AHN DEC 1, 2022

Farmers burn mortgage on grain elevator

Matt Preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca

Local farmers celebrated a his toric milestone last week as the North Pine Farmers Institute burned the mortgage on Fort St. John’s last working grain elevator.

“The future is set up for whatever comes next,” said Martin Moore, chairman of the institute’s elevator committee, following a dinner celebration and ceremony held Nov. 22 at the Lido. “A lot of people are appreciative that the elevator stayed here and didn’t get re duced into a big pile of rubble,” he said. “It’s greatly satisfying to know that the North Pine in stitute is part of the future suc cess in farming by keeping an elevator open and in the hands of the farmers.”

At one time, five grain ele vators stood along Elevator Row in Fort St. John to serve local farmers, with two others at Taylor, and one at Buick Creek. Most of the old wooden structures built in the 1950s and 60s have long been torn down, and so too was Cargill’s old concrete elevator, built in 1985, scheduled for the wreck ing ball in 2009. That’s when the Farmers Institute, started in 1930 to support farm com munities and rural develop ment, jumped into action to save it from demolition, en suring local farmers still had a

place to bring their crops. The institute struck a committee that worked to negotiate the purchase of the elevator from Cargill, as well as rail siding from BC Rail, with the help of local governments, elected of ficials, the province, and other agencies.

“When you see the infra structure disappearing, we had to do something about it,” said former Farmers Institute presi dent Larry Houley, who was brought on to lead the original elevator committee.

As the last of its kind still serving the North Peace dis trict, the importance of the number one elevator can’t be understated.

It turns over about 70,000 metric tons of crop a year, sav ing farmers the long haul to Dawson Creek or beyond. And it averages farmers between $40 million to $50 million in economic activity each year, their crop sent by rail from here to terminals in Vancouver and Prince Rupert, and from there to markets overseas.

With business planning support from the North Peace Economic Development Com mission and the Business De velopment Bank of Canada, the elevator committee was able to secure a loan from the North ern Development Initiative Trust (NDIT) for the mortgage funding.

With support and funding

also coming from the Peace River Regional District, about $1.6 million was spent on the elevator’s acquisition and re pair. The refurbished elevator was opened in 2012 and today it remains owned by the Farm ers Institute and operated on their behalf by Viterra.

Houley said the purchase and the elevator’s continued success has been a community effort. “The Farmers Institute taking the initiative, all levels of government, and the com munity. I can’t emphasize that enough,” he said. “There were people helping us on this pro ject that had no interest per se in agriculture. They were just good people in the community who came and donated time and equipment to get it as an ongoing concern.”

Last Tuesday’s well-attended celebration included speeches by member farmers and local dignitaries, who touched on the history of the institute and the scope of its work, and were treated to a roast beef dinner before the mortgage burning. The NDIT loaned just over $900,000 to the project, which was the last of the debt offi cially burned during the cere mony. Trust CEO Joel McKay eagerly counted down the days as the institute paid down the loan, never missing a payment, he said.

“Our job is to use our funds to support economic develop

ment. What could be more squarely in the bullseye than a grain elevator that helps to maintain jobs here, supports producers, and generates mil lions in revenue for a local area each year? It’s a no-brainer,” McKay said. “It is a momen tous occasion for us, but I think more importantly than that, the Farmers Institute and the agriculture community in the Northeast.”

Wade Cusack, current presi dent of the institute, called the milestone a great success for the community, and the next generation of farmers. “It’s just brilliant. The amount of hours and effort that have been do nated by people to make this all happen is just incompre hensible,” said Cusack, who farms in Pineview with his son, Ty. “It’s very positive. The vi sion is continuing; the vision’s forever, like the institute.”

Freed of mortgage debt, the institute will continue its work to expand and upgrade the ele vator, Cusack said.

“The institute is looking at other projects that will serve the community at large and for the agriculture community. There’s lots of need here,” said Cusack, first introduced to the institute in the late 1990s and who became more deeply in volved when the elevator com mittee formed. “We have an open door to whoever wants to be involved,” he said.

DISTRICT CHAMPS

Elementary students end volleyball season as champions

Author Norma Rrae takes a foggy drive up the Alaska Highway

PHOTO COURTESY OF JIM AND MARGARET LITTLE

Officials with the North Pine Farmers Institute and Northern Development Initiative Trust burn the mortgage of the number one elevator on Nov. 22.

Dave Lueneberg sports@ahnfsj.ca

A Fort St. John-area family has found themselves caught between a rock and a hard place or, in this case, asphalt.

Cam Peters lives on 240 Road near the Blairs gravel pit and has always believed it would be just that.

However, earlier this year, an asphalt plant was set up on the piece of property just off 100th Street South, creating a lingering smoke and an awful smell for his family to endure both inside and outside of their home just east of the facility.

According to Peters, he was told in September by the Peace River Regional District the land was not zoned to have a plant on site, nor a holiday trailer camp site that sprung up as a result.

“The prevailing winds blow the emissions from the plant right to our house, needless to say this is a problem,” said Peters in an email sent to Alaska Highway News.

“In September 2022 [the] PRRD assured me that the asphalt plant was going to be shut down and this [was] the last summer that the work camp would be allowed on the property.”

In late October, Peters said, the plant was fired up, again, being told it was a job for the City of Fort St. John.

Peters is worried work might start back up in the spring.

“This situation is frustrating as we are very happy with our place, but we can’t live there if this plant is permitted to continue filling our space with asphalt smoke. It depreciates the value of our place as who would like to live in such a breathing space,” Peters wrote.

“We have children and grandparents living with us and we feel this situation is not acceptable.”

In a written statement last week,

the regional district confirmed it first received a complaint on the matter on July 12 of this year.

“That complaint,” the statement said, “was withdrawn shortly afterwards by the complainant. On August 31, 2022, the complainant requested to reopen the file, resulting in a site inspection and formal investigation by a PRRD Bylaw Enforcement Officer.”

“The investigation concluded that a permit was issued on July 15, 2020 to the company that owns the asphalt plant from the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. The permit allows the plant to be on the land where it is currently located.”

Responding to Peters’ concerns over zoning of the gravel pit, the

PRRD said, in this case, the province has the final say.

“While an asphalt plant is not permitted in an I-1 (Light Industrial) Zone as per PRRD Zoning Bylaw No. 1343 2001, the authority of the Provincial government supersedes regional district zoning regulations.”

In its closing remarks, the regional district said it informed the complainant last month, directed him to the ministry, and has closed the file.

Peter has confirmed he’s reached out to the province to see what can be done, but there’s been no progresss. The Ministry of Environment was contacted Friday morning, but unable to provide further details or comment by press time.

Supreme Court strikes down Area C election

Lueneberg sports@ahnfsj.ca

The B.C. Supreme Court has ruled last month’s municipal election for area director in Area C of the Peace River Regional District invalid.

In a statement Wednesday afternoon, the regional district said the court ruled the results can’t be validated, based on potential ballots cast by residents living outside of the electoral area — that number unknown.

“The Court declared the election invalid due to issuance of ballots to electors from outside of Electoral Area C who were ineligible to vote,” said a PRRD statement.

The ruling means the position of Area C director is vacant, it added.

“The PRRD will hold a by-election, as soon as possible, to fill the Area C Director position.”

Tyra Henderson, the PRRD’s corporate officer and chief elections officer for last month’s elections, confirmed this will not be a run-off election between the two candidates from October’s ballot, but a full byelection, which means new candidates could put their names forward, if they wish.

Current sitting director, Suzanne Haab, confirmed to Alaska Highway News she will running in the upcoming by-election, whatever date that might be.

“I’ve really enjoyed the role, so far. I have a lot to learn, but I really like it,” Haab said.

Former chair Brad Sperling has also said he plans to re-enter the race.

The final results showed Haab with just a three-vote edge over Sperling, 234-231.

Following a confirmation count, however, the concern with the narrow margin is the actual number of ineligible votes cast may have impacted the margin, and to what degree. “The Peace River Regional District is committed to upholding public trust in the democratic process and ensuring that elections are conducted in accordance with legislated procedures.”

More, including a chosen date for the election, is expected in the coming days.

DAVE LUENEBERG PHOTO

Cam Peters with wife, Joy, and daughters, Gabriela and Lara, stand in front of the asphalt plant they say is affecting their way of life.

Dave

Local powerlifters make good in PG

- Prestin broke two individual records.

Six weighlifters from Fort St John are back home from Prince George after competing in last weekend’s Northern Powerlifting Classic.

16-year-old Waylon Fenton, Evan Baker, and Prestin Gessner all set national records in their classes for the World Powerlifting Congress.

- Waylon Fenton bench pressed 122.5 kg

- Evan Baker deadlifted 272.5 kg

- Prestin Gessner bench pressed 107.5 kg and deadlifted 235 kg

Other athletes representing the North Peace were Aaron Sampson, Robyn Sampson, and Laughton Fehr.

All competitors took

first in their class, with the exception of Robyn who finished in second.

Prestin was named Top Lifter, with Evan and Waylon earning second and third-place honours.

Aaron Sampson stepped up to coach the boys through the meet and deserves recognition for his guidance and expertise. Thank you, Aaron!

Onbehalfofthe

ARYES, Ma Murray win district titles

Dave Lueneberg sports@ahnfsj.ca

School District 60 held its annual elementary volleyball tournaments last week – the boys, with 16 teams, played on Monday while the girls, with 14 teams, followed up on Tuesday. “It was really nice to see so many teams turn out,” said Anne Rob-

erts Young principal Broyden Bennett, who also oversees all of the elementary school sports done throughout the year.

“Last year, we had just the athletes and coaches take part and the games were streamed. They were streamed this year, too, but more people could attend.”

The Anne Roberts

Young Rockies, who hosted both play downs, took the boys title beating C.M. Finch 15-12, 16-14 in the final. Margaret Ma Murray won the girls championship over Anne Young Roberts 157, 15-13.

The tournament ended four weeks of regular season play for the 30 school teams.

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A group of local weightlifters competed at an event in Prince George, three of them earning national recognition.

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Above: ARYES boys elementary volleyball champs. Below: Ma Murray girls champs

Huskies go 2-for-2 on weekend

Dave Lueneberg sports@ahnfsj.ca

It was a winning weekend for the Fort St. John Huskies with identical results over the Northwest Junior Hockey League’s top two teams.

On Friday, Nathan Brownlee and Brandon Modde each had a goal and an assist as the Huskies doubled the Sexsmith Vipers 4-2.

The Huskies were down 2-0 five-anda-half minutes into the second before they turned things around, scoring four unanswered goals.

Kurtis Lee had a three-point night (1 goal, 2 assists) Saturday to lead the

Huskies to another 4-2 decision, this time over the Grande Prairie Wheat Kings.

Nick Loewen and Raymond Dick each added a goal and and a helper in what proved to be Fort St. John’s 11-straight win – the Huskies went unbeaten for the entire month of November.

Following play on the weekend, the Huskies sit alone in third place in the league standings three points back of the Kings and five behind Vipers.

The Pups are home this coming weekend for back-to-back games against Peace River Saturday night (8 p.m.) and Sunday afternoon. Puck drop Sunday is 2 p.m. at the North Peace Arena.

Winless weekend for Sr Flyers

Dave Lueneberg sports@ahnfsj.ca

It was a tough weekend for the Fort St. John Senior Flyers.

Jeff Shipton, Nolan Lagace, and Dawson Phillips scored Friday night in a 6-3 road loss to the Falher Pirates –the Flyers out shot 36-30 in the contest.

Like Friday, Saturday’s game didn’t see the Flyers get themselves onto the score sheet until the second period. Cayle Bell tallied, his first of two, while Robbie Sidhu added a single to pull Fort St. John to within reach. Bell and

Jared Loewen would add one each in the third, but the Grande Prairie Athletics would score twice into the empty net enroute to a 7-4 result.

The Flyers, who haven’t won since their season-opening victory over Spirit River, are now 1-5-0-0 (wins, losses, overtime losses, shootout losses) through their first six games.

They take on the Grimshaw Huskies (3-4-0-0) at home Friday night (8:30 p.m., North Peace Arena) before hitting the road for a Saturday night contest in Valleyview against the (1-5-0-0) Jets.

SilverWillow 4-HReport

Hello, I’m Ella Kelly and my steer is 38. In the Silver Willow 4-H club we have gone to a few meetings and started to plan the year a bit. We have gotten club jobs and responsibilities, mine being the club reporter. Everyone is getting to know each other as we go on. We are about to have a Christmas party with the club. We have already had our first weigh-in. My steer was 950 pounds. We are also setting up the 4-H weigh scale at my house to hold all the weigh-ins this year. We are looking forward to the future meetings and achievement days.

If you would like to sponsor the

DAVE LUENEBERG PHOTO

The Fort St. John Senior Flyers battled hard but fell 7-4 to the Grande Prairie Athletics Saturday night to fall to 1-and-5 on the season.

Two gold, one silver for local indoor soccer clubs

Laura Norrish

Fort St. John Soccer Club

The Fort St John Northern Strikers soc cer club were well represented by three teams at the Early Bird tournament in Spruce Grove this weekend. Each of the teams came home with medals follow ing some very strong play.

The U11 boys team went 3-0 in their games in their first ever tournament earning gold medals. Special thank you to coaches Dwayne Watson, Colin Toe ws, and Rikki-Lee Nolan.

The U13 coed team played great fin ishing 2-1-0 in their round robin. As top points earners, the team earned gold medals as well. Special thanks to coach es Valerie Shipley and Tyler Tremblay.

The U15 boys team won their round robin pool and went on to play in the gold medal match.They finished this

match tied 1-1, eventually falling to the home town Spruce Grove Saints in a shootout, earning the team a sil ver medal. Special thanks to coaches Ryan Bowie, Adam Currie and Tyler Tremblay.

Next up for these teams will be the FC Memorial tournament and the Slush Cup, both held in Edmonton in early 2023.

The U19 girls team and U17 boys teams were also in Edmonton over the weekend playing in the Edmon ton Minor Soccer Association league. The girls team faced some challenges with injured players.They played hard in their 3 games finishing the weekend with one tie and two losses. The U17 boys team also faced a few challenges, missing some of their key players; but finished their weekend with a win and two losses.

SoCal showcase

Danielle Pankratz Fort St. John Northern Strikers

Five U-17 Northern Strikers soccer players were invited to San Diego, California to play in the Surf College Cup this past weekend, featuring some of the best North American competi tors in their division.

Andrew Jackson, Madix Palfy, Kaden Baumeister, Devon Huillery, and Daejul Pankratz, joined players from Alberta and BC Surf Soccer to make up a western Canadian entry.

The Surf College Cup is a tournament that is a nation ally recognized premier tour nament, rated among the top in the United States that is at tended by about 500 college coaches.

Many of these young men have played together, going back as far as playing house league in school gyms.

They, along with many other team members in the Fort St. John Northern Strikers soc cer program, are starting to be recognized.

We are so proud of their hard work, sportsmanship, and dedication!

50-30 Challenge

Dave Lueneberg sports@ahnfsj.ca

The City of Fort St. John is sending a letter of support to Northern Lights College on its application to become a 50-30 Challenge hub.

“This community hub will be used to support community organizations and businesses across the north,” outlined a Nov. 17 letter signed by mayor Lilia Hansen.

“Northern Lights Col lege’s proposal is focused on northern communities and is designed to incorporate a significant amount of travel into communities to promote, meet, and mentor organiza tions and community leaders,” wrote the mayor.

“We see great value in the ef forts of Northern Lights College to provide a community hub for our region, and wish to express our support of their programs, which benefit the Fort St. John community.”

Northern Lights College Fort

St. John campus administrator Karen Mason-Bennett said the idea is to shed light on equity, diversity, and inclusion.

“Institutions like Northern Lights College or even small community-based organiza tions [sports clubs, etc.] and non-profit groups can take part.”

The ultimate goal, MasonBennett stipulates, is to achieve gender parity.

“50% gender parity across leadership, and 30% are vis ible minorities, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Col our) as an example.”

Other groups the college has reached out and received let ters of support from include the Dawson Creek & District Chamber of Commerce, the Fort St. John Literacy Society, MLA Dan Davies, and Urban Systems.

The City of Fort St. John’s letter, already approved unani mously through consensus, was to be formalized at Mon day’s city council meeting.

Veterinarian program ‘high priority’ for UNBC

Arthur Williams awilliams@pgcitizen.ca

UNBC has been actively look ing to develop a veterinarian medicine program for roughly a year, according to university vice-president academic and provost Dr. Wendy Rodgers.

The most likely model for the program would see students take two years of instruction at UNBC and two years of clinical, hands-on instruction at a part ner university, Rodgers said. Currently, veterinarian medi cine programs are offered at the University of Calgary, Uni versity of Saskatchewan in Sas katoon, University of Guelph in Ontario, University of Montreal and University of Prince Ed ward Island.

“This is a high priority for UNBC. We think UNBC is a per fect place to have a veterinarian program,” Rodgers said. “We’re just launching some discus sions with the other universi ties to see who is interested in working with us.”

Currently in B.C., Thompson Rivers University and Douglas College offer programs lead ing to a credential as a Regis tered Veterinary Technologist. Developing a stand-alone vet erinarian medicine program, with all the clinical facilities and faculty necessary to teach the program at UNBC, could cost in the order of $250 mil lion and take some time to start up, she added. Once a part nership is formed, then UNBC would need to secure funding, hire faculty and develop a cur riculum, she said. It’s too early to estimate how long those steps could take, she said, but if things fall in place it could hap pen relatively quickly.

“I’m pretty confident we’ll be able to work something out with a partner institution,” Rodgers said. “It could be with in the next 18 months, put it that way.” The university would also need to secure funding to support students through the four-year program, both in the form of provincial fund ing and scholarship programs, she said.“It’s a very expensive proposition for a student to go into veterinarian medicine,” Rodgers said. “We’d need sup port for four consecutive years to get one cohort through the program.”

Currently the provincial provides financial support for British Columbian students to attend the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. This fall, that number was in creased from 20 students to 40 students. The province has set aside 15 per cent of B.C. seats for students with an interest in a career in rural mixed animal practice, starting in 2023.

Support for a veterinarian program at UNBC has been strong, Rodgers said. Local MLAs, local governments in cluding the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George, area farm ers and ranchers, the BC Cattle men’s Association and other groups have voiced their sup port for the initiative. Accord ing to information released by the Ministry of Advanced Edu cation and Skills Training on Monday, the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan is in discussions with several B.C. universities, including UNBC, regarding new models for vet erinarian training.

-Prince George Citizen

SUPPLIED

SOCAL COLLEGE SHOWCASE — Five players from the Northern Strikers soccer program were invited to the Surf College Cup tournament in San Diego, Calif. this past weekend. L-R: Daejul Pankratz, Andrew Jackson, Madix Palfy, Devon Huillery, and Kaden Baumeister.

Poppy campaign sets record

Dave Lueneberg sports@ahnfsj.ca

It was a record-breaking year for cadets with the Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry Fort St. John regiment and their annual Remembrance Day poppy campaign.

“Our final total is $24,877.04,” said the group’s fundraising director Tina Edwards.

The cadets set up at businesses around the city the two weekends prior to Nov. 11, raising close to $10,000 on just the first weekend alone.

“It’s been amazing. The community has been out-

standing, so supportive. The legion and vets are so appreciative for all the community has done,” added Edwards.

Most of the money, she said, will stay local.

“To help veterans in various aspects whether it be from housing to vehicle repairs, schooling. Whatever our local vets need. The legion, from what I’ve been told, does give to other charities as well, but still helps out vets, so it could be used anywhere in B.C.”

The previous mark, by the group, was in 2018 when the final total was a little over $22,000.

Check your Lotto Max

Dave Lueneberg sports@ahnfsj.ca

There’s a saying ‘you can’t win unless you play.’ There’s also another one - ‘you can’t know if you won unless you check your tickets.’

OK, possibly the second one isn’t a saying, but two large jackpots remain from winning tickets bought here in the Northeast, and combined, total one million dollars.

This past Friday’s Lotto Max chosen “extra numbers” (25-70-74-96) were linked back to a ticket purchased somewhere in Fort St. John. Another winning four-number combination (27-34-5187) from the Oct. 14 Lotto Max

draw, also worth $500,000, was from a ticket bought in Peace River-North.

Shelley Wong with the B.C. Lottery Corporation confirmed Monday no one has come forward, in either case. The lucky winners have a full year from the date of the draw to claim their prize.

The BCLC recommends you put your ticket in the same place, like a drawer, to avoid the dreaded “now, where did I put that ticket?” moment, especially if it turns out to be a big winner.

Recently, a 15-million-dollar Lotto Max jackpot prize from an August 2021 ticket, purchased in Vancouver, went unclaimed.

STARS funding

Dave Lueneberg sports@ahnfsj.ca

The Peace River Regional District will continue its longstanding relationship with the Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service, also known as STARS.

The foundation, which provides emergency air ambulance coverage to northern B.C., from its Grande Prairie base, will receive $170,000 in each of the next three years.

Although there have been presentations from other groups to provide similar service, directors at the Nov. 24 board meeting, generally, felt STARS has shown its value to region.

“TEAAMS did a very good presentation for us. They’re in competition obviously, with STARS, and I think there is room, maybe, in this region for one of these particular organizations to be viable,” said director and Hudson’s Hope mayor Dave Heiberg.

TEAAMS, or Technical Evacuation Advance Aero Medical Society, describes itself as an advanced life support helicopter emergency medical services non-profit.

“If we start to water it down, in a way that funding is not there to support one or the other, we may lose one or both. This year they [STARS] had 15

missions in our area and if you think the funding that we’re doing, $170,000 a year, I consider that money well-spent.”

Area D rural director and PRRD board chair Leonard Hiebert has seen the group in action first-hand.

“In my previous work space, we used them frequently, very professional. They just upgraded their fleet which allows them to do even more than they did before. I believe these missions, as they call them, are crucial to the rural areas and there’s times a lot of times where ground [emergency crews] can’t get to where these accidents happen,” Hiebert said.

“This program [STARS] has been in place for quite awhile. From what I know, it hasn’t had a hiccup or problem in any major way,” said area B director Jordan Kealy, who also supports the program.

“It’s offered invaluable services. They’re tried, tested, and proven. They’re in Northern B.C., Alberta, and Saskatchewan. I think we would be wasting taxpayers money if we were to look too much at other alternatives.”

Since 2009, the regional district has funded the STARS program for just over $2.1 million to help with the foundation’s operating costs.

MATT PREPROST PHOTOS

Cadets with Fort St. John’s PPCLI regiment march to the cenotaph during Remembrance Day ceremonies.

MADELYN MARIE DYCK

Parents:

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Ackerman steps out of public life

Dave Lueneberg sports@ahnfsj.ca

After nearly two decades in the public eye, Lori Ackerman is “shifting gears” as she likes to put it.

The former Fort St. John mayor and councillor has begun a new role of CEO with a newly-formed company, Blue berry River Resources.

hit on the North Taylor Hill.

“It’s still good. We have to go put it down because it broke its shoulder,” came the phone call.

Her next call was to her son – “you’re not going to go to school today…we need to go dress a moose. And, this one officer from Toronto, I thought he was going to pass out. I don’t think he thought I was going to do this.”

BABY BOUQUET WALL

TAURUS – APR 21/MAY 21

There are a few obstacles in your path this week, Taurus. But nothing you can’t get around. If you have a few people help you out, your work will be even easier to manage.

GEMINI – MAY 22/JUN 21

Gemini, when a current plan of attack isn’t working out quite right, you may have to approach it from a different direction. A new angle can bring with it a new perspective.

CANCER – JUN 22/JUL 22

You may need to push yourself a little further this week to make up for lost time, Cancer. Hunker down and get things done. There’s rest to have on the other side of the effort.

LEO – JUL 23/AUG 23

Turning a blind eye to a certain situation will not make it go away, Leo. It will only postpone the inevitable, which is getting it handled. Don’t procrastinate any longer.

VIRGO – AUG 24/SEPT 22

Others may not want to hear the truth, but you’re still going to offer it up, Virgo. Forge ahead even if you may lose some friends in the pro cess.

LIBRA – SEPT 23/OCT 23

Think twice before you act this week, Libra. It’s easy to take the path ahead right now, but there may be some other way to go that could prove more rewarding in the long run.

SCORPIO – OCT 24/NOV 22

Scorpio, you are looking for a change but you don’t know what that should be just yet. You may have to try on a few different shoes before you find the right fit.

SAGITTARIUS – NOV 23/DEC 21

Sagittarius birthday season is in full swing right now, so you are in a festive mood. That will continue right into the holidays, when you may be the life of the party.

CAPRICORN – DEC 22/JAN 20

Capricorn, you can change if you want to. It just requires a little effort right now to figure out the path you want to take. Brainstorm a few ideas and you can find a goal.

AQUARIUS – JAN 21/FEB 18

Keeping secrets will only work for so long. Aquarius. Sooner or later the truth will be revealed and you will need to come clean. Take the high road from the start.

PISCES – FEB 19/MAR 20

After a few bumps, you find your groove, Pisces. Supervisors will recog nize your efforts and perhaps give you the notice you deserve.

NOVEMBER

NOVEMBER

Actress (35)

NOVEMBER 29 Russell Wilson, Athlete (34)

NOVEMBER 30 Ben Stiller, Actor (57) DECEMBER 1 Robert Irwin, Reality Star (19) DECEMBER 2 Britney Spears, Singer (41)

3 Ozzy Osbourne, Singer (74)

“I was raised by parents who said that what you get from your community is what to give to your community, and not one iota more,” said Ackerman.

“I have always been a part of the com munities that I’ve lived in and try to be a positive participant. My involvement grew over the years and I got involved in boards, learned more about govern ance, and wanted to carry on in that vein.”

Born in Swan River, Man., Ackerman has lived in all four western provinces either while growing up or as an adult, even trying her hand at living in the Lower Mainland.

“Was in White Rock for about a year. Didn’t like the rain or the traffic,” she admitted.

Besides her 17 years on city council, Ackerman was also involved in the in fancy stages of Fort St. John’s Salvation Army, hired on as a business adminis trator and, later, with the family services component.

“It was then I was told we needed a homeless shelter and our food bank needed to expand. The soup kitchen, at that time, was one day a week. So, we expanded that to six days a week.”

But it was while explaining her time with the organization that one of her hidden talents came to the forefront –the ability to dress a moose.

“The Salvation Army officers [back then] were from Toronto, so very little experience in rural communities. I opened up the freezer and there was one pound of hamburger. You can’t run a food bank with no product.”

Ackerman contacted local conserva tion officers to see what happened to animals that are put down in situations like being hit by a vehicle.

“We have people who need or prefer wild meat and we distribute it,” she was told.

“I know that’s not part of your job description, so why don’t you give it to me and I’ll distribute it,” Ackerman responded.

The opportunity, as it turned out, presented itself when a bull moose was

Ackerman did, and the officer has since moved on. She admitted, how ever, she’s cut back on the number of moose she dresses these days.

“I probably haven’t done anything like that in 25 years,” she laughed. “It’s a lot of work and kudos to those who can do it.”

A retired hunter, Ackerman is also a cross-stitcher and crocheter, and has a selection of beautifully matted and framed pictures, a hobby she picked up while trying to quit smoking. It’s worked so far.

Other interests, she said, include camping, cooking, reading, and gardening.

“I’m actually hoping that I’m going to be able to read some fiction again because I haven’t been able to do a lot of reading, maybe on an airplane some times when I don’t have a report to read,” Ackerman acknowledged.

“Gardening, too, is big for Andy and I. I’ve started canning, especially with the greenhouse and produce that came from the garden this year.”

Ackerman also recently became a new mom, as well. Max, a 17-monthold bundle of energy and Shitzu-Yorky cross, is the latest addition to the family.

As she begins a new chapter away from municipal politics, it will likely find her in very familiar circles both in the community and on a political level.

“What’s exciting to me is that it’s really focused on creating revenue and economic opportunities for First Na tions. The one thing that has been really significant in my learnings of the past few years, and it was when we started working with municipalities in Peru, is seeing the Indigenous people there and the economic opportunities they were missing out on. I thought, whoa Lori, you better look in your own backyard.”

For Ackerman, her new role address es that.

“We have a lot of work in front of us to get First Nations on an economic path that will allow them to work on recon ciliation. For me, the focus is reconcilia tion and restoration of the land.”

DAVE LUENEBERG PHOTO

Lori Ackerman with the newest arrival to her family, 17-month-old Max.

Housing policy shift requires Northern B.C. nuance

By Joel McKay

The announcement this week of soon-to-be provincial powers that boost housing development in B.C. are a positive sign, but regional nuances need to be baked into any policy and legislative changes or rural areas will struggle to meet targets.

Northern B.C. has long suf fered from a housing supply shortage, but it would be a mistake to think the cause of that problem, and the solu tions to it, are the same as the Lower Mainland’s.

First, housing supply in Northern B.C. has two specific thematic challenges: the age of the stock and its adequacy.

Most of the region’s hous ing is old, single-detached bungalows, and there is a dearth of multi-family hous ing, particularly rental and seniors’ supply.

Thanks to a 2017 study completed by UNBC’s Com munity Development In stitute, there is a readily available source of regional housing data the province, local governments and other organizations can draw on to support policy and program development.

The other bit of good news is that, thanks to recent provincial leadership and funding via UBCM and NDIT, most local governments in the region have completed housing needs assessments, which are critically important to understanding the nature

and magnitude of localized housing gaps.

While I would agree local governments should always focus on improving approval timelines that drive invest ment – it’s just good eco nomic development – I would caution against lowering a hammer on small towns that are chronically understaffed.

Let’s be frank. It’s been a rough few years for many small communities in North ern B.C., thanks to floods, wildfires, a pandemic and industry consolidation.

I’ve never seen a higher turnover rate for chief ad ministrative officers and senior administration in local government, and this fall’s election results would sug gest more to come.

We should remember that aside from zoning and per mitting, housing has not trad itionally been a core function of local government in British Columbia.

Outside of a well-staffed planning department, of which there are only a few in Northern B.C., if any, you won’t find many administra tors who have a background in housing or real estate development.

So, in addition to a lack of housing, we also have a sig nificant capacity challenge.

A solution would be to resurrect the Northwest Readiness land-use planning program and fund additional planning positions in lo cal governments across the north.

Encouraging collaboration

between the province, local governments, UNBC’s school of planning and the Planning Institute of B.C. to launch an apprenticeship program that counts toward professional accreditation and boosts capacity and youth education in the north could be a novel and ongoing solution to this challenge.

Shared services agree ments between local gov ernments should also be considered, allowing more than one local government to benefit from a neighbour gov ernment’s planning capacity or building inspectors.

The next challenge would be development costs – a local government could do everything in its power to support development, but we still need more developers, and those developers need materials and labour.

It’s not cheap to build in the north and we typically only have a five-month win dow each year to build in.

We could increase the supply of developers through an incentive and liaison program, which on one hand would see financial incen tives provided to encourage more developers to build up north (similar to NDIT’s Northern Housing Incentive Program or municipal tax abatements), while on the other the province could fa cilitate connections between out-of-region developers and economic development departments in the north.

Some thought should be put into ensuring that materi

als such as lumber milled in the north is sold directly to developers building in the north instead of being trained south, only to be shipped back up north and sold at a premium through our local Home Depot or building sup ply store, which is often the case.

At the same time, a boost to dual-credit trades training and apprenticeship programs through the north’s high schools and colleges, if sup ported, could begin to ad dress labour shortages.

The BC Energy Step Code and its associated timelines should also be revisited to ensure performance tar gets for new construction aren’t unnecessarily driving up development costs that would be passed onto the consumer in an inflationary environment or, worse, slow down development of needed housing.

The good news is there’s renewed leadership and focus on the housing front, which is sorely needed.

My hope is that the politics of the challenge can be set aside to focus on practical, substantive actions that re spect regional nuances.

Let clearer heads prevail and let’s get to work.

Joel McKay is the CEO of the Northern Development Initiative Trust, an independent regional economic development organization that serves Northern B.C.

The natural, spiritual in parallel

By John Grady

Isn’t it interesting how our natural lives run in paral lel to our spiritual lives?

When you are a child, your existence is to receive more than you give. Hopefully you are taught, mentored, and shown how to give, but your primary need as a child is to receive.

When you become an adult, your purpose is to give more than receive. Yes, of course, there are exceptions with some who are self-serv ing and just want to continue receiving, and in the spiritual parallel the same can hold true.

So, it is safe to state that those adults who have learn ed to give are complete, just as it is safe to state those who have not learned to give are incomplete.

When the Lord started His earthly ministry, He chose disciples to teach and as He taught them, they matured so that their role was to go and make disciples. The repro duction process in both the natural and spiritual cases is in fact the way of the Lord.

As a child, when you are taught to love it becomes your role to exhibit that love even though you might not have deserved that love due to some of your actions. It’s the same with the Lord, who loved us even when we were unworthy so that we are to be an extension of that love, to love those who in our opinion are unworthy.

As Christians, we have been given from the Holy Spirit the fruits of the spirit in love, joy, peace, gentleness, patience, self-control, kind ness, and generosity. We are to extend those same fruits to others and if not then we are not as complete as He desires.

Just as some children, for a variety of different reasons, need help and counselling developing into giving adults, there is sometimes a need for believers to receive counsel ling and assistance in ful filling the Lord’s purpose for their lives.

If we have received the gift of salvation, then it should be prudent for us to offer that gift to others. How can we not?

If He has made His life a gift to you, which He has, then it is only natural that our lives are a gift to the world. The same principles that He not only taught us but also exhibited for us must be an extension and reflection of who we are because of who He was and is.

Let’s remember, “God is love.”

John Grady lives and writes in Fort St. John.

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Watt’s Happening: Virtual power plants

By Don Pettit

You may wonder how I stay so positive amid all the doom and gloom around climate change. With just 3% of all media coverage of the crisis even mentioning potential solutions, it’s easy to get discouraged. I try to cor rect this imbalance.

Sure, I research the prob lems, and much of what I find scares the heck out of me. But I also research the answers, and believe me, there are a lot of answers that millions of good folk around the world are working very hard on. The Virtual Power Plant (VPP) movement is one of those new (and little known) answers.

THE SOLAR MIRACLE

Solar has proven to be a remarkable and little known miracle. Almost not on the energy radar 20 years ago, it’s now the fastest growing energy source the world has ever seen, and rapidly becom ing the cheapest and least polluting too.

There are tens of millions of homeowners around the world providing all or much of

their own electricity with solar panels on their roofs, and that number is growing rapidly. Even in the BC and Alberta Peace Regions, Peace Energy Coop has now installed just over 1 million watts of solar.

Most of these solar power systems are “grid-tied” mean ing they are connected to the grid and can feed extra power they produce into the grid for a credit on the owners’ elec trical bills. But what happens when you add some batteries and start to link these solar roofs together? Something amazing, and it’s a growing trend worldwide.

LINKING U.S. SOLAR HOMES

Sunrun, a global leader in solar, linked together 5,000 solar homes across Massachu setts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont to create a Virtual Power Plant proto type this past spring.

The homes used their home solar arrays and home battery storage to supply power to the grid when energy demand was high, while sharing their power when they needed more too. It was immensely

successful.

VPPs are a sort of grassroots cooperative movement, with homeowners sharing their power when needed while being paid for any power they pump into the grid. The grid operators are happy too: they get cheap solar power without having to generate it or store it themselves!

During this year’s hot sum mer in California, Pacific Gas and Electric put out notices for customers to conserve energy — 2,500 PG&E cus tomers with Tesla Powerwall battery systems came together to add up to 16.5 megawatts (MW) of solar power delivered to the grid.

There are some 50,000 Tesla storage systems in PG&E’s service area. When the grid is stressed, customers can choose to participate and are paid $2/kWh for electricity they export to the grid. Some 3,500 homeowners have now joined the Tesla VPP in Cali fornia for a total capacity of 50 MW. If they all join, that’s more than 700 MW of widely distributed solar energy ready to support the grid.

AUSTRALIA LEADS

In Australia, 2.5 million households have rooftop solar and can elect to join the AGL Virtual Power Plant/Adelaide, which uses cloud-based oper ating systems to interconnect home and business solar/bat tery systems across the coun try, creating the world’s largest VPP. Again, very successful!

On the island of Miyakojima in Japan, Tesla has installed a VPP with Power walls in over 300 homes, with 300 more going in this year. These island people experi ence frequent power outages during typhoons, but between the Powerwall batteries and sharing power with their solar VPP neighbours, their lights, refrigerators and other vital home systems keep working.

Now add in electric car batteries to the global VPP network, and pretty soon you have virtual power plants across whole cities, provinces and countries, supplying power when it is needed, and storing it when it is not.

Households with solar and storage are paid for the ser vice, but also become part of

When you link thousands of rooftop solar arrays and batteries together, something magical happens.

something bigger and more important than their own needs. Now they too are a vital part of a very distributed, powerful and secure electrical grid that is much more resili ent and reliable that central ized power generators.

Grid-tied solar with storage is one heck of a good idea in the first place. Linking them together is a genuine revolu tion, where power is truly put back into the hands of the people.

DON PETTIT PHOTO

Don Pettit lives and writes in Dawson Creek

Local author releases new novel set in fantastical northern universe

Matt Preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca

What would you do if you saw your face on a missing persons billboard on the side of a highway? Would you stop and turn around to see if your eyes were playing tricks on you?

That predicament frames the beginning of a new, locally written young adult fantasy novel, Justyce Scales of the Otherly and Obscura, penned from the mind of Norma Rrae.

Luci, on her way up to Liard Hot Springs to celebrate her sweet 16 with her mother, wants to turn around. Mom just thinks her daughter is seeing things.

But Luci convinces her otherwise and, craning their necks for a second look, they hit a wall of fog and the mother-daughter road trip crashes in a freak accident. When Luci awakes after hitting her head on the dashboard, her mom is missing.

All manner of thrills and horror follow, a story great for preteens and teens who love the television show Stranger Things.

“The fog comes back in and gets super thick, and she’s grabbed by this other woman and pulled into an alternate universe,” explains Melanie Mason, who writes her dark fantasy stories under the pseudonym, Norma Rrae. “She’s got to navigate her way through there to try and find her mother… who might not be who’s she seems to be.”

Mason found her inspiration for the novel from the beauty of the Liard region of Northern B.C., and from her long drives in the opposite direction, down south to Vancouver.

“The hot springs are just stunning. That’s always stuck with me, how beautiful it is up north,” she says.

“But the drive down on the way to Hope, there’s a series of buildings that have been abandoned and there’s all the billboards there. It just kind of started in my head, could you imagine seeing your face up there as a missing persons?”

“Seeing the desecrated billboards and abandoned cabins made me think, what if your face was on that billboard and you just lost yourself in the beauty of the north rather than returning to the

ruins?”

Mason has been writing and editing the novel for about three years, and has released it with collaboration and support from Archway Publishing, a self-publishing service from Simon and Shuster.

“It was a chance to get put in front of one of the big five publishing houses,” she says.

Mason had a recent pair of book signings in Edmonton and St. Albert, as well as at the Dawson Creek art gallery and the Snowflakes and Sugarplums market in Fort St. John this past weekend.

She’ll be at Peace Gallery North for a signing this weekend, Dec. 3, for the start of their Artisan Christmas Market.

Read an excerpt of Justyce Scales of the Otherly and Obscura below.

“What’s your name?”

Luci frantically looked around for an exit. Chamier tapped her toe incessantly, waiting for an answer.

“Luci.”

“If you say so, girl.”

“Well, it certainly isn’t girl,” Luci said.

She wanted to flee this place. But she couldn’t tell where she’d entered or where she could leave. The chamber stretched further whenever she squinted into the distance. Maybe this was a trial?

A painful moan demanded Luci’s attention. She noticed a man staring at her with thin hair clinging in patches on his scalp. Each breath drained the small fat deposits on his face. Chamier’s word echoed in Luci’s mind, food.

“Well, you certainly don’t smell like a Luci,” Chamier said. She was intent on standing too close and waving her hand through the girl’s floating hair.

Luci didn’t like the way Chamier spoke. The word selection of “smell” and speaking of these people as “food.”

Luci tried to appear casual as she turned away and touched a set of chains on a nearby iron bed. The weight of the chains sent a shivering fear down her neck. Something felt very wrong.

“I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean,” Luci said

“It means your mother is a dreadful liar,” Chamier said.

Another season of Operation Christmas Child came to an end in Fort St. John last week as 1,427 shoeboxes full of gifts were loaded onto pallets at the Alliance Church and sent on their way to be shipped to children in need throughout the world. Local volunteers put in hundreds of hours over the last three months to prepare and pack shoeboxes in Fort St. John, Dawson Creek and surrounding areas. Pictured are sisters Sophia and Anna who helped during national collection week.

The author, Norma Rrae

local dancers at

Jam

Christmas mail and more

By Ruby McBeth

Iordered a book a month ago and was told that the postage cost around $24. Because the post age was free if you spent $50, I added on another book and got them both delivered free. That got me thinking about the choices we have for send ing parcels to people at Christmas.

I went to the post office at Taylor because I knew they were not likely to be busy. There I learned that you can buy a box with the postage prepaid and send several books for $16.80 plus tax. This is for the small size box. En velopes for faster delivery cost more.

I decided to check on the other ways a person could send a parcel. Delivery services like FedEx, are more expensive, but you can insure your parcel. The two outlets handling a variety of carriers are the Packaging Depot 6419 B Airport Road and KJA Ventures by the radio station near McDonald’s. Staples handles only FedEx and Trail LeClerc handles only Purolator.

BUS SERVICE TO ALBERTA

While talking to LeClerc, I learned that he now handles the Cold Shot bus service to Dawson Creek, Grande Prairie, and Edmonton. The Cold Shot and Purolator depot is just north of the Shoppers Drug Mart parking lot at the back door of Trail’s former store 10421-100 St. The buses which leave at 1 p.m. daily are for nine pas

sengers, and you book online. Phone 250-785-9111 for details.

SENIORS HALL NEWS

The raffle at the Seniors Hall was drawn on Nov. 15. The lucky winner of the quilt was Monica Wherry, the blue picture went to Jasmine Frazer, the brown picture to Sandra Diehl, and the handwoven shawl to Jennifer Hamilton. All of the tickets were sold. Many thanks to those who bought tickets and to Canadian Tire for al lowing us to sell tickets there.

The Seniors Hall has a new look — lighter and brighter. It was decor ated on a Winter Wonderland theme by Cindy Dettling and her daughter Stacey Peters. Thank you, ladies, for thinking of us.

EXPANDED PHARMACY SERVICES

We all know that pharmacists are the people who specialize in drugs, their effects and their side effects. Because B.C. pharmacists are very knowledgeable, the government has decided to expand their powers. They are now allowed to renew or change your prescriptions using their profes sional judgement.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“You live longer once you real ize that any time spent unhappy is wasted.” —Ruth E. Renkl

Ruby McBeth lives and writes in Fort St. John.

‘Little town with the biggest heart’

Matt Preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca

A fundraiser to support a Fort St. John woman recovering from a heart trans plant and complications that left her blind was a great success last month.

Just over $55,000 was raised Nov. 18 for Edwina Nearhood, who underwent the operation in September.

“It was a most beautiful night filled with lots of love, swollen eyes from cry ing, and swollen hearts from the display of generosity,” said organizer and longtime friend, Gloria Coates. “I think Fort St. John has outdone themselves!”

Nearhood moved to Vancouver two years ago to be closer to her doctors as she was in the final stages of heart failure. While her body has taken the new heart, she unexpectedly lost her eyesight due to complications from the procedure. The funds that were raised will support Nearhood’s recovery, from rehabilitation to housing, to a seeingeye dog and other assistive technology such as smart glasses needed to help with her blindness. Nearhood shares this message:

“The Heart Warrior Fundraiser was a huge success from the little town with the biggest heart. The total raised was just over $55,000 with some donations still trickling in. The love and support I have received is overwhelming. I am truly touched and so emotional, and can’t wait to see my community again.

“I would like to thank The Lido (Brian & Cindy Kirschner), Aniela’s Kitchen (Jeanette Johnston & Staff), Mason Young (Entertainment), Systems (Sound & Technical Support), Kevin Busche (Auctioneer). To my amazing son Bruce, and my family and friends Cindy Bartsch, Jackie Findley, Rhonda Lupul, Gwenn Bourdon, Wayne Fibich, Clayton & Jessica Bartsch, Cory Bartsch, Alicia McKnight, Becky Belle, and Gloria Coates - you are all amazing!

“Special thanks are extended to each and every person who has donated, my heart is so full.

“Love Edwina”

Nearhood continues her recovery and rehabilitation at St. Paul’s Hospital

in Vancouver with the help of doctors and physiotherapists, and equipment from the Canadian National Institute for the Blind.

A life-long Fort St. John resident, Nearhood was a well-known and re spected local real estate appraiser be fore she left. In recent years, she has also been a health care advocate with the Patient Voices Network, working to improve B.C.’s health system.

Nearhood says during her transplant, a lack of blood pressure damaged her optic nerves and caused her vision loss, a rare and unexpected side effect of the operation.

She describes her vision now as like being in a dark basement with blacked out windows, but says she doesn’t see her blindness as a handicap.

In fact, she sees it as part of a bigger purpose in this new chapter of her life.

A former Alaska Highway News col umnist, Nearhood plans to write a book about her journey, and her case has piqued the interest of her doctors, who plan to do a study about her and have her speak with medical students.

Training local paramedics

Dave Lueneberg sports@ahnfsj.ca

Community Futures Peace-Liard is looking to establish a second training course for those wanting to be para medics in Northeast B.C.

In a recent letter to local municipal councils seeking support, the organiza tion says the program will be taught by a local paramedic both on site and online.

And the one-year course has already proven to be very popular and need ed, according to general manager Sue Kenny.

“It all really began with our Com munity Futures office on Haida Gwaii,” Kenny said. “They were approached by a paramedic academy to run a program and the response was overwhelming.”

Kenny said the academy contacted her about this time last year asking to do the same in the northeast.

“At the time they had called me, they

already had 10 people from our area signed up. So, of course, we said yes, we’d do that,” she said. “We applied to the province and received the funding for 16 paramedics.”

Fourteen students already studying will graduate from the program next month. The second intake, with funding approval, would begin in early January.

“The funding covers all the training for the trainer, the student, and all of their personal costs,” said Kenny. “They come out fully certified and ready to work.”

In fact, all 14 have jobs waiting for them when they graduate, and there’s every indication the next wave of trained paramedics will have just as much de mand when they complete the course.

Applications are being done through Community Futures. On site train ing, Kenny said, would be carried out at Northern Lights College in Dawson Creek.

UNBC future strategy plan

Dave Lueneberg sports@ahnfsj.ca

Although it’s always an ongoing pro cess, the University of Northern B.C. an nounced last week it’s putting together a formal strategic plan it hopes to launch next fall. Established in 1990, UNBC calls itself a research-intensive and learner-centred institution, but it now wants to know if that’s where its future lies. “I hope this [the strategic plan] will accomplish two things,” said university president, Dr. Geoff Payne. “A validation of what we have been doing over the past 30 years as an outstanding institution but then where do we need to go into the future as the landscape of higher education has shifted. What are the needs for our students and for the community.”

If nothing else, education was cer tainly reprogrammed by Covid, the president admitted. “I think one of the things that has stuck out for us is the delivery of education when we moved to a more online model during the pan demic,” said Dr. Payne. “That rapid shift gave us, not even time to think. We had

to shift. We definitely had some lessons learned that we’d like to incorporate.”

However, he doesn’t see that as being the end of the pre-pandemic ‘brick and mortar’ university model. “You know, UNBC is an experienced learning insti tution. There are some things we could definitely incorporate. Society also con tinues to change and the needs of the 21st Century university student.

“So, we have to meet those needs with the academic programs we offer and make sure the research-based stud ies are being impactful,” he added.

That includes here in the northeast where it has an industry-based training centre located on the Fort St. John cam pus of Northern Lights College.

“We talk about UNBC having regional campuses. I would like to see us be full campuses, each with their own unique strengths,” Dr. Payne continued.

“So, I do see programming opportun ities evolving and expanding, primarily in specialized programming like educa tion, social work, and nursing.”

“[I believe] education is the path way for northern communities’ sustainability.”

DAVE LUENEBERG PHOTO

OATH OF OFFICE — Sarah MacDougall signs the paperwork to become the newest member of Fort St. John city council during a swearing-in ceremony on Nov. 7.

SUPPLIED

Edwina Nearhood makes a visit through St. Paul’s Lights of Hope Celebration in Vancouver

CLASSIFIEDS

URBANSYSTEMSLTD. COMMUNITYPLANNER

OurgrowingnortheasternBCconsult− ingpracticeislookingtoaddpassion− ateandtalentedindividualswithanin− terestincommunityplanningtojoin ourteamofprofessionalsworkingdi− rectlywithurban,ruralandIndigenous communities,leadership,citizensand stakeholders.

TheUrbanSystemsplanningteam providesprofessionalplanningser− vicestoourmanyclientswhoare dealingwiththeinterconnectionsbe− tweengovernance,policy,finance,ur− bandesign,landuse,mobility,infras− tructureandthesocialdeterminantsof communityhealth.

Inthisrole,youwillbenefitfromthe supportandmentorshipofindustry professionalsbothlocallyandacross ourcompany.

Ourpreferredcandidateswillhavea completedgraduatedegreeingeogra− phy,liberalarts,planningORacom− pletedundergraduateormaster’sde− greeinplanningandworkexperience inaprivateand/orpublicsector. Deadlineforapplications:Monday, November28,2022,at9:00amPST.

recruiting@urbansystems.ca www.urbansystems.ca/careers

Invite you to attend our Annual General Meeting December 8th, 2022 5:30 pm at Community Bridge 10142-101st Ave Fort St John BC

Due to limited space please RSVP by December 7th, 2022 by emailing Christine Clark ED@communitybridge.ca Please Call 250-785-6021 Ext 229 for more information

istrativetasks,pursuanttotheCom− munityCharter,andintheconductof municipalelections,servingasDeputy InformationandPrivacyCoordinator, recordingandtranscribingmeeting proceedingsandpreparingavarietyof documentsincludingagendasfor CouncilandCommitteemeetings.The DeputyCorporateOfficerwillactas CorporateServicesDirectorwhenre− quiredandwillserveasDeputyChief ElectionOfficer. TheDeputyCorporateOfficerisre− sponsibleforprotectingconfidential informationandisexpectedtoexer− cisecourtesy,tactanddiplomacyall interactions.

Qualifications: −Five(5)yearsmunicipalexperience inanadministrativerole. −Completion(orprogression)inLocal GovernmentManagementAssociation (LGMA)certificationprogram;or AnIntermediateCertificateinLocal Government;orCertificationasMu− nicipalClerk(CMC);and −Acombinationofexperienceand trainingwillbeconsidered.

Adetailedroledescriptioncanbe found at www.districtoftumblerridge.ca/Town− Hall/Employment−Opportunities Postingclosesat12:00pmonMon− day,December5,2022. Pleaseforwardresumeto: HumanResourcesDepartment DistrictofTumblerRidge P.OBox100 TumblerRidge,BC,VOC,2W0 Orbyemail:hrcoordinator@dtr.ca hrcoordinator@dtr.ca www.districtoftumblerridge.ca/Town− Hall/Employment−Opportunities

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of long-time Fort St. John resident, Giovanna Maria Mucci on November 13, 2022. Giovanna was born in the Cimini family home in the tiny village of Spiano in Italy in 1933. She was the fourth of eight siblings. Life in Spiano during the 30’s and 40’s was difficult for Giovanna and her family. Hard work was instilled into Giovanna since childhood and anyone who knew her recalls how she tackled every task with unsurpassed determination and intensity.

Giovanna’s life would change drastically when Edmondu (Edmond) Mucci entered her life. In 1958, Edmond travelled to Italy from Canada and they were married. Edmond was, and always would be, the centre of Giovanna’s world. As Edmond became a very successful entrepreneur, Giovanna was always behind the scenes, taking care of him at home with steadfast loyalty and devotion while also contributing enormous amounts of energy and whatever labours she could into his business endeavors.

Arriving in Fort St. John in 1958, Giovanna began working right away at the family store, West End Grocery, before she could speak any English. Edmond then started 4M Furniture with his brothers, which he eventually ran himself. While he took care of the business side, Giovanna became the face of the store. She greeted everyone who came in and was always happy to chat. When Edmond passed away in 2001 of Leukemia, the biggest part of her world was gone, but Giovanna was always a fighter. She continued running 4M for a number of years afterwards until she finally retired and moved into her final home. Giovanna loved to be social and to entertain guests. To family and friends, she was famous for making enormous plates of homemade spaghetti and ravioli, always serving her perfect tiramisu for dessert.

Giovanna remained fiercely independent right until the very end, until she passed on to be reunited with her siblings Lidia, Anna and Amabile and, the love of her life, her dearest Edmond. Giovanna Mucci will always be remembered by those who knew her and her legacy will live on through her very generous contributions to various charitable organizations.