ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS
A6 | SPORTS | THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2022
Ladies bonspiel returns Dave Lueneberg sports@ahnfsj.ca The Fort St. John Curling Club played host to its first Ladies bonspiel in two years. Eleven teams took part in this year’s event held on Friday and Saturday, with teams competing for the right to play in one of the three division finals. Tara Forest’s foursome,
the Forest Fiddleheads, were the top team of the weekend taking the A-event final 9-6 over Julie Taylor’s Flannel 4. Jeannie Whitford-Bonin and her team, the Forgetful Four, claimed the B-event with a 7-3 win over Team Murray, skipped by Pam Murray. The C-event final was won by the F-Bombers who beat the Busche-whackers 7-1.
DAVE LUENEBERG PHOTOS
The Forest Fiddleheads were this year’s A-event champions -- Carolynn Oliver, Cheri Ollenberger, Jill Hage, and Tara Forest, Feb. 26, 2022
Provincial long-track championships Dave Lueneberg sports@ahnfsj.ca
Jackie Carew (l) and Isabel Maddigan with The Forgetful Four in the B-event final, Feb. 26, 2022
With the easing of provincial gathering restrictions, the Fort St. John Elks speed skating club is moving forward on an earlier plan to host the B.C. long track speed skating championships. The event will be held on March 5 to 6 at the Pomeroy Sport Centre. The competition will include distances from 500 to 5000 metres and will also be a qualifier for the national youth championships in April in Quebec City.
“After a nearly two-year gap in hosting large competitions, we are both relieved and looking forward to being back in the game,” said meet co-ordinator Kate North in a press release. The weekend will start off Friday afternoon with training sessions, followed up Saturday and Sunday by the actual competition. Starting time on Saturday will be at 9 a.m. Sunday’s start time, however, will be determined once organizers know just how many skaters are taking part.
Left: The Forgetful Four were this year’s B-event champions -- Jackie Carew, Linda Kelly, Isabel Maddigan, and Jeannie Whitford-Bonin. Right: The F-Bombers were this year’s C-event champions -- Michelle Darling, Marla Demoulin, Evelyn Eggers, and Janet Mitchell, Feb. 26. 2022
Red hot Trackers Dave Lueneberg sports@ahnfsj.ca
Trackers’ Mason Loewen is chased by the Storm’s Hayden Schultz and Connor Beson, Feb. 27, 2022
The NEBC Midget Trackers added two more games in the win column last weekend with a 5-2 decision Saturday over Peace River and a 7-0 shutout of the GPAC Storm on Sunday. Acting head coach Brendan Loewen was pleased with the team’s performance. “Struggled a bit with (two) slower teams, but I think overall the boys had a good effort,” said Loewen, on a weekend that is somewhat bittersweet. “We have a couple of 17-year-olds who played their last regular season games at home in the minor hockey system.” During the month of February, the Trackers won five games, tied twice, and only lost once. They sit atop the Milltech Group division with a record of 20-4-5 and close out their 32-game schedule with
three games in three days this weekend in the Edmonton area. They’ll also take part in the BC Midget Tier 1 provincials in Cloverdale (Surrey) later in the month. The Bantam Trackers, meantime, completed their regular season Friday night with a 2-2 tie against Grande Prairie. Just like the Midget Trackers, the U-15 squad finished first in their division, ending the season with 23 wins, 5 losses, and 4 ties. The Fort St. John under-13 Peewee Flyers will finish their regular season this coming weekend with a home game Saturday against Peace River (3:30 pm, Pomeroy Sports Centre) and a road game Sunday in Grande Prairie. This past weekend, the Flyers were .500 with a 5-2 win Sunday and a 2-1 loss Saturday to the Wolverines in Whitecourt.
ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS
A12 | NEWS | THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2022
Canfor to sell Mackenzie sawmill assets, forest tenure Canfor Corp. said last week it plans to sell its forestry and mill assets in Mackenzie for $70 million. In a news release, the company said it has entered into a letter of intent with McLeod Lake Indian Band and Tsay Keh Dene Nation to sell its forest tenure. Canfor said it has also entered into a separate agreement with Peak Renewables to sell its Mackenzie site, plant and equipment for a combined price of $70 million. “We are very pleased that the sale of the Mackenzie tenure will provide an opportunity for the McLeod Lake Indian Band and Tsay Keh Dene Nation to grow their leadership in the forest economy and advance Nation stewardship values for the benefit of their communities,” said Canfor CEO Don Kayne said in a statement. Canfor said it will work with both McLeod Lake and Tsay Keh Dene on a definitive agreement to transfer the tenure and to seek approval from the province. The company said the tenure will provide both with greater oversight and control over resource development within their traditional territories. “First Nations in B.C. have been relegated to marginal roles in the forest sector for far too long. The Letter of Intent signed with Canfor has the potential to dramatically change this imbalance with-
in the Mackenzie Timber Supply Area,” said Tsay Keh Dene Chief Johnny Pierre in a statement. “With further work and agreements the Letter of Intent provides a clear path for the eventual transfer to and subdivision of the forest tenure between McLeod Lake Indian Band and Tsay Keh Dene.” McLeod Lake Chief Harley Chingee said his community was pleased to be acquiring the tenure from Canfor. “This purchase represents an important opportunity for us to continue our work towards economic stability and prosperity for our members, communities and business partners,” said Chingee in a statement, “all while ensuring careful and responsible stewardship of our sacred environment in accordance with our Tse’khene laws, customs and traditional knowledge.” The news release did not state what Peak Renewables plans for the site and tenure. Peak Renewables does own a sawmill and OSB plant, but is also developing a wood pellet business. It’s not clear if the plans are to restart sawmilling in Mackenzie or build a pellet plant. The announcement comes on the heels of last year’s approval of the sale and transfer of Canfor tenure in Fort Nelson to Peak Renewables, which had also previously bought a shuttered sawmill for the purpose of building a new wood pellet plant there. The demand for wood pellets, burned instead of coal to produce power, mainly in Europe and Asia, has been growing, and so has the number of wood pellet plants in B.C.
Feds grant Fort Nelson airport $328,322 The federal government announced $328,322 in funding for the Northern Rockies Regional Airport on Tuesday. It’s part of an $18.8-million funding package announced for 11 airports and two air carriers in B.C., which the federal government says will ensure they can continue operations and essential routine maintenance during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Air transportation is essential to community well-being and regional economic development,” said Harjit Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, in a news release. Funds are coming from the Regional Air Transportation Initiative. Central Mountain Air, which services small communities in northern and interior B.C., also received $5 million in funding. Airports in Dease Lake, Tofino, Kelowna, Smithers, Williams Lake, Castlegar, Cranbrook, Anahim Lake, and Quesnel also received funding, as did Pacific Coastal Airlines.
Vehicle fires investigated Fort St. John RCMP are investigating a number of vehicle fires at a local car dealership early Thursday morning in an event police believe say may have been targeted. Officers and firefighters were called to the Murray
GM parking lot around 5:33 a.m. and found three pickup trucks and a car damaged by fire, according to RCMP> Police said the origin of the fire has been deemed suspicious. There were no injuries to any persons as all four vehicles were unoccupied at the time, said police. “The investigation is in the early stages but police have reason to suspect this may be a targeted event,” said Const. Chad Neustaeter. “We are asking the public that if anyone saw anything or anyone suspicious departing the area or has dash cam video of the area at the time, please call police.” The investigation continues. Anyone with information is asked to call RCMP at 250-787-8100.
Lock it or lose it The Fort St John RCMP wish to remind the public that it is imperative that you secure your vehicle when you are not using it. Over the past number of months, the Fort St John RCMP have received numerous reports of theft from vehicle where personal items, documents, tools and valuables have been stolen from vehicles, usually over night, that have been left unlocked. On some occasions the vehicle has been left unsecure (unlocked) and the keys have been left in the vehicle and the report comes to police as a theft of vehicle. The BC Motor Vehicle Act has a fine that can be issued to drivers/owners who do not lock their vehicle for Unsecured Motor Vehicle and a fine amount of $81.00. The intent is to ensure that vehicles are secured so that it prevents theft and unauthorized use of the vehicle.
Thieves are always looking for easy targets. There have been times when individuals walk down a street checking the doors and windows on every vehicle they come across, testing to see if they are unsecure and if there is anything worth stealing. If the keys are in the vehicle, the vehicle usually get stolen and often not located. The simple act of locking the vehicle and keeping the keys secured can prevent significant loss of valuable items and documents as well as the loss of a vehicle and the cost related to trying to recover it or replace it for the owner. Lock your vehicle or risk losing it or what is inside.
New resource ministry The province announced the creation of a new ministry last week that will focus on reconciliation with Indigenous people, economic growth and environmental sustainability. Premier John Horgan appointed Josie Osborne as the new minister of land, water and resource stewardship. She will also be the minister responsible for fisheries. The new ministry reorganizes several of the government’s natural resource ministries and is the result of a more than a year of talks with municipal and First Nations leaders, business, environmental and labour groups, and land-use experts. Among the responsibilities of the new ministry are working with First Nations on comanaged land and resource issues, developing land-use policy, and co-ordinating strategies to protect drinking water. The new ministry will also be responsible for provincial species at risk, and fish and ecosystem management.
In politics, timing is everything
O
n Feb. 23, PM Justin Trudeau made a surprise announcement – Canada’s emergency against the Freedom Convoy was over, shocking most that he would capitulate so easy. So what was the new and secret intelligence to make such a sudden U-turn? Consider this: in politics, timing is everything and Justin was just handed a golden opportunity to bury his vitriolic past and mistakes. Justin received word that Russia was beginning to invade Ukraine, and voila - time to make his announcement. Normally, given that the Senate was still debating the merits or need of such an emergency and that Justin was hearing from his coopted bankers that people in large numbers were afraid of him and his dictatorial stance and were now taking their money out in droves, that civil liberties groups were gaining traction in their assertions that this fake emergency had and was trampling on people’s rights, and that his bought and paid for friends over at the NDP were beginning to get cold feet in supporting such measures, it might seem odd that he would capitulate instead of doubling down with more hate speech against those he does not like, as he normally does. Nope, none of that mattered anymore. In my expert and learned opinion, Justin’s backroom handlers told him in no uncertain terms that he was to immediately call a press conference, to get in front
of the Canadian people and tell them that he had now determined that the emergency was over and that we could go back to pretending it was real and no longer valid. You see, he was told that by doing this now, in a few minutes the biggest news story of the year would be that Russia was now attacking the Ukraine, and by the next morning any news story about his persecution of Canadians would be banished to the back pages and soon forgotten by his friends in his media. How prophetic, and as sure as death and taxes, come Thursday morning, try to find a story about Canada’s fake emergency when the world is watching the Ukraine declare a real emergency as the Huns were now at their door. And, I don’t think they needed to debate theirs. Sad for Ukraine with its real emergency, sad for Canadians that Justin once again sidesteps telling the truth. But it isn’t over, it just remains to be seen if he and his backroom machine can now co-opt the Parliamentary inquiry. An inquiry dominated by Liberal and NDP members blocking any real discussion, not that we will ever hear about it as all is completed in secrecy and only Justin’s version can be released. There will also be a public inquiry within a year but given the propensity of the Liberals to block, drag out, and otherwise obstruct anything meaningful and/or of value to Canadians, we may likely never hear from that
EVAN SAUGSTAD one until Justin is long gone and we have had another election. Now that I have time to reflect on this sordid affair, what else is of note or importance? Do reports of Tamara Lich’s presiding judge being a former candidate for Justin Trudeau’s Liberals have anything to do with her still being in jail on mischief charges when axe murderers can be back on the street before the police can finish the paperwork? Are the reports that the police never gave a list of convoy donors to banks and asked their accounts to be frozen mean anything, when the banks were given a list of accounts to freeze and told that all money directed toward those accounts could also be frozen? Doesn’t it only take a minute for banks to search their databases and gather such information, and given their release from all liabilities, then forward such info back to the police? Will any of the millions raised in support of getting dissenting voices to Ottawa ever be either given back to their respective donors, or directed to those intended to receive such largess? Will Ottawa businesses and residents sue their city for falsely claiming the downtown was dangerous
and that all business should be closed? Will Ottawa council ever admit it could have erected fences around any building and across any street they so chose and without Justin’s blessings? Will we ever hear from former Ottawa Police Chief Sloly why the politicians would not use a “political” solution to end the impasse, rather than police resorting to clubs and threats of bullets? Will we ever know what Justin promised Jagmeet to have him play along in the game of charades? Will we ever find out if the swastika flag bearer was a liberal plant or not? How long will it take for our national media to recognize and come to grips that this was Canada’s largest act of civil disobedience that resulted no buildings or police cars being torched, not a single business looted, not a single police person injured, and, until directed otherwise, police were able to freely talk, discuss, and negotiate with “protesters” with no threats of violence or intimidation and no requirement for guns drawn or clubs raised? Will the average Canadian who watches the same national news source, morning and evening, ever wake up to understand that what they saw was a carefully scripted narrative that broadly supported Justin’s unsubstantiated assertions and mandates that portrayed all protesters as extremists, supremacists, annoying people that do not belong, misfits, etc., etc.?
Will the majority of Canadians who openly hated and advocated for extreme measures of persecution of the unvaccinated ever come to grips that expressing hatred to fellow Canadians is not cool? Will they ever accept that this misdirected hatred was at the express pleasure and direction of many of our political leaders and public health authorities? Can we expect that late some Friday afternoon a civil servant will post on some obscure website that Canada has finally created a plan to end the persecution of the unvaccinated in Canada and that we will now all be allowed to resume our normal lives and rights as Canadians, while Justin simultaneously announces that all guns he has confiscated will be sent to the Ukraine to help in their efforts to defend their country? And finally, will we ever accept that all effective protests do involve the disruption of fellow Canadian’s normal lives? Will we remember what “protesting” women did to make their voices heard and then achieve the right to vote in Canada? And I’m still waiting for an all clear to give in support of the defence of our truckers who went to Ottawa and are now paying the financial price for advocating for rights for all fellow Canadians. Evan Saugstad lives and writes in Fort St. John.