the band simply McCuaig, the four-piece act toured constantly, which, while a great experience, became draining on the members.

“We needed to take some time off, because we were playing something like 256 nights per year and it started to get exhausting,” he said.

After going their separate ways, McCuaig relied on bringing his pipes and jamming at

bars and other venues.

“I still have it in my blood to go out and play.”

With some encouragement from now-band member Kevin Kyle, McCuaig decided to was time to get back into the studio.

“I had a lot of fans asking ‘when are you coming back?’ and ‘what are you doing?’ I thought, it’s definitely time,” he said.

“So I put together a group with Kevin’s help and we decided to blow this thing up a little bigger than it ever had been.”

The Johnny McCuaig Band now consisted of McCuaig, Kyle, James Picton, Al Morrison and Martin Zinger. The fivepiece group added an extra element that McCuaig often felt was missing during his time as a four-piece act.

McCuaig had written some songs that were personal to him, which became the band’s debut album Hold Fast. The group is planning a new album that will have input from all five members.

“It’s quite a treat to have five guys, five different backgrounds,” said McCuaig. “We live in three different provinces, and we all are still on the same page. Everybody understands

what their role is in the band, what they need to do, and what to contribute to make this thing happen for us.”

Whereas he used to use the bagpipes as the main focus of his music, McCuaig says they can be used too much in certain situations.

“What I’ve learned with the instrument itself, when you have the bagpipes too much on an album—it’s a one scale instrument, so there’s only so much you can do with the instrument to keep it not being intrusive, so you have to come up with different techniques,” he said.

McCuaig uses the pipes as both a background element and as a main focus, depending on the song and what it calls for.

“That’s the way that I’ve approached this album, we’re using it as a lead instrument, but we’re also using it as a background and a filler as well, so it’s not just me going out and honking on my bagpipes, it’s me evolving with the instrument and showing them what it can really do.”

The Big Bam June Jam takes place June 10 and 11 at the Big Bam Ski Hill in Taylor.

RAVENS FROM B5

Between her pilot husband, who built his own plane, and son who’s in the air force, flight is a family fascination.

For artist Shelley Kurvers, it’s the mystery the raven represents that is intriguing, along with its childlike antics.

Kurvers submitted an impressionistic painting, cast in purple hues, and a print that depicts a raven close up, looking back at the viewer with an almost comical expression.

“I guess because they’re black, people always think that they’re bad luck, or bad. But I don’t know, I never get a bad feeling from them,” Kurvers said.

“They just seem mysterious and a little bit

mischievous, and almost children-like, fun.”

Lorna Penner, who contributed some mixed media and acrylic pieces, admires the raven’s cheeky, playful antics, and its chattiness.

“We have one (raven) that plays with our dog, right out in the field,” she said.

For Sandy Troudt, a well-known artist in the region, the raven is “just such a part of Fort St. John,” she said.

“They’re very smart ... they’re beautiful to watch, and they’ve really made an impression, I think, on all of us.”

Ravens will be on display at Peace Gallery North until June 21.

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B8 THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2016

ARTS & CULTURE

SUPPLIED PHOTO

From left: Ken Lawson, Chris Casillan, Roman Danylo, and Dave Milchard are the Comic Strippers.

The ‘superstars of sexiness’ Comic Strippers ready to bare all… almost MATT PREPROST editor@ahnfsj.ca

AT THE ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS WE ARE

THINKING GREEN! Do your part for our community and our world

Our newspaper is printed on partially recycled paper.

RECYCLE!

HOROSCOPE ARIES (MARCH 21 TO APRIL 19) Don’t get carried away with disputes about money, inheritances and shared property. Will an argument really change anything?

Stay calm, and rely on logic instead of a hot temper.

TAURUS (APRIL 20 TO MAY 20) Difficulties with spouses, partners and close friends are likely today, because Mercury is in your sign, opposing fiery Mars. (Yikes!) This means people are ready to fight!

GEMINI (MAY 21 TO JUNE 20) You are mentally restless today; how.ever, you can use this energy for research or to seek out answers to prob.lems. Focus your search in one area.

CANCER (JUNE 21 TO JULY 22) Difficulties with a friend or perhaps a member of a group might arise today. Basically, it’s a gun fight at the O.K. Corral. Who has the biggest weapon?

LEO (JULY 23 TO AUG. 22) Difficulties with authority figures are likely today, which is why this is a poor day to ask for approval or permission for anything. Just keep a low profile and don’t go looking for trouble.

VIRGO (AUG. 23 TO SEPT. 22) Avoid controversial subjects like poli.tics, religion and racial issues today, because they will quickly deteriorate into a nasty argument.

Mostly, this is because people want to fight.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23 TO OCT. 22) Disputes about inheritances and shared property are likely today.

This is a poor day for these kinds of discussions; therefore, wait for a better day.

For Thursday June 9, 2016 SCORPIO (OCT. 23 TO NOV. 21) Difficulties with partners and close friends are likely today because fiery Mars is in your sign opposing Mercury, which is directly opposite you. Chill out.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22 TO DEC. 21) Squabbles with co-workers or people related to your job are likely today. However, it takes two to make a fight, right? Therefore, refuse to engage. Time to go fishing CAPRICORN (DEC. 22 TO JAN. 19) Be patient with kids today, because they are just as likely to quarrel as you are. Knowing this, direct people’s atten.tion to things you have in common.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20 TO FEB. 18) Avoid family disputes today, because it’s just not worth it.

Family is gold. Every time you have family dissension, everyone loses.

This is the truth.

PISCES (FEB. 19 TO MARCH 20) This is a mildly accident-prone day, because you might be emotionally upset about something.

Just keep calm and carry on. Truer words were never spo.ken. An agitated mind will lead to acci.dents.

BORN TODAY? Your curiosity opens doors for you.

You are fun-loving and creative.

Your inquiring mind never stops.

In the next three years, you will experience a time of culmination, suc.cess and financial accumulation. That’s why it is wise for you to settle your debts this year. This is a social year that deals with the repercussions of last year’s change.

Birthdate of: Michael J. Fox, actor; Anoushka Shankar, musician; Natalie Portman, actress. © 2016 King Features Syndicate, Inc.

When the Comic Strippers arrive in town for a performance at the North Peace Cultural Centre June 11, the show is basically as advertised.

However, if you’re worried the troupe of Roman Danylo, Ken Lawson, Chris Casillan and David Milchard, will eventually bare all, don’t worry, you can keep your eyes open—they won’t be getting fully naked.

“People shouldn’t worry, you will not see any horrible thongs,” Danylo says over the phone from Vancouver last week.

“Guys should not shy away from seeing our show,” he adds. “We have comedy bodies. We make them look good.”

Danylo is the driving force behind the show, which he started in 2014 after touring the world performing sketch and improv comedy.

“My wife had come home (one day) from a real male stripper show and she said it was crazy, it was packed. I thought, hey, we have torsos, we can do that,” Danylo says.

“It’s a very particular genre of entertainment that everybody knows about but no one has really parodied. I thought this would be perfect.”

And so the parody and the comedy began, and Danylo recruited a group of friends who have performed as the Comic Strippers across Canada, the United States and overseas.

While the group varies, Danylo and

“It’s the most fun we’ve ever had doing a show. I’ve never seen an audience react like this at any comedy show I’ve ever done.”

the cast perform about 60 shows a year, moonlighting as male strippers who have been in the business too long—or too little. One of them has stripped for 47 years. Another has only stripped for three days. Another is on a “stripper exchange program so he’s from parts unknown,” Danylo says.

“We play a fictitious troupe that’s been thinking they demand more respect in their lives,” he says.

Add in stripper-themed twists on improv games, a couple of ping-pong balls, and get a few audience members on stage, well, the laughs start and go from there.

“It’s the most fun we’ve ever had doing a show. I’ve never seen an audience react like this at any comedy show I’ve ever done,” Danylo says.

“Everyones playing a role, everyone gets the irony that’s happening. The audience and us are pretending we’re superstars of sexiness. Everyone is in on the joke.”

The Comic Strippers hit the stage at 8 p.m. on Saturday, June 11, at the North Peace Cultural Centre. The show is for adult audiences only.

Visit npcc.bc.ca for more information.

Distressed Daughter wants the fighting to stop Dear Annie: I am 13 years old. My parents have been fighting for as long as I can remember. It’s not physical, but it is loud, sarcastic and rude, and they don’t seem to notice that it affects me, as well as my older siblings. They fight every night, usually about bills, and it seems to be getting worse.

My father is really hard to get along with, and he is a huge control freak and really cheap with money. My mother is the opposite about money, and she spends a lot. My dad is usually the one who starts the fights.

Neither of them thinks there is a problem, but there is. Even after 20 years of being married, they just can’t get along. I don’t know what to do, Annie. They won’t listen to me, they won’t stop screaming at each other, and every single thing we do as a family ends with them fighting. -- Distressed Daughter Dear Distressed: Your parents have fallen into a pattern of behavior that has been going on for so long that they no longer realize how detrimental it is to their marriage and to their children. We won’t get into the likely reasons for the constant bickering, but we can tell you that in order to change this behavior, they probably need third-party intervention, meaning a counselor or clergyperson. Since they won’t listen to you, please enlist the help of a trusted adult

ANNIE’S MAILBOX -- a grandparent, aunt, uncle or a close family friend. Even your school counselor or a favorite teacher might be able to get through to your parents, so they can recognize how damaging such behavior is for those of you who witness it. And talking to one of these adults will also help you find some emotional support for yourself.

Dear Annie: In the past three years, there have been two deaths in our neighborhood.

Both times, I made food for the families. One was a casserole and the other was a full meal, soup to nuts.

Neither time was the food acknowledged with a note or a thank-you card. I was taught that you send thank-you cards for food received after a funeral.

Is this not a Southern custom?

Do I continue giving my time and effort, knowing it will not be appreciated or acknowledged? -- Southern Belle Dear Belle: Sending thankyou notes for kindnesses after a funeral is not limited to any particular region. It is expected and proper everywhere. People sometimes think that mourners are exempt from such niceties,

but this is what friends are for -- to help write notes to those people who made meals, sent flowers or did other such things.

(And no, it doesn’t matter how many casseroles one receives or wants. You thank the giver regardless.)

Please don’t stop making casseroles. Our only suggestions would be to make sure they can be frozen, and to put them in disposable containers so the family isn’t obligated to wash and return the dish. We are certain the food was appreciated, even though the neighbors may have been overwhelmed at the time. On their behalf, we’d like to thank you and all the other thoughtful people who care enough to reach out to others in times of need.

Annie’s Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please email your questions to anniesmailbox@creators. com, or write to: Annie’s Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.

You can also find Annie on Facebook at Facebook.com/AskAnnies.

To find out more about Annie’s Mailbox and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2016 B9

Community The butterfly Animal of the Week effect CONTACT US

ALEISHA HENDRY 250-785-5631

ahendry@ahnfsj.ca

I

am such a doubting Thomas. I am not always a disbeliever, but I am skeptical of many things. Oh cynical me.

It is with that cloak of cynicism firmly around my being that I accompanied my sister to the Theresa Caputo event last week.

For those of you who are not familiar, Theresa Caputo has a program on television called the Long Island Medium. She is a medium who acts as a physical conduit or intermediary for ‘spirit’ who connects with folks who have crossed over. You know, passed away.

Theresa herself is a personality. On television she is blunt and honest and funny with her jacked up hair and dangerously long fingernails.

She speaks before she thinks and finds herself in the most unusual of situations thanks to her gift as a medium.

When we arrived, we joined thousands of others streaming in to the Encana Event Centre.

The majority, were female, but there were a few men as well.

I saw many of the attendees carrying small items in their hands—photo’s, jewelry, clothing—personal items from someone whom they had lost.

The mood in the room could be best described as hopeful and vulnerable and maybe a wee bit unsettled. Perhaps it was anxiousness or the fear of the unknown.

As my sister and I found our seats we heard screams of delight from an area nearby.

Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a blonde haired sprite of a woman dressed in a red and white outfit and bedazzled runners, holding a selfie-stick.

I quickly recognized Theresa and saw that she was out meeting her fans and getting pictures taken with them. The crowd loved it and the cheering continued as she made her way throughout the seating area.

A few pics and she was gone again, retreating behind the large stage curtain to get ready for her show.

The lights dimmed and the show began.

Theresa is a ball of positive energy: A gifted entertainer who brings her authentic personality to her performance.

It was as if she had commandeered a roller coaster and said to everyone in the audience, “Climb aboard, it will fun, it will be safe and I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

Theresa is a medium who radiates positive energy. I know

Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.

- Mark Twain

Judy Kucharuk THE DESK OF THE GREEN-EYED GIRL

that sounds like an oxymoron, because death should equal solemn and somber, but not with Theresa. She made her way throughout the floor seating area of the Events Centre, stopping here and there like a butterfly and giving a reading.

As the evening continued, the Events Centre became more like a large clubhouse filled with teammates who were all playing in the same game: Selfless and supportive.

Everyone had attended for the same reason, most had suffered with loss and most had spent the week or even just the day leading up to the show, thinking and reminiscing about a loved one. Everyone was in this together.

As the show ended and lights came on, folks didn’t stampede towards the exits like they were leaving a rock concert. There were those who stayed behind, feeling the urge to talk about what they had just witnessed.

Others could be seen wiping away tears and hugging the person beside them.

Over the weekend I grappled with how I would describe the evening. Was I going to be sarcastic and share my “non believer” cynicism?

I grappled because I knew that I couldn’t do that.

Something DID happen in the Encana Events Centre on June 3 and it was beautiful. A tiny, blonde dynamo with incredibly long fingernails (they really are incredible) strutted out onto the stage with her glittering Christian Louboutin shoes and created a Butterfly Effect. Her words, her actions and her bright light of humanity gave closure to many and hope to others. The “Theresa Effect” will be felt for a long time as it ripples throughout the communities and families where loss had been palpable and the door to closure had been propped open for years.

It was a lovely evening full of remembrance and memoriam.

Judy Kucharuk is a lover of sarcasm, witty people and footnotes. You can follow her blog at www.judykucharuk.com or catch her on CBC Radio Daybreak North where she shares her “Peace of Mind”. Follow her on twitter @judylaine

Sambo If you’re looking for a furry companion to relax and watch Netflix with, then Sambo might be the dog for you.

This seven-year-old gentledog came to the North Peace SPCA from the Takashi Animal Rescue Society in Fort Nelson, where it’s believed he spent most of his life outside on a chain.

Sambo has arthritis in his legs, likely due to being chained up, so he’s not high energy, wanting to run and jump and play all the time, and can’t go for day-long hikes. He does

enjoy short walks, but is more interested in a soft place to rest and snuggles.

Sambo would do best in a quiet, patient home, as it may take him some time to come out of his shell. When he does, he’s very cuddly and loves to be a lap dog. He could also use a home with as few stairs as possible to make it easier on his legs. He also doesn’t seem to like his paws being touched.

Come meet Sambo at the North Peace SPCA shelter.

FORT ST. JOHN & DISTRICT CHURCH DIRECTORY ANGLICAN CHURCH of CANADA NoRTH PEACE PARISH Please join us at our temporary location at the Lutheran Church 9812 108 Ave Ph: 250-785-6471 “All are Invited and Welcome Here” - (Luke 14:23) SERVICES St. Martin’s, fort St. John, BC Sundays 1:30 p.m.

Rev. Enid Pow ********** Church of the Good Shepherd Taylor, BC - Sundays 9:30 a.m. ********** St. Matthias, Cecil Lake, BC 3rd Sun. of the Month 3:00 p.m.

Holy Communion BAHA’I fAITH BAHA’I fAITH National Baha’i Information 1-800-433-3284 Regular Firesides Mondays @ 8:00 p.m.

Deepenings continued Wednesdays at 250-7870089 Next Feast Info.

250-787-0089 ********** BAPTIST CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH 9607-107th Ave., fSJ Ph. (Office) 250-785-4307 Pastor: Michael Hayes Associate Pastor: Doug Janzen SUNDAY WoRSHIP SERVICE 10:30AM ********** CATHoLIC RoMAN CATHoLIC CHURCH (Resurrection Church) Pastor: Rev. Vener Sabacan Phone 250-785-3413 www.fsjcatholic.ca MASSES: Saturday 7:30 p.m.

Sunday - 10:00 a.m. oNLY OFFICE HOURS: Mon.-Fri. 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

BAPTISM: Contact the Pastor 3 months before baptism.

MARRIAGES: Contact the Pastor 3 months before the wedding. ********** ALLIANCE CHURCH 9804-99 Ave., fort St. John, BC V1J 3T8 Ph: 250-785-4644 fax: 250-785-8932 e-mail: office@fsjalliance.ca www.fsjalliance.ca SUNDAY WoRSHIP SERVICE: 9:15am & 11:00am KIDVILLE: for ages 2yrs.-Gr.6 @ 9:15am **********

CoMMUNITY CHURCH CHARLIE LAKE CoMMUNITY CHURCH Lead Pastor: Alfred Reschke Associate Pastor: Jared Braun 250-785-1723 fax: 250-785-4136 clcc@pris.ca SUNDAY SCHooL: 9:30am SUNDAY WoRSHIP: 10:40am 1st left turn off Alaska Highway past the Charlie Lake Store. ********** PEACE CoMMUNITY CHURCH 10556-100th Street, Taylor, BC Pastor: Wally Pohlmann Phone: 250-789-3045 HoURS: 9:00am-Noon Monday-Wednesday & friday Email: office@taylorchurch.ca Website: www.taylorchurch.ca SUNDAY ADULT CLASS - 9:30am SUNDAY WoRSHIP SERVICE - 10:30am ********** EVANGELICAL foRT ST. JoHN EVANGELICAL MISSIoN 8220-89th Avenue, fSJ Pastor: Art Voth Sunday School September-June begins at 9:30am Sunday mornings.

Worship Service - 10:45am Phone: 250-787-2550 ******* INTERDENoMINATIoNAL UPPER PINE GoSPEL CHAPEL Church Phone: 250-827-3833 Email: upgc@pris.ca Board Chairman: Andy Burkholder 250-827-3811 Box 66, Rose Prairie, BC ********** LUTHERAN PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH 9812-108th Avenue, fort St. John, BC V1J 2R3 Office Phone: 250-785-2718 Pastor: Rev. Kebede Dibaba Regular Worship Schedule: 9:00am Youth, Adult Bible Study 10:00am Sunday Worship Service & Sunday School ********** PEACE RIVER MUSLIM ASSoCIATIoN Information: 250-787-1264 Jumm’a (Friday) Prayer @ 1:00pm 203-10903-100th Street, fort St. John, BC email: tahermorsi@shaw.ca ********** MENNoNITE NoRTH PEACE MENNoNITE BRETHREN CHURCH North Peace Mennonite Brethren Church 10816 106 St. fort St. John,

BC V1J 5V2 250-785-3869 Lead Pastor: Andrew Eby Associate Pastor of Youth & Young Adults: Don Banman SUNDAY SERVICE TIMES: 9:15am & 11:00am Kids Zone During Both Services ********** MENNoNITE MoNTNEY MENNoNITE CHURCH SUNDAY MoRNING: Sunday School & Worship: 9:30am SUNDAY EVENING: 2nd & 4th Sundays: 7:00pm Everyone Welcome!

Pastor Warren Martin Phone: (250) 827-3131 ********** NoNDENoMINATIoNAL CHRISTIAN LIfE CENTRE “Associated with “Fellowship of Christian Assemblies” “King Jesus is Lord Over the Peace” 8923-112th Avenue, fort St. John, BC V1J 6G2 website: www.christianlifefsj.ca Ph: 250-785-4040 fax: 250-785-4021 Pastor Steve Oboh Principal of Christian Life School: Garry Jones Everyone Welcome Sunday Morning Worship Service: 10:00am Nursery available and Sunday School is held during the sermon for ages 3-12 years.

Christian Life Centre is “Home of Christian Life School” ********** foRT ST. JoHN NATIVE BIBLE fELLoWSHIP Sunday Worship: 11:00am Wed., Night Bible Study: 7:30pm Pastor John A Giesbrecht 250-785-0127 ********** GIDEoNS INTERNATIoNAL Fort St. John Camp Ray Hein 250-827-3636 John Giesbrecht 250-785-0127 ********** NoRTHERN LIGHTS CHURCH INTERNATIoNAL (Rose Prairie, BC Sunday Service: Pre-Service Prayer: 10:30am Worship Service: 11:00am Everyone Welcome ********** THE SHELTER CHURCH “...the Lord will be a shelter for His people” Joel 3:6 9808-98A Ave. fort St. John, BC 250-785-3888 SUNDAY SERVICE: 10am Pastor: Oral Benterud 250-785-9151 ********** PENTECoSTAL THE PENTECoSTALS of foRT ST. JoHN Phone: 250-787-9888

Pastor: Jason McLaughlin Sunday 10am Service, Sunday School Youth Sunday 11am Worship Service Tuesday 7pm Prayer Wednesday 7pm Bibile Study Friday 7pm Youth ********** PENTECoSTAL ASSEMBLIES of CANADA EVANGEL CHAPEL 10040-100 St., fort St. John Phone: 250-785-3386 Fax: 250-785-8345 Lead Pastor: Tony Warriner Sunday Services: 9:30am, 11:00am www.evangelfsj.com ********** PRESBYTERIAN fort St. John Presbyterian Church 9907-98th St., fort St. John, BC Phone: 250-785-2482 fax: 250-785-2482 Sunday Worship Times 9:30 a.m. - Regular Service Everyone is invited to participate ********** REfoRMED TRINITY CoVENANT CHURCH Sunday Service: 10:00am Meets at the Quality Inn Northern Grand 100th Ave & 98th St., fort St. John, BC Elder: Mike Donovan Phone: 250-787-7702 Affiliated with C.R.E.C. ********** THE SALVATIoN ARMY THE SALVATIoN ARMY Sunday Worship Service: 10:30am 10116-100th Ave., fort St. John, BC Come Worship With Us. For information; Phone 250-785-0506 or food Bank 250-785-0500 ********** SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH 9008-100th Avenue, fort St. John, BC Phone: 250-785-8632 Pastor: Cavin Chwyl Phone: 250-719-7949 Saturday Service: 9:30am ********** UNITED CHURCH of CANADA ST. LUKE’S UNITED 9907-98 St., fort St. John, BC Office: 250-785-2919 fax: 250-785-2788 Email: stlukeuc@telus.net Rev. Louise Hart Sunday Worship Service & Sunday School @ 11:30am.

All are Welcome!

The United Church of Canada is a Union of Congregationalist, Methodist & Presbyterian Churches in Canada formed in 1925.

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B10 THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2016

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© 2016 by Vicki Whiting, Editor Jeff Schinkel, Graphics Vol. 32, No. 26

Speed and Endurance

The gold medal for long-distance running would have to go to the pronghorn antelope. It can maintain a steady speed of 35 mph (56 km/hr) for a distance of 3 miles (5 km). No other animal can run so far so fast.

Who would win the medals if Mother Nature held Olympic Games for the other animals on this planet?

Standards Link: Visual discrimination: Identify similarities and differences in common objects.

The fastest animal can reach 200+ miles per hour in a dive to catch its prey.

Complete the maze to find out which animal wins each competition!

Fastest land animal racing at 70 mph!

Find the two identical pronghorn antelope.

Fastest insect zooms in at 36 mph!

Fastest marine mammal swimming at more than 35 miles per hour!

Fastest fish reaches 68 mph!

Winner by a Nose

Elephants are the only animals that can’t jump. They can smell water three miles away, though!

The strongest animal, relative to body size, is the Rhinoceros beetle. It can support 850 times its own body weight on its back.

High Jump

The puma, a member of the cat family, holds the record for the highest-jumping mammal. It can leap up to 18 feet (6 meters) in the air from a standing start.

Long Jump

The common flea can cover 220 times the length of its body in one leap! If humans could do that, we would be able to complete the 800 meter race in just two leaps!

Traveling as fast as it can, without taking a rest, it would take a garden snail more than eight days to finish a 10,000 meter race!

Standards Link: Language Arts: Spelling: Spell a variety of grade level words correctly.

Standards Link: Life Science: Animals meet their needs in different ways; animals inhabit different kinds of environments and have external features that help them survive and thrive in different kinds of places.

What is the Olympic motto? Use the code to find out!

A= E = F =

G= H= I =

N= O= R=

S = T = U=

Standards Link: Reading Comprehension: Follow simple written directions.

Race through the newspaper and find and cut out letters that spell the names of each of the following Olympic events: • Equestrain • Javelin • Steeplechase • Swim

WINNER FLEA RACE SPEED MAMMAL FISH ANIMAL METER LEAP JUMP GOLD DISTANCE NATURE BODY CAT FALCON

Quiz a friend or family member about the Olympics.

1. What do the five rings of the Olympics mean?

Five Cities Five Countries Five Continents 2. What does the Olympic Motto “Citius, Altius, Fortius” mean?

Harder, Stronger, Faster Faster, Higher, Stronger Better, Bigger, Bolder 3. According to the Olympic Creed, the most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but … to play fair. to win big. to take part.

4. Where is the Olympic torch first lit?

Athens Greece Olympia 5. Women were first allowed to compete in the Olympics in what year?

1800 1900 2000

… congratulates a winning opponent.

Find the words in the puzzle, then in this week’s Kid Scoop stories and activities.

K R R E N N I W E V I E A R G O L D C E

F A L C O N A M N R

J W U A E J M A A U

H S I F M U I M T T

C G P Y N M N M S A A T A E B P A A I N T R E T E M S M D Z

A E L F D D B O D Y Standards Link: Letter sequencing. Recognize identical words. Skim and scan reading. Recall spelling patterns.

Long Distance Read-a-thon

This week’s word:

COMPETE

The verb compete means to try and win a game, contest or sporting event that others are also trying to win.

Athletes around the world will compete in the Olympics in Brazil.

Try to use the word compete in a sentence today when talking with your friends and family members.

Fast Animal Report

Read parts of today’s newspaper. Measure the length of each column you read. Add up all of the inches (or centimeters). Give yourself a reward if you read more than 100 inches or 254 cm!

ANSWER: After a week, he was spotless!

Standards Link: Reading Comprehension: Students read from a variety of texts including newspapers; Math: Measurement.

Lona Hirtz

Write three facts about your favorite fast animal.

THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2016 B11

ALEISHA HENDRY 250-785-5631 ahendry@ahnfsj.ca

R0011253642

Coffee Corner

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Find the correct word, joining the first word then joining the second word

TODAY’S PUZZLE

11. Commoner 12. Street border 13. Old Xiamen 21. Soul and calypso songs 23. Explosive 25. Put into service 26. Swiss river 27. Territorial division 28. Pulse 29. Hair curling treatments 32. Small group of intriguers 33. Portion 34. Slightly late 36. Taxi 37. Political action committee 38. Grab 40. Between 13 & 19 41. Tai currency 43. Newsman Rather 44. Great school in Mass.

46. Technology school Copyright © 2008, Penny Press 47. Have a great ambition CLUES ACROSS “in a” 69. Expression of 49. Groans 38. Okinawa port city annoyance 1. Glasgow inhabitant 50. Fill with high 39. Capital of Pais-de5. Dangerous tidal spirits CLUES DOWN Calais bore 1. Spawn of an oyster 51. Expressed plea40. Small amount 10. Prevents harm to sure 2. Town near Venice creatures 41. Fictional elephant Find the correct word, joining the first 52. Modern London 3. Bone (pl.)

14. Upper class 42. Grave word then joining the second word gallery 4. Pair of harness 15. Caused an open 43. 12th month (abbr.)

53. A gelling agent in shafts infection 44. Knights’ garment 5. Midway between E foods 16. Styptic 45. One point S of 54. Dilapidation and SE due E 17. Am. Nat’l.

57. Swine 6. Of a main artery Standards Inst.

46. Lender Sallie ___ 58. Footwear museum 7. Catches 18. Muse of lyric 47. Express pleasure city 8.

Maintained pospoetry and mime 48. Grassland, mead59. Respite session 19. He fiddled ow 9. Old Tokyo 61. Creative activity 20. Afrikaans 49. Vikings state 62. Slight head motion 52. Deck for divination 10. Yemen capital 22. Don’t know when yet 55. Mountain PREVIOUS PUZZLES ANSWERS 23. Mottled cat 56. Cavalry sword 24. 1803 USA pur60. Largest known chase toad species 27. Engine additive 61. Once more 30. Reciprocal of a 63. Cavity sine 64. Paper this tin plate 31. __ King Cole, 65. Slang for backmusician ward 32. Time in the central 66. James __, U.S. American steam engineer 35. Insect pupa sheaths 67. Sea eagles 37. Prefix denoting 68. Wooded

Find the correct word, joining the first word then joining the second word

TODAYS PUZZLE

HOW TO PLAY: Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9 only once.

Each 3x3 box is outlined with a darker line. You already have a few numbers to get you started.

Remember: you must not repeat the numbers 1 through 9 in the same line, column or 3x3 box.

PREVIOUS PUZZLES ANSWERS

B12 THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2016

It is with great sorrow and deep deep pain that I am announcing the death of

Albert Corriveau

He died on the 20th of May at 11:45 p.m. in the F.S.J Hospital.

Fort St. John Native Housing Society

Annual General Meeting will be held on Monday, June 27, 2016 5:00 pm at the Fort St. John Native Housing Office 10233-100 Ave 250-785-4900

will be held on Wednesday, June 22nd, 2016 at 6:30 pm in the Activity Room of NPSHS Apt # 1 9816-108th Avenue Fort St. John, BC Memberships for the following year (effective after close of the AGM) will be available at 5:30 pm.

Everyone is Welcome to attend

Supper will be provided!

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Have News ???

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

email Us

New In Town...

Getting Married...

Had A Baby...

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R0021161739

Carolynn Theoret 250-262-0078 Baby

news@ahnfsj.ca

OBITUARIES

Certified Millwright Certified Millwright Ladysmith, BCBC Ladysmith,

OBITUARIES

COMING EVENTS

2 Cars for Sale. Not in Running Condition.

Good for Parts. Please Phone: 250-782-4130

Every Wednesday-1:15pm to 2:15pm at the Coop Bistro-Seniors Computer Club-All Seniors are welcome to this free club. For beginners and people wanting to learn more. information, instruction and discussion. minor glitches attended to in class.

Bring your laptops, notepads, cameras, electronic gadgets.

No computer, no problem. we have some to lend.

Call Anne Symons at 250-782-4668 for information and registration.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

NOTICE: I wish to advise that the shop on my property may be CLOSED in the near future, those less fortunate, who made it their home, and also friends, who have used it in the last few years all treated my property with great respect. I thank you and wish you GOOD LUCK in the future. I must move on.

Stace D. Wourms, 6362 Dandelian RD, Fort St John, BC The Fort St. John Palliative Care Society AGM will be held on June 22, at Peace Lutheran Church, 6pm.

For more information, call 250-787-2814

OBITUARIES

In Loving Memory of Cecil Donald McCafferty Sept. 26 1934 ~ May 25 2016

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Don Western’s recent capital investment to secure Western’s recent capital investment to secure McCafferty, at the age of 81 years. the future of coastal sawmilling has resulted the future of coastal sawmilling has resulted Don was the son of Cecil McCafferty in a need for a Journeyman Millwright at our and Gladys (Blair) Seymour. He was raised in Marysville, NB with in a need for a Journeyman Millwright at our Ladysmith Sawmill. his father Cecil, mother Gladys, and step dad Daniel Seymour.

Ladysmith Sawmill.

As a young man Don worked at the local cotton mill, and at the Qualified applicants can apply online at: Qualified applicants can apply online at: age of 18 joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. In July of 1957 Bonnie Carlson http://www.westernforest.com/businesshe married the love of his life, Shirley Atkinson of Prince Albert, 250-827-3132 http://www.westernforest.com/businessvalue/our-people-employment/careers/ Sask. Don and Shirley were blessed with three children Judy, Community & Bridal value/our-people-employment/careers/ Tim and Colleen.

Follow links to apply.

You Should Call Don enjoyed his military career in supply logistics, and excelled Follow links to apply. throughout his military life. In 1980 he retired from the RCAF, and R0011256571 they moved to Dawson Creek, B.C. There he was employed by GENERAL GENERAL GENERAL GENERAL School District No. 59 as the Supervisor of Transportation. Don EMPLOYMENT EMPLOYMENT EMPLOYMENT EMPLOYMENT and Shirley had 58 years together and many adventures travelling, living in various locations across Canada and overseas, while in the Armed Forces.

Don was an avid sportsman which included hunting, fishing and prospecting.... which didn’t always pan out. He was also DISTRICT OF HUDSON’S HOPE an athlete playing hockey, baseball and curling throughout his EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY life. Some of his favorite hobbies were cards, darts and coin Corporate Officer collecting. Don was an active member of the Royal Canadian (Full-Time Permanent Position) Legion throughout his life. He held the offices of President, Zone The District of Hudson’s Hope invites applications from qualified persons for Commander and Service Officer helping veterans in need. Near the Full-Time, Permanent position of Corporate Officer. Reporting to the Chief and dear to his heart was the Poppy Fund Campaign.

Administrative Officer, the Corporate Officer is responsible for performing a variety Left to mourn his passing, and celebrate his life, is his beloved of professional administrative duties as per the Community Charter Act section wife Shirley, his children Judy (Tim) McCauley, Tim (Sharalynn) 148 which includes Council agenda preparation and meeting minute taking, taking McCafferty, Colleen (Terry) O’Connell. His sister Debi (Alan) affidavits and oaths, Weatherby. His grandchildren Melissa, Ryan, Justin, Christy, Other responsibilities include assisting senior level staff such as the Foreman and Don, Kyra, Tyler, Jeanine and Michael. He also leaves behind the Director of Protective Services in an administrative capacity; and other work of a his great grandchildren: Kristen, Jayce, Garren, Isaac and Lydia. complex and often confidential nature.

In honor of Don, a Service will be held in Dawson Creek, B.C. The incumbent works under minimal supervision, so independent judgment, at a later date. exceptional communication and organizational skills and the ability to work under In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be made to the pressure along with sound knowledge of office procedures and computer literacy is Canadian Cancer Society. Condolences may be left for the family required. at www.markmemorial.com Preference will be given to applicants with local government work experience as a Mark Memorial Funeral Services in care of arrangements (250) Corporate Officer and secondary education in a related field. A complete description 426-4864 can be obtained at the District Office prior to submitting an application.

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This position is presently under a one-year temporary exclusion from the Collective Agreement with the BC Government & Service Employees’ Union and will be monitored during this period to determine its permanent exclusion from the Collective Agreement.

Qualified candidates are invited to submit their Cover Letter and detailed résumé in confidence, including three references to the District of Hudson’s Hope Municipal Office, via email, fax, mail or hand delivered at the coordinates below, by 4:30 pm, June 10, 2016.

We would like to thank all applicants, however, only those being considered will be contacted.

Tom Matus, CAO District of Hudson’s Hope 9904 Dudley Drive, PO Box 330 Hudson’s Hope, BC V0C 1V0 Office: 250-783-9901 Fax: 250-783-5741 Email: cao@hudsonshope.ca www.hudsonshope.ca

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Saturday-June 11th from noon-5:00 pm at the Rolla Pub, Rolla, BC-97 KNIGHTS MOTORCYCLE ASSOCIATION 3rd Annual Swap Meet Show & Shine. All Money Raised Goes to Children’s Charity.

ANNOUNCEMENTS R0011255360

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of the NORTH PEACE SENIORS HOUSING SOCIETY

PARTS - CARS

Abbyfield Houses FSJ 2006 Will be holding their

A.G.M. Meeting June 20, 2016 at 7pm Room 104 Northern Lights Collage Everyone Welcome

Memorial Tea Ralph Tod

Sept. 1930 - Jan. 2016

There will be a Memorial Tea for Ralph Tod on June 11, 2016 at 2:30pm at Peace Community Church (by Fire Hall) at Taylor, B.C.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

Fort St. John Friendship Society

KING SALMON

Annual General Meeting

CHESAPEAKE CHARTERS *ALL INCLUSIVE* 3 & 4 DAY CHARTERS 250-600-2055 claudegourlin@hotmail.com www.salmoncharters.ca PRINCE RUPERT, BC

Wednesday, June 29, 2016 Doors open @ 5:30 PM Supper and Meeting to Follow For More Information Please call 250.785.8566

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DEATH NOTICE

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OBITUARIES

Nesta Jean Gardner

DISTRICT OF TAYLOR NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Notice is hereby given for the District of Taylor’s Annual General Meeting.

A comprehensive Annual Report will be presented outlining financial and operational results for 2015 and an opportunity will be provided for questions from the public.

Date: Monday, June 20, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.

Location: District of Taylor Municipal Hall Council Chambers, 10007 – 100A Street, Taylor, BC Copies of the Annual Report are also available at the District of Taylor website (www.districtoftaylor.com) and Municipal Hall during regular office hours (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.).

Michael McPhail Director of Finance 250-789-3392

OBITUARIES

January, 1949 To March 5, 2016

Nesta Jean Gardner was born in Vancouver (Richmond) to Leonard Henry and Helen Muriel Stephens in January, 1949.

Jean’s Father (Len) was in the Canadian Forces (Europe and Korea) and the family moved often.

Growing up, Jean or Jeannie as her friends called her lived in Vancouver, Richmond, Bridesville, Penticton, Edmonton, Kingston, West Germany, Osoyoos and Lethbridge.

Jean and her younger sister were child performers. They sang and danced in competition and on television and radio, in parades, concerts, rallies, festivals, church and in school. They were quite accomplished and won the talent competition at the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) when Jean was 11. The prize was an all-expense paid trip to Hollywood. As we used to joke, they sang and danced all the way to Disneyland!

While in Hollywood they were included in a Dr Pepper commercial. Jeans love of music and dance continued throughout her life.

Jean was active socially and was on the cheerleading team in junior high (Osoyoos), and played tennis and was a secretary on the Student Council in senior secondary.

Jean graduated with honors from the Lethbridge Collegiate Institution (LCI) in May, 1966. Jean and her sister (Adele) performed a Duet at the Graduation Celebration. Singing “My Best To You”; the version also performed by The Sons Of The Pioneers.

At the tender age of 17, Jean obtained a job as a waitress and cook in a northern British Columbia community – McLeod Lake.

All too soon, Jean was married (in Creston) and continued to live, work and raise a family in northern British Columbia. She lived in McLeod Lake, Houston, Smithers, Hixon, Dawson Creek and finally in Fort St John.

Jean was always active and in the early 1970’s while raising a young family she also raised Malamute dogs and drove her own sled dog team! She attended many sled dog racing events and was chosen as the Queen in at least one of the major events.

Jean continued to work and graduated from waitress to cook, to catering camp manager. If there was something that needed to be done, Jean wouldn’t wait for someone else, it didn’t matter what it was, Jean would do it!

In the mid 1970’s Jean became an Industrial First Aid Attendant and returned to work full time. She began work as a yard clerk / first aid attendant in a sawmill complex in Taylor. She also was a Survival First Aid Instructor and provided many hundreds of oilfield workers their initial Survival First Aid course.

Jean was introduced to accounting while working as the yard clerk and soon progressed to helping out in all the accounting functions. Wanting to advance and accept more responsibility and to know more, Jean went back to School and enrolled in the Certified General Accountants association and their training program.

She began working at Wrixon and Vennes (a public accounting firm) and soon earned her CGA designation. Jean left public practice and accepted a position as the Director of Finance at the Fort St John General Hospital. Jean worked at the FSJ Hospital for eight years and then returned to public practice to work with one of her friends.

At the time of her death she was working with MNP in their Fort St John office as a Senior Manager and enjoyed working with her colleagues and with her many clients.

Jean was very active and worked out with an aqua-fit group several times a week, walked at least 45 minuets every day, took a Zumba exercise class twice a week and also participated in an adult tap dancing class. She had also been active with the Fort St John Figure Skating Club and on March 26, 1997 she was recognized for her contribution by being made an Honorary Member of the Fort St John Figure Skating Club!

Jean was also one of the founding members and on the Board of the Fort St John Hospital Foundation.

She was the Foundation Treasurer from 1994 until her “retirement” from the Board in 2006.

Jean was a wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, colleague and a great friend. She was a good listener (even though she lost a chunk of her left ear to a Malamute husky) and her cheerful, positive outlook and personality brightened up each day.

Jean was an awesome person with an amazing spirit. She was full of optimism, had a positive attitude and dealt with adversity with courage strength and determination. She was special in the way she could show consideration of others feelings and was committed to helping when someone was in need of a hug, a kind word or more substantial assistance. Jean was thoughtful and caring and she was indeed a blessing to many.

Jean’s compassion, kindness, generosity, her big smile, enthusiasm, encouragement and support will be missed by everyone who had the privilege of knowing her.

A memorial service has not been planned at this time. If you wish, please make donations to the Hospital Foundation in her memory.

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Robert “Ralph” TOD September 1930 - January 2016 It is with great sadness that we announce that Ralph passed away peacefully on January 27th, 2016 at Creekside Landing at the age of 85 years.

Ralph was born at Pipestone Mun., Manitoba to Muriel and Bob Tod. They moved to Taylor, B.C. (Peace River block) when Ralph was six months old.

Ralph met Vivian Goble during high school days in Ft. St. John, B.C. They later married and had a son and daughter. In 1958, the family moved to Chetwynd, B.C. (Little Prairie, B.C. at that time). Ralph was I.O.L. Agent in Chetwynd for 32 years before retiring to Vernon.

Ralph was predeceased by his parents, Muriel and Bob Tod; mother-in-law Martha Smith; and son-in-law Tim Caton. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Vivian; son Blake (Bev) Tod of Mulhurst Bay, Alberta; daughter Laura Caton of Vernon; five grandsons: Murray and Lee Caton, Dallas, Nathan, and Jesse Tod; two sisters, Irene (Jim) Large of Ft. St. John, B.C., and Linda Tod of Vancouver, B.C. Interment will take place in the summer in the family plot at Taylor, B.C. We would like to give special thanks to the staff at Creekside Landing for the good care given to Ralph during his short stay with them.

Our cowboy is going to greener pastures and we will all meet again someday.

R0011249341

THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2016 B13

Classifieds HOUSES FOR SALE

HOUSES FOR SALE

HOUSES FOR SALE

HOUSES FOR SALE

'Spouses Selling Houses'

SALE UNDER THE REPAIRERS LIEN ACT Will be put for sale the following vehicle: 1979 Ford Econoline Van VIN # E14HBEG1607 Debtor name: Bradley Throssell For the amount of $1844.78 plus fees At 8207−93 Street, Fort St John, BC On June 23, 2016 250−794−1074 jelissou@hotmail.com

and Commercial, Farms, Shops, Land, Property Management Gary 261-1214

RESIDENTIAL

Annette 793-4394

GENERAL EMPLOYMENT

IN MEMORIAM

Light, John "Jack" F. August 26, 1923 − June 14, 2015 It’s been one year since we lost you, and we’re thinking of you now before what would have been your 93rd birthday.

In loving memory, Mum/Doris, Murray, Maureen, Erin & Bonnie.

GENERAL EMPLOYMENT

WORK WANTED 7 Axel Lowbed to hire, Good Rates, Wide loads farm equipment or what have you.

(250)961-8864

REDUCED - MAKE AN OFFER SUPER ROOMY HOME 1196 SF MAIN FLOOR (3 BR, 2 BATHS, COMFORTABLE LIVING ROOM, DINING ROOM AND KITCHEN) PLUS 1196 SF FULLY DEV DAYLIGHT BSMT W/ 1 BR SUITE (PRIVATE ENTRANCE)... INCL. NEWER APPLIANCES UP & DOWN.

EVERGREEN ESTATES - 11706-98A ST.

FOR RENT

FOR SALE MISC For Sale, 2005 Okanagan Camper, washroom, outside shower, good condition. $7500 Call 250-785-8080

GARAGE SALES

MOVING SALES-Power tools, snowblower’s, patio table set & swing, kids table/chairs, c/c skis, ceiling fan, shovels, rakes and misc household items. June 9 and 10 (4pm-8pm) Saturday June 11.

8am-3pm.

9001-111Ave

Attachments for skidsteers, tractors, loaders.

Large selection of pallet forks, grapples, buckets, snow and dirt blades, tillers, mowers and snow blowers, etc.

Phone 780-354-2161, Beaverlodge.

HEALTH & BEAUTY ACUWELL Chinese Medicine & acupuncture clinic.

Direct insurance billing is available. 25% off if not insured.

250-264-2322 www.acuwell-alt.com

LEGAL/PUBLIC NOTICES

REDUCED

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

LEGAL/PUBLIC NOTICES

The following vehicle located at Walt’s Automotive Repair, Fort St John, B.C. will be auctioned off within 30 days. 2012 Ford Focus SE 2.0L, VIN#: 1FAHP3F29CL202384, registered to Mark Pollitt of Fort St. John, B.C. Outstanding charges up to and including May 22, 2015 are $1,377.23. Vehicle can be viewed by appointment and sealed bids accepted until July 21, 2016 at 3:00pm.

BUSINESS SERVICES APPLYING FOR CANADA PENSION PLAN DISABILITY BENEFITS? Increase your chance of success. Call the Disability Claims Advocacy Clinic. Call 1-877-793-3222 www.dcac.ca info@dcac.ca

LEGAL/PUBLIC NOTICES

Vision, Vision Max, Vantage Forestry, Weed-­‐Master

LEGAL/PUBLIC NOTICES

Glyphosate

HIP OR KNEE REPLACEMENT? Arthritic Conditions/COPD? Restrictions in Walking/ Dressing? Disability Tax Credit $2,000 Tax Credit $20,000 Refund. Apply Today For Assistance: 1- 84 4 - 453 - 5372.

MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION! In- demand career!

Employers have work-athome positions available.

Get online training you need from an employer-trusted program. Visit: CareerStep. ca/MT or 1-855-768-3362 to start training for your workat-home career today!

CAREER TRAINING

FOR SALE

BY EMPLOYER REQUEST, CanScribe is training to fill 400 Medical Transcription positions. Train with the only accredited and AHDI approved online Canadian school. 1-866-305-1165. w w w. c a n s c r i b e . c a .

HOUSES FOR SALE

SAWMILLS from only $4,397 - MAKE MONEY & SAVE MONEY with your own bandmill - Cut lumber any dimension. In stock ready to ship. FREE Info & DVD: www.NorwoodSawmills. com/400OT 1-800-5666 8 9 9 E x t : 4 0 0 O T.

HOUSES FOR SALE

CANADA BENEFIT GROUP - Do you or someone you know suffer from a disability?

Get up to $40,000 from the Canadian Government. Toll-free 1-888-511-2250 or www.canadabenefit. ca/free-assessment

HOUSES FOR SALE

GET RESULTS! Post a classified in 110 newspapers in just a few clicks. Reach almost 2 million people for only $395 a week for 25word text ad or $995 for small display ad.

Choose your province or all across Canada. Best value. Save over 85% compared to booking individually. www. communityclassifieds.ca or 1-866-669-9222.

HOUSES FOR SALE

LEGAL/PUBLIC NOTICES

Active Ingredient 2,4-­‐D Amine

Ground

Common

Yes

Yes

Pesticide Control Products Act # 19899, 27736, 26884, 29009

STEEL BUILDING SAVINGS-ADDITIONAL 10% OFF NOW!” 20X21 $5,794 25X25

Roundup Weathermax

2,4-­‐D Ester 700 LV

glyphosate

Reclaim B

2,4-­‐DB

Agro-­‐Flex 2.4-­‐DB Ester

Actetic Acid

EcoClear

Roundup Ultra Vantage XRT Start Up

Milestone, Reclaim A

Imazamox

Solo

imazapyr

Arsenal

indaziflam

Alion

aminopyralid and mesulfuron-­‐ methyl

Clearview

MCPA Amine

MCPA Amine

amitrole

Amitrol

MCPA Ester

MCPA Ester 600

bentazon

Basagran Liquid

MCPB

Topside

bromacil

Hyvar X-­‐L

mecoprop

Mecoprop-­‐P

chlorsulfuron

Telar XP

clopyralid

Lontrel 360

Escort metsulfuron-­‐methyl

Accurate Ally Toss-­‐N-­‐Go

Banvel II

dicamba

SA L E ...” S U PER

Trade name Newspaper ActiveInformation IngredientList Trade name Newspaper 2,4-­‐D Amine 600

2,4-­‐D Ester

STEEL BUILDINGS

Vanquish

Tordon 22K

picloram

Grazon XC

diflufenzopyr

Overdrive

diuron

Karmex XP

tribenuron-­‐methyl

Express SG

flumioxazin

Payload

simazine

Simazine 480

fluroxypyr

Sightline B

triclopyr

Garlon 4

trifluralin

Treflan Emulsifiable

Herbicides may be applied using boom sprayer, boomless nozzle sprayer, hose and/or nozzle sprayer, wick wiper and/or backpack sprayer. No fumigation or aerial applications will be used.

$6,584 30X31 $9,600 32X35 $10,798 42X51

Copies of the proposed PMP and associated maps of the proposed treatment area may be examined in detail at the following address:

$16,496. One end wall

Gemini Corporation 10543-100 Street Fort St John, BC V1J 3Z4 A person wishing to contribute information about a proposed treatment site, relevant to the development of the Pest Management Plan, may send copies of the information to the applicant at the address above within 30 days of the publication of this notice.

included. Pioneer Steel 1-800-668-5422 www. pioneersteel.ca

HOUSES FOR SALE

Application Aerial

DEVELOPMENT OF A PEST MANAGEMENT PLAN (PMP)

aminopyralid

SERVICES

LEGAL/PUBLIC NOTICES

Reference Number: ARC PMP - 2016 Applicant’s name: ARC Resources Ltd. Applicant’s address: 1200, 308 4 Ave, SW Calgary, AB T2P 0H7 Telephone number: 403.503.8600 Area to which PMP applies: The area(s) to which this PMP apply include all of ARC Resources Ltd. assets within the Peace River Regional District and Northern Rockies Regional Municipality. A combination of mechanical, physical and chemical controls are being proposed for use to control problem vegetation within these areas.

Proposed duration of the PMP: July 15, 2016 – July 15, 2021

www.fortstjohn.ca

HEALTH

14.8 ACRES HIGHLAND SUB  $75,000

The herbicide will be applied primarily by helicopter aerial application, as well as backpack and ground based foliar application.

The pest management activities will be carried out from August 15 to September 30, 2016 and 2017.

A copy of the Pest Management Plan document with maps of the proposed treatment areas may be examined by contacting Chris Maundrell at the contact information provided above.

A person wishing to contribute information about a proposed treatment site, relevant to the development of the pest management plan, may send copies of the information to the applicant at the address above by July 26th 2016.

marie.h@shaw.ca

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

ROSE PRIARIE  320 ACRES FENCED OIL LEASE REVENUE $260.000

Usage

Herbicide Trade Name Active Ingredient

PLEASE EMAIL YOUR RESUME TO

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

 8.8 AC RESIDENTIAL SITE  SAWYER RD; PARTLY SERVICED  MAKE AN OFFER

Pest Management Plan Reference Number: Applicant: Chris Maundrell Contact: Chris Maundrell – ph: 250-262-2941, email: chris@adlardenvironmental.ca Mailing Address: 13831 275 Road Charlie Lake PO Box 293, Charlie Lake BC, V0C 1H0 Notice is given that a Pest Management Plan has been prepared by the applicant to control competing deciduous and grass-like vegetation on woodlots 603 and 1217 in the Buick Creek area of Northeast BC on conifer plantations using the principles of integrated pest management.

The herbicides intended to be used under this plan may include:

Inquiries regarding this lease of land may be directed to Janet Prestley, Director of Legislative and Administrative Services at (250) 787-8153.

Competitive Salary, Bonus, Profit Sharing, and Benefits are Offered

LEGAL/PUBLIC NOTICES

4.7 AC  283 RD. 10 MIN TO CITY  $149,000

PEST MANAGEMENT PLAN NOTICE

Learn how to operate a Mini-Office outlet from your home computer.

Can be done on a p/t basis or full time if you choose. FREE online training and support. www.project4wellness.com

In accordance with Section 26 of the Community Charter, notice is hereby given that the City of Fort St. John will be considering a request to lease a portion of land legally described as Parcel B (Plan B5123) of the Fractional South East ¼ of Section 17, Township 84, Range 19, W6M, Peace River District (civic address 13074 Lakeshore Drive) to the Fort St. John Sailing Club for $10.00 per year for a five year term at its June 13, 2016 Regular Council meeting.

A Major National Company has a Position for an Experienced and Proven Service Manager in a brand new facility in the Okanagan Valley

LAND FOR SALE  PH ANNETTE 2507934394

D u p l e x

2 STORY DUPLEX WITH ATTACHED GARAGE; 3 BR, 3 BATHS, HARDWOOD & CERAMIC TILE; FIREPLACE IN LIVINGRM; GREAT KITCHEN; APPLIANCES; HUGE MASTER HAS WALK-IN CLOSET & ENSUITE; CHECK MLS R2063603. CALL 793-4394

Lease of Land

AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE MANAGER POSITION IN THE OKANAGAN VALLEY OF BC

$3 39 ,0 00

3 BDRM DUPLEX FOR RENT. FRESHLY PAINTED. AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY. QUIET NEIGHBORHOOD. SMALL PET FRIENDLY, NO SMOKERS. $1,500/MTH PLUS UTILITIES. CALL GARY AT 250-261-1214. RENTAL APPLICATIONS CAN BE PICKED UP @ GARY REEDER REALTY UNIT B - 10756-100 ST.

LEGAL/PUBLIC NOTICES

SUITABLE FOR COMMERCIAL OFFICE/RETAIL  THREE  1500 SQ FT UNITS  2400 SQ FT FRESHLY PAINTED  1200 SQ FT AVAIL JUNE 1, 2016 $15.00 PER SQ FT PLUS NNN  10756  100 ST OFFICE OR RETAIL SPACE 1,500 OR 3,000 SQ FT

FAMILY HOME WITH DOUBLE GARAGELOCATED CLOSE TO DOWN TOWN SHOPPING AND SCHOOLS; LAMINATE FLOORING ON THE MAIN FLOOR; 3 BEDROOMS AND UPDATED BATHROOM; UPDATED KITCHEN; SHINGLES REPLACED, FULL CONCRETE BASEMENT HAS 4TH BEDRM AND FAMILYRM. FENCED YARD. PH ANNETTE TO VIEW 2507934394 MAKE YOUR OFFER

R0011251875

HEAVY EQUIPMENT

1 BEDROOM SUITE  CHARLIE LAKE $1,000/INCLUDING UTILITIES

COMMERCIAL

1503 Week of 6.6.2016

For Hire: caregiver to look after my 2 children; year old girl and 3 year old boy.

Permanent, full time at a rate of 11.50/hour for 40hrs/week.

Completion of Secondary School: some college/CEGEP/ vocational. 1 to 2 years experience supervision or care for children.

Accomodation available on a live-in basis at no cost, but is not a condition of employment. main duties include: supervise and care; assist/guide children on personal hygiene; meal preparations; organize and participate in children’s activities and may perform light housekeeping.

Applicatant may apply via email: joan24garcia@yahoo

PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: Troyer Ventures Ltd. is a privately owned, energy services company servicing Western Canada. All job opportunities include competitive wages, comprehensive benefits package and room for advancement.

We are accepting applications at our Fort St John location for: Professional Drivers (Class 1,3) and Swamper-Labourers.

Successful candidates will be self-motivated and eager to learn.

Valid safety tickets, clean drug test, references and drivers abstract are required.

For more information and to apply, please visit our website at: Troyer.ca

$3 86 ,0 00

9712-105 AVE. HOME & GARAGE

R0011249343

POWER WALL SYSTEMS: LABOURER /APPRENTICE Power Wall Systems is looking for a FT & PT Carpentry Labourer or Apprentice .

Position starts immediately in Fort St. John.

Wages to commensurate with experience and negotiable.

Please email your resume or contact informa− tion to deryl@thepowergrp.com. deryl@thepowergrp.com

$3 65 ,0 00

TRADES HELP

HOME WITH BASEMENT SUITE

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT FOR RENT CALL GARY 250-261-1214 FRESHLY PAINTED 3 BR DUPLEX, QUIET NEIGHBOURHOOD. SMALL PET FRIENDLY $1,500/MONTH DUPLEX, 3 BR, 3 BATHS, GARAGE 11704 98A ST EVERGREEN ESTATES $1,800/MONTH

Gary Reeder Realty Ltd. NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND CLAIMANTS Regarding the Estate of LORRIE ANN ROBERTS, of the City of Fort St. John, who died on July 26, 2015 at Fort St. John, British Columbia.

If you have a claim against this Estate, you must file your claim by June 30, 2016 with: Frank N.T. VanderKley, Solicitor for the Executrix of the Estate PO Box 640, 321 Main Street Trochu, Alberta, T0M 2C0 If you do not file by the date above, the estate can lawfully be distributed without regard to any claim you may have.

Creditors: you must include a full description and value of debt you allege the deceased owes you and a full description and value of any of the deceased’s property that you hold as security for the debt.

Claimants: you must include a full description of your claim and why you have a right to make such a claim.

HOUSES FOR SALE

R0011255712

MIC SUDS CAR & TRUCK WASH FACILITY MANAGER The chosen candidate will have experience in customer service, computers, personable skills, mechanical experience and cold−call sales.

250−785−3282 dave@ahab1991.com

HOUSES FOR SALE

HOUSES FOR SALE

HOUSES FOR SALE

HOUSES FOR SALE

HOUSES FOR SALE

R0011257801

LEGAL/PUBLIC NOTICES

R0011257007

MANAGEMENT/

250-785-5631 classifieds@ahnfsj.ca

Book Your Ad Now!

HOUSES FOR SALE

R0011257003

NEW LISTING

Bonnie Coté REALTOR®

262-1944

REMAX Action Realty Ltd.

Must be seen. This 3 bedroom home has been newly renovated with fresh paint, new carpet, siding re-done 2 years ago, shingles a year old, both bathrooms have been re-done, some new oak paneling in the living room and kitchen...and many more upgrades. Great for the first-time owner or as a rental investment.

R2019037

reduced $279,900

NEW LISTING

Opportunity knocks with this custom built home with a fully finished 2 bedroom basement suite. Features such as open floor plan, large dark maple kitchen with tons of cupboard space, large master, large ensuite with soaker tub and tiled shower big windows, airconditioning, oversized laundry room and much more.

Outside we have an oversized pie shaped lot, detached 24x24 shop with in-floor heat and a huge driveway with RV parking. The spacious daylight basement suite has its own entry from outside, its own single garage, 2 bedrooms. 1 bathroom. full kitchen with pantry and its very own laundry room. All appliances and window coverings are included.

$759,900

WHAT A DEAL

FISH CREEK ACREAGE

This updated 3 brm family home is close to schools, walking trails & amenities, large yard with back alley access, detached garage & greenhouse, apple trees & lots of flower beds, beautifully landscaped, it's bright & has an open concept, updates include newly renovated kitchen, bathroom, hardwood and laminate flooring, newer windows, brand new hot water tank...a definite must see! R2031174

Beautiful 3 bedroom 4 bathroom home situated on 5 acres just minutes from town. Spacious floor plan, huge kitchen with eating bar, separate dining room, large living room, formal sitting room, 2 fireplaces, large windows throughout, over sized master bdrm with walk in closet and ensuite, fully finished bsmnt with 2 oversized Dens and living room and much more.!!!

Great neighbourhood, northwest area, this 4-bedroom home with 2 bathrooms is close to CM Finch Page 1 School, walking trails, and features an open concept. It has had recent updates, has a fully-finished basement, an attached single garage, and is nestled on a maturetreed lot which is fully fenced. A definite mustsee! R2068403

$939,900

$399,900

reduced

$379,500

reduced

GREAT NEIGHBOURHOOD

P

B14 THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2016

Classifieds HOUSES FOR SALE

APARTMENTS/ CONDOS FOR

Book Your Ad Now!

COMMERCIAL

APARTMENTS/ CONDOS FOR

Executive Style Bungalow

Brand new home on 12.64 Acres at top of spectacular hillside ravine with captivating sunsets views. Must see property is priced to sell!

Kitchen features high quality cabinets, custom granite counter tops thru out. Built-in gas range & double Dutch ovens, stunning stainless appliances. Main floor family room with beautiful mantel & gas fire place, for those chilly evenings.

9’ tray-type ceilings with roman-style pillars and half-inch-thick custom marble travertine heated flooring. Walkout basement is fully developed with a kitchenette, Gas fireplace with a custom stone mantle. A perfect area for the man cave.

For more information regarding this must see property please call 403-350-5266.

LINK: HTTP://WWW.HOMESBYOWNER.COM/62390S

Li-Car Management Group

We have a variety of apartments, town homes, executive homes, and duplexes for rent. To apply for these,please email reception@licar.ca or visit our website at www.licar.ca

$12.00 NNN Gateway Industrial Park.

Move to Dawson Creek!

6−100,000 sq.ft. available.

Call Adam Battistelli at 604−729−5560 or Tom Moran at 250−784−7090. adam@capitalwest.ca

Phone: 250-785-2662

FOR RENT

In Dawson Creek t Available

1 bedroom Apartmen

Clean, quiet adult building.

Looking for long-term, single mature tenant.

32017

X

R0021173649

FOR SALE BY OWNER

NO SMOKING, AND NO PETS For more information Please phone 250.782.6904

THIS IS WHERE YOUR AD SHOULD BE

LEGAL/PUBLIC NOTICES The following vehicle located at Walt’s Automotive Repair, Fort St John, B.C. will be auctioned off within 30 days. 2006 Ford F-350 SD 6.0L 4WD pickup with picker on deck, VIN#: 1FDWW37P26ED08596, registered to D Mulholland Contracting LTD of Manning Alberta. Outstanding charges up and including October 30, 2015 are $4,201.57.

Vehicle can be viewed by appointment and sealed bids accepted until July 21, 2016 at 3:00pm

INDUSTRIAL/ COMMERCIAL 2280 sq ft office/retail space for lease in FSJ. Recent Renovations, Reasonable Rate. Call 250-262-7734

MOBILE/

SRI Homes 16’Wide starting $110,500 in stock also 20’ and double wides in stock, or you can order your own custom home.

Pine Ridge Modular Homes. 250-262-2847.

2 BEDROOM FOR $899 !

Save up to $5,000/year on select 2-bdrm suites.

Open concept. Dishwasher. In-suite washer & dryer. Private deck.

On-site mgmt. Secure.

Elevators. Parking. Ask about short-term rentals. 900 100A, Dawson Creek 250-419-9700 DawsonCreekApartments.com For Rent, 2 bdrm, 2 bathroom condo.

Furnished $1650/mth, unfurnished $1450/mth. Water included, insuite laundry, 2 parking stalls, storage locker, gym, games room, meeting room.

250-793-8798 or 250-793-8023

250-785-5631 classifieds@ahnfsj.ca FURNISHED APARTMENTS FOR RENT: Furnished Downtown Apartments in DC. Bachelor or 1 Bedroom. All Utilities Included + Cable/Internet. 250-719-7043

HOUSES FOR RENT 1 bedroom duplex for rent in DC. Available immediately. $750/mth plus utilities. Price negotiable with signing of 1 year lease. 1123 - 116 Ave. Completely Renovated. Call 250-2618009 & leave message.

SUITES FOR RENT 2 bedroom in Seniors Complex for rent in Dawson Creek.

Fridge/Stove + Private Washer/Dryer.

250-719-5181

RENTALS & LEASES Year round RV Lots for rent. Phone 250-262-9466.

COMMERCIAL

BOATS

Commercial lot #13 7904-90St Fort St John.

50’X150’ MI Zoning $60,000 Gerry 778-866-4885

Jet Boat for Sale 19ft, 350hp, Moore built − "Kokanee Queen". Barry Ross, Dawson Creek, BC. 250−784−4258 bross447@shaw.ca

Target Your Clients!

Let people know what your business offers.

Here at the Alaska Highway News we have the finest graphics team to build your business a quality ad that can promote the item or idea that you want to sell.

Ph: 250-785-5631 Fax: 250-785-3522

Rain or Shine!

Our Platinum Sponsors: A & W Restaurant Aspol Motors Ltd B & C Trucking Bell Media: CJDC TV & Radio Browns’ Chevrolet Buick GMC Canadian Tire Capital Motors Chetwynd Autobody City of Dawson Creek Custom Creations Dawson Creek Collision/ Brute Force Collision

Dawson Creek CO-OP Dawson Creek Mirror Hypertension Escape Inland Auto Centre Joe Loomis Trucking Kal Tire Motivators Gym Mountain View First Aid Mr. Mikes Steakhouse Casual Pat’s Auto Supply

For more information and online registration check out our website Peace Country Toyota Pomeroy Inn & Suites/ Stonebridge Hotel Promo Shoppe Smokin’ Joe’s Guitars “n” Stuff Tiger Office Plus Tourism Dawson Creek Uniglobe Phillips Travel Upper Montney Estates

ANY RIDE, ANY TYPE, ANY SHAPE ALL ARE WELCOME

Thank you to ALL our Sponsors

Grand Prizes: • 325 hp 350 Engine – proudly donated

by Pat’s Auto Supply

Early Bird Prize Draws: Local Entrants - Tool Set Out-of-town Guests (Two Draws): One Two-Night stay at Pomeroy Inn & Suites One Two-Night stay at Stonebridge Hotel *Early Bird Deadline is June 24, 2016. **Numerous prizes drawn throughout the weekend **Only registered participants are eligible for prizes.

• American Racing Torque Thrust II Wheels & BF Goodrich Radial Tires T/A – proudly donated

by Browns’ Chevrolet Buick GMC • Trip for two to Victoria includes 2 nights hotel at the Grand Pacific, Flights to Victoria and passes for two to Butchart Gardens – proudly donated

by Uniglobe Phillips Travel

THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2016 B15

COMMUNITY

Wild animals and fast kids M

y kids love the zoo.

They love to press their face up against the glass and watch the penguins swim by, play games of look-and-find in the animal habitats to see who can spot the red panda or the snow leopard first, and to see the baby animals. This past summer, we visited the baby gorilla at the Calgary Zoo. My daughter was so determined to see this baby gorilla that she didn’t even care that there was a 3-hour line up.

I’ve since tried to figure out what it was about the gorillas that captivated her so. Was it that they were funny? She giggles as they throw hay in the air and beats her chest, hoping they’ll do the same. Was it that their enclosure looked like fun to her? Maybe just because there was a baby? Or was it maybe that out of all the animals in the zoo, gorillas are most like us? That when she sees the baby breastfeeding or the family all climbing on

Brianne Zwambag THE MOTHERLOAD

the “playground” together, she sees us.

This is why the story of Harambe, the 17-year old gorilla at the Cincinnati zoo who was killed to protect a four-year old boy who fell in to his enclosure earlier this week, has had me feeling a little off-kilter.

If only you could bottle the Internet rage of all the suddenly appointed gorilla and parenting experts this week, we’d have energy for years to come.

I think the sum of all the moving parts is that a lot of mistakes were made, on all parts, that led to the loss of a beautiful and endangered animal. But, when all is said and done, I do think that the zoo

made the right decision.

Let’s take away all the discussion of what led up to the boy getting in to the enclosure and just deal with the fact that he did. When the zoo officials who had to decide what to do showed up, the situation was this: There was a young child who was sitting in a cage with a 400-lb gorilla who could kill him or seriously harm him with just one move. The rest of the gorillas quickly complied with the keepers and were removed from the cage, but Harambe did not. He stayed with the boy, alternating between seeming protective of him and dragging him through water, grass and up rock faces while onlookers screamed and agitated the situation further.

That’s what they had to work with.

I don’t doubt for a second that they already had all the contingency plans in place.

That they had considered what would happen if someone got

FILIPINO FUN

BRONWYN SCOTT PHOTO

The North Peace FilCan Society has taken Fort St. John by storm this week with Filipino movies, a photo contest, singing to local seniors and more, wrapping up with an independence day celebration June 12.

in to the enclosure and how they would react, based on the animals that they know. That the keepers tried to reason with Harambe from where it was safe to do so. That they seriously considered the risks and benefits of using a tranquilizer dart versus a bullet.

That they had an expert right there watching the behavior of the gorilla to decide what the safest course of action was.

In the end, they had to make a hard call and they chose to preserve human life. They chose a bullet over a tranquilizer because of the time it would take for it to take effect; because of the likelihood that it would agitate a very large and potentially aggressive animal in an already stressful situation. Even animal experts, like Jack Hanna, have said that they made the right choice.

And now they’ll live with it and mourn Karambe.

At first, I honestly questioned the necessity of killing the animal. But then I saw the videos. There are some when the gorilla just stands, seemingly protectively, over the child. Those are fine—a little unnerving as it is also how I’ve seen an animal stand possessively over its dinner, but at least the child seemed safe.

But then the dragging started.

If you’ve seen the video, you will know the look on my face as I watched this young child get dragged through water and up a rock face.

In that moment, if it was my child, there would have been nothing you could have done to save that animal. I’m pretty sure it would have taken an armada to hold me back. And I’m also certain that if the child had died because the zoo had hesitated, the rage of the internet would be directed very differently.

Was the gorilla wrong? No, I would guess it was pretty natural behavior. Were the parents neglectful? Maybe. I’d guess distracted might be the better word. Was the security barricade enough? Many argue that it worked for nearly four decades so it is, but I would argue that if a four-year old can navigate through it and end up in the gorilla enclosure in the time that his parents were looking elsewhere, it might need work. I mean, my four-year old is smart and fast and does things that make my head spin, but the reality is that she can’t open a jar of peanut butter. If a four year old can get in, anyone can with determination.

Should the parents be held responsible? Honestly, I think yes. In some way, shape or form, they should have to address the major loss that their family caused. I don’t think it should be in the form of criminal (or murder) charges, but there should be more consequence than having to issue an apologetic statement.

There’s a lesson here. Though, maybe the barrage of hate they’re enduring is punishment enough.

The reality at the end of the day was that it was a tragic and terrible situation that no one could have anticipated and was likely not going to have a good ending either way. It’s done, and we need to move forward and learn from it.

I’m simply taking it as a reminder to never underestimate my kids.

Brianne Zwambag is a fulltime boo-boo healer, snack artist, janitor, referee, master storyteller and child stylist in Fort St. John, who sometimes gets a chance to sit down and write about life, mommyhood and the issues that surround it.

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