ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS
A6 | SPORTS | THURSDAY, JANUARY 27, 2022
New signs guide the bike trails at Beatton park Cyclists and hikers who use the trails at Beatton Provincial Park will notice some new signage thanks to a donation by Canadian Natural. The company presented a cheque for $6144.99 to the Blizzard Bike Club on Jan.16. “The mountain bike trail network has been meticulously signed so that now when you are out wandering around on these great trails, there is little chance of getting lost,” said club president Dan Webster. Webster is thankful for all the hard work done by what he calls ‘the industrious trail
gnomes.’ “The mountain bike trail network was made possible through a Partnership Agreement with the great folks at BC Parks,” said Webster. “The signs provide park users the certainty to know where they are so they can plan an enjoyable bike ride, hike, run or snowshoe trip in the park.” Sunday’s donation was the second large contribution the Blizzard Bike Club has received this month. North River Midstream presented the club with a $6,500 cheque on Jan. 11 towards its Snow Dog trail groomer.
BEN DAWSON PHOTO
Canadian Natural presenting a cheque for $6144.99 towards signage for bike trails at Beatton Park, Jan. 16, 2022. Pictured from left: Pat Ferris, Ben Dawson, Kristine Bock, Darrin West, Agata Pydzinska.
SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 60 (PEACE RIVER NORTH)
Board of Trustees Meetings January – June 2022 DATE
MEETINGS
START TIME
Christmas Vacation: December 20, 2021 – January 3, 2022; Schools re-open January 4, 2022 January 10 January 24 February 7 February 22 (Tues) March 7
In-Camera Committee of the Whole Meeting Regular (Public) Committee of the Whole Meeting In-Camera Board Meeting Regular (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 Regular (Public) Committee of the Whole Meeting In-Camera Board Meeting Regular (Public) Board Meeting
12:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. 5:00 p.m. 6:30 p.m.
In-Camera Board Meeting Regular (Public) Board Meeting
5:00 p.m. 6:30 p.m.
Spring Vacation: March 21 – April 1, 2022; Schools re-open April 4, 2022 April 11 April 25 May 9 May 24 (Tues) June 6 June 20
In-Camera Committee of the Whole Meeting Regular (Public) Committee of the Whole Meeting In-Camera Board Meeting Regular (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 Regular (Public) Committee of the Whole Meeting In-Camera Board Meeting Regular (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 Regular (Public) Committee of the Whole Meeting In-Camera Board Meeting Regular (Public) Board Meeting
12:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. 5:00 p.m. 6:30 p.m.
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 statutory holidays and holiday breaks Regular Board Meetings: held the third Monday of each month, with the above noted exceptions because of statutory holidays and holiday breaks. Note: All meetings will be “recorded” and can be viewed on the district website at https://www.prn.bc.ca/board/board-meetings/.
Welcome, Dave Dave Lueneberg sports@ahnfsj.ca
H
i, my name is Dave Lueneberg, and I am thrilled to be joining the Alaska Highway News at its newest reporter covering sports and business. For those who know me, and you may be one, there is usually one of two things strapped on my right shoulder – a camera bag or a 15-pound cat named Taylor. Photography is one of my loves and I’m really excited to be able to get share my passion with you, the reader — although it’s not altogether something entirely new. For close to five years, I have been lucky enough, from time to time, to take photos and write stories for Alaska Highway News. Before that, I spent almost 20 years in radio and television throughout BC, Alberta, and, for one very long winter, in the Northwest Territories.
In 2014, I moved to Taylor and shortly afterwards became a councillor with the District of Taylor. Besides photography, I love music, cycling, and spending time with my two kids — Taylor and Oreo. I also think there’s nothing better than curling up on the couch and reading a newspaper. (Go figure!) Editor’s Note: Alaska Highway News is delighted to welcome Dave Lueneberg full-time to our editorial team following his work with us as a freelance reporter and photographer for the last several years. Dave’s enthusiasm for capturing stories of the Peace Region has greatly enriched our pages, and continues our mission to spread the good news about the people and businesses that make Northeast BC a wonderful place to live, work, and raise a family. Fill Dave’s inbox with story leads and club news by emailing him at sports@ahnfsj.ca
School District No. 60 (Peace River North) KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION for the 2022-2023 school year • Children who will be five (5) years of age by December 31, 2022 are eligible for registration for Kindergarten at their local schools. • Registration for Kindergarten students for the 2022-2023 school year will take place at all elementary schools during regular school hours by appointment only. • Online registration is available on our website www.prn.bc.ca or by scanning this code
• Please register online or in-person with your home school. If you are uncertain of the school boundaries (catchment areas) please contact the nearest school. To maximize the opportunity that your child will be accommodated at your local school it is strongly recommended that you register at your earliest convenience. • French Immersion Kindergarten Is available at École Central Elementary School of the Arts only. Please call the school (250-785-4511) for further information regarding the French Immersion program. For students entering grade one, French Immersion is also a possibility at École Central Elementary depending on space. • Online Learning (formerly Distributed Learning) and Kindergarten Blended Learning is available at the Key Learning Centre. Please call 250-261-5660 for further information regarding these options. • Bussing will be provided for rural Kindergarten programs. Availability and times vary from school to school. Please bring your child’s birth certificate & proof of residence & vaccination record If you have further questions, please contact Jarrod Bell, Director of Instruction, at (250) 262-6017.
DAVE LUENEBERG PHOTO
HUSKIES THANK YOU: Carrie Lessing settles in with her granddaughter, Sophie, 3, for Health Care Appreciation Night at the Huskies-Kings matchup, Jan. 21, 2022. By all accounts, it was best-attended home game this season.
ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS
A12 | BUSINESS | THURSDAY, JANUARY 27, 2022
LNG Canada project construction kicking into high gear Nelson Bennett nbennett@biv.com With its unsettled aboriginal title issues and sometimes sclerotic regulatory process, B.C. has been described as a place where it’s hard to get anything built. But the largest single private sector investment in Canadian history, the $17-billion LNG Canada project ($40 billion, when upstream assets and the associated Coastal GasLink pipeline are included), continues to rise from the ground in Kitimat and is past the 50% completion stage. The project is a testament to the fact things can get built in B.C., so long as the proponent has deep pockets, has ticked all the environmental and social licence boxes and has the support of First Nations. “We had an extremely busy year in 2021,” LNG Canada CEO Peter Zebedee said in a fireside chat today, along with Haisla First Nation Chief Crystal Smith, at the final day of the threeday BC Natural Resources Forum. “We were able to reach some really key milestones.” Roughly 4,000 people were employed in 2021 at the Kitimat site. Zebedee said this year will be even busier.
LNG CANADA PHOTO
Securing the roof of the LNG tank at the LNG Canada site in Kitimat.
“This is going to be the most intensive period of time for construction on the project,” Zebedee said. “We call it our year of going into high gear. We’re really going to be accelerating our pace of project completion and construction. “We’ve got thousands of Canadians right now working on the project site. Most of them are from B.C. and includes many folks from the Haisla Nation and from the indigenous communities around the project.” He added the company has spent $3.5 billion on contracts and procurement in B.C., of which $2.6 billion of which was awarded to First Nations and local area
businesses. When the liquefied natural gas plant goes into production in about three years from now, the LNG exported to Asia will have the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, if it is used to displace coal power. “That energy shipped from LNG Canada over to Asia is going to offset up to 90 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in a single year,” Zebedee said. “It’s the equivalent of shutting down 40 to 60 coal fired plants in China. It is the entire emissions footprint of British Columbia today.” The project’s associated natural gas pipeline
– Coastal GasLink – continues to be assailed by the hereditary chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en, although elected Wet’suwet’en chiefs and councils support the project. The CGL project has experienced numerous blockades and protests, which have delayed progress and resulted in numerous arrests. Relations with First Nations in Kitimat and area, where the LNG plant is being built, is a very different story. The Haisla First Nation have been critical to the project moving ahead, and are now parlaying their expertise and relationships with industry to move forward on their own LNG project – Cedar LNG – in partnership with Pembina Pipelines Corp. (TSX:PPL). It is currently in the B.C. environmental review process. “It was one thing to provide that support and to work with LNG Canada, and now we’re implementing what we learned with that process for our own project,” said Smith, who chairs the First Nations LNG Alliance. The Haisla are also now focused on extending contracts awarded to the Haisla for construction to the postconstruction phase – plant operations. “Right now, we’re looking
to establish our planning around the maintenance contracts – extending the employment opportunities well into operations,” Smith said. Smith talked about how partnering with industry has helped raise the standard of living for the Haisla’s 1,800 members and provided their own source of revenue. “We’re constructing an apartment complex on reserve,” Smith said. “We were able to purchase eight buildings within the municipality of Kitimat to provide affordable housing to our members. And … for the first time in our nation’s history, we have a culture and language department, where their sole mandate is to preserve what’s existing and be able to have that learning opportunity for future generations.” Smith added other neighbouring First Nations are also benefitting from the LNG Canada construction project. “I actually went for a site visit last month, where we toured on the bus, where I was able to see not only our nation’s logo, but I was able to see logos from Gitgaat, from Gitxaala,” Smith said. “There’s companies that are partnered with Kitselas. “These relationships that have been established by other First Nations, (who) are working in our territory, are providing benefit just as much as we’re getting benefit from those relationships.” LNG Canada is a joint venture involving Royal Dutch Shell, PETRONAS, PetroChina, Mitsubishi and KOGAS. The joint venture aims to be exporting LNG from B.C. by 2025. It would have an annual export capacity of 13 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas for its first phase, though that would double to 26 million tonnes annually, if a second phase expansion is sanctioned and approved. —Business in Vancouver
Slight uptick in drilling expected Nelson Bennett nbennett@biv.com Natural gas producers are expected to spend $4.1 billion in B.C. this year, which may be less than might be anticipated, owing to the uncertainty over the B.C. government’s ongoing review of oil and gas royalties and credits, according to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP). CAPP released a forecast for spending in Canada’s oil and gas sector Thursday that predicts a 22% increase in spending in Canada this year over 2021. Canada-wide, it forecasts capital spending in 2022 will be $32.8 billion – a slight uptick over the $27 billion spent in 2021. Alberta is expected to see the most spending in upstream oil and gas investments at $24.5 billion, followed by B.C. at $4.1 billion. Last year, producers spent about $3.4 billion in B.C. Spending in Saskatchewan is expected to be $2.7 billion, and $1.6 billion in Newfoundland-Labrador’s offshore sector. Drilling activity might be higher in B.C., were it not for the uncertainty over the on-
going review of oil and gas royalties and credits, CAPP speculates. The B.C. government is responding to criticism that it continues to subsidize the fossil fuel industry through a number of tax credits, notably its deep well credits. Those credits, and the oil and gas royalty and tax regime overall, is currently being reviewed and may be overhauled. “With rapidly growing global demand for natural gas translating into multiyear highs in natural gas prices, producers in British Columbia are showing interest in growing their investment in the province,” CAPP says in a news release. “However, the ongoing review on royalties paired with the current moratorium on issuing development permits stalled investment in 2021. Investment in the province fell approximately $600 million short of last year’s anticipated $3.9 billion. “Rig counts in B.C. currently sit at half of the historical average for midJanuary indicating producers are potentially holding off some investment until later in 2022.” —Business in Vancouver