Caledonia Courier, November 28, 2012 by Black Press Media Group

Inside

u Service for seniors P. 3 u Foot-stomping fun P. 8

u MLA expenses P. 9 u CNC job action P. 7

Publications Mail Contract #: 40007759

PHONE: 996-8482 www.caledoniacourier.com

WEDNESDAY, November 28, 2012

NEWS BRIEFS Snowmobile drags

VOL. 35 NO. 39 $1.34 inc. GST

Mini ballerinas

The Fort St. James Chamber of Commerce has set the date for their snowmobile drag race event as February 15, 16 and 17 of 2013. The event is still in the planning stages, but the hope is to hold a snowmobile racing event at the fairgrounds, just south of town. While an event was being planned last year, some of the logistics of holding the event on the ice of Stuart Lake led to the cancelation of the races.

JRP schedule finalized The schedule for the Enbridge Northern Gateway Joint Review panel has been revised. There were additional hearing days added to the schedule. Oral statements will be heard in Victoria on January 4-11, in Vancouver January 14 -18, 30, 31, and February 1. Oral statements will be heard in Kelowna on January 28. The final hearings for questioning in Prince Rupert will take place over three weeks in February, two weeks in March and all of April. The final hearings for argument will be from May 19 to late June. The review panel report will be released on December 29, 2013.

Jasmeena Dhaliwal (front right) was one of the little ballerinas taking ballet lessons at the Seniors Activity Centre last week. It was the first week of lessons by Suzi Finlay. More photos on the Caledonia Courier Facebook page.

Ruth Lloyd/Caledonia Courier

Clear cut confusion

MLA Rustad attempts to clear up confusion around Timber SupPly Committee recommendations Cameron Ginn Black Press Ten years from now, more than half of the province’s merchantable pine is expected to die from the mountain pine beetle (MPB) epidemic. Smaller than an apple seed, the beetle has killed almost half of the pine in the Lakes, Quesnel and the Vanderhoof forest district. “It’s a very impressive force of nature,” said Dr. Dezene Uber, an ecosystem science and management professor at the University of Northern British Columbia who has studied the insect extensively. Since the MPB epidemic began around 1999, the provincial government has spent nearly $1 billion on counter-infestation initiatives, with millions going towards preparing forestry-dependent communities for a post-beetle economy. In May 2012, a Special Committee on Timber Supply was appointed by the province to make recommendations on how to deal with timber losses in the central interior. According to the special committee’s report published in August 2012, in 15 years, when beetle-killed pine is no longer salvageable, the province’s

supply of mature timber is expected to drop by an amount that would sustain approximately eight mills in the central interior. “The anticipated decrease,” the report says, “will have significant negative economic and social impacts on forestry-dependent communities and present major challenges to the industry.” But misinformation has been circulating over how the province intends to manage the mid-term timber supply, according to John Rustad, MLA for Nechako Lakes, and chair of the special committee. Earlier this month, Rustad diffused public concern that the province was going to enter growth management areas (OGMAs) as a means of mitigating harvest shortages. “Our report was very specific in saying that we would be not doing that,” he said. Only when a community expresses interest in harvesting OGMAs - where timber harvesting is generally avoided - could a potential exception be made, he explained. Even then, the area would be subjected to a science-based review process and followed by public consultations with stakeholders and First

Nations. “Ultimately it would be a decision made locally. It wouldn’t be something that would be initiated by the province,” he said. Not all old growth forests are protected from logging, and some marginally economic stands will inevitably offer short-term solutions to what is forecasted to be a long-term shortage of mature timber in B.C. Of the province’s 55 million hectares of forests, about 25 million hectares is considered old growth forests, 18 per cent of which are protected, according to the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations. In October 2012, the ministry created a new action plan focusing on reforestation, forest inventory, fuel management and silviculture. Under the plan, the ministry will begin assessing high-priority sensitive areas in the Lakes in early 2013 to find out if proposed changes to land use objectives would affect underlying values - the protection of habitat, water quality, fish and wildlife, recreation, tourism and spiritual and visual-quality values - and, if so, to what degree. “It has been suggested that because of the damage the MPB has caused,

some of these ‘sensitive areas’ are no longer serving their original intended purposes. For example, if all the trees are dead in an old growth area, then it’s not really an old growth area any more,” said Vivian Thomas, communications manager for the ministry, in an email. “However, some wildlife habitat areas, although affected by the MPB, still serve an important wildlife habitat area and would need to be kept as such.” As the timber supply continues to decline, the ministry is being pressured by communities and industry to relax environmental constraints for harvesting in certain areas to retain jobs and prevent economic hardship in forestrydependent communities. Nowhere is this more evident than in Burns Lake, where in January 2012, the Babine Forest Products mill, the pillar of the economy there, was destroyed by a fiery explosion. Two people died, 44 others were injured and more than 200 jobs were lost. To support the construction of a new mill, the ministry has offered the community a license to harvest a significant amount of marginally economic timber, which would help keep a new mill operating for many years to come.

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NEWS

Courier

Question

Wednesday, November 28, 2012 Caledonia Courier

Lakeshore Realty

of the Week

Month-long Events Alcohol Awareness Month National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. 212-269-7797 www.ncadd.org

Have you started your Christmas Child Abuse Prevention Month Prevent Child Abuse America shopping and how 312-663-3520 www.preventchildabuse.org much Christmas Jazz Appreciation Month shopping doSmithsonian you National Museum of American History 202-633-3129 www.smithsonianjazz.org do locally? Kevin Gedling National Car Care Month Car Care Council “I generally 240-333-1088 www.carcare.orgown gifts.”

529 Fir Street Great for first time home buyer - it’s cheaper than rent OR investment property - rentals are in demand. Four bedroom mobile home on deeded land on the greenbelt. Fresh paint, bathroom renos, new interior doors, all appliances, plus BI dishwasher included. Private backyard with large covered deck and two storage sheds. Some furniture could be included. Quick possession possible. $63,500

BeaverOnGolfCourseC0804.EPS

Teresa Charlie Patricia Joseph Hot Retail Co-op Categories

Margaret Ann Houghton “I have started.” “I shop here first and if it’s at all possible, I buy it here.”

Bicycles, Accessories and Supplies Lawn and Garden “No.” “I haven’t started it Motorcycles and Snowmobiles “Everything.”Outdoor Furnishingsyet, but I’m probably Recreational Vehiclesgoing to do it all lo-

make my

cally anyways.”

National Donate Life Month U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 202-619-0257 www.organdonor.gov

You’ll find us at 169 STUART DRIVE, FSJ DaffodilsHC0804.EPS lkshore@telus.net 250-996-8618

Hot Manufacturer Co-op Benjamin Moore Paints Camp Healthcare Grasshopper Mowers Rolex Watch Whirlpool Corporation

Everybody Loses

ASPCA, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals 212-876-7700 www.aspca.org

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High risk times of day: 5 - 8 am and 5 - 7 pm

but the Special inquiry itself some serious stumbling blocks Section Buildersuffered Themes AdBuilder • Financialthe way, with some advocacy groups saying not enough along • Planning a Garden effort was made to include the voices of marginalized women. • Earth Day The government will be releasing the report to the public in • Easter mid-December. Special Events The inquiry began in October of 2011. NCAA Men’s Final Four Championship 4&6

750 wildlife vehicle collisions occur each year from Prince George to Prince Rupert.

For driving tips go to www.wildlifecollisions.ca Sponsored by ICBC and the Wildlife Collision Prevention Program

5&7 16 19–25 19–25 20 22 23

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District of Fort St. James Calendar NCAA Women’s Final Four Championship National Stress Awareness Day National Volunteer Week Week of the Young Child Boston Marathon National Jelly Bean Day Take Our Daughters/Sons to Work Day

5 ft 36% of 2.5 ft collisions

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Wally Opal has handed in the Missing Women Inquiry’s report to the provincial Nationalgovernment. Parkinson Awareness Month National Parkinson Inc. police investigations of The report, which lookedFoundation, into the missing women 800-327-4545 from Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, is nearly www.parkinson.org 1,500 pages long. of Animal Month It will includePrevention findings and Cruelty recommendations gong forward,

7.5 ft

42% of collisions

Missing women report National Lawn Care Month PLANET, Professional Landcare Network 800-395-2522 www.landcarenetwork.org

10 ft

CAR vs MOOSE

November, 2012

SUNDAY

MONDAY

March 2009Skating 25 Public

Municipal Website: www.fortstjames.ca

26May 2009 S

Fair 12-4pm @ Legion

F Dr. Gabor Mate1 3on4‘Adult-Child 5 6 7 8 10Relationships’ 11 12 13 14 15 @ 22 17 6-8:30pm 18 19 20 21 Kwah Hall 24 25 26 27 28 29 31

5 Palm Sunday

S 2 9 16 23 30

WEDNESDAY

28 1April Fool’s Day

29 2

9 First Day of Passover

313

Public Skating 5:45-7:15pm

Easter Monday (Australia & Canada)

Arts Fest ‘Top Ten’ 11:30-4:30pm @ Library 4-5pm

Program 1:15-3pm Youth Horsemanship Series 4-5pm Hoop Dance 6:457:45pm @ Sowchea

20 Taurus

10 Good Friday

December, 2012 717

6 515 Tax Day FREE Assertiveness 16

414

Festival of Trees Lunch 11:30-2:30pm @ Northern

919

FRIDAY

22 Earth Day

Volunteer Tutoring 6-9pm @ Learning Hub

Hoop Dance 6:457:45pm @ Sowchea

26 Public Skating 5:45-7:15pm

18 Workers Mourning Day

28 (Canada) Christmas Crafts & Fun @ Kwah Hall 5-8pm

Evangelical Church Christmas Prgrm @ 7pm

Igniting Your Ad Sales

Public Skating 7:45-8:45pm

Day Skating 24 Arbor Public 7:45-8:45pm

1 Festival of Trees 11 Coffee House 5-9pm @ Northern Writer’s Workshop 10-2pm @ Learning Hub FREE Lunch!

8 18

Administrative Professionals Day

Public Skating 5:45-7:15pm

SATURDAY

3 4 30 Volunteer Tutoring Moonlight Madness 6-9pm @ Learning Festival of Trees 10-12 Stages Play @ Santa Claus Parade Dr. Gabor Mate on Learning Hub 7pm Free Hot Dogs & ‘Addictions’ 9-12pm Youth Horsemanship Hot Chocolate Santa Snrs Assoc. AGM @ Kwah Hall Series photos @ Integris 7pm @ Snrs Rec Ctr Cancer Support Group 1pm @ Sue’s

*Dog Licences need to be renewed for January 2013. *Seniors Ctr Lunch, Mon, Wed, & Fri 11:30 - 2pm *All Wednesdays Hoop Dance 6:45 - 7:45pm @ Sowchea

2 12 Easter

THURSDAY

Music on the Mountain Presents ‘High Society’ @ North Arm Pub 9pm Call 996-7059 for more info!

25 Anzac Day (Australia)

Deadline for CNC Short Story Writing Contest

20 30

Please submit all events by Wednesday for the next Wednesday paper distribution. ofﬁce@fortstjames.ca

S M T W T F S 5:45-7:15pm 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Newcomers’ Potluck 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Meet & Greet 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 6:30pm @ NHS 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Home Business 29 30 Based 31

TUESDAY

Public Skating 7:45-8:45pm

Hoop Dance 6:457:45pm @ Sowchea

November 30th Christmas Events!

• AdBuilder(6:30pm Retail 7pm Santa Claus Parade start from Cottonwood Park to 5 corners) • AdBuilder Classified Santa & Photos, FREE• Hot Dogs & Hot Chocolate @ Integris, & Old Northern Bldg’ Co-op Sales Ideas ®

AdBuilder.com

*Fri Nov 30th Open House 5-9pm

Office: 477 Stuart Drive West

Telephone: 250-996-8233

*Sat Dec 1st Coﬀee House 7-9pm Follow us on Twitter: @DFSJames

*Sun Dec 2nd Lunch 11:30-2:30pm Like us at Facebook: District of Fort St. James

Email: office@fortstjames.ca

Caledonia Courier Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Courier

NEWS

www.caledoniacourier.com A3

LEFT: (L-R) Rob Garden, Yvonne Sam, Suzanne Crookes, Larry Taylor, Elsie Chauvin, and Catherine Church wil be helping to get the senior delivery service up and running. Missing from photo are representatives from Overwaitea and the Pharmacy. Ruth Lloyd/Caledonia Courier

EVANGELICAL FREE CHURCH WELCOMES YOU! 4th Avenue W & Birch Street

SUNDAY SCHOOL .........10:30 am - 12 Noon MORNING WORSHIP ....10:30 am - 12 Noon Church Office 996-7261

OUR LADY OF THE SNOWS ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH (Across from the Petrocan Station)

SUNDAY LITURGY: Saturday 7:30 pm & Sunday 10:30 am DAILY MASS: Monday - Friday 9:00 am

Seniors helping seniors Ruth Lloyd Caledonia Courier Things will get a little bit easier for seniors in the community starting Dec. 3. This is the date the On the Road: Seniors Helping Seniors program will be starting up. The program is a four-month pilot project to offer free delivery of groceries, prescriptions, library books and the processing of municipal payments. Funding for the program came from New Horizons grant funding from the provincial government and has made it possible for the District of Fort St. James to purchase a deliv-

ery van and hire Yvonne Sam as the senior delivery service coordinator. A five-person action committee will be operating the program, with partnerships with Overwaitea, Sana’aih Market, the Lakeshore Pharmacy and the Fort St. James Bicentennial Library. While the service is geared towards seniors, others in need would not be turned away, according to Sam. She said people incapacitated for medical reasons or other people with mobility issues could also use the service if they needed. Potential users of the service only need to contact Yvonne Sam and fill out a referral

sheet which provides the coordinator the necessary information to get them started. Deliveries will take place Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m.. Orders would need to be placed 24 hours in advance and except for prescriptions, would have to be under $100 purchases per trip. The service is currently funded until March 22, 2013, but the group continues to look for other funding opportunities to continue the service with the help of the District of Fort St. James Grant Writer Shauna Hess.

PASTORAL TEAM: FATHER FRANK SALMON 250-996-8343 SR. JANE DWYER, SR. PAT MACAULAY, SR. DIVINA PEDRO

250-996-2275

THE CHURCHES OF FORT ST. JAMES

Round and round on the bus Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP and NDP House Leader Nathan Cullen said the NDP are struggling with the latest Omnibus Budget Bill. Once again, the Harper government has introduced a budget bill full of a number of different changes to different acts, and then voted to shut down debate on the budget. Cullen said out of thousands of proposed amendments, the government has left the bill intact. “The government so far hasn’t changed a single period or comma on the bill that we can find,” he said. As Cullen spoke to reporters, he was heading to the 31st vote to shut down debate in parliament since the government took of-

FORT ST. JAMES PUBLIC LIBRARY HOURS... Tuesday 11:30-8:00 Wednesday 11:30-4:30 Thursday 11:30-4:30

fice. “They’re setting all kinds of records that no government should want to set,” said Cullen. The Omnibus Bill introduces changes brought in with the Navigable

Waters Act which Cullen said remove protection for streams and rivers in the riding, leaving only the Skeena River still protected under the act. Cullen is also introducing a private members bill

which would extend the Northern Tax credit to Haida Gwaii. “This is something that we’re trying to do in conjunction with the budget debate and talk about fairness in taxes,” said Cullen.

Do you want to practise forestry in BC? New forestry designation available now The Natural Resource Professional (or NRP) designation is new and recent grads from natural resources conservation programs at the University of BC, Thompson Rivers University and the University of Northern BC can apply today. The NRP designation will allow you to practise aspects of professional forestry in every corner of the province. You might find yourself working for government, consultants, industry, Aboriginal groups and more! For more information and to see which programs qualify, visit our website at www.abcfp.ca.

Carbon monoxide prevention Natural gas is used safely and reliably in homes across B.C. Regular inspection and maintenance is the best way to ensure peak performance of your natural gas appliances — and to prevent carbon monoxide (CO) in the home. Since CO is colourless and odourless, you can install a CO alarm for extra peace of mind. To learn more about carbon monoxide safety, visit fortisbc.com/co.

Friday 11:30-8:00 Saturday 11:00-3:00

FortisBC Energy Inc., FortisBC Energy (Vancouver Island) Inc., FortisBC Energy (Whistler) Inc., and FortisBC Inc. do business as FortisBC. The companies are indirect, wholly owned subsidiaries of Fortis Inc. FortisBC uses the FortisBC name and logo under license from Fortis Inc. (12-315 11/2012)

Editorial Page

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AUDIT

Wednesday, November 28, 2012 Caledonia Courier

The Caledonia Courier is a member of the British

Distributed every Wednesday in Fort St. James

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Publisher: Pam Berger pam@ominecaexpress.com

governing the province’s newspaper industry. The

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To receipt or not to receipt... Ruth Lloyd Caledonia Courier I was reading through a story on MLA expenses recently (see page 9), and I had to wonder, why are there two sets of rules, one for the rest of us, and one for our politicians in Victoria? Now, in the story by Tom Fletcher, there are some really remarkable things going on with MLA travel expenses, and this is not just a Liberal issue or an NDP issue or an independent issue. Unfortunately, the issue appears to be more entrenched than one party’s lack of bookkeeping. MLAs are not required to produce receipts, and are not required to list where or for what reason they are expensing the costs. Tens of thousands of dollars in MLA expenses charged and submitted without receipts and no apparent accountability either. Now I find this curious, because while it is a pain in the butt, keeping receipts and tracking costs is something most of us do at some point. When I was a firefighter for the province, I had a provincial credit card, and I used it frequently, but I had to account for every penny spent. In fact, we had such strict oversight in the

• Opinion...

fire centre, if we were out by 25 cents, we would be expected to deliver it to the bookkeepers in person (I think they thought this was a good lesson). If we lost a receipt, an attempt had to be made to get a new one issued, and if not possible, a form had to be filled out and signed. Sure I dreaded the monthly statement, sorting through the receipts and arranging them, but once a smart coworker developed a simple Excel worksheet to write in the necessary codes, it did not take much time, and as long as I had managed to keep my receipts in reasonable order, everyone was happy. Now I know MLAs are busy people, but is it really that hard to ask for a receipt and make sure to have the liquor on a separate bill? They have office staff who could fill out the paperwork, as long as they kept track and logged their receipts properly. How are we supposed to take politicians seriously and trust them when they are allowed free reign on spending our hard-earned dollars for their travel expenses? What I would like to know most, however, is this: How would an auditor respond if we were to file our taxes and claim tens of thousands of dollars in expenses without keeping a single receipt? Not sure it would fly.

Tom Fletcher Black Press

Reality check

If you find Premier Christy Clark’s campaign against teen bullying to be superficial or even self-serving, I’ve got news for you. It’s potentially worse than that. With the greatest respect to the family of Amanda Todd, her tragic case isn’t representative of teen suicide any more than it is typical of high-school bullying. A clearer and more disturbing picture emerges from the latest report of B.C.’s Representative for Children and Youth, Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond. It’s a survey of 89 child protection cases from 2007 to 2010, where 15 kids killed themselves and the rest inflicted serious selfinjury, in some cases repeatedly. The word “bully” does not appear in the report. It speaks of domestic violence, physical and sexual abuse, addiction, and runaways targeted by street predators. Three quarters of the kids were removed from their homes to protect them from their parents. More than half are aboriginal. Its key conclusion is that shifting traumatized and mentally ill teens from institutional care to foster homes isn’t working. Earnest but inadequately trained foster parents and social workers can’t cope with kids who need diagnosis, treatment and supervision. I asked Turpel-Lafond about the B.C. government’s recent focus on bullying. She said it’s worthwhile, and there are parallels between Amanda’s case and more common teen suicides. One is isolation at moments of crisis. “Say you’re a middle-class parent with a child who hasn’t come out of their bedroom in six months, or you have a boy in foster care who’s in his 14th home,” she said. “They both want to kill themselves, so what do

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you do?” Ideally, you intervene and get them to a child psychologist. Parents or guardians who can’t afford $150 an hour can wait months for the Ministry of Children and Family Development to arrange it. And in the meantime, our supposedly family-based foster care system sends them to school. “I’m really worried about how [school-based antibullying programs] will affect the most vulnerable kids, because you start anonymously reporting someone as being a bully,” Turpel-Lafond said. “Yeah, we know they’re in the youth justice system. We know they’re troubled. By the way, they’ve been sexually and physically abused, jumped through 30 foster homes, and now we want to label them again?” This is not to suggest that the existing B.C. effort isn’t substantial. The ministry reports that there are 2,221 front-line staff positions, of which 219 are currently vacant. It’s notoriously difficult to recruit, train and keep child protection workers, especially in remote communities. Turpel-Lafond says her latest figures show the child and youth mental health service has 476 staff, with 21 vacancies and a government-wide hiring freeze. And many of those are doing double duty as community service managers. Those managers don’t even have reliable data on case loads, she said. They just know they’re overwhelmed and many of the kids aren’t being reached. This is not about political blame. I can trace this problem back to when Grace McCarthy was children’s minister, and the NDP did no better. I’ve learned a bit about Riverview and Tranquille, asylums that were closed because of a modern belief that they were inhumane. At least they offered safety and medical care to even the most damaged people.

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Caledonia Courier Wednesday, November 28, 2012

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FRIDAY NOVEMBER 30TH

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Seasons Greetings from the Staff at HUB International Barton Insurance. We would like to thank all our customers for their continued support. Once again we will be donating to the Christmas Toy and Food Drive. For the 3rd year we will have a tree of warmth in our office. We are graciously accepting donations of new or gently used items until Dec 20th, when it will be given to the Fireweed Safe Haven to distribute accordingly.

(Top) Young patrons of the Festival of Trees get their photos taken in the Who’s of Whoville cutouts after the Santa Claus Parade during Moonlight Madness last year. (Left) Bev Playfair (right) waved to the crowd with Norah Shute (left) on the Happy Feet float during the 2011 parade.

During Moonlight Madness drop in for beverages and goodies to enter your name for a goodie basket that will be drawn on Dec 20th.

470 Stuart Dr., Fort St. James

250-996-7141

Ruth Lloyd/Caledonia Courier

Moonlight Madness Friday, November 30th

Buck Draws

2nd Prize

1st Prize

Shop local this season Like many people, you may not be aware of the impact of your shopping habits on the prosperity of our local district of Fort St. James. But just consider that when you buy locally, you contribute directly to Fort St. James economic health. By buying locally and using local services, you participate in the local economy. In fact, this is the best way to ensure that you’ll live in a prosperous community that can share its abundance with all residents. Local shops and businesses are vital to the well-being of the community. They are a crucial link in the chain that ensures a vigorous local economy, regional growth and community improvement. Encourage your local shops and businesses by purchasing their goods and services, and

you’re also demonstrating a sense of solidarity and responsibility. Every time a local business closes its doors, it means fewer jobs, fewer resources and less

vitality for the area. But by retaining capital within the neighbourhood, you can ensure the survival of the local economy of Fort St. James.

7pm - 8pm Friday, Nov. 30th, 2012

OFFER AVAILABLE UNTIL NOV 30TH!!!

Season Passes Available at these fine locations:

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Kids Treats Sponsored by Conifex

3rd Prize

$50

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A6 www.caledoniacourier.com

Wednesday, November 28, 2012 Caledonia Courier

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NEWS CNC CUPE staff job action

Caledonia Courier Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Ruth Lloyd Caledonia Courier CNC CUPE support staff were on strike for two days last week, but have gone back to work as talks resume. Support staff and human resource staff under Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 4951 were out on picket lines at the CNC buildings in Fort St. James and all six regional campuses. The job action had stopped classes for Tuesday and Wednesday, as strikers braved the cold to hold signs along Stuart Drive. The union had advised CNC job action was likely to last for two days. All courses, programs and services across the six area campuses were suspended until the job action ends. The faculty and administrative staff were not on

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strike but were not holding classes. This also means the college will be extending their fee payment deadline to Nov. 23 for students to pay. The college CUPE workers have been without a contract since 2010 and the union is currently asking for a zero, zero, two and two per cent wage hike agreement over four years, the same wage agreement which was recently given to CUPE university workers. The government has agreed to meet with the union today (Thursday, Nov. 22). "The PSEA is prepared to come back to the table with a reasonable offer, but unions in this sector need to be willing to stretch if they want to meet the expectations of their members, said Anita Black, Post-Second- L-R: Kris Nielson, Deb Page and Shana Labatch picket ary Employers' Association outside the Fort St. James CNC main campus on Highway CEO. 27 last week.

BROCHURES BROCHU RES CATAL CATALOGU O OGU ES CON CONTES TESTS TS S PR RODU ODUCT CTS CT TS T S ST TOR OR RE ES S FLYERS FLY ERS S DE DEALS ALS S COUPO COU UPO PO ONS S BRO BR ROC CHU HU U URE RES ES S CA CATAL AL LOGU OGUES ES ES

Holiday Gift Guide

Stay tuned for gift Ideas for the whole family and take the guess work out of shopping! For Him, For Her, For Kids, and Stocking Stuffers.

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Ruth Lloyd/Caledonia Courier

Ruth Lloyd Caledonia Courier The Fort St. James Greyhound office has closed, due to the previous managers closing up shop. The Teekay Taxi office also handled Greyhound freight and ticket sales, but Greyhound customers are left out in the cold now after the location closed due to reported family health issues, according to Greyhound. Currently, Fort St. James Greyhound customers must meet the bus and pay the driver if they have cash or alternatively, give the driver some identification and then purchase their ticket in Vanderhoof. Buses are still maintaining the same schedule. Freight is only going as far as Vanderhoof, and must be picked up or dropped off there. While Greyhound reported the location in Fort St. James does not make enough money to merit a separate location, the company is searching for a replacement office partnership where customers could purchase tickets and pick up and drop off freight. For further information, contact Lyn Potts at lyn.potts@greyhound. com

Pre Christmas Santa Shopping Tour

GATEWAY perspectives

Kitimat: A safe option There’s no mistaking the importance of Kitimat, B.C., to the Gateway project. It’s where the pipeline ends, and it’s where marine operations begin. I’d like to set the record straight on why we chose Kitimat, at the head of the Douglas Channel, as the site for Gateway’s marine terminal. The answer took thousands of hours of research, planning, engineering, environmental science, oceanography consultation, weather monitoring, and simulation. But the simple reason is . . . safety, all the way. The Douglas Channel is one of the widest and deepest inland waterways on North America’s west coast. Government research had already determined Kitimat to be among the safest ports in B.C., and about 1,500 tankers carrying petrochemicals have docked safely at Kitimat over the past quarter-century. Strategically speaking, Kitimat provides the lowest environmental risk for all aspects of Gateway operations. It offers a safer endpoint for the pipeline route, from a geotechnical perspective. The marine terminal at Kitimat also provides safe approaches for tanker traffic — with a suitable turning basin in Kitimat Arm, and natural deep-water berths that are sheltered

from open-water wave conditions. At its very narrowest, the Douglas Channel is 1.4 kilometres wide — three times wider than Transport Canada’s recommended width for two-way tanker traffic. Water depths in the marine channels are up to several hundred metres.

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As an added measure, full simulations of vessel traffic in the Douglas Channel were carried out at a world-leading facility in Denmark. It tested the largest proposed vessels in environmental conditions that tankers would experience in the marine channels. The result was a thumbs-up on the shipping route, endorsed by both government departments and the British Columbia Coast Pilots.

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Why Kitimat? Why the Douglas Channel? It’s the safe option for Gateway.

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NEWS Say it with music

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Ruth Lloyd Caledonia Courier

Wednesday, November 28, 2012 Caledonia Courier

Courier

by his cousins, physical abuse, growing up in government care and his own struggles with alcohol addiction. Hip hop artist Kasp was in Fort St. James, Kasp spoke plainly about the glorification of Tache and Nak’azdli last week to send a mesgangster culture and how he turned to music to sage. deal with his problems but it was not until he His message was one of resilience for faced his past he managed to pull himself out of youth coming from childhood experiences his own downward spiral. full of abuse and trauma. Nominated for Aboriginal Male Entertainer Kasp Sawan was raised by a drug-dealing Kasp performs at FSJSS. of the Year for the 2012 Aboriginal Peoples and drug-addicted father in East Vancouver Ruth Lloyd/Caledonia Courier Choice Music Awards, Kasp has come a long who physically abused him. Senior Secondary School about some of his life way from losing his home and family to his adSawan spoke to students at Fort St. James experiences, including childhood sexual abuse dictions. Now Kasp is a father of two who travels around helping to LEFT: Joey Only performed at the share a message of strength to North Arm Pub aboriginal and other youth to deal on Nov. 17. Jeru- with abuse and face their probsha White backed lems so they can move on and him up for a set have fulfilling lives. He performed one song for the as well. The live music provid- FSJSS crowd and then freestyled ed some great a short piece based on objects the weekend enter- crowd brought forward for him. Kasp is still producing mutainment. More photos on the sic based out of Penticton, B.C., Caledonia Cou- and has a music video On a Roll rier Facebook which uses aboriginal references like “I walk this land with the mic Page. Ruth Lloyd/Caledonia as my tomahawk” and was filmed Courier on the Penticton Indian Reserve.

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A foot-stomping good time Community Events

Ruth Lloyd Caledonia Courier Live music had the North Arm Pub (formerly Stones Pub) rocking on Saturday, Nov. 17. Joey Only, the Canadiana character from Wells, B.C. had the dance floor full. With a bass player and drummer, Joey Only was in fine form, taunting the audience with his crusty characteristic jabs. He made fun of Canucks fans and Newfoundland, but it was all in typical Joey Only style, delivered with a cocky dry charm the Fort St. James crowd took in stride. Joey Only sings original songs and covers in a Stompin’ Tom/Johnny Cash style hard to resist if you appreciate bootstomping songs paired with a gravely voice. Jerusha White performed with Joey Only for a set, rounding out the show. While the show was not sold out, the crowd was sizeable enough to fill the dance floor, with nearly 100 people in the pub for the night. The show was put on by MoM organizers, who have already booked bands for December and January as well in partnership with the new pub management.

Community Events are free of charge as they are sponsored by the Caledonia Courier COMING EVENTS... Will appear as space is available, free of charge in this section. Coming events are available to non-profit organizations only. This area is not intended for thank you submissions or selling products. It is simply a place for nonprofit organizations a place to announce upcoming free activities. You can e-mail your item to advertising@ ominecaexpress.com or by fax: 567-2070. Your organizations’ announcement can also be dropped off at our office located at #111250 Stuart Drive, Fort St. James. Decision of the publisher is final. *** FORT ADULT CENTRE FOR EDUCATION...Suite 221-250 Stuart Drive, in the Goodwin Building. Open daily 8:00-4:00. Call 250-996-7712 for more information. *** FIREWEED STOPPING THE VIOLENCE & OUTREACH SERVICE For those who believe all is possible!...Provides free Confidential, Safe, and Supportive counselling and outreach services for women. Hours of Service: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and every other Friday. Location: Room 203, 349 Stuart Drive, Fort St James, BC Phone: (250) 996-1214 Fax: (250) 996-7647 Email: fire.or@ telus.net *** ST PATRICK’S ANGLICAN CHURCH... hosts a free lunch every Tuesday from 11.00am 1.00pm. All are welcome. This lunch is made possible through the generous giving of time and resources,by many people in the region, including Sylvia Isaac, The Roman Catholic Church, Camp Living Water, and many other individuals.We wish to thank all those who contribute their labour

to this program as well as those who provide food and other necessities. We also run a small food bank on Tuesday morning, and are very thankful for all who contribute to this endeavor. For further information please call Gwen Andrews 567-6744. *** SERVICE TIMES... at St Patrick’s Anglican Church, Fort St James, will be 10:30 am every Sunday. Free lunch every Tues between 11-1pm with music and Prayer. Please come and join us. *** FIREWEED CLOTHES DRIVE...The Fireweed Safe Haven is doing a winter clothes drive. We are looking for jackets, boots, snow pants, mitts, hats, scarves, fleeces, etc, for men, women and children. The items will then be given to families in the community that need them. If you do not have anything at home that you can part with but still wish to contribute, you can purchase mitts, socks, or thermal underwear. Please drop items off at the Fireweed Safe Haven. For more information please contact Talia at (250) 996-8081. Every little bit helps. *** AUXILIARY TO STUART LAKE HOSPITAL... Monthly meeting 2nd Wednesday each month. Hospital Cafeteria 7:00 p.m. *** FORT ST. JAMES PUBLIC LIBRARY HOURS... Tuesday 11:30-8:00 Wednesday 11:30-4:30 Thursday 11:30-4:30 Friday 11:30-8:00 Saturday 11:00-3:00 *** NECHAKO VALLEY COMMUNITY SERVICES SOCIETY...Child and Youth Mental Health and Counseling Services available at no cost. Monday to

Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Call 996-7645 for appointment. *** FORT TRAP AND HANDGUN CLUB... meets last Sunday of every month. Contact Sharon at 9968373 for more information. *** FORT ST. JAMES SEARCH & RESCUE... steering committee meetings first Tuesday of every month. 7:00 p.m. above the Fort St. James Firehall. Training is the third Tuesday of every month at the Firehall at 7 p.m. New members welcome. *** MUSIC MAKERS...New members always WELCOME. Not everyone has to be on stage, there is lots of work behind the scenes. Call Rosemary Allan at 250-9968997 for more info. *** THE THRIFT STORE...has a new name! “The Bargain Basement”. We are still at the same location, across from Shoppers Food Mart. Donations of clean clothing and small housewares are greatly appreciated. Please, no books or magazines. Proceeds are used for community needs. Open Wed-Sat, 12 noon to 4pm. *** PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT...If you know anyone, including a child, who has been abused or harmed by a psychiatrist call the Citizens Commission on Human Rights at: 1-800-670-2247. *** ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS... Every Thursday, 8 p.m. at the United Church Hall on 2nd Avenue. Contact 996-8290. *** FIREWEED SAFE HAVEN...a safe place for women and their children leaving violence or abuse. 24 hour access - please call 996-8000.

NOTICE The Caledonia Courier pick-up & drop off location has moved to 169 Stuart Drive West @ the Lakeshore Realty office

250-996-8618

Caledonia Courier Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Courier

NEWS

MLAs post travel expense totals Tom Fletcher Black Press B.C.'s 85 MLAs have begun disclosing their travel expenses, posting total amounts charged on their government-issued credit cards but not the details of where they drove, flew or dined. The B.C. legislature's internal finances are being dragged into the 21st century in response to a damning report from Auditor General John Doyle released in July. The audit found that MLA credit card bills were being paid without receipts, and the legislative assembly hadn't produced financial statements despite a 2007 recommendation from the previous auditor general. In response, the Legislative Assembly Management Committee, chaired by Speaker and Penticton MLA Bill Barisoff, began holding its meetings in public. Two new financial officers were hired to address what Doyle described as "pervasive deficiencies" in financial accountability of legislature operations. The management committee authorized the first release in October, showing six months of expenditures for each MLA up to the end of September. The report breaks spending down in categories, including accommodation, daily meal allowance and three categories of travel. MLAs representing districts farthest from Victoria generally run up the highest ex-

penses. Leading the pack in the first report is Robin Austin, NDP MLA for Skeena, with $53,606 in expenses from April to September. Austin's total includes $19,486 in "Speaker approved travel," including a trip to Colombo, Sri Lanka in September to attend a Commonwealth Parliamentary Association conference. Speakers, deputy speakers and legislative clerks typically attend these conferences, aimed at strengthening parliamentary practices around the world. Routine expenses include the "capital city allowance," for which most MLAs who live outside Greater Victoria claim $1,000 a month without receipts. With receipts, out-of-town MLAs can claim up to $19,000 a year for rent, mortgage or hotel accommodation while in Victoria on legislature business. MLAs are also eligible for $61 a day for meals while in Victoria on legislature business. MLA expenses are to be posted quarterly from now on at www.leg.bc.ca/mla/remuneration/travel_expenses.htm where the first reports are posted. Cabinet minister travel expenses are reported separately on the B.C. government's "open government" website initiated by Premier Christy Clark. They receive similar accommodation and meal payments to other MLAs, but they are paid by their ministries and do not show up on the new disclosures.

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ty Build i n u er mm Pioneers

Courageous Battles

Athletes

Achieving

Human Interest

Brought to you by your MLA John Rustad

Serving the community of Fort St. James

Featuring the spirit of the local people

Save your pennies, save a person Ruth Lloyd Caledonia Courier Youth nowadays. So many teens are given a hard time for their sense of entitlement, self-absorption and social media obsession. Yet when I saw a post on Facebook by Brennon Thwaites, it was not about himself or some thinly veiled reference to his love life. Instead, Brennon had posted on a public page for the local community about his penny drive. Brennon was using social media to ask for donations of pennies towards a Free the Children fundraiser to help provide clean drinking water to people in developing countries. It impressed me, and I messaged Brennon for him to call me and tell me about the project and what he was up to. One of the first things Brennon said to me was “It’s not about me.” He emphasized how it was a group project, something the Free the Children group at his school in Vanderhoof was working on, and he was only doing his part. Brennon was one of the group who attended We Day in Vancouver in October. He took the bus down with the students from Fort St. James, Vanderhoof and Fraser Lake for the event. “It was amazing,” he said about the event. “It was really inspiring to make change.” The speakers at the event all made powerful impressions on him, and narrowing it down to a favourite would be difficult, but Brennon remembered Marc and Craig Kielburger, the brothers who founded the Free the Children Foundation. It was their explanation of the need for clean water and how really inexpensive it is to do the projects which especially struck a chord. It is only $25 Canadian to give someone clean water for their lifetime, explained Brennon, a fraction of what most Canadians spend on their monthly cell phone bills. So the pennie drive made sense to Brennon and the rest of the Free the Children group in Vanderhoof.

ABOVE: Brennon Thwaites has been conducting campaigns to help others since Grade 9 when he took his first Vow of Silence to raise awareness of children’s rights. LEFT: Pennies can buy clean water for those in developing countries. Ruth Lloyd/Caledonia Courier

“We figured it would be a really easy way to raise money,” said Brennon. With so many people keeping pennie jars, it made sense to try and put those pennies to good use providing clean water to those in need. The group is directing their funds to Ecuador, where some of the group is going next year to help build a school.

of the world. “That idea has been able to keep on motivating me,” he said. So while some teens are working on figuring out how they are going to be able to get to the next big party, Brennon and his fellow Free the Children group at Nechako Valley High School will be cutting out silhouettes to represent the missing women along the Highway of Tears and collecting pennies so teens in other countries can enjoy the luxury of clean water. The next time a person repeats a stereotype about today’s youth, think of Brennon and other Free the Chidren group members working towards a better world. Brennon Thwaites can be reached at btbrennon@gmail.com to donate pennies.

John Rustad, MLA Nechako Lakes

183 First Street Vanderhoof Tel: 250-567-6820 Fax: 250-567-6822

Toll Free: 1-877-964-5650 E-mail: john.rustad.mla@leg.bc.ca Website: www.johnrustadmla.bc.ca

Brennon has participated in other campaigns the group has done in the past as well. He started out in Grade 9 doing the Vow of Silence, when students pledge to spend the day not speaking - some even include text messages in their pledge to raise awareness for those in other countries who do not have the right to speak out. This year, Brennon has pledged to take the Vow of Silence for 24 hours. The campaign attempts to raise awareness around children’s rights issues. He is also selling Rafiki chains, which are beaded friendship chains. Each one helps raise enough money for a person in a developing country to have clean water for a year. So while in many ways, Brennon Thwaites is your stereotypical 16-year-old, with an iPhone at the ready, he is also a great example of what youth are capable of. Brennon said his interest in helping people in other countries started with World Vision commercials showing povertystricken children in other parts

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