ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS
A6 | NEWS | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2020
Public art for new plaza Matt Preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca The city has unveiled the public art that will be featured at the new festival plaza under construction at Centennial Park. Artists were invited to submit concepts to adorn the fire obelisks that will be installed around a performance space at the plaza. Each obelisk features gas-fueled cauldron within an enclosed steel structure to illuminate the imagery and provide heat to spectators. The city says more than a dozen entries were received from local artists, with a three-member selection panel selecting the following four winners: Kristyn Kerr, Joely Percival, Ovvian Castrillo Hill, and Alison Newth. Each artist received a $2,000 hon-
ourarium, and the obelisks were fabricated by Arctech Welding and Machining, and will be installed soon, the city said. “The quality of the submissions for this art competition was truly spectacular,” said Mayor Lori Ackerman in a statement. “The four winning artists were able to create unique designs that capture the beauty of Fort St. John and we cannot wait to showcase these creations.” The plaza will also feature eight leaning wood poles mimicking the placement of natural wood poles as the skeleton structure of a teepee, as well as artistic paving patterns with a variety of coloured concrete surfaces, including a coloured river that mimics the alignment of the Peace River, and bronze paw prints to replicate true gaits and spacing of each animal.
CITY OF FORT ST. JOHN
Obelisk artwork by Ovvian Castrillo Hill for the city’s new festival plaza.
ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2020 | NEWS | A7
Ma Murray students raise $1,000 in memory of Natalie Small Dillon Giancola sports@ahnfsj.ca Ma Murray school leadership students presented the Fort St. John Hospital Foundation with a $1,000 donation on Dec. 4. The funds were raised in memory of Natalie Small, a student of the school, who touched many hearts in her short time. The donation was raised through a gift tree, collection jars, paper cut out feathers for the Angel Wings, and ice cream sandwich sales, everyone’s favourite! Niki Hedges, Foundation Executive Director, along with Board Director Dr. Kevin Page, visited with the students and staff to receive the donation. Hedges presented a small gift so that each student and teacher could have a traditional Angel Pin in recognition of their kindness in raising the funds in memory of Natalie. Natalie’s family, also received the special Angel pins and one for each sibling. “This was possible as Gentles & Pomeroy sponsor the pins to give to Be An Angel donors,” said Hedges. “Thank you so much, what you have done means a great deal to so many people,” Hedges told the leadership students. Also present was Natalie’s family Deanne Small and Trent Hildebrand. “It’s incredible actually, the students and the school have been very supportive, even when Natalie was still sick and when school was closed in the summer they were still helping out,” Deanne said. “That’s why we live in Fort St. John, when something happens we have the biggest support group around.” In recognition of the students Stephen Petrucci, Super-
intendent, and Helen Gillbert, Chair of the School District 60 Board, also came to congratulate the children. Hunter MacKay, the school’s Vice Principal praised the leadership students for their amazing efforts. “We are very proud of all the students and their spirit of caring and compassion and their big hearts.” A total of nine Grade 5 students volunteered to be a part of the leadership committee, led by teacher Meagan Bracey. “We wanted to help out with the school, be upstanding people, and thought it would be a nice thing to do,” said student Gabriella Daniele. Leadership student Chloe Matuod said she and her classmates helped Mrs. Bracey come up the idea for the fundraiser. “It felt really good to raise this money because it feels like we are really helping out in the community,” said leadership student Brooklyn Coyle. The other leadership students are McKinley Loder, Parker Stregger, Lyra McColm, Katelynn Ferris, Monroe Mize, and Makayla Hammond. Hedge’s went on to say the Foundation will place Natalie’s name on the Foundation’s In Memory Wall, which is located in the Fort St John Hospital. “We are deeply touched by this special Be An Angel donation. When given the opportunity children really want to make a difference! You can see how much they really care by their actions.” For more information about how to set up an In Memory Program or an create an Endowment Fund to support the Fort St John Hospital Foundation enhancing patient care and comfort, contact Niki Hedges 250-261-7563.
DILLON GIANCOLA, FSJ HOSPITAL FOUNDATION PHOTOS
Above: A group of Grade 5 Ma Murray students presented the Fort St. John Hospital Foundation with a cheque for $1,000 on Dec. 4, 2020, money they raised at the school in honour of Natalie Small. Below: Every feather placed on the wall represents a Ma Murray student who made a donation to the Fort St. John Hospital Foundation’s Be An Angel campaign in memory of Natalie Small.
ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2020 | NEWS | A11
CHU CHO ENVIRONMENTAL
A wetland in the Finlay sub-region.
Mapping wetlands and riparian areas in the Peace Chelsea Coady Alaska Highway News We have wetlands and riparian areas across our Peace Region that are home to diverse plant and wildlife species. When it comes to conserving and enhancing these areas—which include habitats like riparian forests, bogs, marshes, fens, and swamps—the first step seems pretty straightforward: figuring out where they are. But mapping wetlands and riparian areas isn’t as simple as it sounds. Our region is large, about 7.2 million hectares, and there are remote areas where access is a real challenge. Here at the Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program (FWCP), it’s our job to pinpoint conservation and enhancement opportunities and get to work on them. So, we invested in a machine learning model to help us predict the abundance, distribution, and connectivity of wetlands and riparian areas throughout our Peace Region. We chose this technological approach because our region is so large that more traditional mapping would not have been cost-effective, or even feasible. This model—which was developed by the B.C. Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy with FWCP funding— displays through an online tool called the Williston
The Williston Wetland Explorer Tool displaying the 3 and 10-category wetland and riparian area predictions near the Finlay Arm of the Williston Reservoir.
Wetland Explorer Tool (WWET). The model has predicted where wetlands and riparian areas are across our region. It can also predict where uplands and water are, and even further classify wetlands into three riparian classes and five wetland classes: bog, fen, marsh, swamp, and shallow water wetlands. The model was built using several layers of data, such as elevation data, satellite imagery, and high-resolution spatial climate data. Making the model accurate meant “training” it to interpret the data and accurately predict wetlands and riparian areas. In order to do this, ecosystem-mapping experts interpreted random points
using satellite imagery and input their assessments of uplands, water, and wetlands (including wetland and riparian classes) into the model. Over 13,000 training points were expertly interpreted and incorporated into the model and then validated with onthe-ground field data that was collected in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Comparing the predicted areas with field data showed that the model is 86.7% accurate at predicting where wetlands, water, and uplands occur across our Peace Region, making it a reliable tool for identification, planning, and management. The model is also 53% accurate at predicting the three riparian and five
wetland classes—which reflects how challenging it is to make predictions at those levels. The WWET addresses that first step of conserving and enhancing wetlands and riparian areas: it figures out where they are and what types of disturbances, like roads, are impacting their natural hydrology. It displays disturbance layers—such as roads and linear corridors, cut blocks, wildfire perimeters, mines, and areas of beetle infestation—and shows how those layers overlap with predicted wetlands and riparian areas. This makes it possible to be proactive about conservation and enhancement opportunities. In fact, two actions in our
2020 Peace Region Riparian & Wetlands Action Plan— which lays out priority actions and guides our decision-making when it comes to funding projects— are focused on using the predictive riparian and wetland model and the WWET to prioritize wetlands and riparian areas for conservation and enhancement. Our Peace Region is home to diverse ecosystems that support countless plant, fish, and wildlife species. Wetlands and riparian areas provide habitat for a disproportionate number of species compared to other ecosystems, and the predictive wetland and riparian model and the WWET will allow us to work more efficiently to conserve and enhance these areas— and provide functioning habitat for the species that depend on them. The Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program is a partnership between BC Hydro, First Nations, the Province of B.C., Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and public stakeholders to conserve and enhance fish and wildlife in watersheds impacted by BC Hydro dams. Chelsea Coady is the Peace Region manager for the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program. Have a question? Email her at chelsea.coady@ bchydro.com.
Radiothon raises $80k for hospital needs
FORT ST JOHN HOSPITAL FOUNDATION
From left: Adam Reaburn and Asuncion Sta. Maria with Rod Locke, Lacey Beaumont, and Andrew Benjamin of NorthRiver Midstream, which matched the first $20,000 raised during this year’s Light a Moose radiothon held Nov. 18 to 20, 2020.
More than $80,000 was raised for the Fort St. John Hospital Foundation at the annual Light a Moose radiothon last month. NorthRiver Midstream matched the first $20,000 raised at the three-day event held Nov. 18 to 20, with dozens of individuals and businesses dropping by to contribute to the Hospital Foundation’s most important year-end campaign.
Murray GM donated $20 from every oil change, while Denny’s contributed 15% of its sales adding a further $700 to the total. Several companies also donated gift certificates and items for gift baskets that were auctioned online, and Tervita came in with a final donation that tipped the grand total over the $80,000 mark. Proceeds will support the Hospital Foundation’s
Greatest Equipment Needs Fund for the hospital and Peace Villa. “Every year, there are always many surprises with the level of generosity of donations from our youngest right up to our businesses who donate every year,” said executive director Niki Hedges. “Every dollar big or small helped to raise this amazing amount. Thank you to everyone again this year.”
ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS
A12 | NEWS | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2020
Lessons from the days of polio
SENIORS HALL
DILLON GIANCOLA PHOTO
Mindy Henyu of the Surepoint Group and Fort St. John Women’s Resource Society President Sherry Marshall were handing out free lunches and gloves to those in need as part of Giving Tuesday on Dec. 2, 2020. “We’re looking for opportunities to give to people in a number of different ways, and we wanted to be able to provide people with a bit of extra food in their bellies today,” Henyu said.
TOM SUMMER PHOTO
Assistant museum manager Christian Eschenberg says the Hudson’s Hope museum is open until Christmas Eve.
TOM SUMMER PHOTO
Barry Clarke at work setting up a Christmas display at Expert Bailiff Services in Fort St. John.
DILLON GIANCOLA PHOTO
Volunteer Corey Unrau mans the Salvation Army Christmas kettle at Safeway during the dinner shopping hour on December 2, 2020.
I am an old person now and I do not want other people telling me how to live my life. I think I can make my own decisions based on experience and reasoning. When it comes to COVID-19 I draw on my experience with polio. When I was 10, I was the first person diagnosed with polio in Vernon. There was no warning and no chance to prepare. One day I was OK and the next day I was in isolation at the hospital. Fortunately, there were no longterm effects except to learn that I am not immune to disease. As a result, I take a proactive approach to COVID-19. I do not wait to be told to wear a mask, to socially distance, and to avoid crowds. I make those choices for myself. If I do not make the right choices I have only myself to blame. I base my choices off of what I see from other people. The people who show fear in the face of this virus are doctors, nurses, and scientists — people who know the consequences. I hear them saying “watch out, this is nontrivial.” And so, I watch out. I know that some people do not accept that COVID-19 is a major problem. That does not affect my thinking or my decisions. I make my own choices because it is my body that will be affected by my decisions. Oh, and yes, if I don’t wear a mask, I could cause
someone else to get the sickness. It would be hard to live with the knowledge that someone’s mother or father died because I forgot to wear my mask. We older people have what it takes to make wise choices – a lifetime of experience and great love for family and friends. Local light show Do check out Sean Gallagher’s Christmas lights just off the west bypass road north of town. They are better than ever this year. Wooly light show If you haven’t seen the video of Welsh sheep with lights on them you are missing something. Just search “extreme sheep herding with lights! YouTube” to see how smart sheep dogs can be. Correction Walmart does have curbside pickup for everything but groceries. Sorry I had the wrong information last week. Quote of the week “Faith is having a positive attitude about what you can do and not worrying at all about what you can’t do.” Ruby McBeth is a community columnist and lives in Fort St. John.
How much should I be saving?
F
rom time to time people ask me what other people are doing with their money. They are not creeping. They just want to know how they are measuring up. I get where they are coming from, but this is not actually the best way to plan your finances. You have your own goals and resources and risk tolerance and family circumstances, so what is right for another person is not necessarily what is right for you. That being said, I think that there is some utility to be had by having a conversation about how much you might expect to spend in order to reach your financial objectives. I understand that you have a lot of stuff that you want to do right now, and all that stuff costs money. Trust me, I get that. I just dropped a bunch of money myself this week on things I want to do with my kids. The thing is, one day you are going to want to, or you are going to need to, stop working. But I can assure you that when that day comes, you will still want to do things that cost money. The question is then, where is the money going to come from after you stop working? To prepare for the future, let’s start the conversation with saving 10% of your income for future consumption. In other words, if you are making $100,000 a year, you should be thinking about saving $10,000 a year. Now some people are going to say, “I can’t do that!” But lets talk about what that means for a moment. Because if you are making $100k a year I can assure you that you will not be able to maintain that lifestyle on what you get from the Canada Pension Plan. So the implication of not saving now is that you will have a severe drop in your standard of living down the road. Is that what you really want? I know that level of savings may sound unrealistic, but trust me on this. For most people, living on 90% of your income will not be that different than spending it all. You will, however, inevitably notice a difference in your standard of living if you spend 100% of your income now
BRAD BRAIN and save nothing for the future. Achieving your objectives in life is what financial planning is all about, but unfortunately not everyone will get to live that long, happy, healthy life. Bad things happen to people, and their can be catastrophic financial consequences of a serious illness or premature death. A solid income protection plan will look at life insurance, disability insurance, and critical illness insurance. To get high quality coverage in all three of these vitally important areas might cost you 5% of your income. Again people might say, “I can’t afford that!” But let’s talk about what that means for a moment. To forgo a comprehensive income protection plan means that if something bad happens, you are without recourse. If you cannot work because you are hurt or sick or killed, where is the money going to come from? So, you want to know what other people are doing? Let’s start with this. Save 10% of your income for the future and put 5% of your income towards protection. Now you can go ahead and do what you want with the other 85% of your income. You have the peace of mind of knowing that you are both working towards your long-term dreams and you are covered from the financial impact of a catastrophic change in health. Remember, these are just some ballpark numbers for discussion purposes. To see what you should be specifically be doing in order to achieve your objectives, speak with a professional financial planner. 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 through www.bradbrainfinancial.com.
A16 | NEWS | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2020
ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS
MATT PREPROST PHOTOS
Add some colour to your week and drop by Peace Gallery North to check out the Fort St John Country Quilter’s 2020 exhibition, “Stay Calm & Quilt On”. We dropped in last Saturday, and found quilters Anita Anderson, Donna Gauthier, and Kim Telizyn proud to show off their most beautiful and intricate works.