ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS
A6 | SPORTS | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021
Armstrong, Goulet, and Disher named to Team BC
A trio of Peace Region hockey players were named to the U18 Team B.C. today. Dawson Creek’s Hailey Armstrong, as well as Keagan Goulet and Brooke Disher of Fort St. John will represent B.C. at the 2021 Western Regional Women’s U18 Championship in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, November 1 to 6. The U18 Team B.C. was originally set to compete in Dawson Creek
at the 2021 U18 National Women’s U18 Championship, starting October 31, but Hockey Canada cancelled the event on September 27 due to the ongoing pandemic. “We are extremely pleased to be at this point after all of the uncertainty that has been clouding the U18 Female program,” Commissioner of BC Hockey’s Program of Excellence Fred Zweep said in a
press release. The three girls, along with Kasey Ditner of Fort St. John, were invited to the provincial training camp in Pitt Meadows, August 19 to 22, with hopes of representing their province in front of their hometown fans and family at the Ovintiv Event Centre. Armstrong and Goulet currently play for the Northern Capitals of
the BCEHL in Prince George, while Disher plays for Rink Hockey Academy of the CSSHL in Kelowna. Disher currently has three points in seven games for Rink. Team BC last competed at the U18 level at the 2019 Canada Winter Games, in March 2019, winning bronze. — sports@ahnfsj.ca
Alexandra Lehmann to play for Team Switzerland against Japan Dillon Giancola sports@ahnfsj.ca
HC LUGANO LADIES
Alexandra Lehmann, currently playing goalie for HC Lugano Ladies in Switzerland, will play for the Swiss National Team in November against Japan.
How does a player top winning the Swiss Women’s A league Championship as starting goaltender for HC Lugano Ladies? For Cecil Lake’s Alexandra Lehmann, the answer is by playing for Team Switzerland in an international friendly against Team Japan just eight months later. Lehmann, who holds dual citizenship with Canada and Switzerland, is one of three goalies who will dress for Switzerland when the country hosts the Japanese National Team for three games, November 11, 12, and 13. The games are a chance for the Swiss National Team management to get a look at some Olympic hopefuls before Switzerland’s pre-Olympic training camp later this season. Lehmann said each goalie is expected to get a start against Japan. “It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a few years now. At one point it was really nerve-wracking, it felt like Eminem’s ‘Lose Yourself’ song, I might only have one game to prove myself. It’s an exciting accumulation of everything I’ve done so far, and I just want to play at the highest level possible,” Lehmann said. She is currently balancing her
duties trying to help HC Lugano defend their championship with continuing her fourth year studies with Ottawa’s Carleton University. The team is second in the league with 19 points through 10 games, 9 points behind the ZSC Lions from Zurich. Lehmann has got a taste of playing with Team Switzerland at practice once a week. “It’s exciting. I’m a really competitive person, so the more competitive my opponents are the better. Those practices are a lot of fun, their shots are so good, there’s great goalie coaching and I’ve learned a lot,” Lehmann said. Switzerland is coming off a strong fourth-place finish at the 2021 IIHF Women’s World Championship in August, and are currently ranked fifth in the IIHF World Rankings. Japan is ranked sixth. Adding to the excitement of playing for the national team is the fact that Lehmann’s parents will be in Switzerland visiting at that time. “It just happened to be at the same time. My parent’s haven’t watched me play in person in four years, as I’ve been in the States and Switzerland, and you couldn’t travel during the pandemic. I’m really glad they’ll get to see me play,” Lehmann said.
City updates proof of vaccination requirements The City of Fort St. John announced updates to its proof of vaccination requirements for city rec facilities today, after the Provincial Health Officer introduced new restrictions October 14. A BC Vaccine card and photo ID will be required at Fort St. John rec facilities for the following purposes: • Adult or all-age programs and events (for people over the age of 12) • Spectators for all programs, events and practices at all recreational facilities • Using concession seating areas in all recreation buildings • Volunteering for programs and events (officials and coaches exempt)
• Organized sport and programs for children and youth (21 years of age and under) • Public skating and Northern Vac Track services • Aquatic programs, including swimming lessons and public swimming • Before and after school programs • Teachers and instructors providing education activities • Language and employment courses and training • Government activities and services, including Council Meetings This provincial health order remains in effect until November 19. Masks are required for all people ages five and older at city facilities, unless participating in physical activities.
The following activities do not require proof of vaccination: — sports@ahnfsj.ca
ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021 | OP-ED | A11
Weaning off breastfeeding
KINDNESS NINJAS A.M. CULLEN PHOTO
A.M. Cullen: “Whichever way you approach weaning, do what feels best for you and your baby. If I’ve learned anything from the experience of motherhood is that the internet can make it look easy with its cookie-cutter advice and Instagram-worthy stories of success.”
By A.M. Cullen
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his week’s topic comes from a request from a local mom, which by happenstance, recently became relevant in my own mom life as well. When do you stop breastfeeding and how should you approach weaning? I can’t claim any expertise on the topic, so I reached out to friends, family, and the far corners of the internet. This is what I found. WHEN SHOULD I START? At around six months, you’ll begin the process of weaning by introducing solid foods into your baby’s diet. If you’re breastfeeding, it’s recommended that you continue in addition to adding solid foods to baby’s diet. The length of recommended time varies: the American Pediatrics Association suggests breastfeeding up to a year or more and the World Health Organization suggests at least two. Suggestions aside, the decision to wean comes down to what works for you and your baby. Generally, weaning approaches fall into two categories. CHILD-LED WEANING Sometimes you’ll see this referred to as “self-weaning” or “natural weaning” (though I think the latter seems to put an unnecessary moral undertone on the term) and this is when your baby makes the decision that they are ready to stop breastfeeding. Some signs that your baby might be ready for this include gradually breastfeeding less frequently or for shorter periods, or they seem to lose interest or are distracted while breastfeeding. MOTHER-LED WEANING Sometimes referred to “planned weaning,” this is when mom decides when it’s time to stop breastfeeding. There are several reasons a mom might decide to stop, and all are perfectly fine. To paraphrase my doctor while we were discussing the merits of breast milk, at the end of the day a fed baby and a loved baby is what is most important. If you’re thinking of trying this method, you may be asking yourself “how do I start mother-led weaning?” GRADUALLY REDUCE THE NUMBER OF FEEDINGS It’s not recommended to wean cold turkey – both for you (do you remember what your breasts felt like in those early days?) and for baby. Lots of different sites suggest different timelines to cut down feedings with some suggesting cutting one ever one to three days and others one every couple of weeks. Pick what is comfortable for you. DROP A DAYTIME FEEDING FIRST Even in my own experience, I’ve found that dropping a daytime feeding to be easiest to start. Offer baby formula or cow’s milk (depending on their age) or a quick snack. Some moms suggest transi-
#MOMLIFE tioning right to a sippy cup rather than a bottle – one less thing to wean off in the future. When all else fails, go for a distraction with a toy or and outing to get baby’s mind off nursing. SLOWLY SHORTEN YOUR SESSIONS If your baby is like mine, most of the time she nurses for comfort rather than sustenance. A good way to start the weaning process is gradually shorten the length of each nursing session. Yes, baby may fuss and squawk, but after a couple of times they do get used to it. HIDE THE GOODS Out of sight, out of mind. Keep those low-cut shirts in the closet and cozy up into a bulky sweater (thank goodness for FSJ winters!). If baby can’t see your breasts, it can be easier to adjust to the new schedule. BE READY FOR A BIT OF A FIGHT I think one of the hardest things during my experience of weaning, was making baby mad. After all, a snack and a cuddle with mom? Who’d want to give that up? It’s so easy to give in and nurse – especially when you’re tired. Bracing yourself and remembering that the resistance is only temporary can help you get through those rougher days. NIGHT WEANING? GET YOUR PARTNER TO HELP If you’re tackling night weaning, this tip was a game-changer for me. I’m a mom who nurses her baby to sleep, but as she got older and began sleeping longer stretches, I wanted her to break the habit of using nursing to go back to sleep at night. Sending your breast-less partner in to put baby back to sleep can be a great tool. I started sending my partner for the first wake up in the night, while the weight of sleep was still heavy for baby. Now, no longer expecting a nurse at midnight, baby usually (knock on wood!) sleeps right through until our only early morning wake at 4 a.m. Whichever way you approach weaning, do what feels best for you and your baby. If I’ve learned anything from the experience of motherhood is that the internet can make it look easy with its cookiecutter advice and Instagramworthy stories of success. Mama, it might be a bit of a rough go, but you and your baby will get through it. I hope these tips offer you starting point. Good luck! 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.
Ma Murray kindergarten students took a field trip to Heritage Manor on Oct. 21 to plant 400 flower bulbs in the community garden bed. The flower bulbs were provided by Bulbs4Kids and Planting a Promise, and when the tulips, crocuses, daffodils, and grape hyacinths start blooming early in the spring, the garden will
be bursting with colour. “My granny lived at the Heritage Manor before she passed away and I remember how fond her and her friends at the manor were of their flower gardens,” said teacher Jeanie Wilson. “We thought it would be a nice gesture to plant some flowers that will grow every spring for our seniors to enjoy.”
ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS
A12 | OP-ED | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021
Anti-vax narratives distract from solving northern health woes
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got a text from down south a few days ago. It went something like this: Him: “Unreal. So medevacs for these knuckle dragging redneck antivaxxers in DC and FSJ are 4 a day. Fly them to Vancouver at 40 grand a pop to clog up the ICU’s here.” Me: “Not that simple. Our ICU has been closed for over 2 years because Northern Health says they can’t find anyone to staff it.” Him: “BS. Your ICU hasn’t been closed. FSJ emergency room staff were quitting en masse because they were overworked. There has not been one mention of ICU’s closed.” Me: “Wrong. The ICU was closed before COVID appeared. Much better news story to leave that and Northern Health’s lack of capacity out so it makes Horgan and Dix look better.” So it went, back and forth. I’m not arguing that people shouldn’t get vaccinated, shouldn’t wear masks, or that we shouldn’t be socially responsible to stop and reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus. For the record, I am vaccinated, do wear a mask, socially distance when I can, and show my vaccine card when asked. For a change, I thought CBC got most of a recent news story correct, one about how there are more reasons why some of our good residents are not getting vaccinated than the narrative they are all “knuckle dragging redneck anti-vaxxers.” CBC reported that many who live here are not happy with or trust the B.C. healthcare system and, specifically, Northern Health; that we don’t trust or believe in how they manage or how they report. I agree with this assessment, and no, this is not a slight on or about our good healthcare workers who choose to work here and try to deliver good care. This is about a system and those who do not care, who won’t take the time to find out what is wrong or make the effort and spend the money to deliver good healthcare.
EVAN SAUGSTAD It is also about our mainstream media who willingly, or possibly very naively, trust that their political friends and healthcare spin doctors will give them the truth and correct information. As the texter did, if one only listened to Global repeating government spin on the pandemic, you to would come to the same conclusion: Northeast B.C. is responsible for B.C.’s COVID woes and for that we must punish them. But as with most news stories, there is much more to be said. Yes, it is correct to say we have too many COVID ICU patients to look after them all up here. But, and the big but — that is how our system is designed. Our system is designed to fly critical care patients south, or occasionally to the east. There has never been any intention to provide more than basic health care and services in any of our local health centres outside of Prince George. Get sick, call the plane, and away you go. Away from home, away from family, and, hopefully, when you are better, they will not kick you out the door and make you find your own way home. Now, when the Fort St. John Hospital is hit with a sicker-than-average person, the narrative is that we, as Northerners, are clogging up the southern medical system and that should not happen. Our good southern residents are told they deserve better. And then I get texts repeating the news story and get asked why we don’t look after ourselves. Chronic understaffing has been part of the new Fort St. John Hospital as long as it has been in operation. I’m not sure if I have ever heard that it has been fully staffed. Ask Northern Health about this and you get the
same line, year after year: “We are working on it… Every jurisdiction is the same… Be patient…” The constant in all this is that we have had the same people at the helm. Same CEO, same COO, same Medical Director. One would think the Northern Health Board of Directors would begin taking an interest and start asking the obvious questions: “Are our current healthcare leaders capable of delivering more than we currently have? If these persons can’t do the job, should we, the Board, replace them and find some who will and can?” And of Minister Dix and Dr. Henry, shouldn’t they be giving a directive that B.C. will provide the necessary healthcare workers to open and expand all current ICU capacities to max, for the entire Northern Health region? With the power to compel ordinary citizens to become COVID police, you would think they could find the money and assign staff to the north until this emergency is over. Feel sick, thinking about going for a test? We have all heard the directive: if you feel sick or think you might have COVID, stay home, go for a test, and don’t go anywhere until cleared, or 14 days go by and you haven’t died. Well, I know of a few people who did just that. Felt sick, went to the health clinic, got tested, and then went home to wait... and wait, and wait. A week goes by with nothing, then the answer, no COVID — OK to go back to work. Really? A week to find out this most important piece of information? You stayed home for a week to find out you weren’t sick, and only because our leaders do not care if you work or not, don’t care if you get paid or not. So, guess what? It becomes much easier for one to deny they are sick, to just keep going to work to collect that much-needed paycheck hoping they don’t have COVID and, if they do, won’t be spreading it. What a system! Do you wonder why there is a lack
of rapport, trust, and understanding between patient and doctor, and patient and the system? Well, I, like many others, experience a new doctor every two years. Good people, professional, but only here for two years until they get the first posting south. See them a couple times and then gone. No time to develop any type of connection or continuity of care. And do you wonder about Fort St. John’s COVID vaccination numbers? The city has about 22,500 residents. Northern Health reports about 74% (16,647) have the first jab, about 62% (13,910) the second. The 2016 federal census says of our total population, about 7% are 65+, and 21% are 14 and under. The average age here is about 32. I couldn’t find specific stats for those under 12, but I estimate they represent about 15% (3,000 to 3,500) of our population and are not currently eligible to be vaccinated. It is not surprising the northeast started out so slow with vaccination rates. Low senior numbers led to low overall initial rates, and our average age of 32 meant most of our residents were the last to be eligible for vaccination. Fort St. John, with a population of 22,500 — minus 3,500 people under 12 and not eligible for vaccination — equals 19,000 eligible people. If 16,647 have one jab, then this equals 87.6%. If 13,910 have two jabs, then this equals 73.2%. B.C. reports the province is at 87.2% with first jabs, 81.9% with two jabs. My math says we are about equal to the B.C. average for one jab, and a bit behind for two, not as dismal as the numbers we keep hearing. I sure wish our fearless leaders would use some real numbers and begin working toward re-establishing some of that trust and confidence they love to talk about. Evan Saugstad lives and writes in Fort St. John.
Where do you get your information? By Brad Brain ave you ever had a conversation with someone who was totally convinced of something that you know to be false? I am not referring to legitimate difference of opinion. Rather, something more along the lines of you are a mathematician, and someone is trying to tell you that 2 plus 2 equals 5. This is not merely a case of believing the other person to be in error, you flat out know that they are wrong. Recently I had a fellow come into my office, and he passionately argued in support of a Facebook meme that was demonstratably untrue. It was a conspiracy theory about investing, and it was pure fiction, but that did not dissuade him at all. In his mind, this fantasy meme was reality. The irony is, immediately before this happened, he shared a story with me of how he put someone in their place for their ignorance about fracking – something he knows quite a bit about. Do you see the important distinction? He can quickly dismiss crackpot theories about things that he knows a lot about, but simultaneously he
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is susceptible to blindly accepting crackpot theories on topics that he knows little. And he is not alone. Financial planning is not the only field in where this occurs. There is no shortage of professions where outsiders may feel inclined to have an opinion on the way things should be done. Natural resources (“We need to ban fossil fuels!”), health care (“This is what the other guys don’t understand about the pandemic!”), education (“Why aren’t they teaching this in school?”), politics (“I can’t believe they spend so much money on this!”), and more. Here is the point: When we are confronted with a flaky idea in an area that we have expertise, we know enough to be able to call B.S. You are probably not too vulnerable to goofy ideas in a field that you have expert knowledge in. But consider this: What about all the subjects that you don’t have expertise in? If you can recognize crackpot ideas in your field, do you think there could equally weird ideas in fields that you know less about? Of course there are. The problem is, we can’t as easily
identify which theories are wacko if it is a subject that we are unfamiliar with. Not all crackpot theories are absurd; if we don’t know any better, some of them can sound quite plausible. So how do you know what information to trust? This issue of not knowing which information to trust is exacerbated by confirmation bias. Confirmation bias is the tendency to acknowledge and trust information that supports our existing beliefs and dismiss information that contradicts our worldview. So how can we make better decisions in a world of conflicting information, where we may not know what sources to trust and, right or wrong, we gravitate to things we already agree with? One place to start is to consider the source of the information. Going back to my fracking friend, I suspect he would counsel people to get their information for expert sources. If you want to know about fracking, ask a petroleum engineer, not Karen from Facebook. We should apply this standard to other subjects too. When appropriate, try to find information from various expert
sources, especially if there are expert sources with different points of view. The same event can be viewed very differently by people with contrasting perspectives. Watch out for the echo chamber of social media. Confirmation bias means you are likely to see what you are already inclined to agree with. But being told the same thing over and over does not make it true. When we know our stuff, crackpot theories can be easily dismissed. But crackpot theories abound, and they can be dangerous when we don’t have a strong framework in place for making good decisions based on accurate information. Where do you get your information? From experts, or from social media memes? 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.
Have you ever had a loved one waiting for medevac? By Judy Kucharuk ne of the lingering reminders of my time as an airline customer service agent for so many years is that I notice every aircraft that arrives or departs our regional airport. The droning sound of a Dash 8 as it climbs into the sky, the whoosh of a small jet, the put-put of a Cessna as they circle the city practicing their touch-and-goes, the rumbling of propellers when taxiing onto the airport apron. I can hear it from my house, almost feel it in my chest. During the past few weeks, take-offs and landings have increased ten-fold. Every single day I hear at least one medevac aircraft land and depart. I know they are medevac aircraft
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because I get curious and log onto FlightAware where I can see exactly what aircraft is departing. My mind wanders: Is it someone I know? Where are they going? Are they going to be OK? The medevac traffic correlates directly with what I read on social media, where people post, “Did you know so and so was airlifted to Vancouver/Victoria/Prince George/ Nanaimo?” Or when government officials impress upon us the stress that the pandemic is placing on our Northern communities and how many have been flown out of the region. They are not lying, nor are they blowing it out of proportion. We are in crisis. Have you ever had a loved one waiting for medevac trans-
port? I certainly have. They wait in hospital for their turn. If someone comes into the ER with a higher priority for transport, the wait gets longer. The nurses and doctors manage them the best that they can while they wait for news of a flight. Sometimes that means waiting two, three, or four days for a rested crew, available aircraft, and hospital destination with the space and resources. In some cases, the wait is deadly. I cannot imagine what it would be like to be a pilot or crew of these aircraft. These days, it must feel like they are being dispatched to a war zone, picking up one critical patient after another – the majority being COVID-19 patients destined for a dwindling number of open ICU beds
somewhere in the province. How does it work exactly? Who gets the first medevac flight? Would a 40-year-old COVID patient needing a higher level of care take precedence over a 60-year-old heart attack patient who requires an emergent angioplasty and stent placement? Do they triage according to seriousness or chance of survival? The healthcare system simply cannot handle the current load. The available ICU beds are not infinite, neither are the aircraft and crew or the paramedics, nurses, doctors, lab technicians, and radiologists. I watched the press conference where B.C. Minister of Health Adrian Dix pleaded for the Northern Health communities to get vaccinated and
shared how dire the situation and how it is stretching and stressing our health care. I thought back to when my father passed away this spring and how I imagined that his death would inspire others to get vaccinated. I thought to myself, “This is what it takes. It takes someone local to pass away for others to realize that the virus is real and deadly.” The truth is that it wasn’t enough. The fact is that one person with COVID-19 can spread it faster and to more people than the number of people compelled to get vaccinated because they knew someone who died of the virus. One exponentially outpaces the other. What will it take? Judy Kucharuk lives and writes in Dawson Creek.