AHN JAN 9 2020

ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2020 | VOL. 76 NO. 2

$1.50 INCL. GST CELEBRATING

75 YEARS

FORT ST. JOHN NEWS | BUSINESS | POLITICS | SPORTS | ARTS | EST. 1944 HOME VALUES

CURLING BRONZE

CONCERT WARRIOR

Home values in Hudson’s Hope and Taylor are up, and down everywhere else

Hannah Lindner is Fort St. John’s first champion of 2020

Mason Young kicks off country concert series in support of veterans and first responders

NEWS h A3

SPORTS h B1

ARTS h A12

TMX IN THE GROUND

When You Are Out in the Field, Time IS Money.

Trans Mountain marked a history defining milestone on Dec. 18, 2019, placing the first segments of its pipeline expansion in the ground in the Edmonton area.

Work in B.C. will ramp up in this spring, where two Fort St. John pipeline contractors will be responsible for building nearly onethird of the pipeline expansion through the province.

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New Year’s Baby completes Fort St. John family Matt Preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca The first baby born in Fort St. John in 2020 was a boy.

Thane Bradley Mclean was born Wednesday, Jan. 1, at 6:18 p.m. at the Fort St. John Hospital to parents Braiden and Charlyn Mclean, and weighing seven pounds, four ounces. Thane was also welcomed to the world by big sisters Millie, 7, and Laylee, 4.

“Our family is complete now,” Charlyn said.

Baby Thane takes his name from his great uncle, and the timing of his birth came as a surprise for the family.

Though Thane was due on Jan. 2, and arrived one day early, Charlyn thought he’d come even earlier in

December.

Both Millie and Laylee were born early and in the summer, she said, and Thane’s New Year’s birth will make this time of year exceptionally festive and celebratory.

The family is also revelling in the honours of giving birth to Fort St. John’s first baby of the new decade.

“It’s exciting, famous in small town,” Charlyn said with a laugh.

The first baby born in Dawson Creek was also a boy, born Jan. 1 at 10:58 a.m. to parents Rebecca Crossman and Jordan Clement.

The first baby born in the northern B.C. on New Year’s Day was a girl, Aubrey Nellis, born at 12:21 a.m. in Prince George to parents Tiffany and Clayton Nellis.

MCLEAN FAMILY PHOTO

Thane Bradley Mclean was born Wednesday, Jan. 1, at 6:18 p.m. to parents Braiden and Charlyn Mclean, and weighing seven pounds, four ounces.

Halfway River bridge construction begins soon Matt Preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca Bridge builders will begin mobilizing at the Halfway River on Highway 29 next week, BC Hydro says.

The Eiffage-Infracon Halfway River Joint Venture has been given a $104.6-mil-

lion contract to build 3.7 kilometres of new two-lane highway and a new one kilometre-long bridge crossing the Halfway River.

“Over the next few months, equipment and materials will move to site, waste wood will be disposed, and site preparations for road and bridge

construction will begin,” BC Hydro said.

Work will take place 24 hours a day, seven days a week, BC Hydro said, and work is expected to last until fall 2022.

The existing highway alignment, including the current Halfway River Bridge,

will remain open while construction of the new crossing takes place. The ministry of transportation says there will be limited traffic disruptions.

The new bridge is needed to make way for the Site C hydroelectric reservoir, expected to start filling as early as 2023.

A2 | INDEX | THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2020

PAGE 2 VIEWS

ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

WEATHER

2007: Apple CEO Steve Jobs announces the iPhone.

THURSDAY: High minus 23; cloudy with 60% chance of flurries.

FRIDAY: High minus 24; cloudy with snow.

SATURDAY: High minus 27; mix of sun and cloud with 60% chance of flurries.

SUNDAY: High minus 24; sunny.

Some toys do not age well

TOYS FOR TICKETS

T

his Ipad is broken Nana,” said my four-year-old grandchild after opening the Etch-aSketch we had purchased for him for Christmas.

He was holding the iconic red toy and puzzling over the two buttons and screen that refused to light up in any sense or fashion.

It was in that moment I realized that some toys simply do not have the staying power that I imagined.

Dylan crawled up beside me on the couch and I began to explain how the Etch-a-Sketch worked. I did my best to sell the toy, using as many adjectives as I could think of at that moment.

“Well, you have the two buttons that you can use to draw,” I said as I showed him how to make a line with one button and have it change direction using the other button.

It was very difficult to see the gray line against the gray background of the toy so we had to move it closer to a light source as I continued my explanation.

Boring. Boring toy, boring explanation. Nothing was going to save this toy – it was destined for abandonment in the bottom of the toy box.

A week previous, I spied a tower of Etch-a-Sketches at a toy store and thought to myself, “Yes! That is exactly what Dylan would want for Christmas! Who knew they were still popular!” Yes, Judy – that is why you are going to see a tower of Etch-aSketches a week before Christmas – because they were still popular. Not. I was transported back to my childhood where the Etch-a-Sketch was considered a glorious toy, guaranteed to give you hours of fun.

Was I wrong so many years ago?

Had I forgotten the limitations of the toy? Had I forgotten how heavy the toy was and how much damage it can inflict on a siblings forehead?

Jeepers! I might as well have given him a Magic 8 Ball!

Struggling to redeem the toy in any sense or fashion, I took both buttons and turned them wildly on the Etcha-Sketch, creating this wild pattern on the gray on gray background.

Visibly unimpressed and probably wondering at what point are we going to hook it up to Wi-Fi and turn it on, Dylan looked at me in anticipation. I began to shake the toy, muttering “shake, shake, shake” as I shook the squiggly design away from the screen.

That was all it took. Who knew that the shake part of the instructions would ultimately redeem the toy!

Dylan took the toy back from me and began to create and shake, create and shake and we both realized that the toy wasn’t quite as ridiculous as we first thought.

Advice for the future: Some toys do not age well.

Fort St. John drivers made sure to pay off their outstanding parking tickets to help make 2019 a good Christmas for needy families. The City of Fort St. John and the Salvation Army met Dec. 19, 2019, to reap the rewards from the annual Toys for Tickets campaign. This year’s campaign brought in $910 in cash donations, 104 toys, and a stack of gift cards.

JUDY KUCHARUK

Judy Kucharuk is a community columnist living in Dawson Creek.

Some wishes heading in 2020

T

he year 2020 is the Chinese Year of the Rat and supposed to be a good year. If the Peace River country, along with our good neighbours in Alberta, have no rats, do we need some to ensure we have a good year?

I’m not much into numbers, but the year 2020 does have good balance and a nice ring when said out loud. Although my foresight might not have 20/20 vision, my hindsight remains 20/20. So, a few predictions that could ensure we have that great year. Will reflect in twelve with my hindsight.

My wish: Canada and Environment Minister Wilkinson arise from their slumber and begin representing Canadians at the 2020 UN Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in Glasgow.

Thank Brazil and Australia that there was no signing of an agreement on what constitutes carbon credits at the 2019 COP 25 in Madrid, despite Canada pushing for one. There is still hope as attendees agree that an agreement signed for the sole purpose of making politicians look good is meaningless.

Here at home we can now move to meaningful discussions and agreements on climate change that give equal considerations to the economic and the environmental consequences.

Conservative-minded Canadians finally convince PM Trudeau that the economy of Western Canada means something to all Canadians, and B.C.’s Premier Horgan that LNG exports to replace Asian coal-fired electrical plants are good for the entire world.

My wish: PM Trudeau, Environment Minister Wilkinson, and the rest of the federal cabinet approve Teck’s Frontier oilsands mine in northern Alberta, despite outrage from the alt-left over increases to Alberta’s greenhouse gas emissions.

In response to environmentalists’ assertions that Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions will be substantially increased with this new mine, PM Trudeau and Premier

EVAN SAUGSTAD Kenney jointly announce that they have agreed to amend the new Canada-U.S.-Mexico Trade Agreement in support of Alberta’s prosperity.

Canada fully opens our borders to U.S. milk and cheese, thus eliminating an even greater amount of greenhouse gases produced by Quebec’s massive carbon-belching dairy industry. “Better than carbon neutral,” echo joint statements from Ottawa and Alberta.

Under the climate change carbon accountability process, the U.S. would be required to account for all “cow” gasses. Canadians would now not only be able to drink their milk, but eat their cheese too while being comforted by the realization we are now seeing real progress in addressing climate change.

My wish: Quebecers wake up and realize just how hypocritical, mean, self-centred and mixed up their politicians are, and join the rest of us in our great federation. As they do so, the rest of Canada returns to Quebec as a place to visit and conduct business.

If Don Cherry can be fired for using the words “you people” in reference to immigrants, how can Quebec Premier Legault keep his job by singling out and punishing Muslims for what they wear, while he keeps buying Arab oil from these same people wearing this same clothing? Or, how can he tell 25% of his population that the only true Quebecers are Catholics, while he demands billions in transfer payments based on the formula that everyone living in Quebec is also a Quebecer?

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My wish: Fiscal conservativism continues to dominate world thinking, despite President Donald’s re-election and the Liberals’ domination of Canada’s federal parliament.

Finance Minister Morneau convinces PM Trudeau that the only way Canada can avoid bankruptcy is to increase the export of goods and services in support of peoples around the world.

Conservatives join with Liberals in a vote to eliminate all legislative barriers to resource-based jobs and exports. A joint press release notes that a well-paying job is the best defence against poor social services.

President Donald win’s big in November and vows to continue his spending spree in his efforts to devaluate the American dollar and put the remaining 3% of out of work Americans, back to work.

My wish: Premier Horgan and Finance Minister James announce new road taxes for all electric vehicles, and that this massive tax windfall will be used to eliminate B.C.’s deficit with the remainder to support bringing rural B.C. back to life. Need I say any more?

Evan Saugstad is a former mayor of Chetwynd, and lives in Fort St. John.

LETTERS

Published every Thursday at 9916 - 98th Street Fort St. John, B.C. V1J 3T8   

My wish: Energy infrastructure projects win big as federal courts rule infrastructure projects approved by federal cabinet and designated as being in the “greater” interests of Canada supersede the courts ability to overturn.

Trans Mountain begins construction in B.C. after courts rule they cannot supersede PM Trudeau’s approval of the project. Radical environmentalists go apoplectic and announce that thousands will block construction in defiance of court orders. In response, the Northern Rockies announces they have plenty of room and requests funding to build a massive prison to help diversify their economy.

William Julian Regional Manager wj@ahnfsj.ca

Ryan Wallace Sales Manager rwallace@ahnfsj.ca

Brenda Piper Sales Associate bpiper@ahnfsj.ca

Tim Cramer Graphic Artist compose@ahnfsj.ca CONTRIBUTORS Judy Kucharuk, Evan Saugstad, Sue Popesku, Larry Evans, Caitlyn Harbottle, Sam Stackhouse, Bronwyn Scott

Matt Preprost Managing Editor editor@ahnfsj.ca

Dillon Giancola Sports Reporter sports@ahnfsj.ca

Lynn Novack Circulation Manager circulation@ahnfsj.ca

Write to us by snail mail, or email your letters to editor@ahnfsj.ca.

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alaska highway news

thursday, january 9, 2020 | nEWs | A3

Home values continue to drop Matt Preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca Home values in the Peace region continue to decline, though they continue to rise across much of northern B.C. BC Assessment says northerners can expect to receive their 2020 assessment notices in the mail in the next few days.

“For most of the region’s homes, it’s a bit of mix of modest increases and decreases compared to last year’s assessments,” Deputy Assessor Jarret Krantz said in a news release.

“There are some exceptions such as Terrace and Kitimat where most homeowners will see increases of 20 percent and 40 percent respectively.”

The property assessments are based on market values as of July 1, 2019, and are used to calculate municipal property taxes.

Assessments for the average singlefamily home in Fort St. John dropped from $319,000 to $314,000 year-over year, or a decline of 2%.

In Taylor, the same assessment dropped from $224,000 to $218,000 (-3%), and the average home in Fort Nelson dropped from $105,000 to $103,000 (-2%).

Homeowners in Hudson’s Hope will see average assessments rise by 1%, from $164,000 to $166,000 year-over-year.

South of the Peace River, home values rose in Tumbler Ridge while drop-

ping in Dawson Creek, Pouce Coupe, and Chetwynd The average single-family home in Dawson Creek dropped 5% from $253,000 to $241,000 for 2020.

In Pouce Coupe, home values declined from $201,000 to $188,000, a drop of 6%. In Chetwynd, home values dropped from $222,000 to $215,000, down 3%.

In Tumbler Ridge, average home values rose 5% from $128,000 to $135,000.

Overall, assessment values in Northern B.C. increased by $4 billion, from $65.4 billion in 2019 to $69.4 billion for 2020 due to new construction, subdivisions and rezonings, BC Assessment said.

While Terrace and Kitimat homeowners will see increases of 20% and 40%, respectively, homeowners also saw their home values jump significantly in Granisle (+11%), Queen Charlotte (+31%), Quesnel (+13%), Smithers (+11%), and Telkwa (+14%).

Commercial landowners in urban areas of northern B.C. can expect their property values to drop up to 5% or increase by up to 25%; and in rural areas, drop up to 10% or rise by up to 20%.

Light industrial landowners in urban areas can expect their property values to drop up to 45% or increase by up to 10%; and in rural areas, drop up to 15% or rise by up to 10%.

Property owners have until Jan. 31 to file an appeal of their assessment.

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ENCORE SUITES BY SERVICE PLUS INNS 10639-110 Street Visit our website: www.encoresuites.ca The log home at 6653 Lakeshore Drive in Moberly Lake annually makes BC Assessment’s list of the most valued homes in northern B.C.

Northeast B.C.’s most valuable homes Matt Preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca A Moberly Lake acreage dubbed the Jewel of the North is once again northern B.C.’s highest valued property in 2020.

New data from BC Assessment released lists the 100 highest-valued homes in northern B.C. The log lodge at 6653 Lakeshore Drive in Moberly Lake makes the top of the list annually.

Wayne Christensen and Christina Yee commissioned the impressive structure in 1999. The house, situated on nine acres and sprawling nearly 30,000 square feet with 10 bedrooms and 16 bathrooms, is said to be one of the largest log structures in the world. It topped BC Assessment’s list for 2019, too, when it was assessed at $3.06 million.

Just 14 properties from the Peace region made the Top 100 most valued list for northern B.C. in 2020, which is dominated by properties in and around Prince George and Williams Lake. Compare that to 2016, when 17 of the top 20 most expensive homes in northern B.C. could be found here in the region.

Here are the Top 10 valued properties in Northeast B.C. for 2020, based on total taxable values: 1. 6653 Lakeshore Dr, Moberly Lake — $3.284 million 2. 6975 Old Fort Rd, Fort St. John Rural — $1.348 million 3. 9704 121 Ave, Fort St. John Rural — $1.275 million 4. 12246 Pacific Ave, Fort St. John Rural — $1.264 million 5. 14380 Welch Subdiv, Charlie Lake — $1.197 million 6. 9473 River Dr, Fort St. John Rural — $1.167 million 7. 13134 Lakeshore Dr, Charlie Lake — $1.139 million 8. 13111 Sunnyside Dr, Charlie Lake — $1.097 million 9. 13148 Paradise St, Fort St. John Rural — $1.096 million 10. 11307 244 Rd, Fort St. John Rural — $1.078 million Four other homes from the Peace region made the Top 100 list, including 7263 Old Fort Road ($1.074 million), a home on 277 Road in Charlie Lake ($1.068 million), 13864 Golf Course Road in Charlie Lake ($1.056 million), and 11585 244 Road on the northern outskirts of Fort St. John ($1.025 million).

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alaska highway news

A4 | news | thursday, january 9, 2020

p court docket

Looking for Good Samaritan Matt Preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca

Sentences and fines handed out in provincial courts from Dec. 16 to Jan. 3: Fort St. John • Rusty Rawhide Oker Desjarlais (born 1996) was issued an 18-month probation order for assault with a weapon; an 18-month probation order for mischief to property over $5,000; an 18-month probation order for uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm; an 18-month probation order for a second charge of mischief to property over $5000, all committed in Rose Prairie in July 2019.

• Michael John Paul Dymond (born 1983) was granted a conditional discharge with a six-month probation order for assault with a weapon, committed in Fort St. John in November 2018.

• Dwayne Gerard Binette (born 1978) was issued a one-year $500 recognizance after allegation of causing fear of injury or damage.

• Jason Aron Oltmanns (born 1981) was sentenced to seven days jail for possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, committed in Wonowon in November 2019. Oltmanns was found guilty but received no jail time for a charge of personation with intent to gain advantage and two charges of breaching an undertaking.

• Rory Charles Brooks (born 1982) was fined $1,000 and issued a one-year criminal driving ban for driving with a blood-alcohol level over .08, committed in McLeese Lake in July 2017.

• Chase Anthony Schwab (born 1998) was fined $500 and ordered to pay a $75 victim surchage for a charge of driving without a licence, committed in Fort St. John in July 2017.

Dawson Creek • Scott Anthony McLean (born 1983) was issued a 30day conditional sentence with a six-month probation

dillon giancola photo

Fort St. John RCMP outside the Fort St. John Motor Inn, Jan. 5, 2020.

Early morning motel shooting investigated Matt Preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca

RCMP are looking to speak to the Good Samaritan who found and took an aggravated assault victim to hospital on New Year’s Day. Four people were arrested as part of the investigation, in which police say a man was thrown from a vehicle.

But Fort St. John RCMP are still trying to determine who the Good Samaritan was who found and took the victim to the hospital in order to get the much needed medical attention they required.

“The Good Samaritan did a great thing bringing the victim to the hospital,” said Cst. Neustateter. “If we could just speak to them in person, they may have valuable additional information that could further the investigation.”

Vincent Allen Davis and Jack Capot-Blanc have been charged with aggravated assault, forcible confinement, and threats to cause death/ bodily injury.

Anyone with information is asked to call the detachment at 250-787-8100. Anonymous tips can be made to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Fort St. John RCMP are investigating after a man was shot Sunday morning at the Fort St John Motor Inn. Officers were called to the motel on 102 Street shortly after 6 a.m., where they found and performed first aid on an adult male suffering from

a gunshot wound.

“Our investigation is in its early stages at this time,” said Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey of the BC RCMP. “The incident appears to have been targeted in nature, and although no arrests have been made, we do not believe there is any further risk to the general public.”

There was no immedi-

ate update on the status of the victim. Several police vehicles remaine at the scene.

Anyone with information is asked to call RCMP at 250-787-8140.

Anonymous tips can be made to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or online at www.crimestoppersnebc.ca.

order for assault, and issued a two-year firearms prohibition for uttering threats to kill an animal, both committed in Taylor in July 2019.

McLean was issued a suspended sentence with a seven-month probation order and was subject to forfeiture for careless use or storage of a firearm, committed in Farmington in January 2019.

• Kenneth Stuart Flett (born 1958) was fined $3,000 and ordered to pay a $450 victim surcharge for providing a false statement in written form, committed in Muncho Lake in October 2016.

• Rory Clinten Hurd (born 1986) was issued a one-year $500 recognizance after allegation of causing fear of injury or damage.

• Kyle Duncan Campbell (born 1986) was fined $750, issued an 18-month driving

prohibition, and ordered to pay a $112.50 victim surcharge for driving while prohibited/licence suspended, committed in Charlie Lake in June 2019.

• Tylor Lewis Brian Eckert (born 1969) was fined $500 and ordered to pay a $75 victim surcharge for driving while prohibited/licence suspended, committed in Dawson Creek in September 2019.

• Garrett Clark McNolty (born 1985) was sentenced to time served and issued a 12-month probation order for possession of a controlled substance and wilfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer, committed in Farmington in November 2019. McNolty was sentenced to time served and issued a 12-month probation order for breaching probation related to an assault

and mischief conviction in April 2019.

Matt Preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca

Chetwynd

One man is in custody and facing a number of weapons related charges after a traffic stop in the lead up to Christmas.

Fort St. John RCMP say a plain clothes officer from its Crime Reduction Unit pulled the man over on Dec. 18 in the area of 101 Avenue and 105 Street. The man was well known to police and known to be a prohibited driver, and was subject to a number of conditions at the time of his arrest, RCMP said.

During the traffic stop, police searched the man and seized a loaded pistol magazine contrary to his conditions. A search of the car found a knife and a pistol, as well as evidence of drug trafficking, RCMP said.

Warren Johnny faces two charges of possessing a firearm while prohibited, two charges of possessing a firearm without a licence or registration, and a charge of possessing a firearm with a defaced serial number. He also faces three charges of driving while prohibited, and a number of others for breaching probation orders.

Johhny has been remanded in custody until Jan. 6, 2020.

“We have a great team here in Fort St. John,” Inspector Anthony Hanson said in a statement. “The proactive efforts by our keen-eyed officer enabled us to remove this driver and weapon from the road, making our community safer this Christmas.”

• Bohdi Seth Landon (born 2001) was issued a suspended sentence with a one-year probation order, and ordered to submit a DNA sample for assault causing bodily harm, committed in Chetwynd in August 2019.

• Feron Martin Conley (born 1976) was fined $1,000 and issued a 12-month criminal driving prohibition for impaired driving, committed in New Minas, N.S., in June 2019.

• Glenn Allen Flett (born 1986) was issued a one-year $500 recognizance after allegation of causing fear of injury or damage.

—Matt Preprost

We want to hear from you ALTAGAS CANADA INC. AND PSPIB CYCLE INVESTMENTS INC. APPLICATION TO ACQUIRE REVIEWABLE INTEREST IN PNG On November 19, 2019, AltaGas Canada Inc. (ACI) and PSPIB Cycle Investments Inc. (PSPIB) filed an Applica�on reques�ng approval pursuant to sec�on 54 of the U�li�es Commission Act (UCA) for PSPIB acquiring a reviewable interest in each of Pacific Northern Gas Ltd. (PNG) and PNG’s wholly-owned subsidiary Pacific Northern Gas (N.E.) Ltd (PNG[NE]) through the acquisi�on of all of the issued and outstanding common shares of ACI. PNG is a direct wholly owned subsidiary of ACI. The comple�on of the Applica�on would result in PSPIB acquiring all of the Common shares of ACI thus purchasing a reviewable interest in both PNG and PNG(NE).

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ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2020 | NEWS | A5

“Extremely violent” DC man at large Matt Preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca RCMP in northern B.C. are looking for an armed and dangerous Dawson Creek man wanted on nearly two dozen charges of “extremely violent” crime.

Stacy Ray Laglace, 32, is wanted on 21 charges, including aggravated assault, discharge a firearm with intent, kidnapping, and robbery.

Laglace is described as First Nations, standing five-feet-six-inches, weighing 185 pounds, and having black hair and brown eyes.

“North District RCMP continues their efforts to locate and safely arrest Stacy Laglace,” Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey said in a news release.

“We want the general public to be aware that he is known to carry firearms. If spotted, you are urged not to approach Laglace, instead we ask the public to call 9-1-1 or their local police immediately.”

Anyone with information is asked to call Dawson Creek RCMP at 250-784-3700.

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RCMP HANDOUT

Stacy Ray Laglace, 32, is wanted on 21 charges, including aggravated assault, discharge a firearm with intent, kidnapping, and robbery.

Anonymous tips can be made to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or online at www.crimestoppersnebc.ca.

Assault with weapon Fort St. John RCMP are turning to the public for tips about a possible assault with a weapon.

A masked man allegedly approached a teenage girl on Dec. 20 around 8:30 a.m. as she was walking on 93 Avenue between 81st and 82nd Streets. The man was wearing all black, and approached the girl with what may have been a weapon, RCMP said.

“Reports of this nature are not very common in Fort St John,” Cst. Joshua Cullen said in a news release. “Given the nature of the report and the severity of the offence, we are investigating every avenue available to us.”

RCMP are asking anyone who was driving by the area and saw anything or anyone suspicious, or who has dashcam video of the area from that time to contact police.

Anyone with information can contact Cst. Cullen at 250-787-8143.

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RCMP HANDOUT

The Fort St. John RCMP is looking for Scott Allan McAdam. McAdam, 54, is wanted on multiple warrants across B.C. for careless use of firearm, resisting arrest, being unlawfully at large, failing to comply with probation, and driving while disqualified. It’s believed he is in Fort St. John. McAdam is described as fivefoot-eight, 187 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes. He has a grim reaper tattoo on his right arm. Anyone with information is asked to call RCMP at 250-787-8100.

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You may have heard that LifeLabs recently experienced a cyber-attack involving unauthorized access to some of its computer systems with customer information that could include name, address, email, login, passwords, date of birth, health care number and lab test results.

In British Columbia, LifeLabs serves customers in our service centres, but also on behalf of Health Authorities, hospitals, medical clinics, and private and public lab providers. As such, your information may have been potentially affected by the LifeLabs cyber-attack even if you have never visited a LifeLabs service centre.

Steps you can take to safeguard your information: • Any individual who is concerned about this incident can receive one free year of cyber security protection services that include dark web monitoring and identity theft insurance.

• For more information about how to activate these services or to learn more, please visit: customernotice.lifelabs.com or call our dedicated customer care line at: 1-888-918-0467 • As a best practice, customers who are registered users for LifeLabs’ online services should change their passwords regularly so they are strong, complex and unique.

We are sorry that this happened. As we manage through this issue, we remain focused on the best interests of our customers. You entrust us with important health information, and we take that responsibility very seriously.

ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS

A6 | NEWS | THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2020

Meet Mile Zero’s first 2020 baby

Special Delivery

GENDER: M ALE Name: Thane Bradl ey Mclean Parents: Braiden Mcl ean Charlyn M Baby’s Weigh clean t: Baby’s Length 7lbs 4oz : 21 in Date of Birth ches January 1, : Time of Birth 2020 : 6:18 pm Home town: Fort St. John BC

Rob Brown editor@dcdn.ca

GENDER: FE MALE Name: Violet Mck ay Parents: Marina Mck ay Matt Gladu e Baby’s Weigh t: Baby’s Length 5.8lbs : 42cm Date of Birth December 21 : Time of Birth , 2019 : 11:22pm Home town: Fort St. John BC

Drop off or mail your FREE birth announcement to:

The Alaska Highway News, or email: compose@ahnfsj.ca

9916-98 St., Fort St. John V1J 3T8

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 Fort St. John

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

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From local events to top stories that affect you, we will ensure that you are kept in touch with happenings in our area.

When it came to being the first birth in Dawson Creek of 2020, Henry Lucien Clement took his time. Arriving at 10:58 a.m. on January 1, at 8 pounds 8 ounces and 19 ¾ inches.

Dad Jordan and Mom Rebecca note the delivery was a pretty straightforward affair.

The new parents noted early on in the pregnancy there was a strong change Henry would be born around the holidays. Both are relieved Henry doesn’t share the Christmas holiday, often overshadowed by another famous birth. “There will always be a party the night before his birthday,” noted Dad Jordan.

Northern B.C.’s first New Year’s Baby born in Prince George Matt Preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca The first baby born in 2020 in northern B.C. is a baby girl born in Prince George.

Baby Aubrey Nellis was born at University Hospital of Northern BC in Prince George Wednesday morning at 12:21 a.m., to parents Tiffany and Clayton Nellis, of Prince George, and weighing in at seven pounds, 13 ounces.

Aubrey is also welcomed to the world by big brothers Jayvin Logan, 14, and Hayden Logan, 11.

The first baby born in British Columbia in 2020 was a girl, delivered at Fraser Health’s Royal Columbian Hospital, at 12:01 a.m. .

If it’s local news you are looking for go to

www.alaskahighwaynews.ca

informative • innovative • indepth

Matt Preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca

First snowfall of 2020 less than expected

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Baby Aubrey Nellis was born at University Hospital of Northern BC in Prince George.

B.C.’s top baby names in 2019 Olivia and Oliver topped the list of the most popular names for babies born in B.C. in 2019, the province says.

There were 40,978 babies born in B.C. between Jan. 1 and Dec. 18, according to a release from the Ministry of Health, based on preliminary figures from the Vital Statistics Agency.

ON BLACK & WHITE ADS

ROB BROWN PHOTO

“There will be a party the night before his birthday every year.”

Fort St. John recorded 7.6 centimetres of snow on Friday, Jan. 3.

Snowfall amounts near 10 cm were expected, though Friday’s storm brought the greatest daily snowfall on record going back to 1943, according to Environment Canada data. The previous greatest snowfall on Jan. 3 was seen in 1980, when the city recorded 6.5 cm.

Fort St. John recorded 2.8 cm of snow on Jan. 2, with 10.4 cm recorded so far for the month.

The city saw 37.8 cm of snow in January 2019.

Legal cannabis sales buzzing Matt Preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca Legal cannabis sales in Fort St. John are abuzz heading into the holidays and the new year.

Hive opened its doors to a lineup of early morning patrons on Saturday, Dec. 21, breathing new life into the former home of the Northeast News on 100 Avenue, vacant since it closed in 2016.

Hive becomes the second legal cannabis retailer to open its doors in Fort St. John, and opened nearly a year to the day it received approval from city council.

The company is led by Dr. Neil Rockerbie, a Victoria-based phys-

That’s down slightly from the 43,844 born in 2018.

After Olivia and Oliver, the names Lucas, Liam, Ethan, Noah, William, Benjamin, Charlotte, Emma, and Leo were the most popular this year.

In 2018, Liam was the top choice for babies born in B.C., followed by Olivia, Emma, Lucas, Oliver, Benjamin, Ethan, Noah, Logan, and Amelia. ician and addictions specialist who serves as a medical director at Clarity Cannabis MD Holdings.

Cannabis Corner was the city’s first cannabis retailer, opening its doors to consumers on Oct. 11.

The company is led by three local partners and long-time residents Danny Lepine, Aaron Lepine, and Lori Bahm. The partnership’s goal is to operate more than one store in the Peace region.

The province will open a government-owned BC Cannabis Store in Fort St. John in early 2020.

Drop off your Christmas trees Fort St. John residents looking to part with their pines and recycle their Christmas trees can start bringing them to the city to be reused and composted.

From Jan. 3 to 13, residents can bring their Christmas trees to the green-space between the museum and the parkour park in Centennial Park. Residents are asked to make sure their trees have been stripped of all decorations, tinsel, plastic, and other materials.

The trees will be reused at the High On Ice Winter Festival and then composted.

Frostival coming up Mark Saturday, Jan. 25, in your calendars for the city’s frostival at Mathews Park. The winter afternoon will be filled with festivities and activities from 2 to 5 p.m., including a bonfire, hot chocolate and outdoor skating.

ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2020 | BUSINESS | A7

WE VALUE YOUR PROPERTY AS MUCH AS YOU DO. If you’re among BC’s approximately 2 million property owners, you should receive your 2020 property assessment in the mail early in January. If you haven’t, call us toll-free at 1-866-valueBC. Access and compare property assessment information using

TRANS MOUNTAIN PHOTO

our free assessment search service at bcassessment.ca.

Trans Mountain pipeline construction near Edmonton, Alberta.

The 2020 assessments are based on market value as of July 1, 2019.

TMX expansion pipe in the ground The first segments of pipe for the Trans Mountain expansion are in the ground.

The pipeline went in the ground in the Edmonton area, Trans Mountain reported Dec. 18, releasing a photo of the historic milestone.

The first spread of construction includes 50 kilometres of pipeline running from Trans Mountain’s Edmonton terminal in Sherwood Park to Acheson, Alberta.

Crews are busy with activities to facilitate pipe installation, including clearing, grading, utility relocation and preparing worksites for the series of trenchless crossings being employed in the Greater Edmonton area, Trans Mountain said.

SA Energy Group is carrying out the work.

“Getting shovels in the ground in Alberta and kicking off pipeline construction is a pivotal moment for Trans Mountain,” Ian Anderson, president and CEO of Trans Mountain, said when construction commenced at a ceremony on Dec. 3.

Construction is expected to begin shortly in the second spread of the expansion through Alberta’s Yellowhead County. Crews are finishing up pre-construction activities and environmental surveys in that area, Trans Mountain said.

Meanwhile, construction at the

company’s marine terminals at Burnaby and at pump stations in Alberta has been ongoing since August.

Fort St. John pipeline contractors Surerus Pipeline and Macro Industries have joint ventures selected to build nearly one-third of the expansion through southern B.C. Surerus shares a 50% stake with London-based J. Murphy & Sons in the Surerus Murphy Joint Venture, selected to build 180 kilometres of pipeline between Black Pines and Merritt.

Fort St. John’s Macro Industries and France’s Spiecapag have a joint venture selected to build 85 kilometres of pipeline in the Coquihalla-Hope area.

Work is expected to begin in Kamloops by this spring, and through the Coquihalla area by late summer or fall 2020, subject to receiving all the necessary permits and permissions, Trans Mountain said.

More than 2,200 people have been hired to work on the project so far, Trans Mountain said.

At the same time, First Nations continue to challenge the project’s approval in the Federal Court of Appeal.

A recent survey found majority support for the pipeline project in B.C., with 56% of residents agreeing with the federal government’s decision to reapprove the expansion, while more than a third (35%) are opposed and 10% are undecided.

an appeal for your assessment is January 31, 2020.

For more property information and assessment highlights, visit

bcassessment.ca We Value BC

SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 60 (PEACE RIVER NORTH) S

Board of Trustees Meetings January – June 2020 DATE

Matt Preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca NorthRiver Midstream announced Tuesday, Dec. 31, that it has closed its acquisition of Enbridge’s midstream business in Canada.

The company now operates 19 natural gas processing plants and 3,550 kilometres of natural gas gathering pipelines across the Montney region of British Columbia and Alberta.

“With the strategic location of our operations across the Montney basin in British Columbia and Alberta, and the backing of a committed

Canadian owner in Brookfield Infrastructure, NorthRiver Midstream is built on an asset base that creates a robust platform for growth,” CEO Brandon Anderson said in a news release.

“NorthRiver is driven by our values and committed to building a different type of energy company. We are focused on operating responsibly, being present in communities and ensuring that we are looking at creative ways to deliver value to partners, customers and communities that are touched by our operations.”

The company employs more than 700 people.

START TIME

Christmas Vacation: December 23, 2019 – January 3, 2020; Schools re-open January 6, 2020 January 13 January 27 February 10 February 24 March 2 March 9

In-Camera Committee of the Whole Meeting Public Committee of the Whole Meeting In-Camera Board Meeting Public Board Meeting

12:30 p.m.

1:30 p.m.

5:00 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

In-Camera Committee of the Whole Meeting Public Committee of the Whole Meeting In-Camera Board Meeting Public Board Meeting

12:30 p.m.

1:30 p.m.

5:00 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

In-Camera Committee of the Whole Meeting Public Committee of the Whole Meeting In-Camera Board Meeting Public Board Meeting

12:30 p.m.

1:30 p.m.

5:00 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

Spring Vacation: March 16 – March 27, 2020; Schools re-open March 30, 2020 April 6 April 20

NorthRiver Midstream completes buy of Enbridge’s Montney midstream business

MEETINGS

May 4 May 25 June 8 June 22

In-Camera Committee of the Whole Meeting Public Committee of the Whole Meeting In-Camera Board Meeting Public Board Meeting

12:30 p.m.

1:30 p.m.

5:00 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

In-Camera Committee of the Whole Meeting Public Committee of the Whole Meeting In-Camera Board Meeting Public Board Meeting

12:30 p.m.

1:30 p.m.

5:00 p.m.

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In-Camera Committee of the Whole Meeting Public Committee of the Whole Meeting In-Camera Board Meeting Public Board Meeting

12:30 p.m.

1:30 p.m.

5:00 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

NOTES: Location: all meetings are held at the School Board #60 Board Office in the Board Room * Committee of the Whole Meetings: held the first Monday of each month, with the above noted exceptions, because of holiday breaks ** Regular Board Meetings: held the third Monday of each month, with the exception of statutory holidays. In this case, the meeting will then be held the third Tuesday of the month

52463

Matt Preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca

If you have questions or want more information, contact us at 1-866-valueBC or online at bcassessment.ca. The deadline to file

ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS

A8 | NEWS | THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2020

First ARY school principal TBA Matt Preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca

KMBR ARCHITECTS

Artist rendering of the new Anne Roberts Young elementary school in Fort St. John.

We want to hear from you Indigenous Utilities Regulation Inquiry Draft Report Workshops On November 1, 2019, the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) released its Draft Report including its preliminary findings and proposed recommendations for its inquiry exploring the regulation of Indigenous energy utilities in British Columbia. The Draft Report is publicly available and can be found at bcuc.com on the “Current Proceedings” page.

The Indigenous Utilities Regulation Inquiry explored and sought feedback on a number of important questions, including: What are the characteristics of an “Indigenous Utility” with respect to: • The ownership and operation of the utility; • What services are provided; • Who the services are provided to; and/or • The location or area served by the utility?

Should Indigenous utilities be regulated or not? And if so, how?

• If they should be regulated, should they be regulated under the Utilities Commission Act or another mechanism?

• If unregulated, how will the interests of indigenous utility customers be protected?

The BCUC will host eight Draft Report Workshops around BC, to provide an opportunity for in-person questions, feedback and comments on the report.

How to provide feedback on the Draft Report › Attend a Draft Report Workshop Anyone wishing to participate is encouraged to register in advance via email to Commission.Secretary@bcuc.com or by telephone at 1.800.663.1385 › Submit a Letter of Comment Online at bcuc.com/get-involved by March 2, 2020

Key dates › January 17, 2020 | 10am Draft Report Workshop in Fort St John Pomeroy Hotel & Conference Centre Fort St John, BC

The new Anne Roberts Young Elementary School in Fort St. John is quickly taking shape across from the city’s hospital.

The two-storey, $31.1-million school is being built on 112 Avenue across from the hospital, and will include a neighbourhood learning centre, a daycare, and multi-purpose spaces for community use.

“The whole design is to keep in mind community spirit,” said Doug Boyd, assistant superintendent in charge of the school’s construction said during a meeting with trustees in November 2018.

The new school is being designed similar to the new Margaret ‘Ma’ Murray Community School, which opened for classes in September, but will more linear and less angular in design. Ma Murray had to fit onto a narrower site, while the Northeast Elementary School is being situated on 11 acres.

The school will include a 700 square metre gymnasium with two courts and a viewing area, as well as a music room named after the late trustee Heather Hannaford that will be able to host district programs.

The building was designed by KMBR Architects, and the colour

scheme shown in the renderings may be different once completed.

Designing the school to meet the needs of staff and students is a balancing act, Boyd said, and the district will be applying lessons learned from Ma Murray into the new school’s design.

“It’s basically considered a rebuild with modifications,” Boyd said.

Construction got underway in summer 2018, and is planned to be complete and ready for students in fall 2020. The school will have seats for 505 students, and relieve a classroom crunch in schools on the east side of the city.

Trustees will hold a public special board meeting on Monday, Jan. 13, to determine the school’s catchment area, which will also impact the catchment areas for Bert Ambrose, Alwin Holland, Robert Ogilvie, and Duncan Cran schools. The meeting will take place at 2:30 p.m., at the school board office.

The school district will announce the school’s first principal later this month.

“School District staff, the new ARY Principal and neighbouring school Principals will work together to communicate with families about catchment changes and what September 2020 will hold,” the school district said in a posting on the school’s website.

Catchment to be decided Jan. 13 Matt Preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca School District 60 trustees will hold a public special board meeting on Monday, Jan. 13, to determine catchment areas for the new Anne Roberts Young elementary school.

The meeting will take place at 2:30 p.m., at the school board office.

The district has drafted five options to cut the classroom crunch at Bert Ambrose, Alwin Holland, Robert Ogilvie, and Duncan Cran schools.

Each of the proposals would see areas north of 100 Avenue currently in the Robert Ogilvie catchment move to Anne Roberts Young.

Areas along the airport road that are in the Robert Ogilvie catchment will also move to Anne Roberts Young.

The Margaret Ma Murray catchment east of 100 Street will change,

and the potential movement students in that area will be determined at a later date.

Students attending Baldonnel who live along Swanson Lumber Road or in Forest Lawn will remain at Baldonnel.

The changes will have the most impact at Alwin Holland, which is at 144% of capacity with 383 students this year. District models show a drop of up to nearly 200 students at Alwin Holland with the options proposed.

Bert Ambrose, at 116% capacity with 309 students, is expected to see around 80 students shift to Anne Roberts Young; while roughly 70 students would be moved from Robert Ogilvie, also at 116% capacity with 309 students.

That would give Anne Roberts Young a first cohort of 280 to 326 students when it opens in September 2020.

› March 2, 2020 Deadline to provide written comments on the Draft Report

Additional information on the Inquiry, including a complete list of Workshop dates and locations, can be found at bcuc.com on our “Current Proceedings” page.

How do you learn as a family?

Tell us #FamilyLiteracyDay fl Have a shapes scavenger hunt, taking turns finding shapes indoors and outdoors. Then make each shape with your body — kids and adults work together.

LEARN AT PLAY, EVERY DAY.

Imagine your family is anywhere in the world! Pick a spot on the map and learn about that country together online.

Find more ways to learn at play as a family at www.FamilyLiteracyDay.ca

PLEASE RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER.

KMBR ARCHITECTS

Artist rendering of the new Anne Roberts Young elementary school in Fort St. John.

alaska highway news

thursday, january 9, 2020 | news | A9

Fort St. John arts stars return home for Christmas Sue Popesku Contributed Three professional performers originally from Fort St. John enlightened a crowd at the North Peace Art Gallery on Thursday evening about what inspired them to pursue a career in the arts.

Emily Fraser, Elysia Cruz, and Shannon May Craig were home for Christmas and each presented stories about their personal challenges and successes. Arts Stars Home for Christmas was the fourth in a series at the North Peace Cultural Centre featuring professional artists who came from Fort St. John. Arts Stars is aimed at encouraging local youth to understand the scope of the commitment in a career in the Arts.

Emily Fraser is working in Vancouver as a costume designer in professional theatre. After training in all aspects of theatre, she became intrigued with costuming and worked with Bard on the Beach and recently on the Passion Play in Drumheller, Alberta. She emphasized that costume designing and sewing takes more than skill with a needle and thread.

All facets of a business are now her personal responsibility from doing her own taxes to setting up meetings to move on to the next job.

In her job she has to research authentic costumes, design the wardrobes to suit the ac-

Shannon May Craig, Elysia Cruz, and Emily Fraser enlightened a crowd at the North Peace Art Gallery on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019, about what inspired them to pursue a career in the arts.

tors in the various roles and relate to the entire production and cast.

She has seven different jobs lined up for next year.

She said, “You have to be ready to take all reasonable jobs offered — big or small — and get to know people so they get to know you.”

While she is working on one show she is constantly looking ahead for the next opportunity.

Elysia Cruz graduated from North Pace Senior Secondary in June 2019 and was directly accepted into the Sheridan College Musical Theatre School in Oakville near To-

ronto. Elysia had no formal training in music nor dance but said her community theatre experience with Stage North and NPSS inspired her to pursue this journey.

Sheridan has the highest calibre musical theatre training in Canada and rarely accepts students directly out of high school. Facilitator at Arts Stars, Ted Sloan, a professional actor on his own, said, “Sheridan for musical theatre performers is like getting into the NHL for hockey players.”

Elysia explained that her first three months have been a big adjustment but says

keeping in contact with her parents and her family’s close religious affiliations have helped her through the selfdoubt and anxiety. As one of only 25 females and 20 males accepted at the school this year, and up against more seasoned professionals in dance, music, and acting, Elysia is determined to learn as much and as quickly as she can.

She takes music, acting, dance lessons daily and works eight hours a day then does textbook work after that. Her advice is, “believe in yourself and be prepared to work hard.”

Shannon May Craig is a professional dancer who trained in Fort St. John with Studio 2 Stage and Arts Umbrella in Vancouver. Having all the basics of ballet, jazz, and tap, Shannon has found her calling in Contemporary Dance.

She has worked in Mystic, Connecticut, and Haarlem, Netherlands, and now is in Vancouver choreographing short works for video and breaking new ground with a Dance Collective. She is most excited about a longer piece that she is choreographing with a company in the Netherlands.

Shannon has discovered that one cannot be shy about making yourself known in the dance world. Shannon said, “Stepping out and being noticed is important.”

She advised local youth to take every opportunity to learn from others, go to workshops, don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to those who may help you, make a portfolio of your work, and take a risk with something new.

The Fort St. John Arts Council and the North Peace Cultural Centre will feature Arts Stars again in March 2020. Look forward to hearing from professional artists and performers from Fort St. John who have made a career in the Arts in the province, across Canada and internationally.

AHN Headlines: Our most read news stories of 2019 Matt Preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca As the old saying goes, the news is just the first draft of history. With 2019 in the rearview mirror, we’re taking a look back at the Top 10 most read stories on AlaskaHighwayNews.ca These stories of crime, business, ambition, and humour didn’t all wrap up neatly with a bow, either, and many will certainly remain storylines to follow in the New Year.

Thank you for reading, and see you in 2020.

1. Northern B.C. Murders, July and August 2019 Readers across Northern B.C. and indeed Canada and the rest of the world held their collective breath as RCMP, the military, and citizen volunteers searched for the two teenaged serial killers responsible for killing Lucas Fowler and Chynna Deese near Liard Hot Springs, and Leonard Dyck near Dease Lake.

The cross-country manhunt lasted three weeks before Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky were found dead in the northern Manitoba bush near the Nelson River. They died in a suicide pact, and left behind video for police confessing to their crimes.

The coverage as whole generated much of our top-read content in 2019, including how Ed Grennan, a trucker from Whitehorse, established a memorial on the Alaska Highway in memory of Fowler and Deese.

2. SNC-Lavalin buys Trans Mountain, plans pipeline extension under the Pacific, April 1, 2019 This April Fool’s Day story generated plenty of laughs and disbelief from readers, timed perfectly with the fate of the Trans Mountain expansion still an open question at the time, and as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faced accusations his office attempted to interfere in a criminal prosecution of the Quebec engineering firm SNC Lavalin.

Another April Fool’s Day story about an alien wreckage found in the Site C construction zone, first published in 2017, still circulates the mysterious corners of the internet and was among our most read

stories of 2019.

Meanwhile, the first segments of pipeline for the Trans Mountain expansion went in the ground in the Edmonton area on Dec. 18.

3. Much grief, few answers in Jonathan Bruce case, Dec. 7, 2017 Sixteen-year-old Jonathan Bruce was found dead at the Fort St. John motocross track in November 2013, missing his jacket, his shoes, his wallet, and his iPod. Six years later, his murder investigation remains an open file for Fort St. John RCMP, and his death remains an open wound for his friends and family. This story on the police investigation, first published in 2017, remains a top read.

Jonathan’s friends and family take part in Fort St. John’s annual Canada Day parade ceremonies to keep the attention on his case alive and in hopes that someone will step forward to give police the information they need to secure an arrest and conviction.

4. Northern B.C. RCMP search for suspect after kidnapping attempt on Highway 29, Aug. 5, 2019 Northern B.C. was already on edge with worry this past summer no thanks to the killers Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky. News that police were also looking for a kidnapping suspect who tried to take a flagger on Highway 29 got readers sharing this story far and wide to aid the search.

A search of court records this week found no results of any charges related to this investigation, suggesting the suspect is still at large.

The suspect is described as a white male, standing five-foot-nine, and had no accent when he spoke.

He was driving a dark blue with silver striping, with chrome on its front grille and barn-style rear doors.

5. Louisiana Pacific to shut down Peace Valley OSB, June 13, 2019 News that Louisiana Pacific would shut down operations indefinitely at its Peace Valley OSB mill hit Fort St. John hard, and came amidst a flurry of announcements of mill closures and curtailments across B.C.’s forestry industry in 2019.

LP blamed high wood costs and declining housing starts in the United States for its decision. Nearly 200 mill workers lost their jobs, as did hundreds more contractors, prompting action from the government to redirect the workforce to other job opportunities in the region, key among them the Site C project.

LP is the city’s largest taxpayer, and its impact on the city’s 2020 budget remains to be seen.

8. Truck driver killed in rollover near Wonowon, Sept. 6, 2019

6. Four charged with kidnapping in Fort St. John, March 12, 2019

9. Local models vie for votes in Maxim cover girl competition, May 12, 2019

Four people well-known to police faced more than 20 kidnapping and weapons related charges after arrests at a Fort St. John motel and a home in Taylor in early March.

Christopher Munch, Gavin Davis, Natasha Ray, and Theodore CapotBlanc all have court dates in January 2020 related to their charges.

Meanwhile, one of the accused, Gavin Davis, was on the run from police for nearly a month in August and September after he fled from police during a traffic stop.

Davis was arrested on 10 warrants and was wanted for a range of vehicular crimes, including dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.

7. Dan Davies: No cash for B.C.’s forestry sector, but millions for Vancouver symphony, July 9, 2019 News that the NDP government was providing $1 million for Lower Mainland families to attend symphony concerts for free amidst the mounting forestry crisis did not sit well with MLA Dan Davies and his BC Liberal colleagues.

“This is the mark of pure incompetency, if not downright insensitivity to the human toll mounting along with the economic turmoil in rural and Northern B.C.,” Davies wrote in his weekly editorial.

The BC Alliance for Arts + Culture fired back, accusing Davies of using the symphony as a scapegoat for the challenges facing the forestry industry.

“Artists and cultural workers have dedicated their lives to bringing people together and uniting BC communities, struggling to survive every step of the way,” executive director Brenda Leadlay said in response.

A 31-year-old truck driver was killed in a rollover near Wonowon in early September.

RCMP said the the driver failed to negotiate a turn and rolled into the ditch on the Upper Halfway Road at the Cameron River Bridge.

The driver, a man from Manitoba, was pronounced dead at the scene.

His identity was not released.

The Peace region and Northern Rockies were well represented in this year’s Maxim Magazine cover girl competition. “Things like this help women get out of their comfort zones, and let us know that sometimes our minds are cages that are preventing us from exposing ourselves to new things,” said Lexi Read of Fort Nelson.

Alexia Quinn of Vancouver won the competition, which came with a $10,000 cash prize and a feature spread. Madi Serpico Whalen of Calgary was the runner-up.

10. Alaska Highway landmark destroyed by fire, Oct. 28, 2019 The lumberjack statue marking the former Clarke Sawmill near Mile 62 of the Alaska Highway went down in flames in late October. A senseless act of arson was to blame.

For the Clarke family, the landmark known as “The Big Man” not only advertised the family sawmill when it was up and running, but was also a place to sit and wait for the school bus, and something they many motorists looked forward to seeing after a road trip up and down the Alaska Highway.

The Clarke family has decided not to replace the statue.

The website RoadsideAmerica. com listed the landmark as the northernmost “Muffler Man” statue in its records, a style of statue popularized in the 1960s and 70s. Heritage Buildings of the North Peace said the statue was an old Pacific Pete that stood at the former Pacific 66 gas station along the Alaska Highway through Fort St. John, now a Petro Canada, before it was moved and updated.

ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS

A10 | COMMUNITY | THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2020

New program to teach, revive Michif language Matt Preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca A new cultural program aimed at teaching and reviving the Michif language of the Métis people launches next week in Fort St. John.

The Fort St. John Métis Society is among five nonprofit groups to split $46,600 in grants from BC Hydro’s Generating Opportunities Fund, established in tandem with Site C construction on the Peace River.

The Michif language is a mix of Cree and French. In 2016, 1,170 people reported speaking Michif well enough to conduct a conversation, according to Statistics Canada, and those speakers were mostly found in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

The language program begins Jan. 9, and runs every Thursday evening through March at the Indigenous

Education Center in Grandhaven. The program will teach syllabics, words to songs, and short greetings, as well as the names of animals, people, and food.

“We are looking for parents and students ... who are interested in reviving the Michif Language, to pass down to their grandchildren, great grandchildren,” the Métis Society said in a call for participants.

The latest round of GO Fund grants issued in December have been awarded to the Fort St. John Métis Society, the Fort St. John Association for Community Living, the Fort St John Literacy Society, the Northeast Aboriginal Business Centre Society, and the Fort St. John Public Library Association.

BC Hydro says the program has granted $437,691 to 49 projects since it was started in September 2016.

Casting call for B.C. residents with disabilities Matt Preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca A B.C. production company has put out a casting call for a new national television series dedicated to helping people overcome disabilities.

Render Digital Media says it is casting participants for a “once in a lifetime epic wilderness experience, tailored specifically to match both their dreams and their circumstances.”

“The producers are looking for dynamic and en-

gaging participants who have a disability of some sort, regardless of what that may be, along with a desire to serve as a catalyst for positive change on a large scale,” the company said in a news release.

Those interested can email renderdigitalcasting@gmail. com for more information, and are asked to provide details about their age and circumstances, what their ultimate wilderness experience would be, and why they believe it needs to happen.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2020 | COMMUNITY | A11

Westcoast gas gets off to coast with roar

W

ith all the talk of pipelines today, here is a story of one that was successful and still in use today. From the Alaska Highway News, October 10, 1957: An opening ceremony and reception marked the turning on of the Westcoast Transmission valve at Taylor which flooded the Pacific Northwest with Peace River gas.

It would not be an overstatement to say that perhaps half the wealth of this continent was represented, controlled or owned outright, by the several hundred guests who arrived at the Fort St. John Airport that Monday morning.

One DC6 Canadian Pacific Airliner carried eighty passengers from New York City alone. Cabinet Ministers of both Alberta and B.C., Lieutenant Governor Frank Ross, Mayors, Senators, investment bankers, life insurance executives, railway and airline executives, utility tycoons, all with their wives, were among the guests who were treated to a luncheon and a tour.

Reporters from Time Magazine, The New York Times, and many other newspapers were present, as well as representatives from many broadcasting companies.

Large buses were brought up from the south to carry the sightseers on conducted tour. The tour began shortly after eleven o’clock from the airport, up through the Greyburn Subdivision, down to the Alaska Highway and along to the big well on George Bouffioux’s farm.

Here the city folks saw the well being blown off in their honour.

From there, they visited an oil well which was shown in operation. Cocktails and sumptuous luncheon followed at Stearn Rogers Marwell’s dining room.

Here overshoes were presented to each gentleman present and a dainty transparent pair were given to any feminine guests who wished them. Everyone was presented with an aluminium helmet. High good humour was the keynote of the day. None was as happy a group as the McMahons themselves. Frank and George with wives, sons, daughters and in-laws were obviously enjoying their own party thoroughly. At two-thirty the party moved off to inspect the scrubbing plant at Taylor.

At four o’clock the entire party walked from the last scene of inspection to a prepared open air theatre on the banks of the Peace.

Here were laid out a couple of miles of new and freshly pained board walks. These led to an enclosure facing a covered dais, equipped with chairs on raised platforms.

The sun shone brilliantly.

The breeze from the Peace was crisp and fresh. The

LARRY EVANS lovely furs worn by some of the visitors glinted in the frosty sun.

There were short addresses by the cabinet ministers of each province, a particularly good one from B.C.’s Mines and Resources Minister, Mr. Kiernan, who was born near here. A short speech was made by Dr. Hetherington, the well known petroleum scientist, and by Mr. George McMahon who said among other things, that they had been planning this great day for the past ten years.

Then he said he guessed he better turn on the valves which would mix the Alberta and the B.C. brands and send it on its way.

Suddenly there was a great hollow roar. Then another. Then in a matter of seconds came a great roar from the far bank of the Peace River. As the assembled company walked over to the wire fence enclosure to follow the first mile of pipeline with their eyes, Peace River gas was already a hundred miles on its way to the coast.

The Fort St. John tour was merely the beginning of the McMahon party.

The entire group moved off in the waiting airliners for Vancouver, where all were accommodated at the Hotel Vancouver. Tuesday there was Premier Bennett’s noonday luncheon ceremony followed in the evening by the Lieutenant Governor’s dinner. Guests at the Vancouver party were Mayor Frank Spicer and George and Ma Murray (founders of the Alaska Highway News) of Fort St. John.

The opening of the Peace River country’s Big Inch Pipeline that week was overwhelming to all British Columbians.

At noon on Tuesday Premier Bennett turned on the valve which shot the natural Peace River gas into the U.S. pipeline. Frank E. Spicer, Mayor of the Village of Fort St. John, was present when the Premier performed this momentous task. The name of Fort St. John which George McMahon and Honourable Mr. Kiernan used instead of Taylor took weight and by the visiting pressmen who filled the Vancouver pages with the story. Fort St. John is the place!

Larry Evans is a former fire chief, city councillor, and lifelong historian living in Fort St. John.

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This is a black and white photograph of George McMahon addressing the crowd at the opening ceremony of Westcoast in Taylor. This was taken on October 7, 1957.

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alaska highway news

A12 | arts | thursday, january 9, 2020

Country concert series to benefit Wounded Warriors Matt Preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca A country music concert series in the new year will celebrate classics from the 1990s while raising funds in support of veterans and first responders.

Fort St. John musician Mason Young has seven shows lined up so far for his one-man band Gone Country tribute to 1990s New Country music, including stops in Fort St. John, Charlie Lake, Montney, Grande Prairie, Cecil Lake, Chetwynd, and Fort Nelson.

That will keep Young busy through the end of March, and he’s working on securing five more dates April through June.

“I get to do what I do best and I get to use all the skills I have acquired over several decades of working as a professional in the entertainment industry to do something good,” Young said.

Young, a sound engineer and production tech by trade, moved to Fort St. John from southern B.C. in 2012.

Paying tribute 1990s New Country — Alan Jackson, Joe Diffie, Toby

Keith, Sawyer Brown, The Tractors, Vince Gill, Lonestar, Blackhawk, Garth Brooks and the like — is equal parts nostalgia and revival.

Young wants to bring alive his memory of small town social dance halls filled to the brim with good music and good times with neighbours that he used to play as a kid on the Prairies. Playing a pub or a bar doesn’t create those same kind of memories, he said.

“Some of us were in our early 20’s when this music came to be and others were unwitting passengers in a pickup truck with mom and dad listening to the radio while these songs played,” Young said.

“Music is all about memories and this music brings back many memories for many people.”

A portion of the proceeds will go to support Wounded Warriors Canada, which provides mental health supports and other services to veterans and first responders.

“This group is special to me because of the suffering I have seen in an Afghanistan veteran friend of mine. PTSD is a serious issue and needs more attention. First re-

Mason Young.

sponders suffer as well from all the trauma they see on a daily basis,” Young said.

“I have been in several car accidents and suffered a loss of a house to fire and that is traumatic but

to see it everyday is beyond most people’s understanding.”

Young kicks off his Gone Country concert series Jan. 18 in Fort St. John at the Legion. For more info, visit masonyoungmusic.com.

Fort St. John pastor explores the potential of rural churches Matt Preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca

Fort St. John Pastor Tony Warriner.

In a world of mega-churches and television evangelists, how can the modern day small town church connect with its rural roots, and marry faith with culture to build community?

It’s a question Fort St. John pastor Tony Warriner explores in his debut book Boondock Church: Small Town, Massive Potential released on Friday, Jan. 3.

With Boondock Church,

five years in the making, Warriner is looking to flip the literary script, and buck a trend of books about the church written from the big city, big church perspective.

As one of the book’s chapters notes, Jesus was a small town guy. “I wanted to do a little pushback and write something from the rural perspective,” Warriner says.

“So it’s a two part book: part one is really about the small town and why it’s a very good place to be, and part two is about the small town church,

and how to grow it.”

Warriner is fifth-generation pastor, and has been leading the Evangel Chapel in downtown Fort St. John for the past 16 years, during which the congregation has grown to more than 500 people.

Throughout the 332 pages of Boondock Church, Warriner collects and shares the insights, hacks, and principles he’s developed from 27 years of experience, offering “a colourful, intuitive guide” to help other pastors and lay

leaders untap the potential of their rural churches.

As a promo for the book notes, “it all comes down to this ... 1) having a leader or pastor who gets and loves the culture of the small town, 2) working with a team or congregation from within that environment, and 3) realigning the Sunday gathering away from the megachurch model (prevalent in church-world) to something more fitted to the sticks.”

Learn more at boondockchurch.com.

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world juniors

herrington

huskies

Dillon Giancola looks at Canada beating Russia and the ties to the World U17 Hockey Challenge.

John Herrington was named first team AllStar at the 2020 Mac’s AAA Tournament.

The Huskies won both games on the weekend, starting the year off on a winning note.

sports h b2

sports h b3

sports h b7

in all alone Huskies forward Teagan McMullen skates past the Grande Prairie defence for a breakaway during the Huskies 6-4 win over the Kings on January 3, 2020. McMullen would be stopped on the play, but scored a short-handed goal for the Huskies a day later.

h turn to b7 for the story

dillon giancola photo

Hannah Lindner wins bronze at B.C. Junior Curling Championships Dillon Giancola sports@ahnfsj.ca For the second-straight year, Hannah Lindner has performed well on the B.C. curling stage. Last year, she was a part of the winning U18 provincial team. This year, as a member of Sarah Daniels’ team from Delta Thistle, Lindner won bronze at the 2020 B.C. Junior Curling Championships in Victoria.

Team Daniels went 5-1 in the round robin, finishing as the two-seed, and faced Team Taylor (who Lindner beat in the U18 finals a year ago) in the semifinal on January 1.

Lindner’s team was down 6-2 after six ends, but staged a furious comeback, scoring two in the seventh, and getting consecutive one-point steals in the eighth and ninth ends. Unfortunately, the team’s magic ran out in the 10th end, as Team Taylor won 7-6 to advance to the final.

“We were looking to make the playoffs. We played a good game but it came down to a great shot by the other skip,” said Lindner.

“I’m happy wtih bronze, since I don’t have a lot of junior field experience.”

Lindner, who played lead for Team

bc curling photo

From left: Lead Jordan Henson, second Hannah Lindner, third Sarah Loken, and skip Sarah Daniels show off their bronze medals from the 2020 B.C. Junior Women’s Curling Championship on January 1, 2010.

Daniels, was a member of Kaila Buchy’s team a year ago that won provincials. That team asked Lindner to fill in at second for a player who was too old to play in the U18s. This year, at junior, Buchy was able to use her full team, which led Lindner to join Team Daniels.

Lindner said the team hadn’t played together prior to the B.C. Junior Championships.

“We caem together really fast and played well. I learned a lot from the girls, especially tips on playing

well under pressure and how high level teams communicate with each other,” Lindner said.

Buchy is having another strong run this year as well, as her team finished as the one seed, and would go on to beat Team Taylor in the gold medal game.

Lindner’s appearance at the 2020 B.C. Junior Curling Championships keeps the streak of Fort St. John curlers appearing at the tournament alive.

Sterling Middleton played in —

and won — the last three B.C. Junior Curling Championships on the men’s side, but didn’t play this year and has moved on to the men’s ranks.

“I love that I can continue that streak. I’ve always been a huge supporter of the North being represented at these levels,” said Lindner.

“I hope I can encourage more kids from Fort St. John to go far wtih curling. There are som many opportunities for curlers provincially.”

Lindner hopes to be back playing at the B.C. Juniors in 2021.

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b2 | sports | thursday, january 9, 2020

around the bases C anada’s still got it.

Canada’s comeback down 3-1 in the third period against Russia in the gold medal game of the 2020 World Junior Championships on January 5 was not only a thrilling game, but it capped a remarkable mid-tournament turn-around.

After Canada beat the U.S.A. 6-4 to start the tournament, they were embarrassed in every possible way by the Russians on December 28, losing 6-0 in the round robin.

Instead of folding and calling it quits, the Canadians bounced back with four very dominant and lop-sided wins before pulling it out late in the final.

In the process, it was a reminder that in a decade where the American and Finnish teams took the next step at the international level, and Russia showed they are still a scary team in any given year, hockey still runs through Canada.

It also was the perfect explanation of why we all love the World Junior Championships so much. The tournament happens every year, at the same exciting time just after Christmas, and it’s easy to forget the details of the year before — who won gold, who sufferred a massive upset in the quarterfinal — and it’s easy to move past tough losses in the final when Canada, or any team, has a really good chance at winning it all the very next

dillon giancola

schedule

1974: A dog sled derby was confirmed for the 1974 Fort St. John Mukluk Rendezvous in February, the largest sled dog race ever held near Fort St. John.

friday: peace curling tour championship, sexsmith saturday: barons at trackers, 1:45 p.m., pomeroy sport centre saturday: navigators at huskies, 8 p.m., north peace arena

world junior champs Team Canada mobs each other in frantic celebration after beating Russia 4-3 in the gold medal game at the World Junior Hockey Championships on Sunday, January 5, 2020 in Ostrava, Czech Republic. instagram - hockey canada

year.

But this year, it felt a little different. First, this Canadian team has one single star leading the team — Alexis Lafreniere — who is widely expected to go number one overall in this year’s NHL Entry Draft.

It reminds me of watching Sidney Crosby when he was in the World Juniors, one player that you know is going to be a star in the NHL, and it’s like having a sneak-peak at the future.

For me, he stands out even more because he was

alaska highway news

this day in sports history

the star of Canada Red at the 2017 World Under 17 Hockey Challenge in Fort St. John and Dawson Creek.

Lafreniere’s team lost in the final in that tournament, but he instantly stood out as one of the best Canadian players. I remember interviewing him afterwards, being all excited to talk to someone I imagined would be in the NHL someday. He didn’t seem to want to talk to me mostly because I spoke English, but he had a translator and we got it done.

Seeing him score a beauti-

ful backhand goal in the semifinal and set up two goals against Russia were such cool moments, and the reason Peace Region fans go crazy about the Under 17 tournament each time it’s held here. We’re sold the narrative that the tournament matters because these could be the next stars of the NHL, and when it comes true a d you’re watching it live with people all over Canada and Europe, it’s pretty darn neat.

His teammate Dylan Cozens also played in Fort St. John and scored a big goal in

the gold medal game.

Then there’s the whole Canada-Russia rivalry. It happens so much these days that it can feel overplayed and stale. That is, until they play the game. Instantly, you realize you really want Canada to win, and are always a bit terrified of the fast, skilled Russians. The 6-0 loss only added to that fear.

The fact that Russia had a 3-1 lead going into the third and still lost is actually crazy, but proof that anything can happen in this tournament and that any game can be an instant classic. Because while I had to be reminded of how Canada did in the 2019 tournament, I can guarantee I won’t forget this game a year from now.

It was Canada’s third gold medal in the last 10 years. Of Canada’s eight gold medals since 2005, five have come by beating Russia in the final.

When you think about that, you realize the rivalry isn’t overplayed at all. Afterall, Russia’s last three gold medals came by beating Canada.

The rivalry still matters, the World Juniors still matter, and the U17 World Hockey Challenge really does matter. These aren’t just tournaments we blindly watch because we’re Canadians, as I once used to think. No, we watch because it’s awesome hockey, and there’s nothing better than a back and forth-high scoring game in the final, except maybe a 3-1 comeback against Russia.

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

This Week in Pro Golf

Top News Stories

Last Week in Pro Golf

Justin Thomas headlines the first fullfield event of the calendar year at the Sony Open Each January the Sony Open in Hawaii attracts 144 of the world’s greatest golf professionals to the Waialae Country Club on the island of Oahu. Two notable events have happened at the Sony Open. In the 1983 Sony Open, Isao Aoki became Japan’s first winner on the PGA Tour. He holed out a wedge shot on the 72nd hole to beat Jack Renner by a stroke. Then, in 2007, at the age of 16 years and 4 days, amateur Tadd Fujikawa became the second youngest player ever to make a 36-hole cut in an official PGA Tour event.

Jordan Spieth withdrew from the Sony Open due to illness Jordan Spieth was listed in the field for this week’s Sony Open, but he withdrew over the weekend. His manager said in an email Sunday that Spieth has been battling a cold and didn’t want his condition to worsen during the long flight from Dallas to Honolulu. Spieth will instead begin his year at the Farmers Insurance Open on Jan. 23. He tied for 35th there last year, his first appearance at Torrey Pines since 2015.

Now ranked 44th in the world, Spieth has one top 10 so far this season, a T-8 finish at the CJ Cup at Nine Bridges in October.

That performance was followed by a T-66 at the inaugural Zozo Championship the following week and T-43 at the WGC-HSBC Champions the week after that. Spieth last played at the Hero World Challenge, where he finished 16th out of 18 players.

Justin Thomas won the Tournament of Champions

Course Stats Yards: 7,044 Par: 70 18-hole record: 59 Tournament record: 253 Defending champion: Matt Kuchar

Lessons from the Golf Pro

Some high-handicap golfers don’t break 100 because they are weak TV Coverage on their short game. A good place to Day Time Network practice this short game is to play a Thursday 7pm-10:30pm GOLF testy Par 3 course. Here you will use Friday 7pm-10:30pm GOLF mostly your #7, #8, #9 and wedges.

Saturday 7pm-10:30pm GOLF Sunday 6pm-10:00pm GOLF A round or two each week on this format will surely sharpen your skill with short irons.

Concentrate on the club selection and learn Pro Golf Trivia when to pitch and when to chip. Good shots here make easier putts and better scores.

How many career wins does Matt Set-up properly in comfort. Watch as the ball Kuchar have on the PGA Tour? comes off the clubface, down the line to the pin. Think pin. It works better than thinking a) 9 c) 13 water or bush. A little quick hint: Always tee b) 11 d) 15 up on a par three. This allows you to strike the Answer: d) Matt Kuchar has 15 career wins on the ball safely avoiding all-too-common thin hits.

Think positive. If you think you can, you will.

PGA Tour.

?

Tournament Results Player Score Earnings 1. Justin Thomas *playoff -14 $1,340,000 T2. Patrick Reed -14 $636,000 T2. Xander Schauffele -14 $636,000

Justin Thomas prevailed in a playoff to win the Sentry Tournament of Champions on Sunday at Kapalua Golf’s Plantation Course in Lahaina, Hawaii. Schauffele was eliminated on the first playoff hole when he parred while Reed and Thomas posted birdies. Reed and Thomas matched scores on a second trek down the 18th, but on the third playoff hole, Thomas rolled in a 3-foot birdie putt that ended the tournament.

FedEx Cup Standings Through Jan. 5, 2020

1) Justin Thomas 1,162 pts. / 3 top tens

2) Brendon Todd 987 pts. / 3 top tens

3) Sebastian Munoz 867 pts. / 3 top tens

FedEx Cup Standings continued...

Player Points 4) Lanto Griffin 800 5) Rory McIlroy 713 6) Joaquin Niemann 692 7) Cameron Champ 636 8) Xander Schauffele 630 9) Kevin Na 627 10) Sunjae Im 599

PLACE YOUR AD HERE!

Top 10s 1 2 2 1 3 1 2

alaska highway news

thursday, january 9, 2020 | sports | b3

HUSKIES PLAYER OF THE WEEK Sponsored by Candoo Oilfield Services Inc.

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ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS

#28

prince george cariboo cougars photo

John Herrington of the Prince George Cariboo Cougars shows off the plaque and jacket he received for being named first-team All Star at the 2019-20 Mac’s AAA Midget Hockey Tournament in Calgary.

John Herrington named All-Star, Cariboo Cougars lose in semis Dillon Giancola sports@ahnfsj.ca The Prince George Cariboo Cougars’ strong run at the 2019-20 Mac’s AAA Midget Hockey Tournament in Calgary came to an end on Tuesday night. The Cariboo Cougars lost 6-2 to the Calgary Buffaloes on December 31, 2019 in the semi-final. The score was 3-2 for Calgary entering the third, but the Buffaloes broke the game open in the final frame.

For the tournament, Prince George went 4-2, with their only other loss coming to the Moose Jaw Warriors, the other team to make the final alongside Calgary.

Fort St. John’s John Herrington led his team in scoring, and was named a first-team all-star forward for the tournament.

He was the best player for the Cariboo Cougars all week long.

Against the St. Albert Nektar Raiders Sunday, Dec. 30, Herrington scored the game-winning goal with just 31 seconds left in the game to give his team the 3-2 win.

In the first game of the tournament, a 7-2 win over the Airdrie CFR Bisons, Herrington scored four goals.

Goalie Jordan Fairlie and forward Hunter Brown also represented Fort St. John on the Cariboo Cougars.

The team is in the running to win the BCMML once again, sitting in third place in the league with 36 points in 24 games, six points behind the first-place Okanagan Rockets.

The Cariboo Cougars resume regular season BCMML play on January 11 against the Rockets in Kelowna.

HEIGHT: 6ʼ2”

WEIGHT: 216 LBS

SEASON

TEAM

BORN: 03/02/99

HOMETOWN: Fort St. John

GP

G

A

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2019-20 FORT ST JOHN HUSKIES 27

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7

11

38

2018-19 FORT ST JOHN HUSKIES 22

2

8

10

92

Tegart, the fourth-year junior, played in his 100th regular season game for the Huskies this year. The big bruiser has cut his penalty minutes way down this season, while scoring the most points he’s had as a Huskie, and has become a leader for the team. Tegart is pictured here with Huskies President Mike Bacso receiving his 2018-19 NWJHL championship ring.

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WONOWONMonthly 4-HReport BEEF CLUB CLUB Monthly Monthly Report Report

Grace Trask Grace Grace Trask Trask Wonowon Reporter Reporter Wonowon Wonowon Reporter

Grace’s steer Chester is caught Dec 29th 2019

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The 4-H Elections and Awards Night was November 15th 2019: The4-H 4-H a rubber tube for every The 4-H and Awards Night was 15th The Halter breaking: Everyone The 4-HElections Elections Night wasNovember November 15th2019: 2019: Theis 4-H Elections was greatand weAwards learned thatLogan Logan isnew newpresident, president, Heidi the Elections was great we learned that is Heidi is the Elections wasdoes great we LoganTeana isanimal new is president, is theI forHeidi pressure and probably itlearned new vice vice President, President, Sara isdifferent the that Secretary, thenew new Treasurer, new Sara isis the Teana isisthe Treasurer, II new vice President, Sara theSecretary, Secretary, Teana the new Treasurer, am the press reporter, Rebecca is the new Safety Offi cer.

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B4 | SPORTS | THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2020

SCOREBOARD

PRO SPORTS NEWS BITES

The Toronto Maple Leafs have gone 15-4-1 as of January 6, since firing head coach Mike Babcock. Perhaps the disgruntled coach was the issue after all.

The Dallas Cowboys announced former Packers coach Mike McCarthy as their new head coach, after parting ways with Jason Garrett, who was at the helm of the team for nine frustrating, mediocre seasons.

MINOR HOCKEY

PEACE CURLING TOUR

The Peace Curling Tour Championships begin this Sunday, January 10 in Sexsmith. The winning team of each division will advance to provincials.

Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020

NEBC Trackers

6

Peace River Royals

4

Friday, Jan. 3, 2020

FORT ST JOHN HUSKIES

6

GRANDE PRAIRIE KINGS

4

Huskies Scoring — Dean Whitcomb, Logan Kimmie, Jared Winkel, Ivan Jasbec, Alex Nimmo, Gary Loewen.

Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020

FORT ST JOHN HUSKIES SEXSMITH VIPERS

2 1

Huskies Scoring — Jared Winkel, Teagan McMullen.

SCORING LEADERS 1. Gary Loewen, Huskies 42 points 2. Mason McLeod, Canucks 39 points 3. Brandon Rowley, Canucks 38 points 4. Jared Loewen, Huskies 37 points

NWJHL STANDINGS 1. Fort St. John Huskies 21-4-2 44 points 2. North Peace Navigators 18-9-1 37 points 3. Dawson Creek Canucks 15-10-2 32 points 4. Fairview Flyers 14-11-3 31 points 5. Grande Prairie Kings 10-15-2 22 points 6. Sexsmith Vipers 4-21-2 10 points

ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS

PRO SPORTS NEWS BITES

Trackers Scoring — Justin Brownlee (2), Thomas Loewen, Kyle Schwantz, Shayden Hiebert, Markus Ruehl.

NORTH DIVISION STANDINGS 1. NEBC Yukon Trackers 14-4-2 30 points 2. Peace River Royals 13-6-1 27 points 3. GPAC Storm 11-9-1 23 points 4. Fort McMurray Barons 7-12 14 points 5. TRAC Wolverines 2-19 4 points

SCORING LEADERS 1. Blake Anderson, Royals 43 points 15. Kurtis Lee, Trackers 31 points

AA BANTAM HOCKEY 1. Central 9-2-1 19 points 2. North Okanagan 8-4 16 points 3. North East Trackers 7-3-1 15 points 4. Thompson Zone 6-5-1 13 points 5. East Kootenay Zone 5-3-1 11 points 6. North Central 2-9-1 5 points 7. South 1-8-3 5 points 8. Yukon 1-5 2 points

HUSKIES SENIOR GAME

The Fort St. John Huskies are hosting their Salute To Seniors game on Saturday, January 11 against the North Peace Navigators. Seniors get in at half price.

 SPORTS NOTES

BOWLING / FORT BOWLING LANES The 2019 Fort Bowling Lanes season is under way. Here are the standings for the Coffee League and Mixed League after the first half of the season.

Both leagues are off until January 8, 2020.

Mixed League 1. Good Time Girls - 94 points 2. Got Balls - 85 3. The Fantastics - 84 4. Rental Shoes - 83 5. Rusty Gates - 79 6. Here 4 The Beer - 78 7. Trouble - 75 8. Freeze Frame - 70 9. Bow Movements - 69 10. Blue Balls - 60 11. Big Chucksees - 54 12. Forever Friends - 27 High Averages Mens 1. Kevin Alexander - 224 2. David Bigcharles - 211 3. Warren Mitchell - 210 Ladies 1. Carmen Wallace - 202 2. Cindy Dettling - 197 3. Nicole Fuhr - 194 Men’s Single Flat 1. David Bigcharles - 360 2. Warren Mitchell - 354 3. Elvis Calahasen - 350 Ladies Single Flat 1. Carmen Wallace - 310 2. Mandy - 309 3. Clara Skauge - 295

Coffee League 1. Pin Poppers - 53 2. Ball Busters - 51 3. Shady Ladies - 48 4. Fab Five - 40 5. Five Alive - 27 High Average 1. Debbie Lebeau - 205 2. Joanne McGinnis - 185 3. Shelley Gunn - 177 Ladies Series Flat 1. Debbie Lebeau - 787 2. Shelley Gunn - 672 3. Cheryl Ford - 626 Ladies Single Flat 1 Debbie Lebeau - 310 2. Joanne McGinnis - 269 3. Nicole Fuhr - 266 Pee Wee League High Averages Boys 1. Hayden Schram - 99 2. Bentley - 90 3. Rohen McIlmoyle - 53 Girls 1. Caedence - 90 2. Natalie Richards - 88 3. Sarah Dionne - 81 Juniors League High Averages Boys 1. Logan Dufresne - 160 2. Parker Mayes - 158 3. Marcus Vollweiter - 155 Girls 1. Brooklyn - 115 2. Tejana Walterlea - 115 3. Emma Schram - 102

CURLING STANDINGS / FORT ST JOHN CURLING CLUB It’s officially curling season in Fort St. John, and all four leagues at the curling club are well under way.

In the ladies league, Jodi Busche has won all eight games on the season.

Kelly Ollenberger’s team is in first in the men’s A division at 7-1, with April Podulsky’s team first in the mixed league at 8-1 Here are the standings after nine weeks of play.

WOMEN’S Jodi Busche: 8-0 Cheryl Batten: 7-1 Tara Forest: 7-1 Pam Murray: 4-3-1 Deanne Busche: 5-3 Cina Wales-Green: 3-5 Cheralee Goulet: 0-8 Tennille Penner: 1-6-1 Sheri Sewell: 2-6 Kristin Bayet: 2-6 MEN’S A Division Kelly Ollenberger: 7-1 Alan Bone: 6-2 Glen Godberson: 4-3-1 FSJ Links: 3-4-1 Alpine Glass: 3-5 Chad Bordeleau: 4-4 Rhyason: 4-3-1 Bob Cooper: 3-4 Bulldog Inspections: 2-4 Brennan Eklund: 0-5 B Division Embleton Construction: 6-1 Lido Theatre: 5-3 Ty Coates: 5-0-1 Mike Villeneuve: 3-2 AAA Safety: 4-2-1 Compass Engergy: 4-4 D&T Electric: 3-3 Sunrise Rotary: 2-4-1 Chad Carlstrom: 1-3-1 United Rentals: 0-5

MIXED Bob Cooper: 5-1-1 Ty Coates: 5-2 April Podulsky: 8-1 Ace Instruments: 6-1-1 Dave Kellestine: 3-2-2 Colby Coates: 6-2 Jeff Holland: 2-1-2 Alaska Highway News: 2-5 Kevin Hrab: 3-3 Rick Chmelyk: 5-3 Wild Hogs: 1-4 Nicole Winstanley: 2-6 Sydney Gustafson: 0-5-1 Kolten Lindner: 1-5-2 Senior’s Colleen Ziegler: 5-0 Stella Hamilton: 3-1 Larry London: 6-1 Paul Wuthrich: 6-1 Shirley Kinnis: 5-2 Swede Taylor: 3-2 Linda Kelly: 3-2 Deb Kellestine: 3-0 Alice Lock: 4-2 Donna Solodan: 3-3 Ed Scriba: 4-3 Faye McQuarrie: 3-1 Leo Felix: 3-2 Gail Weber: 2-2 Len Hamilton: 3-3 Paula Maloney: 2-1 Roy Chisolm: 3-3 Margarey Clark: 3-2 Carey Taylor: 3-4 Doug McCracken: 1-5 Ray Clark: 2-3 Dave Kellestine: 1-5 Connie Richter: 2-4 Madonna Robertson: 2-3 Larry Solodan: 5-2 Louise Baxter: 1-6 Julie Taylor: 3-3 Harry Dashin: 2-1 Carol Rhyason: 2-3 Ken Weber: 0-6

alaska highway news

thursday, january 9, 2020 | sports | b5

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alaska highway news

b6 | sports | thursday, january 9, 2020

How to become a goal getter in 2020

J

anuary of every year is known as the month when people create goals to aspire to become better. Goal setting is a great exercise, it gives us direction, purpose, and sets the stage for even bigger goals down the road. But how we go about reaching goals, our attitude and effort, will either help us succeed and surpass, merely limp across the finish line, or crash and burn. Consider this article a straight forward pep talk on where we should be mentally as we look ahead to get our goals in 2020.

People have the tendency of approaching goals and goal setting with trepidation.

The act of challenging ourselves to achieve something that, right now, is out of our realm of expertise (or even totally foreign) is unnerving and overwhelming. That fact should not give us licence to take it easy on ourselves, because putting forth only the minimum effort required does not provide much in terms of valuable data. Challenging ourselves reveals strengths and weaknesses that show us where we need to focus our efforts to become mentally and physically stronger.

As a society, we’re conditioned to be content with “good enough”, never really striving for more from our-

coach lynzee selves. However, there’s a resiliency and strength bubbling just underneath the surface of that minimum level of effort. To reach goals with a sense of accomplishment we need to break through merely being content and aim for our best,

whatever that may look like.

In my case, I am a crier and feel overwhelmingly inadequate. You might get mad, depressed, anxious, or feel regret. The possibilities are as complicated as we are.

During the process of challenging ourselves and our abilities we will face failure. No one likes to fail but it is through failure that the strength of our character is revealed. So it’s very important to get comfortable with the idea of failing and letting any subsequent failure be what it is, a moment in time and a great learning opportunity. To accept failure and build this constructive mental attitude it is essential to

set our ego aside and always give our 100% best effort.

Achieving a goal is all work ethic and, ultimately, the consistent effort we put forth will lead us to get that goal.

Building driving and daring to ask more of yourself than you may be equipped to give takes time, effort, mental and emotional strength.

For the month of January, I challenge you to ask yourself if you have more to give to the process of goal getting than just the minimum required effort and if the answer is yes, dare yourself to do so. And that is the start of becoming a Goal Getter.

Caitlyn Harbottle is a Peace region nutrition coach.

Peace Curling Tour Championship starts Friday in Sexsmith The Peace Curling Tour will come to an end this weekend with the 2020 Peace Curling Tour Championship in Sexsmith, January 10 to 12.

Here are the teams who have qualified for the Tour Championship in each division. The top team in each will advance to Alberta Curling Provincials.

Challenge Division 1. Mark Heartt - 49 points 1. Doug DeBoon - 38 3. Glen Godberson - 37 (Fort St. John)

4. Cortland Sonnenberg - 33 5. Bob Cooper - 33 (Fort St. John) 6. Marlene Maxwell - 30 7. Doug Small - 29 8. Sharon Hinz - 25 Competitive Division 1. Jeff Ginter - 49 2. Scott Webb - 46 3. Ryan Norman - 37 4. Graham Powell - 29 5. Delia Dejong - 23

6. Colin Griffith - 23 7. Darrel Veiner - 15 Junior Division 1. Team Vandale - 27 2. Boys With Brooms - 26 3. Patterson - 15 4. Team Pellerin - 13 Special Olympics 1. Dawson Creek Tornadoes - 11 2. Fort St. John Lightning - 8

alaska highway news

thursday, january 9, 2020 | sports | b7

Huskies battle through rust to sweep two-game home-stand Dillon Giancola sports@ahnfsj.ca The Fort St. John Huskies ended 2019 on a winning streak, and began 2020 with one as well, winning both games last weekend to resume the regular season. They beat the County of Grande Prairie Kings 6-4 on Friday, January 3 at home, before beating the Sexsmith Vipers 2-1 on January 4 at the North Peace Arena as well.

The Huskies have now won six games in a row. The last time they played the Kings prior to Friday, the Huskies lost 3-2, snapping their thenseven-game winning streak. Fort St. John hasn’t lost since.

However, the Huskies, playing the two worst teams in the league, did look a little shakier than normal, which is to be expected coming off a two-week break.

“We definitely needed a game to shake the rust off. Having a break is good, but you lose your mental focus so it takes a bit to get back to our system, and I’m pleased with how we played,” said Huskies captain Jeridyn

Loewen.

The Huskies worked hard and moved their feet all game against the Kings, but found themselves out of position more than usual, allowing the Kings to stay in the game.

“We weren’t very sharp with our layers and positions, and didn’t execute our plays as sharply as we normally do, but we expected that,” said Huskies Coach Todd Alexander.

The Huskies were much better against the Vipers, but ran into a hot goalie, scoring just two goals on 58 shots.

Goalie Tyler McArthur played both games again on the weekend. McArthur has been carrying the load for the team since Braedyn Funke suffered a hand injury at the beginning of December. The team is expecting to hear an answer this week regarding the timetable for Funke’s return.

The Huskies will welcome the North Peace Navigators for a game on Saturday, January 11. The Navs won both of their games as well to stay seven points behind the Huskies for first place.

dillon giancola photo

Jared Winkel tries to dangle his way through the County of Grande Prairie Kings’ defence during the Huskies 6-4 win on January 3, 2010. Winkel had a goal and an assist in the game.

Elks speed skating: Canadian Junior Championship results The Fort St. John Elks took eight skaters to Calgary last weekend, January 3 to 6, for the 2020 Canadian Junior Long Track Championships, as well as Canada Cup 2.

It was the first competition for the team since Canada Cup 1 in Fort St. John, December 6 to 8.

Here is how each of the skaters did in the two competitions.

Canadian Junior Championships Josh Telizyn 500m - 4th, 36:35 seconds 1000m - 5th, 1:16:62 5000m - 20th. 7:28:43 Kieran Hanson 500m - 9th, 37:15 seconds

1000m - 10th, 1:13:46 1500m - 14th, 1:56:32 5000m - 29th, 7:41:11

Brooke Braun 500m - 17th, 4:15 1000m - 18th, 1:28:70

Kieran Hanson 500m - 25th, 37:07 1000m - 25th, 1:12:97

Jack Hanson 500m - 40th, 42:66 seconds 1500m - 37th, 2:12:83 5000m - 30th, 7:42:74

Sidney Bennie 500m - 22nd, 45.43 1000m - 23rd, 1:32:73 1500m - 23rd, 2:22:50 3000m - 21st, 5:11:27

Nicholas Guliov 500m - 47th, 38:80 1000m - 45th, 1:15:62

Nicholas Guliov 1000m - 22nd, 1:16:13 1500m - 21st, 1:59:39 5000m - 26th, 7:38:70 Amanda Mitchell 500m - 13th, 43:37 1000m - 9th, 1:25:41 1500m - 7th, 2:10:90 3000m - 7th, 4:39:58

Canada Cup 2 Josh Telizyn 500m - 12th, 36:01 1000m - 21st, 1:11:75 Amanda Mitchell 500m - 32nd, 43:00 1000m - 26th, 1:23:29

Josh Hanson 500m - 71st, 42:70 1000m - 72nd, 1:25:24 Brooke Braun 500m - 40th, 43:68 Sidney Bennie 500m - 47th, 45:49 1000m - 39th, 1:29:47

FORT ST. JOHN & DISTRICT CHURCH DIRECTORY ANGLICAN CHURCH of CANADA NoRTH PEACE PARISH Please join us at our temporary location at the Peace Lutheran Church @ 1:30pm Ph: 250-785-6471 “All are Invited and Welcome Here” - (Luke 14:23) SERVICES St. Martin’s, fort St. John, BC Reverend: Christopher Samson Sundays 1:30 p.m. ********** Church of the Good Shepherd Taylor, BC - Sundays 10:00 a.m. ********** St. Matthias, Cecil Lake, BC 3rd Sun. of the Month 4:00 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 250-787-0089 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 ********** BAPTIST CHARLIE LAkE CoMMUNITY CHURCH 12731 244 B Road, Charlie Lake (1st left turn off the Alaska Hwy. past the Charlie Lake Store) 250-785-1723 office@charlielakechurch.com www.charlielakechurch.com Lead Pastor: Joshua Goetz Associate Pastor: Jared Braun Sunday Worship: 10:40 AM Sunday School during the service nursery-grade 6 ********** CATHoLIC RoMAN CATHoLIC CHURCH (Resurrection Church) Pastor: Rev. Aruldhas Lucas, SAC Phone 250-785-3413 www.fsjresurrectionchurch.com MASSES: Saturday 7:30 p.m.

Sunday - 10:00 a.m. oNLY OFFICE HOURS: Mon.-Fri. 9:00 -12:00 noon & 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

BAPTISM: Contact the Pastor 3 months before baptism.

MARRIAGES: Contact the Pastor 6 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: 10:00am ********** CoMMUNITY 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 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: 9:00am & 11:00am **********

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) 827-3231 ********** 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: 9:00am, 11:00am www.evangelfsj.com ********** The Journey 10011-100 St., fort St. John Phone: 250-785-6254 Pastor: Larry Lorentz Services: Sundays: 10:30am Tuesdays: 7:00pm **********

PRESBYTERIAN fort St. John Presbyterian Church 9907-98th St., fort St. John, BC Phone: 250-785-2482 fax: 250-785-2482 12:30 p.m. - Pie and Coffee 1:00 p.m. - Worship Service Everyone is invited to participate ********** REfoRMED TRINITY CoVENANT CHURCH 10 AM Sundays in The Plaza 8111 100th Ave fort St. John, BC Pastor: Adam Harris Phone: 250-329-4441 aharris@trinitycovenant.ca Affiliated with the C.R.E.C. www.trinitycovenant.ca ********** 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 Rev. Rick Marsh Email: stlukeuc@telus.net Sunday Worship Service @ 10:00am All are Welcome!

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

alaska highway news

b8 | community | thursday, january 9, 2020

The Pope, Justin Bieber, and the Jolly Green Giant 2020: Welcome to a new year of news chewing, it’s my job to present a weekly dose of worldwide weird. I’m sure 2020 will oblige with plenty of chewable news. By the way: I don’t want to worry you, but when I Googled “The Year 2020”, my screen went blank and smoke came out of my computer.

POPE POKE: Last week’s big topic of discussion was the Pope’s slap. When a woman in the crowd tried to pull him towards her, the Pope slapped her hand. And checking the latest news: The Pope just gave some guy a wedgie.

BIEBER BULLETIN: Canadian singer Justin Bieber made news with a comment he made online. Justin complained about the new design of the lids on the cups at Tim Hortons. He said the old design was better.

This is kind of ironic. When Justin sing, he sounds like a guy who spilled hot coffee on himself.

FLU FACT: Last week experts predicted this year’s

flu season will be very bad.

Hey, come on, they say the same thing every year! They never say: “This year’s flu will be somewhat annoying with bouts of mildly enjoyable sneezing.” By the way — what’s the difference between bird flu and swine flu? Bird flu requires TWEETMENT. For swine flu... you need OINKMENT. (Sorry!)

CHRISTMAS CASH: In a survey: 43 percent of Canadian workers received some form of Christmas bonus from their employers. If your boss didn’t give you a Christmas bonus, maybe his head is not screwed on just right.

Or his shoes are too tight. Or the most likely reason of all — his heart is two sizes too small.

COFFEE CHAOS: A new study shows drinking coffee can help with weight loss.

Here’s how it works: You drink a lot of coffee — you get the jitters — food falls off your fork.

VEGGIES: A new study shows eating vegetables increases a man’s libido. This

explains why the Jolly Green Giant is jolly.

RETIREMENT REPORT: In a survey, Langford, BC was named the best place in Western Canada for retirees. It’s easy to get around, people are friendly, the weather is nice. I predict years from now, people will retire to the moon, because it has nicer gravity.

ARM ALARM: A weird story from Edmonton: Mark Holmgren was injured in a motorcycle accident and his arm was amputated. Mark arranged for a taxidermist to preserve the skeleton of his arm, he now keeps it on display in his living room. He likes to tell jokes about weird stuff he plans to do with his severed arm. I tried to come up with a joke about this — but I was stumped.

MONKEY BUSINESS: Last week scientists announced they transplanted a human intelligence gene into a monkey. And immediately, the monkey started doing stupid things and saying dumb stuff.

FROZEN FILM: In Peace Country theaters: Frozen 2. It’s a sequel to the 2013 movie. Here’s my question: If global warming is real — how come they’re still making Frozen movies?

SHOOZ NOOZ: The Puma company released a new line of shoes. They’re designed specifically for wearing while you play video games. Other Puma shoes coming soon: — Shoes for wearing while you Facebook.

— Shoes for wearing while you Netflix and Chill.

— Shoes for wearing while you eat a grilled cheese sandwich.

— Shoes for wearing while you wait for Puma to come up with more stupid ideas for shoes.

ROYAL REPORT: Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan enjoyed Christmas on Vancouver Island. Meanwhile, London newspapers report Prince William and Duchess Kate are bickering and arguing. I heard she gets mad when he leaves the throne seat up.

HANGOVER HA HA: The European nation of Croatia has a new attraction: The Museum of Hangovers. If you enjoyed the Museum of Headaches and the Museum of Puking you’ll love the Museum of Hangovers. It brings everything together in one convenient location.

POLE ROLL: A few days before Christmas, scientists announced the magnetic North Pole is moving. It’s shifting towards Russia.

We cannot let this happen!

We cannot allow Vladimir Putin to get his hands on Rudolph’s flying reindeer technology!

bob snyder

Eagles players off to Austria for 2020 World Masters Games Dillon Giancola sports@ahnfsj.ca Local North Peace Eagles

hockey players Ann Sawyer, Becky Tetreault, and Dawn Bird are in Austria this weekend for a once-in-a-lifetime

experience. The three players will be joined by other Peace Region players to compete at the 2020 Win-

ter World Masters Games in Innsbruck, Austria, as the Peace Country Canadians.

The Winter World Mas-

ters Games, which run January 10 to 19, is a competition that runs every four years for athletes 30 years or older. For Sawyer, this will be her second time at a Masters Games as she competed at the 2005 Games in Edmonton.

“I didn’t think it would happen at first, it seemed crazy to go that far to play hockey, but I’m glad it worked out and we’re very excited. I’ve played before and had a great time and there is a really cool sporting community at the World Masters Games,” Sawyer said.

The World Masters Games started in 1985 in Toronto, and were originally summer only. There are now alternating summer and winter games. Sawyer said the Masters Games promote playing sports for life, and that “you can play sports at any age, not just when you’re young or in college.”

Sawyer, who didn’t start playing hockey until she was 27, has been playing for almost 30 years, and is a loyal member of the Eagles each year.

“I enjoy the game, especially for the fun aspect of it and to get to hang out with friends and spend time with each other. It’s important to be able to enjoy doing something together with your friends,” Sawyer said.

The last time she was at the Masters Games in Edmonton, Sawyer’s team won the silver medal.

“Sports should be inclusive. It doesn’t matter what age you are or when you start,” Sawyer said. “On my son’s teams and my teams I’ve played on, many times we would never be friends or know each other outside of the sport, but it brings us together to work together and respect each other.”

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Send your club news, letters, pictures, and correspondence to: editor@ahnfsj.ca

ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2020 | SPORTS | B9

COFFEE CORNER

ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS

B10 | CLASSIFIEDS | THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2020

CLASSIFIEDS PC Roots Group Meeting: 4th Sunday/month - Meetings start at 1:30pm in the Roots Building at NAR Park. Getting started on family tree research, need Help?

Come learn & share experiences with other amateur genealogists.

New members welcome. For more info call: Lynn- 250-7824058. Neil- 250-7827651. Website http://peacecountryroots.ca South Peace Historical Society Meetings Third Wednesday of the month. In Dawson Creek at the Calvin Kruk Centre Archives Room at 2 pm.

SUN DAYS: FAMILY TREE HELP - Peace Country Roots Group Meeting - Fourth Sunday of each Month at the Calvin Kruk Centre in Dawson Creek 1:30pm General employment SANDMAN INNS RURAL BC recruiting management couples, both full-time and part-time roles available. Ask us about our great employee perks and accommodation. Apply: innsco_bc@Sandman.ca General employment Sales/Marketing/ Customer Service Online business is hiring for expan− sion. High com− mission and share of net profits paid weekly.

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Hay/Bales For sale 650 Green feed oats/clover mix, 1300lbs net-wrapped, certified organic, Asking $65/each. Located in Silver Valley- Blueberry area. 780-8648005 Steel BuildingS / granarieS

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As per Manufactured Home Tenancy Act, we will be filing a Notice of Abandonment on Feb 12th, 2020 for debts owing for a mobile home described as Mobile Home #091974 16X76 2006 Moduline Industries Make: Mansura 16464 Serial #01605572 CSA #55832, located at lot #47 The Courtyard Fort St John, BC. Please call Rob Herman at Sterling Management Services Ltd at 250-785-2829 for more information or email Robert.herman@sterlingmgmt.ca Real estate seRvices

Reach 10,391 homes and businesses in Fort St. John and surrounding area h 250-785-5631 / classifieds@ahnfsj.ca

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PEACE RIVER REGIONAL DISTRICT

Notice of Public Hearing

OFFICIAL COMMUNITY PLAN & ZONING AMENDMENTS BYLAW NOS. 2385 & 2386, 2019

When: TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2020 7:00PM

Where: CHARLIE LAKE COMMUNITY HALL 12717 CHARLIE LAKE HALL ROAD, CHARLIE LAKE BC

Charlie Lake Lot 2 Section 24 Township 84 Range 20 W6M Peace River Plan 31270 The Peace River Regional District is hosting a meeting to discuss the proposed Zoning Amendment.

Proposal: To redesignate the subject property from LDR (Low Density Rural Residential) to MDR (Medium Density Rural Residential) in PRRD North Peace Fringe Area Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 1870, 2009 and rezone the subject property from R-5 (Residential 5 Zone) to R-4 (Residential 4 Zone) in PRRD Zoning Bylaw No. 1343, 2001. The applicant intends to subdivide the property, resulting in four lots total.

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

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Phone: 250-785-2662 Houses For rent

SuiteS For rent

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250-787-7329

For Rent: FURNISHED SMALL SUITE in Dawson Creek, Downtown. TV & Private Entrance. Phone: 250782-7042

Notices / NomiNatioNs

SAY NO to FAKE NEWS! 63% of Canadians can’t tell the difference between real and fake news.

Support reliable LOCAL journalism. Join the list www.newspapersmatter.ca.

For More Information: Contact: Development Services Tel: 250-784-3200 Toll Free: 1-800-670-7773 Email: prrd.dc@prrd.bc.ca

ServiceS for Hire

INTEGRITY POST FRAME BUILDINGS since 2008. Built with concrete posts. Barns, shops, riding arenas, machine sheds and more. Adam.s@integritybuilt.com. 1-250351-5374.

This notice is in general form only. Relevant background documents are available online at prrd.bc.ca or may be inspected from Monday through Friday, excluding holidays, between the hours of 8:30am – 4:30pm at the PRRD Dawson Creek office (1981 Alaska Avenue, Dawson Creek, BC) or 8:30am – Noon and 1:00pm – 4:30pm at the PRRD Fort St. John office (9505-100th Street, Fort St. John, BC).

Written comments or concerns accepted.

prrd.bc.ca

The holding of this public hearing has been delegated to the Director of Electoral Area C. Shawn Dahlen, Chief Administrative Officer

diverse vast. abundant.

For Sale or leaSe

Waking Mama Bear

I

like to think of myself as an open, honest, approachable sort of person. I’m not off-put by the eccentric, the socially inept, or the unbearably awkward.

Have a weird hobby? Cool. Tell me about it. Collect salt-and-pepper shakers? Show me your favourites.

You’re oddly obsessed with space?

I bet you could teach me a lot (and also, take me stargazing, will you?).

That person who shares too much with someone they just met; that person who gets really excited about an idea; that struggling artist still looking for her big break: I have long thought of these people as my people. I’m all for letting your freak flag fly. Until I’m not.

Yes, apparently even little ol’ me – lover of diversity and the neurologically atypical, whose heart feels too strongly at times, whose well of compassion runs too deep – has a threshold. And during the holidays I found it. Or, rather, Creepy Dude did.

Over Christmas my husband, daughter, and I were in the Lower Mainland visiting family. I was heading out to visit my sister on Christmas morning, and as I was buckling my nine-month-old daughter into her car seat, a jug of half-filled wiper fluid fell to the ground. Nothing spilled, and I would pick it up in a moment.

Then, out of the blue, a grubby looking man, about mid-40s, dressed all in black, appeared behind me.

There’s nobody else on the street; we were alone. “I’ll get that for you,” he said, leaning down to fetch the jug at my feet. He bent down, reached past my leg, and placed the washer fluid on the floor of my back seat.

I was a bit perturbed by his close proximity, but I told myself he means well. “Thank you,” I said, “and Merry Christmas.”

As I tightened the straps of my daughter’s seat I was keenly aware that he had not yet left. Only seconds had passed, but it felt too long.

“Can I hold her?” he asked.

Who asks to hold a stranger’s in-

BRONWYN MOSER fant who is clearly being buckled into her car seat? I responded as politely as I could, short and simple, and to the point. “We’re heading out now and we’re in a hurry, so no.”

Although my back was to him, I sensed his arm reaching around me. I saw his dirty fingers about to graze my daughter’s cheek. I pushed his arm away and turned in a flash.

“Don’t touch my daughter.” I wasn’t quite yelling, but a line had been crossed and I made that clear.

Creepy Dude throws his arms into the air. “Woah, woah, woah,” were the words that come out of his mouth.

Why was he still there? “You need to leave.” At this point daggers were flying from my eyes. The primary feeling wasn’t fear, it’s rage. Now I yelled. “Leave! Now!” I said. He stayed, staring incredulously. “GO!” Slowly, like a dog, he slinked away.

I climbed into the front seat, locked the doors, took a deep breath, and exhaled.

Did I overreact? I’m caught in a mental flurry of What Ifs. What if he was a pedophile? What if he was trying to steal my daughter?

What if he was just a dude out for a walk, trying to help? Some poor guy who doesn’t understand personal space and social cues?

Was I … mean? In my life I haven’t been the best at establishing and enforcing boundaries. I like to think that people are generally good. That belief has led me to ignore red flags more times than I care to admit.

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But when it comes to my daughter I will not. As a mom, I am my daughter’s voice. I am her role model, her protector.

A few moments of reflection later and I realized I didn’t care if I was mean. It’s one thing to admire the eccentric, and to be open to different ways of seeing the world. I realize that not everyone has the same talents and opportunities in life, and that for some, simply existing is a challenge (through no fault of

their own).

But it’s another thing to let someone make you feel uncomfortable; to permit a stranger to reach out and touch your child after you have clearly indicated that the gesture is not welcome.

Maybe Creepy Dude was harmless. But maybe he wasn’t. And I’d rather make him uncomfortable than risk, well, anything.

So, although I hated this moment – hated that he reached to touch her, hated the

confrontation, hated that it happened on Christmas morning – I am glad, in some ways, for this experience.

I’m glad that I found my threshold. Glad that my words were succinct, affirmative, demanding. Glad that they poured out of me like the glassy volcanic rage they encapsulated.

So, there you have it.

I found my Mama Bear voice. It’s the first time I’ve had to use it, but I know it won’t be the last.

ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS

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ATTENTION ANGLERS

The angling public is advised that the aerators at lnga Lake and Sundance Lake are now operational. Open water and thin ice conditions exist inside the safety fencing.

Please remain outside the safety fencing and do not attempt to approach the open water.

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Land Act: Notice of Intention to Apply for a Disposition of Crown Land

Be advised that any response to this advertisement will be considered part of the public record. Access to these records requires the submission of a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.

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

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Obituaries

Take notice that Vincent Communication and Controls Ltd. from Grande Prairie, AB, has applied to Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development (MFLNRORD), Northeast Region, for a Licence of Occupation situated on Provincial Crown land located near Townsend Creek, BC. The Lands File for this application is 8016063.

Written comments concerning this application should be directed to Joyce Veller, Authorization Officer, Northeast Region, MFLNRORD, at 100, 10003-110 Avenue, Fort St. John, BC, V1J 6M7, (250) 787-3438. Comments will be received by MFLNRORD up to February 1, 2020. MFLNRORD may not be able to consider comments received after this date. Please visit the website at www.arfd.gov.bc.ca/ApplicationPosting/index.jsp for more information and a map of the application area.

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Announcements

DR. LUCI SKAKEN, ND, Serving patients in BC over 25 years, welcomes new patients in Fort St John and Dawson Creek, for information or appointment phone 778-754-4004 or email naturopathonwestside@gmail.com view website at drluciskaken.ca Coming EvEnts Mile Zero Cruisers Summer Cruise July 10-12, 2020 Dawson Creek BC Registration/ information: MileZeroCruisers.com SATURDAYS: LEARN YOUR ROOTS - Genealogy information NAR Park Roots Building. Dawson Creek 10:00am peacecountryroots.ca

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CIRCLE YOUR AD! Obituaries

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PUBLIC NOTICE NORTH RIVER MIDSTREAM INC. Radio Tower Construction In accordance with the Radio Communication and Broadcasting Antenna Systems Policy CPC-2-0-03, North River Midstream is notifying the public with our intention to construct a radio tower in the Aitken Creek, B.C. area, approximately 26 kilometers North of Wonowon, B.C. OVERVIEW North River Midstream is planning to construct a 150 foot CSA Grade radio tower adjacent to our Control Room building at our Aitken Creek Gas Plant. The new tower will support improved Network connectivity, SCADA communications, for the purpose of monitoring and controlling nearby production assets, as well as improved Two Way radio communication.

LOCATION The tower is to be located at LSD D-44-L/94-A-13, approximately 26 kilometers north of Wonowon, B.C., and 11 kilometers due East of the Alaska Highway.

The coordinates are as follows: Latitude N56.95737° Longitude W-121.9182° PUBLIC SAFETY The tower will be engineered and built in accordance with the CSA 37-1 standard, to ensure structural integrity and public safety. The installation and operation of the tower will comply with Health Canada’s Safety Code 6.

TRANSPORT CANADA REQUIREMENTS North River Midstream will Paint and Light the tower as per Transport Canada requirements.

If you have any questions, concerns or objections, please submit them in writing to: Doug Liddell Manager IT Infrastructure Bankers Hall Suite 1400 - 888–3rd Street SW Calgary, Alberta, T2P 5C5 with in 30 days of the date of this notice.

NOTE: Any statement filed regarding this application are public records which are accessible by the public.

Obituaries

Sones, Barrie December 30, 2019 Robert Barrie Sones passed away peacefully at the age of 87, on December 30, 2019, at the Fort Saint John Hospital with his loving wife of 61 years, Barbara, at his side.

Barrie was born in Glenavon, Saskatchewan, in 1932, the middle child of Ernest and Mollie Sones. As a child, Barrie also lived in Pender Island, Revelstoke, and West Vancouver.

Revelstoke was Barrie’s favorite, judging by his stories of the big fish, juicy berries, and exciting ski jumps. He was still telling these stories (and many others) during his final days.

Barrie received a degree in Agriculture (as well as the gold medal for the highest marks in his class) from UBC in 1954.

Next, Barrie followed family tradition by taking teacher training and in 1956 he moved to Fort Saint John to teach at the high school. He taught many subjects, but his passion was the agriculture program he started, which included a very productive farm mechanics shop and a well−travelled Future Farmers club.

In 1958, Barrie somehow convinced Barbara Grant to marry him and leave civilized West Vancouver for the wilds of the North Peace. Son Bill arrived in 1959 and shortly after, Barrie built a house for his family in Grandhaven. On their 1−acre lot, they raised goats, chickens, pigs, and cattle. Of course, there was a huge garden (where Barrie built a skating rink in the winter).

During the 1960s, Barrie homesteaded and started developing his own family farm in Cecil Lake. By 1974, he was ready to take the courageous steps of quitting his job, cashing in his pension, and becoming a full−time Cecil Lake farmer. By then, Barrie and Barbara had added three more children to their family; Kim, Elda, and baby Rose. In order to make ends meet, Barrie drove a school bus for many years.

Barrie thrived in Cecil Lake. Being his own boss allowed him to express his creative and independent nature. Although retired from formal teaching, Barrie continued to generously spread his agricultural knowledge in areas such as bee− keeping, mechanized pea shelling, and gardening. He enjoyed working with young people, so the fact that his own offspring left home turned into a rewarding opportunity for him and Barbara to hire over 20 young community and extended family members over the years. Barrie was also a Big Brother and kept in touch with some of his (not so little anymore) brothers for many years after.

Barrie remained cheerful and engaged (and stubborn) to the end and he really appreciated the multitude of visitors and phone calls during his last few weeks. For Barrie’s family, this was a reminder of how unique, influential, and interesting he was. While grieving the loss of their father, Barrie’s family is hopeful that his values of being humble, generous, and community−minded will carry on in younger generations.

Barrie was predeceased by his parents, Ernest and Mollie Sones, as well as his older brother, Austin Sones. He is survived by his wife, Barbara; his sister, Ariel Creighton (Hugh Creighton); children, Bill Sones (Laurie Page), Kim Sones, Elda Egan (Pat Egan), and Rose Lemay (Michelle Lemay). He is also survived by five grandchildren, as well as four nieces and four nephews.

A celebration of Barrie’s life will be held at Cecil Lake Community Church at 2:00 pm on February 15, 2020.

Obituaries

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On December 20th, 2019

LILA EMELIA BELT

(Nee Schulz) Went to be with her Heavenly Father and join her parents, 3 brothers and 1 sister, as well as a grand daughter (Natalie Rae) who pre-deceased her. Lila was blessed to have a second chance at love and was pre-deceased by her husband John Belt in 1989.

She is loved beyond measure by her children Bill Ffitch (Debbey), Roberta Scarrow (Dean), Ron Ffitch (Alison Windecker) and George Ffitch. Grand Daughters Nolan Helander (Eric) Children Hudson and Ryah; Aubrey Brabbins (Dave) Daughters Piper and Peyton. Nieces Crystal Dahl and Diana Azzuolo (Stephano). John’s Daughter, Shirley Hubel (Mert) Daughters Tammy Murray (Ron), Daughter TJ and Sherry Hubel, Son Eric.

Special Friends Nancy and Jacques Perreault, their Children Skye and Etoile.

As per Lila’s wishes there will be no funeral. The family will have a Celebration of Life in the summer where she will be interred beside her husband.

If desired donations may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society or a charity of your choice. Condolences may be forwarded through www.hamresfuneral.com

Obituaries

Elizabeth (Betty) Anne Mapletoft (1932 – 2019) On Dec 25, 2019 surrounded by family our loving Mother ELIZABETH ANNE MAPLETOFT became our Christmas Angel. She went to spend Christmas in Heaven with our Dad.

Mom was born Dec 7th, 1932 in Aberdeen Scotland to Elizabeth & Lawson. In 1947 she immigrated to Canada with her mom, dad & 2 younger brothers to settle in Chavin AB. Mom met Robert Mapletoft in Calgary AB where they were married and went on to raise 7 children in Northern BC & Interior of BC. The love mom had for people took her into the hotel industry working at the 1st hotel in FSJ. After Dad’s passing she remained in FSJ BC & volunteered at the Health Centre, Cultural Centre and the Cancer Society where she became the president for Northern BC. 6 years later she moved to Rycroft AB which became her community with Ralph Jarvis and many dear friends for 20+ years. There she enjoyed rodeos, dancing, camping & social events with friends. She left Rycroft in 2016 to return to Northern BC where she lived with her oldest daughter Dianne & family enjoying many wonderful gatherings. Mom �inished out her life in Central AB where more family gatherings took place.

Elizabeth was classy, smart, funny, loving, witty with a sharp mind. She would say to the ladies in her life “wear heels until you can’t”. She was the most wonderful mother, Grandmother, Great Grandmother, Aunt & friend to all those who loved her. She loved the outdoors, gardening, music, dancing, books and her family. Her love of hockey made her the biggest Calgary Flames fan & she wasn’t afraid to let everyone know who the best team was.

She was known to others for her kindness, laughter, unconditional love & humor. If you met her you became her friend from all the warmth she carried.

Mom is survived by her seven children & their families, numerous grandchildren, great grandchildren, great great grandchildren and many nieces & nephews.

We will miss her smile, laughter, warm touch, advice & love.

Fly with the birds. Dance in your heels. Mom, we will love you forever.

A Celebration of Life will take place in the Late Spring of 2020 in FSJ. More details will be announced at a later time.

Coming EvEnts

Acquired Brain Injury Support Group: ABI Support group meets every 2nd & 4th Thursday of month at 6:00pm at the Northern Brain Injury Association office: #11-1405 102 Ave Dawson Creek. Please call 250-719-4673 for more information. http://nbia.ca/ PC Roots Group Building Open: Every Saturday SeptJune 10:00am12:00pm to members wanting to use the genealogy library. A member will be available by appointment to anyone requiring help on how to get started on your family history. Everyone is welcome. We are located in the small building in NAR Park. For appointment call: Lynn- 250782-4058. Neil- 250782-7651. Website http://peacecountryroots.ca

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ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS

B12 | SPORTS | THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2020

Seniors keeping social Fort St. John has an active seniors club. We have our own building on the north end of 100 Street a block past the police station.

Chris Lamoureux the president of the Fort St John Senior Citizens Association Branch 58 explained to me that the club is self-supporting.

We rely on the rental of the building for maintenance costs. Extras are covered by bingo revenue. We are in no way funded through any government agency.

The clubs regular social times are Monday and Thursday mornings. If you are over 50 come along and check us out.

— Ruby McBeth

Register now for Canada 55+ Games The time has come for seniors to register for the Canada 55+ Games.

In 2020 they will be held in Kamloops from August 25 to 28. Registration is first come first serve.

People who won medals at the B.C. 55+ Games in September are given priority.

The events are, however, not the same. The Canada Games include scrabble and other events not in the B.C. Games.

If you are interested contact Rick Ekkel at 250-794-8532, or the B.C. Director Linda Meise at 250-963-7427, or by email to bc@ canada55plusgames.com. They can forward all the information and the registration form.

— Ruby McBeth DONAVON CLAYSON PHOTOS

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For some people, those elusive funds could be closer than they think. In BC, there’s approximately $160 million in unclaimed funds sitting in long-forgotten accounts waiting to be collected.

These forgotten assets are administered by a non-profit called the BC Unclaimed Property Society (BCUPS), which oversees long-lost money in dormant accounts and works to reunite these funds with the rightful owners as a public service.

“The BC Unclaimed Property Society serves as kind of a lost and found for forgotten funds in the province,” says Alena Levitz, Executive Director of BCUPS. In 2018, BCUPS returned approximately $1.7 million in unclaimed funds to the rightful owners. Since it was set up by the provincial government and Vancouver Foundation in 2003, the Society has put approximately $14.5 million in forgotten funds back in the hands of British Columbians.

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A portion of BC’s $160 million in unclaimed funds could be yours go to

unclaimedpropertybc.ca for more information unclaimedpropertybc.ca

These funds are from dormant credit union accounts, unclaimed wages, insurance payments, court payments, intestate estates (death without a will), overpayments to debt collectors, and outstanding real estate deposits.

“Funds become dormant for a host of reasons,” points out Levitz. “If you’ve moved around a lot, chances are you’ve become separated from some money that belongs to you. You could have left some funds in a credit union account you forgot to close. Another common scenario is when an employee leaves a place of employment, moves away and the employer can’t locate them to give them their final pay.”

If you think you have forgotten funds, you can search BCUPS’ free online database (https://unclaimedpropertybc.ca/searchp/ search/) to see if there’s missing money waiting for you.

Individuals can retrieve forgotten funds by completing a simple verification process that firmly establishes their identity as rightful owner. There are no fees or costs to search for or claim dormant assets through BCUPS. In today’s era of online scams and online phishing, Levitz says people have every right to be cautious. “BCUPS never asks for expenses, taxes, fees or some other disbursements to claim forgotten funds, ” she says. She encourages consumers to be wary of anyone alleging to hold unclaimed property who pressures them to act fast before it expires or asks for banking or credit card information. “We take extraordinary measures to protect people’s privacy when reuniting them with their unclaimed funds.” She also points out that there is no limitation period to claim forgotten funds from BCUPS. While the average BCUPS claim is around $300 to $500, somewhere in BC is the heir to an unclaimed estate worth a whopping $1.9 million.

Now that would cover a lot of holiday bills.