ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2021 | SPORTS | A6
McPherson sisters win bronze at college soccer nationals Dillon Giancola sports@ahnfsj.ca When Jordynn McPherson signed an agreement to play for the SAIT Trojans soccer team in December 2019, she did so with the hope of playing alongside her sister Jaime for the 2020 season. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, there was no ACAC season last year, but the 2021-22 season took place as usual. Not only did the sisters get to play together at the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) level, they won the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference title, and won the bronze medal at the 2021 CCAA Women’s Soccer Championship in Toronto, November 13. “It’s been really great. Our team has gone above and beyond this season. Going to nationals was a big step for us, but placing third there was insane,” Jordynn said. “I’m still trying to take it all in,” Jaime added. “To say you are third place in the country is pretty crazy. Our team worked hard all season, it’s definitely well deserved.” SAIT had a season for the ages, going 6-0 in regular season play, before adding three more wins in the playoffs. The Trojans beat NAIT 1-0 in the final on October 30 to win the provincial title. Jaime had 3 goals and 4 assists in the regular season, while Jordynn had 2 goals and 2 assists in five games. With the win, SAIT earned its way to the national tournament in Toronto, November 10 to 13. However, things didn’t seem promising when they lost 3-0 to Humber, the tournament hosts, for the Trojan’s first loss on the season. “That was the first time we had
CANADIAN COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS ASSOCIATION
Jaime McPherson moves the ball up the field during SAIT’s 3-1 bronze medal win over the Fanshaw Falcons at the CCAA Women’s Soccer Championship, November 13, 2021.
been down in a game all season. We were bummed about it, but shook it off, and knew we could still compete,” Jordynn said. “We never gave up, no matter the score, and always worked until the final whistle.” Jaime had been to nationals in her rookie year, finishing second-last. “That first year we didn’t know what to expect. It had been a long time since SAIT made it to nationals, and we were pretty naive. But this year we made some changes going in, and to finish third in Canada, well that speaks for itself,” Jaime said.
In their next match against St. Boniface, SAIT won 2-0, with Jordynn scoring, assisted by Jaime. The girls advanced to the bronze semi-final against Capilano, November 12. It was a thrilling match. SAIT was down 2-0 in the first half, but tied it at 2-2 after regulation. It went to penalties, with SAIT winning 7-6 in a nail-biter. Jaime took the second penalty for SAIT, with her shot going off the post and in. “We hadn’t been in penalties all season, but we practiced them like crazy,” Jordynn said.
In the bronze medal game against the Fanshaw Falcons, the Trojans trailed again early. However, Jordynn got SAIT on the board in the 28th minute, again assisted by Jaime, and it was off to the races from there. SAIT scored two more goals, both assisted by Jordynn, and would win 3-1. For her outstanding play, Jaime was one of eight girls named to the CCAA’s Women’s Soccer AllCanadians list, and was an AllStar for the CCAA Women’s Soccer Championship. On November 17, Jordynn was named both one of two ACAC Athletes of the Week, and one of six CCAA Athletes of the Week, for her play at nationals. “This being my rookie year, it’s been a really great season. I’m really proud of our accomplishments this year, not everyone who plays college sports gets to win a medal,” Jordynn said. Jordynn has finished her schooling at SAIT, and is unsure what the future has in store for her, and if she will play another year of college soccer. Meanwhile, Jaime has finished four years of schooling and has finished her college soccer career. “It hasn’t really sunk in, it’s sad to think about. I got a good four years out of it, I made lifelong friendships, and never thought I would be the captain of a college soccer team and bring home a bronze medals from nationals,” said Jaime. “It’s something to be proud of, and something for my sisters to look up to. I have another younger sister who plays soccer in town, and hopefully this encourages her to go out and try and play at the college level as well.”
CANADIAN COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION PHOTOS
Above: Sisters Jaime and Jordynn McPherson won bronze with the SAIT Trojans at the CCAA Women’s Soccer Championship in Toronto, November 13, 2021. Right: Jordynn McPherson takes a corner for SAIT during their win over Capilano, November 12.
BC WINTER GAME TRIALS DILLON GIANCOLA PHOTOS
Devon Esau (left), Keisha Beltran and Rhea Angeline compete at the Zone 8 BC Winter Games Badminton Trials in Fort St. John at Ma Murray Community School, November 20, 2021. The Zone 8 BC Winter Games Badminton Trials took place at Ma Murray Community School on November 21, with 20 players competing for seven spots on the Zone 8 team. Connor Vig, Cas Wheat, Asher Haab and Advai Nair made the boys team, while Tanisha Mustafa, Rhea Angeline, and Keisha Beltran will represent the girls. The 2021 BC Winter Games take place in Vernon, February 24 to 27.
ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2021 | OP-ED | A11
The gift that keeps on giving By A.M. Cullen
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ith the passing of Remembrance Day, this week marks, for many, the start of the holiday season. And as you start to gather gift ideas for little ones in your life, I encourage you to consider giving a book this year. This week, I want to dive in the gift that keeps on giving: a strong set of literacy skills. IS OUR LITERACY LACKING? In an article I wrote last week, I referenced a CBC article published earlier this year that reported on a Statistics Canada study that found “nearly half of adult Canadians struggle with literacy.” A few people who responded to the article accused me of calling them ‘illiterate’. Interestingly, those who assumed that ‘struggling with literacy’ and ‘being illiterate’ are synonymous, essentially provided an example of why this study is correct. It’s not suggesting that some Canadians don’t know how to read, but rather they don’t know how to read. Literacy is much more than being able to phonetically read the words on the page. It’s being able to identify, comprehend, and use read information effectively. And like any skill, it takes continuous practice to keep sharp. Though our reading for pleasure rates in Canada seem to be higher than our southern neighbours, there are still many of us who will tell you the last novel they read was in high school. I used to teach archery 10 years ago, but if you got me out on the range today after years of no practice, I won’t be hitting any bullseyes. If it’s been a while since you read for fun (something other than memes on your phone), consider shaving down your Facebook time before bed and spending 20 minutes with a good book. BUILD HABITS WHILE THEY ARE YOUNG It’s never too early to start building good habits by reading with your children. A 2013 study found that babies who are read to show increase language and problem solving skills, and these benefits extend into their teenage years. Reading with your kids increases their vocabulary. For example, if you read to your kindergartener for 20 minutes a night, after a year they will have heard more than 1.8
#MOMLIFE million words. Research shows that there are tons of other benefits to reading with your children, from increased attention spans, better creative thinking, and social-emotional development. GROWING UP SURROUNDED BY BOOKS MAKES A DIFFERENCE If you’re like me and sporting bursting bookshelves in your home, you may be practicing what the Japanese call Tsundoku, the habit of buying books but not reading them. Now there’s science to support your inner bibliophile. A 2018 study found that children who are merely physically surrounded by books at home show a positive impact on their future academic success and job attainment. How many books are needed? Researchers found that having 80 books was the magic threshold to surging literacy rates. It makes sense. If your home is full of books, it encourages a positive culture of reading and learning. Though the study proves interesting conclusions, don’t go out and blow the Christmas budget on binge-buying books to fill your house. The act of reading with your kids is far more impactful and doesn’t have to break the bank LOCAL RESOURCES IN FORT ST. JOHN Coles in Totem Mall is an obvious choice if you’re looking to own that specific book new. They offer a good selection and will also ship in any of their books for free if they don’t have it in store. But there are lots of other places to go on a literary hunt. I’ve found some great board books at Winners, and my husband’s favourite place to find books is at the MCC Thrift Shop by the Tim Hortons. If you stop by the Fort St John Literacy Society, not only do they have tons of resources, but you can also sign up for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library children’s book program – a free service that mails a new book to your child every month until they are 5! We also have a great library in town that’s open Tuesday-Saturday with an awesome selection of children’s books at the North Peace Cultural Centre. It’s a fun, free way to
ILLUSTRATION BY A.M. CULLEN
change up the books in the reading repertoire and also provides an easy indoor outing for you and the littles. HOW DO YOU START READING WITH YOUR KIDS? Choose books that match your tot’s development. If they’re really little, they may prefer books with big bright pictures and simple text. If they’re a little older, choosing books with pictures of children, animal, or familiar things may be more interesting. As they start to babble, engage them in the book you’re reading. As they get older, talk with your kids to find longer books to read together. Not an expert at reading out loud? Don’t worry! Kids are very forgiving and it’s healthy for them to see you trip over words once in a while. Mistakes are human. Your librarians at the Fort St. John Public Library are fantastic resources and there are lots of websites out there to help readers find new books to read based on their previous interests. I few favourites I like are WhichBook.net, WhichBookShouldIReadNext.com, and GoodReads.com. If you’re raising teens, consider having a family “book club” where you both read the book at the same time and talking about it as you progress. Our library often has multiple copies of popular books.
MY PRO TIP TO KEEP UP THE READING HABIT Keep reading fun, both for you and your kids. My go-to advice for my students during free read time is don’t waste your time with a book you’re not enjoying. There are way too many books out there! (Canada alone publishes more than 14,000 a year!) For novels, I usually give myself 50 pages before I make the call to cut it. With our novel studies in school, many kids grow up with this engrained assumption that they must finish what they start reading. And though in some academic situations that may be true, it is certainly not the case for pleasure reading. Don’t like it? Move onto the next one. ADD SOME BOOKS TO THE WISH LISTS THIS YEAR When Aunts starts calling in the next few weeks asking what’s on the kids’ lists this year, why not suggest a few books? Or when you take Grandma out for some holiday shopping, steer her toward the book section for a few new stories to read together this season. Ho! Ho! Ho! Happy Reading, Mamas! A.M. Cullen lives and writes in Fort St. John. Are you parenting in the Peace? Send in your questions, topics, or suggestions for #MomLife to cover at momlife.ahnfsj@gmail.com.
More waiting, more tests, more decisions in prostate cancer journey
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n November 2019, I chose to tell the story about my experiences with prostate cancer. My prostate journey started rather innocuously in August 2014. I was in the middle of a driver’s license medical examination when my doctor asked me, “Ever had a PSA test?” My prostate was surgically removed in June 2019. The first four parts of my story were published in Alaska Highway News that November. I left off in 2019 with my first post-surgery PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test coming in at 0.09, considered about normal after prostate removal. Two years later, that was the highlight. Since then, my PSA slowly began its upward creep. Not by a lot, just a steady increase. Since one’s post-surgery PSA is normally less than 0.1, it wasn’t long before the doctor concluded my cancer had not been vanquished; it still existed somewhere in my body. Surgery likely never got all that had escaped the confines of my prostate. Most likely, but never for sure, hiding somewhere near. There was no certainty in the long-term outlook either. It may stay as background noise with no change, it may eventually
EVAN SAUGSTAD disappear, or it may continue to grow and eventually begin to impair bodily function. The latter means it is something I must watch for and address with time. With that, another referral back to the BC Cancer Agency in Vancouver. As before, I was advised I could still do hormone (androgen deprivation) therapy to eliminate testosterone from my body to slow cancer growth, the side effects being loss of muscle mass and body hair, bone thinning, increase in body fat, fatigue, and no more erections. Hormones won’t eliminate the cancer but can stop or slow it from growing and spreading, at least for a while. Maybe be good for a couple years, maybe 10, no way to know with certainty. Or, I could use targeted radiation with side effects being the possibility of bladder or colon impairment or destruction. That treatment takes six-anda-half weeks (five days a week) in either Vancouver or Prince George. Not being certain where this cancer is
hiding is the issue. There’s about a 60-70% chance beam radiation would hit the correct spot and zap the offending cells, and only a 30% chance I would still have cancer after surgery. With no immediate rush, I booked an appointment for a PET (positron emission tomography) scan, technology that is still in its trial stage in B.C. It’s a six to 10 month wait as the BC Cancer Agency is the only place capable of doing this. A PET scan is like a CT scan, the difference being a PET scan uses a radioactive drug (tracer) that binds to cancerous spots, making them more visible and easier to find. It took longer than expected as at first the machine was broken, then there was COVID, but finally I went for another trip south in January 2021. The good news was that nothing showed. The bad news was that nothing showed either, but with my PSA still climbing, the cancer was still hiding somewhere. My PSA was 0.32 in September and 0.38 in December 2020. It was up to 0.58 by April 2021 and the doctor suggested we begin looking at radiation as I haven’t been a fan of hormone therapy. After your PSA goes beyond 1.00, targeted radiation is less likely to be successful. I
began contemplating when this would be the best fit. I waited for June’s PSA and, surprise, surprise, it had dropped to 0.50. My hopes went up, but the doctor wasn’t sure why it dropped: it could be accurate, or it could be false. Either way, I held off on the radiation to see what happened with this past September’s PSA. Crap — it jumped to 0.83. Not good. Big jumps are never a good sign. OK, time to look to radiation, I thought, but first a CT scan to see if it can locate any cancer at, or outside of, the prostate area. At least this one could be done here in Fort St. John on Nov. 4. It kind of feels like the bully has got you pinned and is asking which eye he should blacken. The good news would be if nothing shows, and I still go for the six and a half weeks of radiation. The best news is maybe cancer shows up at the former prostate site and is still eligible for targeted radiation. The bad news is cancer is found somewhere else in my body — maybe radiation, maybe not, maybe move on to hormone therapy and give up another part of who I am. I called to schedule with the doctor on Nov. 9. There’s not much left to the imagination that hasn’t
already been discussed. It’s like flipping a coin — heads, you win; tails, you lose — just hoping the wager isn’t too large. I was out for my morning deer hunt when the doctor called, a couple hours early. The CT image showed shadows on my pelvic bone. The doctor suspects they may be an anomaly but, to be sure, ordered a bone scan for a closer look. That, and another PSA test, and we can talk again in early December. Then the usual conversation: are bowel and bladder functions normal? Anything else abnormal? Yes, yes, and yes, getting older and more things hurt. And so, my journey continues. More waiting, more tests, more decisions. The good news - I will be able to finish deer hunting season before I have to leave town. Please support Movember as Men’s Health Month, give generously, and help fund cancer research. If you are over 40 and have not had a PSA test, ask your doctor to prescribe one. If you wish to skip that part, book your own appointment and pay the $35 and get your own.
Evan Saugstad lives and writes in Fort St. John.
ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS
A12 | NEWS | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2021
Mother’s Day Run raises $10,775 for Women’s Resource Society
ROTARY CLUB OF FORT ST. JOHN
Vince van Wieringen, President, Rotary Club of Fort St. John, with Lisa Jewell, Outreach & Housing Coordinator, and staff of the Fort St. John Women’s Resource Society, Nov. 18, 2021.
Architects awarded for apartments The new Site C apartments in Fort St. John have earned international recognition from the Passive House Institute. Low Hammond Rowe Architecture of Victoria designed the building, and the firm recently received a special SIGA award for its work at the Institute’s 2021 conference in Wuppertal, Germany. Fourteen projects around the world were recognized, including new housing
builds and retrofits, schools, and office buildings. “Buildings constructed to the Passive House standard require much less energy and significantly lower emissions are produced over their life-cycle. This exactly is vital for effective climate protection,” said Jan Steiger, one of the managing directors of the Passive House Institute. “All winners are a perfect example of how an extremely sustainable building stan-
dard can be implemented with a high architectural quality and in completely diverse ways.” Construction on the sixstorey, 50-unit building began next to the Fort St. John fire hall in 2017, and is part of the city’s agreement with BC Hydro on the Site C dam. At the time of its opening in 2019, BC Hydro said it was the largest passive house-certified building in B.C.
Praying for those in authority JOHN GRADY
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t is most interesting how we can be led by the Lord into His purposes without fully realizing the real motivation behind it at the time. Years ago, my wife Sandra and I hosted annual Mayor’s leadership prayer breakfasts for Fort St. John mayors Jim Eglinski, Bruce Lantz, and our present mayor, Lori Ackerman. We have attended provincial and national prayer breakfast as well as a United States prayer breakfast in Washington, D.C. Although aware of the Biblical scripture to “pray for those in authority,” over the years we have tried to be faithful. Having been in leadership positions, you recognize the need for prayer for political leaders who desperately need prayer. The scripture doesn’t state to pray for the political person or party you support or vote for, but the challenge is to pray for those in authority. They normally never know of your prayers but are encouraged when enlightened. Here is an unusual example. As Stephen Harper became the Prime Minister of Canada, Sandra and I prayed for him. Sandra casually mentioned how special it would be to meet Prime Minister Harper and tell him we prayed for him daily. Although we attended the odd function that he was at, there was never a direct opportunity. One early fall day, having an extra week off, we decided on impulse to take a quick autumn drive up the Alaska Highway staying at bed and breakfast locations. We eventually arrived one evening
JOHN GRADY PHOTO
John Grady: After the meeting, the Prime Minister was just about to get back into his vehicle when a little Inuit lady started clapping and the rest of us joined in. He stopped and advised the security detail that he wanted to go to the group and say hello. As he approached us, Sandra said, “Mr. Prime Minister, I would like you to know we pray for you daily,” to which he stopped and asked, “Who are you?”
at Dawson City, Yukon. We took a wonderful morning tour of the area and later while having a late lunch we noticed some obvious RCMP plainclothes officers with the traditional earpieces about a half block from our restaurant. After lunch we walked over to them, inquiring of who or what was the occasion. We were advised Prime Minister Harper was going to be attending a meeting at the building they were doing perimeter protection for. We got settled on a sidewalk across from the building and before long a few more locals of about 20 people came and ended up standing along with us. Eventually, the Prime Minister arrived, quickly got out of the car, and walked directly into the building. After the meeting, the Prime Minister was just about to get back into his vehicle when a little Inuit lady started clapping and the rest of us joined in. He stopped and advised the security detail that he wanted to go to the group and say hello. As he approached us, Sandra said, “Mr. Prime Minister, I would like you to know we pray for you daily,” to which he stopped and asked, “Who are you?” Sandra introduced her name
and again he asked, “But who are you?” She again responded and he smiled and asked me the same question. I realized he was expecting a pastor, minister, priest, rabbi response, so we told him our names and that we were Canadian Christians who just happened to be in Dawson City at the same time. When he finished greeting the group of wellwishers, he asked the photographer for a photo. You could tell he was delighted but in shock to Sandra’s statement, and, if you think about it, what encouragement to a leader of a nation to know that he is being covered daily in prayer. Praying for those in authority is not just for the pastor or priest to do, but for each and every follower of Christ. It also is not restricted to our political leaders but for your supervisor, managers, coaches, teachers, employers, etc. In preparing for this article and reviewing the scripture, the Apostle Paul finishes with, “This is good, and pleases God our Savior.” If you want to please the Lord, then pray. John Grady lives and writes in Fort St John.
Fort St. John Rotarians and Mother’s Day runners this year raised $10,775 for the Women’s Resource Society. In 1981, a group of women in the Fort St. John area organized the original Women’s Centre. They were concerned about the lack of resources and choices available to women in the North and the overall absence of an effective method of organizing change for women. In the spirit of sisterhood, Fort St. John women took it upon themselves to fill this gap by creating a place for women to gather and forge a sense of community-based support. Forty years later, the Women’s Resource Society continues in this tradition, providing valuable services including a drop-in centre, shelter for women and children fleeing abuse, poverty and family law advocacy, and promoting the betterment of all women’s lives. “The Rotary Club of Fort St. John is honoured to be able to help a organization that gives back so much to
the community,” said Vince van Wieringen, President, Rotary Club of Fort St. John. “Our volunteers, sponsors, and members work hard year after year to provide funding to local organizations in need of help, and look forward to the continued help and support from our great community businesses and volunteers.” “On behalf of all the staff and volunteers here at the Fort St. John Women’s Resource Society, we would like to thank the Rotary Club and everyone who participated in the Mother’s Day Run event!” said Lisa Jewell, Outreach & Housing Coordinator, Fort St. John Women’s Resource Society. “We are so grateful for the continued support from the community. Thank you so very much.” Rotarians have now raised more than $80,000 for the Women’s Resource Society since 2012 with the help of Fort St. John families. Details about the 2022 Mother’s Day Run will be released in the New Year.
Don’t pay tax on someone else’s gains
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am a big fan of mutual funds. They offer professional management, diversification, convenience, and potentially good returns. But they also have a little quirk that investors looking to make a large purchase late in the year need to know about. This only applies in specific situations, but when it does you could end up paying tax on money that you did not make, and that’s not fun. Further, it is particularly important to pay attention to this in years like 2021, when some funds are up as much as 45%. The key to understanding this is twofold; how tax is generated with mutual funds, and who gets the tax slips. Tax is generated with mutual funds in two ways. The first is by what you do as an investor. If you buy and sell units of the mutual fund you can trigger taxable capital gains. You get to control this, deciding when to buy and sell units of the fund. But this is not what we are talking about today. The second way that tax is generated on mutual funds is what happens inside the fund, and you don’t have any control over that. The fund manager will be buying and selling investments inside the fund, and that can trigger capital gains too. In addition, the investments in the fund can earn interest and dividends. Investors will receive a tax slip for any capital gains, dividends, and interest income that the fund produced during the year. Some of the taxable events will be allocated through the year, but some are not distributed until the end. The question is, who gets the tax slips for any year-end distributions? Answer: the investors who owned the fund at the end of the year. In other words, if you bought the fund in December, you may get a tax slip for the full year, even if you were not in for a full year’s worth of growth. Here’s what I mean. Let’s say a mutual fund starts the year selling at a price of $10 a share. The fund has a really good year. The
BRAD BRAIN fund manager makes some astute trades inside of the fund, and the fund finishes the year at a price of $12. Roger notices the good performance of the fund, and he wants in. On the last day of the year he invests $100,000 at a price of $12 per share in a taxable account. And he’s feeling pretty good about that. Until he gets the tax slip for the year-end tax distribution. Because Roger is an owner of the fund, he shares in the tax liability for the year-end distributions. The fund has appreciated from $10 to $12, a 20% gain. The only thing is, Roger didn’t get in at $10, he got in at $12. He ends up paying tax on money he didn’t make. So who needs to watch out for this? Just mutual fund investors looking to make large purchases in taxable accounts before the end of the year. If you are buying individual securities you are safe because they won’t have these type of year-end distributions. If you are buying mutual funds in a tax-sheltered account like an RRSP or a TFSA you are safe because any distributions are tax sheltered. And, realistically, if you are making a small mutual fund purchase you may be just fine because the tax bill may not be a noticeable amount. It’s a good idea to ask your investment advisor about expected year-end tax distributions, and how to properly plan the taxes on your investments. Nobody wants to pay more tax than they need to, and paying tax on money that you didn’t even earn is just mean. Brad Brain. CFP, R.F.P., CIM, TEP is a Certified Financial Planner in Fort St John, BC. This material is prepared for general circulation and may not reflect your individual financial circumstances. Brad can be reached at www.bradbrainfinancial.com.