Inside
◆ Christmas by Kids P. 2, 3 ◆ Stars take home silver P. 6
◆ The art of taxidermy P. 8 ◆ New ski shuttle P. 9 ◆ Defibrillator registry P. 10
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WEDNESDAY, December 10, 2014
NEWS BRIEFS Canfor Coffee donates toys
PHONE: 996-8482 www.caledoniacourier.com
VOL. 37 NO. 41 $1.30 inc. GST
Christmas party raises $11,250 for toy and food drive
REBECCA WATSON Omineca Express
Vanderhoof -- The Canfor Coffee group in Prince George has once again given hundreds of wooden hand-crafted toys away to childrenin-hospital for their annual toy giveaway. Each year, the group of retired canfor employees make boxes of toys and bring them to hospitals from Prince George to Burns Lake including Stuart Lake hospital in Fort St. James and St. John Hospital in Vanderhoof. “This annual gift is something we always look forward to as the creativity and love is so evident in each vehicle and piece of doll furniture,” said April Hughes, health services administrator, Omineca District. “It gives us great pleasure to be able to give these gifts to the children who visit the hospital. The staff themselves get excited to go through the box because the wooden toys are so delightful. We get the joy going through the box, the joy of giving them out and the joy of watching the childrens faces playing with the toys.” Joe Plenk of the Canfor Coffee Group has been making toys for over 20 years specializing in rocking horses and kids tables. “Its something to do to pass the day instead of sitting around watching tv, and I don’t go to the beer pub,” joked Mr. Plenk. “It feels great because I am still available, I haven’t got anyone. I am the only one in my family for 7000 km, I come from Germany. It’s very gratifying, I love the children.”
Jasmine Lakusta and Louise Bett man the door at the North Arm Pub during their fundraising christmas party that raised over $12,000 for this years toy and food drive. Lakusta and the toy and food drive intend to make events like this an annual fundraising event. Photo by Jesse Cole.
JESSE COLE Caledonia Courier The Fort St. James toy and food drive will be able to provide even more support to the community this holiday season thanks to over $11,000 raised last weekend. The toy and food drive held a fundraising christmas party at the North Arm Pub on Saturday, Dec. 6 and received significant support from the community as more than 100 people attended the party, well over the 96 tickets initially sold. Featuring a live DJ, silent auction and 50/50 raffle, the event was organized by chair of the toy and food drive organization Jasmine
Lakusta along with committee members Judy Greenaway, Kyla Grundstrom, Louise Bett and Jhenipher Bridgeman. The christmas party was a spiritual successor to last years fundraising dinner that was sponsored by Integris Credit Union. Prior to 2013 the toy and food drive relied on independent donations to raise money, but Lakusta hopes to make these types of events a yearly occurrence The event managed to raise $4,200 from ticket sales, the silent auction and 50/50 raffle. In conjunction with $2,500 donated by Iberdrola Renewables, the company responsible for the bio-energy plant being built outside of town, $2,000 from Nak’azdli Band and $2,000 from Newlands Enterprises (who also bought 76 of
the 96 available tickets) and $500 from Northland Automotive, Mt. Milligan and the Bargain Basement each. The total amount raised thus far is $11,250. “I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our community for their generous donations and ongoing efforts volunteering to make this annual event for those in need so successful,” said Lakusta. “There are so many volunteers that step up and help each year to make this come together and to all of [them] I’d like to express my sincere and heartfelt thanks.” Money raised by the fundraising event will go towards buying christmas toys and non-perishable food items to fill holiday hampers given out to members of the community each year during
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Wednesday, December 10, 2014 Caledonia Courier
Christmas by Kids 2014
A Big Thank You to the schools who are featured in our 2014 Christmas by Kids
David Hoy Elementary School I like to decorate a gingerbread house for the contest. I like the exciting thoughts of opening presents because you never know what you might get. I’m excited for skiing in my backyard and sledding down the paths into the garden. By Theo Crowcher Gr. 3
Celebrate And enjoy all that is wonderful this Christmas. Best wishes for a Happy Healthy New Year to one and all!
CONIFEX aspires to be the leader in responsibly maximizing fibre value WE Value our People / WE Take Pride in our Success / WE aim to be different Safety begins with S, but starts with U
Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday season!
Receiving presents is always fun but the best part of the holiday is we get a tree and I help my mom to decorate it. We put lights outside. By Ashton Felix
250-996-8233
Lakeview Apartments Fort St. James
Ed & Barb Schwartzin eschwartzin@gmail.com 752-772 Stuart Drive West Call 250-996-8044
Season’s Greetings and Best Wishes to you at this special time of year
Caledonia Courier Wednesday, December 10, 2014
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Christmas by Kids 2014
A Big Thank You to the schools who are featured in our 2014 Christmas by Kids
David Hoy Elementary School Receiving presents is always fun but the best part of the holiday is giving presents to others, making Gingerbread men and houses, decorating the tree, having family photos, going to parties, decorating cookies, singing Christmas songs. Our dad bought us tickets to the Christmas Carol. It’s not for a while but the tickets are running out quickly! The best parts of Christmas are getting together & making food for Santa, carrots for the reindeer and cheese for assistant mouse. At the top of the tree we put a glittery star and it makes the glittery ornaments on the tree. I also like playing in the snow and making snowmen. Sometimes we get out the telescope and look at the stars and moon. I have a binder of some pictures of the sky. By Kira James
By Paxton Schroeder
Holiday Traditions Receiving presents is always fun but the best part of the holiday is decorating the Christmas tree, hugs, giving gifts & presents to others, baking ginger bread cookies & houses, donating toys & food; leaving cookies for santa, turkey dinner, making bread, giving chocolate to Santa cookies too. We put a big angel on our tree and leave milk too. Before we open our presents we have to wait for our mom and dad to finish their coffee. It is boring waiting for them, but while Ashden, Quintanna and I wait for them we all build a snowman and and after we build one then they’re done. Merry Christmas!
‘Tis the season...
For love and laughter far and near, and for sending warm greetings to all we hold dear.
Happy Holidays! School District No. 91 (Nechako Lakes)
Wishing you all the joy...
488 Stuart Drive, Fort St. James
250-996-8333
of a magical season. May the spirit of this special time warm your heart and fill your home with happiness. Season’s Greetings from the staff and management.
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1 /
Wednesday, December 10, 2014 Caledonia Courier
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• Column
Clark on climate, clawbacks, credit cards
Premier Christy Clark sat down with Tom Fletcher to discuss key issues as the new year approaches. Submitted Photo.
A year-end interview with Premier Christy Clark. For an extended version see the opinion section at www.caledoniacourier.com Tom Fletcher: Are you still confident that we’re going to see a major LNG project approved by the end of 2014? Premier Christy Clark.: We’re still in negotiations with Petronas and Shell, so I don’t know if it will be by the end
of 2014, but I’m hoping in the next few months. [Days after this interview, Petronas announced a delay in their investment decision until 2015.] TF: I talked to a couple of SFU climate mitigation specialists, and they agreed that it’s unlikely to the point of impossible to have a major LNG industry and still meet Gordon Campbell’s ambitious greenhouse gas target of a 33 per cent reduction by 2020. What do you think? PCC: I think that we may prove them wrong. Many of these facilities, not all of them, will be partly or fully electrically powered up, so that reduces those impacts, and there’s going to be a real incentive to invest in new technology to minimize that as well. I think the bigger picture is what really matters, which is that in shipping 82 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas to Asia, we help them get off coal and other dirtier sources of oil, and that is the biggest contribution that we’ve ever made to reducing climate change. TF: Ontario and Quebec have taken a page from your book. They have seven conditions for an oil pipeline, Energy East, which involves conversion of gas pipelines and taking Alberta oil to the East Coast. What do you think? PCC: I think they took our five conditions and elaborated on them. So you’ve got British Columbia, Alberta, now Ontario and Quebec, all signed on to some version of the five conditions. And of course Enbridge and Kinder Morgan as well. TF: What about the conditions they have added? PCC: One of the things they say they want to protect
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against is a shortage of natural gas coming to Ontario and Quebec. These are the same two provinces that have put a moratorium on extracting natural gas. They want to make sure that we do it here, good enough for us to do, and send it to them, but they won’t do that themselves. I look at their last two conditions, and I roll my eyes a little bit. TF: All the way to New Brunswick, they’ve basically bought the anti-hydraulic fracturing myth? PCC: Yes. Somehow they all watched an American mockumentary or whatever you call it, and believed it. Here in British Columbia we do fracking better than anywhere in the world. It is the gold standard. TF: Finance Minister Mike de Jong says we have a surplus estimated at more than $400 million for this fiscal year, and he suggested that much of that would have to go to pay off deficits from previous years. Of course the opposition is interested in welfare rates and in particular ending child support clawbacks. What’s your view? PCC: Like any family that’s been through tough times, the first thing you need to do when you get back to finding a job and making an income again, is to pay off your credit cards. And that’s what we’re going to do. We are going to see if we can find ways to improve some of the programs over time, but can’t do that until we can afford it. It’s typical, the NDP want us to spend the money before we have it. Tom Fletcher is legislature reporter and columnist for Black Press newspapers. Email: tfletcher@blackpress.ca
E-mail us at : newsroom@caledoniacourier.com
Caledonia Courier Wednesday, December 10, 2014
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Courier
NEWS
Mayor welcomes new council to office JESSE COLE
Student of the Week
Caledonia Courier
Mayor Rob MacDougall welcomed the new members of council at the inaugural meeting of the new term. MacDougall gave a speech during the inauguration thanking council past and present for their efforts and outlined a list of objectives for the upcoming term. Objectives outlined included the completion of economic development strategy for Fort St. James, the completion of a feasibility student on a pedestrian crossing across the Stuart River Bridge, pursuing a bio-energy fibre license through the Ministry of For-
) Grade 8 Fort St. James Secondary ) Nominated by Trina Dyer
Lorraina Thomas “Lorraina Thomas is always willing to help out whether it’s in n or out of the classroom,” Trina Dyer said. “She does so with a smile. She’s always happy and kind to everyone around her. She’s a straight up sweetheart!””
INAUGURATION: Councillors elected in the November election were sworn in last week at the first council meeting of the new term. Pictured left to right: Brenda Gouglas, Dave Birdi, Mayor Rob MacDougall, Brad Miller and Kris Nielsen. Photo by Emily Colombo.
ests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, repaving Highway 27 and the replacement of the Stuart Lake Hospital. Mayor MacDougall also added that he intended to work on strengthening relationships with local First Nations communities.
District of Fort St. James Calendar December, 2014
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY 10
THURSDAY
FRIDAY 12
11 12pm Strong Start
4pm Strong Start
8pm AA Mtg
Municipal Website: www.fortstjames.ca
7pm Council Mtg
14 5:30pm Public Skating
15
12pm Strong Start
17
16
7pm NA Mtg @ NAJC
9am Strong Start
7-9pm Meditation Classes @ FSJSS
4pm Tea Bag Menu @ Nak Hlth
18
11:30am Tween Book Club @ Lib
20
19
12pm Strong Start
4pm Strong Start
13
9am Strong Start
8pm AA Mtg
21
22
23
24
28
29
30
31
25
CHRISTMAS DAY
26
BOXING DAY
27
The District is seeking volunteers to participate in Winterfest 2015! Please contact Mel at 996-8233 for more info. 1
2
3
Please submit all events by Wednesday for the next Wednesday paper distribution. ofIJce@fortstjames.ca
10am Food Bank
Last Day for 20-25% off Ski Passes! 9am Strong Start 4pm Kids Skating 5pm Yth Hockey 6pm Adlt Hockey 7:15pm Public Skating
SATURDAY
January, 2015 EARLY BIRD (20-25% OFF) Murray Ridge Season Ski Passes Available at the District Office Only until December 12th! Office: 477 Stuart Drive West
Telephone: 250-996-8233
Follow us on Twitter: @DFSJames
Like us at Facebook: District of Fort St. James
Email: office@fortstjames.ca
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Wednesday, December 10, 2014 Caledonia Courier
Courier
NEWS NOTICE OF SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS
Stars take second place at atoms tournament the game and the tournament. The final results were Burns Lake Bruins in first place, Fort St. James Stars in second place and the Fraser Lake Hawks taking home third place.
The dates and locations of the Regular Board Meetings of the Board of Education of School District No. 91 (Nechako Lakes) for the months of December 2014 and January 2015 are as follows: December 15, 2014 School Board OfÀce, Vanderhoof, BC (Inaugural Meeting) January 19, 2015 Video-Conference Designated sites for video-conferencing are: Lakes District Secondary School, Fort St. James Secondary School, Fraser Lake Elementary-Secondary School, and the District Training Centre located in the W.L. McLeod Elementary School. These meetings will commence at 6:00 p.m. Members of the public are invited to attend. Darlene Turner Secretary-Treasurer
The Fort St. James Stars took on the Burns Lake Bruins in the final game of the atoms hockey tournament at the Fort Forum and finished in second place overall. Submitted Photo.
JESSE COLE Caledonia Courier
Atoms hockey teams throughout the region came together in Fort St. James to slap the puck around in a tournament held at the Fort Forum. The Fort St. James Starts squared off against the Vanderhoof Bears, Fraser Lake Hawks and the Burns Lake Bruins. The opening game of the tournament saw the Stars take on the Vanderhoof Bears who suffered an early loss as the Stars beat them with a final score of three to two. The Stars continued their streak when they took on the Fraser Lake Hawks, managing to score two goals in the first period and an additional five goals in the second period. The Stars beat the Hawks, due largely to the incredible goalie work of the Stars, with a final score of nine
to three. As the Stars moved in to game three their luck ran out as they took on the Burns Lake Bruins and suffered a devastating loss of seven to two. Burns Lake managed to keep their forward momentum going as decimated the competition and made their way in to the finals. The Stars showed an impressive level of skill and refinement on the ice and made their way to the finals as well, facing off against the Bruins. The final match was a “real nail biter� Rachelle Hoffert said as the Stars were down three to four against the Bruins when Stars captain Terrell Goldsmith scored a goal against the Bruins tying the game. To deal with the tie a three-player shootout took place with the Bruins scoring against the Stars on the third round and winning
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Caledonia Courier Wednesday, December 10, 2014
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Courier
NEWS
Petronas LNG delay not due to B.C., Coleman says got our piece completed, they would move on to making sure their numbers across the board with their partners work,” Coleman said. “That’s the pipeline,
the upstream cost for gas plants, that’s the LNG plant itself, which they would build in Port Edward.” Petronas CEO Shamsul Azhar Abbas said the deci-
sion will be made as soon as possible. “This is vital in light of the current intense market environment and for Pacific Northwest LNG not to
lose out on long-term contracts to competitive United States LNG projects,” Abbas said. NDP natural gas critic Bruce Ralson called the de-
HOT COFFEE COLD ICE
Natural Gas Development Minister Rich Coleman
Submitted Photo.
TOM FLETCHER Black Press
Malaysian oil and gas giant Petronas has put off its final investment decision on a large-scale liquefied natural gas project until some time in 2015, but it’s not because of B.C.’s taxes and conditions, says Natural Gas Development Minister Rich Coleman. Pacific Northwest LNG, a consortium led by Petronas for a pipeline and terminal at the Prince Rupert port, issued a statement Wednesday citing construction costs and federal approvals it still needs for a pipeline and plants worth $36 billion. “Costs associated with the pipeline and LNG facility remain challenging and must be reduced further before a positive final investment decision can be undertaken,” the statement says. “At the same time, Pacific Northwest LNG will continue to work to secure necessary regulatory and other approvals from the government of Canada.” Coleman said he was consulted on the statement and remains optimistic about the project going ahead. The province set its tax and greenhouse gas rules for LNG projects during the fall legislature session, and completed agreements with the Nisga’a Nation to allow a gas pipeline to pass through their territory to the coast. “It was always clear that once they
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cision “a setback,” noting that BG Group also cited U.S. competition in its recent decision to delay a final decision on its project for the Prince Rupert area.
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Wednesday, December 10, 2014 Caledonia Courier
NEWS
Courier Taxidermy: the art of life and death Regional taxidermist Heidi Hill sits down to talk about the intricacies of an often overlooked artform.
Heidi Hill airbrushes the nose of a grizzley bear rug. Airbrushing returns the colour and details to the animal pelt giving it a more lifelike appearance. Photo by Jesse Cole.
“I think as long as hunt-
ing continues, and hunting has increased in popularity due in part to the benefits of wild meat, I think because of that taxidermy could actually grow.” JESSE COLE Caledonia Courier
Heidi Hills’ office isn’t your typical work environment. There are no office chairs, computers or filing cabinets, instead her work space is filled with the hides of bears, elk and wolves. Hill owns and operates Blue Mountain Taxidermy on her ranch located in between Vanderhoof and Fort St. James. Her work inhabits the grey space between the bucolic pastures that surround her log home and the often morbid association the public has with taxidermy. A taxidermist since 2006 Hill says that taxidermy was a natural choice for her given her upbringing. “I grew up working in an outfitting business and I was always involved in hunting as a child and I still am today… I al-
ways enjoyed working with it [the hides] and bringing them, in a sense, back to life.” Hill works with her apprentice, Hannah Steffey, completing taxidermy jobs for clients as local as Vanderhoof and Fort St. James and as global as Europe and the United Kingdom. Hill and Steffey primarily work with wild game animals such as deer, elk, bear, moose, coyotes and wolves but Hill admits she’s had clients request other animals. “I was asked to do a dog once,” Hill says. “Someones pet dog - I don’t do those.” Hill also doesn’t taxidermy fish, although she does know how to. “I don’t really mount fish for clients. I have before and we occasionally do a fish for a life-sized diorama… but as far as anyone wanting a fish, we don’t do those. It’s a different kind of artwork.” Most of her material comes from hunters who use the meat for food and Hill says through taxidermy the skins of the animals don’t go to waste. Taxidermy is an often overlooked art form that shies away from the spotlight; it is a blue-collar artform in the truest sense of the word but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t require the same finesse and level of skill that other, more mainstream artforms require. Taxidermy requires math (used when stretching and forming a hide), painting, sculpture and an understanding of anatomy. This is represented particularly well in the taxidermy of fish, who when dead lose their magnificent colourings, colouring that artists like Hill do by hand to recreate the animals natural beauty. In order to learn and perfect her craft, Hill attended two different schools where she studied taxidermy, the Penn School of Taxidermy in Calgary as well as the Missoula Valley School of Taxidermy in Thompson Falls, Mont. There she learned the intricacies of taxidermy. “It’s a step program,” she says. “If someone brings you a full wolf or coyote it’s in a body form, so you have to skin it, most of them are skinned already, but if they’re not we flesh them [removing excess meat off of the hide]. Then it gets salted and dried before being sent to a tannery.” Hill’s hides are sent to a tannery in Kamloops. “When it comes back I can measure the hide, order the form [the base shape of the animal being taxidermied] and then fit it to the form and glue it on. After that we let it dry and then the bases are designed and once they’re dry we do some sculpting with clay and finally airbrush the model.” The process requires a lot of dexterity as taxidermists must be both visual artists, seamstresses and butchers. Steffey was originally hired because she was a known seamstress to Hill. “I knew [Steffey] and her family through the fairgrounds and I knew she was a hard working country girl and that she liked to sew,” says Hill. “When I hired her I needed someone to sew bear rugs. She came and tried it out and she liked it.” Steffey is poised to take over Hills operation when hill retires. Taxidermy as an industry is not in the decline Hill says but it also isn’t growing. “A lot of taxidermy businesses have shut down in Prince George as the owners get older and there is no one to take over the business,” she says. Despite this Hill is optimistic that taxidermy has future thanks to the increase in interest towards hunting and wild meat. “I think as long as hunting continues, and hunting has increased in popularity due in part to the benefits of wild meat, I think because of that taxidermy could actually grow in the future.” Most of Hill and Steffey’s work is client based with clients brining in hunted animals or road kill (most often owls) but she does sometimes sell her work. “A bear skin rug sells for about $210 per foot, so six feet times $210 equals your price.”
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MEETING SCHEDULE 2014/15 December 11, 2014....RDBN Board Meeting/
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Caledonia Courier Wednesday, December 10, 2014
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NEWS
Courier Murray Ridge, Bam Bam create new ski shuttle service JESSE COLE Caledonia Courier
Getting to Murray Ridge ski area will be easier this year for Fort St. James and Vanderhoof skiers and boarders as Murray Ridge has partnered with Bam Bam Trucking to create a shuttle service. The idea to create a shuttle service was pitched by Brad Miller, owner of Bam Bam Trucking, at the last Ski Club board meeting. "Brad Miller approached Murray Ridge about the possibility of running a shuttle service in Fort St. James," said Guy Hainstock, the general manager of Murray Ridge. "Brad saw the need to help get more of our communities' youth out to the mountain." Before committing to the shuttle, Murray Ridge went about gauging public interest in the project. "It quickly became apparent that this was a service that the public was very eager to have in Fort St. James," Hainstock said. Murray Ridge's new shuttle service will serve Fort St. Initially planned only for Fort St. James, the deciJames and Vanderhoof and make accessing the ski hill sion was made to extend the shuttle service to Vandersignificantly easier. hoof to accommodate skiers from the neighbouring Submitted Photo.
community. Murray Ridge is currently in the planning stages of creating a shuttle service to Prince George for special events and competitions. The shuttle costs will be relatively low with a return trip from Fort St. James costing riders $14 and $12 for those who have purchased a seasons pass. Riders from Vanderhoof will have to pay more with a return trip costing $26 and $24 for those with a seasons pass. "We really want this service to be accessible for as many people as possible," Hainstock added. Murray Ridge hopes that the shuttle route will not only benefit Murray Ridge and Bam Bam Trucking but will contribute to tourism in Fort St. James and Vanderhoof. The shuttle service will be available this season with operation slated to begin as soon as the ski season does. The shuttle will run on weekends and Hainstock says that as they gauge interest and usage they will decide whether or not to add additional trips to the route. As of press time it is not yet known where shuttles will depart from or times that the route will be arriving and departing.
Mental health for children and youth - how to get the help you need DR. DAVID SMITH Submitted
For children and teenagers in BC, coping well with the demands of school work, busy schedules and social relationships in today’s chaotic world reflects resilient mental health. But some BC children and youth are unable to cope well with the daily stresses of their lives and the results can be debilitating or tragic. An estimated 13 per cent of youth in BC each year experience a mental health issue —that means up to 83,700 children under the age of 19 in BC may be suffering. Studies show that receiving appropriate help at the right time may enable a child or youth to return to good health or prevent the escalation of symptoms, warding off larger crises or more chronic illnesses, and even at times saving young lives. But unfortunately, the majority of youth experiencing a mental health issue, or their families, do not seek help. Why is this? There are likely a number of key factors: youth and family may lack understanding about mental health issues or may be unable to recognise the symptoms of a mental health problem; they may not know how to access the right services, who to see, or how to navigate BC’s mental health system; they may be worried about possible stigma, or labelling, and hoping it is simply a “phase” that will pass. As an adolescent and adult psychiatrist working for the last 11 years in Interior Health (IH), I appreciate how frightening and worrying it can be for youth and families when a mental health issue arises. But I also know that the right help can make all the difference and that good recovery is possible even with some of the most serious of mental health concerns. And “help” does not always mean treatment with medication. In fact, many mental health problems in children and youth can be very successfully treated with other techniques, particularly Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which, in essence, teaches skills to address the thoughts, feelings and behaviors that underlie a mental health problem.
Working with a group of mental health colleagues in the Interior —including families with lived experience, mental health clinicians from the Ministry of Children and Family Development, IH professionals, school counsellors, family doctors, pediatricians and others — we have come up with a series of short columns to run in this paper to help youth and families recognize and understand some common mental health concerns. Over the next number of weeks, in seven articles, we will talk about issues like anxiety, depression, substance use, eating disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, schizophrenia and suicidal thoughts. We will help you recognize the symptoms and know when and how to seek help. We will talk about successful skills, actions and treatments. These columns, as well as running in your local paper, can also be found at www.shared carebc. ca so you can access them online or share with friends and family. Numerous high quality websites are producing up to date information about a wide variety of mental health concerns and in each column, we will link you to online resources in BC for more information on each condition. A few excellent provincial sites to check out now include: openmindbc.ca; mindcheck.ca, forcesociety.ca, and keltymentalhealth.ca. As well, in your region see [insert link to local resource.] Next column, we will talk about anxiety. Dr. David Smith is an adolescent and adult psychiatrist, the medical director of the Okanagan Psychiatric services for Interior Health, and a contracted psychiatrist for Child and Youth Mental Health for the Ministry of Children and Family Development. This series of columns is a project of the Child and Youth Mental Health and Substances Use Collaborative, which involves multiple individuals, organizations and ministries all working together to increase the number of children, youth, and their families receiving timely access to mental health services and support. The Collaborative is jointly funded by the Province of British Columbia and Doctors of BC.
Community Events 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. *** THE DATES FOR THE NECHAKO VALLEY FESTIVAL OF THE PERFORMING ARTS ARE...March 9-20,2015. It will culminate with the festival concert on Mar. 22. Registration ONLINE opens on Dec. 8, 2014 and closes on Jan 15, 2015. The venue for all disciplines is Vanderhoof Christian Fellowship Church. You can view the syllabus and look for any other information on the website at www.musicfestivalweb/ nechako. *** VOLUNTEER WITHIN YOUR COMMUNITY!...Are you or anyone you know interested in becoming a volunteer? No matter your age or your interests, there are plenty of opportunities for you or your family members to volunteer within our community. At Volunteer Fort St. James we assist local nonprofit organizations in recruiting volunteers and assist volunteers to find an organization(s) they want to work with. If you chose to become a volunteer you are in control. You get to choose the event(s) you volunteer for, how often you volunteer and how much time you’d like to volunteer. Volunteers are not obligated to volunteer for any opportunities, no questions asked. It is as simple as that! If you’d like to become a volunteer, when opportunities become available you have the option to be notified by email, or you can check out our Facebook page at www.facebook. com/volunteerfsj or stop by the Volunteer Fort St. James Office
Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 11:30 – 12:30 pm. You can sign up today to become a volunteer at www.volunteerfsj.ca. For more information you can e-mail us at volunteerfsj@telus.net or call us at 250-996-8284 (Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 11:30 – 12:30 pm). *** ST PATRICK’S ANGLICAN CHURCH...Services at St Patrick’s Anglican Church will now take place only on the first Sunday of the month except for special occasions. *** STUART LAKE OUTREACH GROUP FOOD BANK SCHEDULE... is the third Wed of each month: January 21, 2015, February 18 and March 18 from 10:00 am to noon at the Food Bank behind St. Patrick’s Anglican Church, Stuart Drive. Volunteers needed. Call 250567-6744. Food Bank needs canned meals, beans, stews, soups, tuna, salmon, sandwich meats, pasta and sauce, tea, coffee, toilet paper, canned milk, cereals, etc. At this time we have lots of sugar! Thank you for your generosity. *** UNTOLD TRAUMA...author seeks contributions from nonFirst Nations students and staff who experienced Catholic residential or day schools abuse in Northern BC. For more info email Kathyhansen1@gmail.com *** 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) 9961214 Fax: (250) 996-7647 Email: fire.or@telus.net *** STUART LAKE OUTREACH GROUP... hosts a free hot lunch each Tuesday from 10.00am to 1.00pm in the space behind St. Patrick’s Anglican Church. Meals are served by members of area
churches and other volunteers from the community. We wish to thank all those who assist by cooking, serving, and cleaning up. Your help is invaluable. We also host a free Christmas Dinner on Christmas Day to all who are lonely or in need. Volunteers for these programs are needed. Please call Gwen at 250-567-6744. *** ST. PATRICK’S ANGLICAN CHURCH SERVICES... will now take place only on the first Sunday of the month except for special occasions. *** 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 are welcome and training is provided. For more information please contact Paul at 250.996.7478 or Rod at 250.996.3231 *** 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. *** 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 *** AUXILIARY TO STUART LAKE HOSPITAL... Monthly meeting 2nd Wednesday each month. Hospital Cafeteria 7:00 p.m. ***
A10 www.caledoniacourier.com
Wednesday, December 10, 2014 Caledonia Courier
Courier
NEWS
Heart and Stroke registry aims to make access easier Registry will compile available defibrillators in area to decrease waiting times for emergency treatment.
AEDs like this one will be registered with 911 dispatchers to decrease the time it takes for cardiac arrest patients to receive treatment in an emergency. JESSE COLE
Submitted Photo.
Caledonia Courier
The Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation has created an automated defibrillator device (AED) registry designed to help people find the closest defibrillator to their
location should they or someone they’re with experience cardiac arrest. Part of the B.C. Public Access to Defibrillators (PAD) Program, the registry will provide 911 dispatchers a list of available AED devices throughout the province. The registry will allow dispatchers to direct callers to the nearest available AED device in their region. “This includes businesses, churches, schools, municipal buildings, individuals with an AED in their home- everyone,” “ said Heart and Stroke resuscitation manager Shelley Parker. “It may be that you’re at home and your spouse has a sudden cardiac arrest. The 911 dispatcher could tell you that there is an AED two doors down,” she added. Those wishing to register their AED device can do so online at www.bcpadprogram.ca. They can also choose whether or not to disclose their AED device’s location publicly or only to 911 dispatchers. The Heart and Stroke Foundation says that sudden cardiac arrest kills one person every four hours in British Columbia and this service will help to reduce that statistic. “The new registry is a vital step in helping people find the closest AED when there is a sudden cardiac arrest,” said Adrienne Bakker, CEO of the Heart and Stroke Foundation for British Columbia and Yukon. “Withough defibrillation and CPR the chance of survival decreased
by seven to 10 per cent for each minute that passes.” In coordination with their new registry program, the Heart and Stroke Foundation has also pledged to install 750 new AEDs in public areas through British Columbia by 2017. Money for the PAD program comes from a $2 million cheque cut to the Heart and Stroke Foundation by the provincial government. That amount is being matched by Heart and Stroke Foundation donors. At press time AEDs had been registered in Vanderhoof and Fraser Lake but none has been registered publicly in Fort St. James.
“The new registry is a vital step in helping people find the closest AED when there is a sudden cardiac arrest”
THE STUART NECHAKO ADVERTISER CAN BE PICKED UP AT THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... VANDERHOOF
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Caledonia Courier Wednesday, December 10, 2014
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in Port Hardy. Email: health-director@kwakiutl.bc.ca for job description or to apply by Dec. 14th, or fax (250) 949-6066. MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION is an in-demand career in Canada! Employers have work-at-home positions available. Get the online training you need from an employer-trusted program. Visit: CareerStep.ca/MT or 1-888528-0809 to start training for your work-at-home career today!
RV LOT rentals $8.95 a day. 362 days of sunshine, pets, events, classes, entertainment. Reserve by 11/01/2014. www.hemetrvresort.com. Call: 1-800-926-5593
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Help Wanted Warehousing & Inside Sales Opportunities Thriving industrial supply store looking for WAREHOUSING and INSIDE SALES staff to join our team in Fort St. John We offer a F/T, M to F, 8 to 5pm career opportunity, along with a very attractive compensation, benefits & bonus program. Employment opportunities with our company would start at $4,200/month. Please forward your resume to
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FIND EVERYTHING YOU NEED IN THE CLASSIFIEDS
BUSINESS DIRECTORY OIL & LUBE
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Serving Fort St. James and area since 1972 Pam Berger Publisher
Financial Services ARE YOU $10K Or More In Debt? DebtGo can help reduce a significant portion of your debt load. Call now & see if you qualify. 1-800-351-1783. GET BACK ON TRACK! Bad credit? Bills? Unemployed? Need Money? We Lend! If you own your own home - you qualify. Pioneer Acceptance Corp. Member BBB. 1-877-987-1420 www.pioneerwest.com
RESORT VILLAGE of Candle Lake, SK. Newly renovated restaurant on a .47 acre lot 2nd floor residential, 3 bedrooms. Sale incl: land, building, equipment, business. Call 306-929-4999.
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Trades, Technical SKILLED TRADES! Experienced welders and completions team members needed in Grande Prairie, AB. Welders, B-Pressure, Sand Blasters, Painters, Insulators. Fly in - Fly out with 1 week at home a month. Accommodation provided. Alberta wages without the expenses! send resume to: hr@westernmanufacturing.ca www.westernmanufacturing.ca
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Wednesday, December 10, 2014 Caledonia Courier
JUST WHAT THE DOCTORS ORDERED Out of challenge comes opportunity and at Selkirk College the Rural Pre-Medicine Program is taking on the problem of a physician shortage outside urban areas by opening the door for students who desire to follow a pathway towards a career in medicine well suited for rural Canada. Finding Solutions to the Rural Doctor Crisis The story of the Selkirk College Rural PreMedicine Program is the story of why community colleges are vital to Canada’s education system. Its genesis arrived through a need to fill a critical gap with creative solutions and tangible outcomes, a model that is now playing out in the classrooms of the Castlegar Campus in British Columbia’s Southern Interior. The three-year Rural Pre-Medicine Program launched in September with its first cohort of 17 eager students. With passionate mentors and dedicated instructors, the program aims to build a foundation of experience and knowledge students will need to prepare for entrance into medical school. “If you come from a rural area, you are among those most likely to go back to a rural area,” says Rural Pre-Medicine Program Coordinator Elizabeth Lund. “If you want to populate the rural areas with physicians, you need to provide the proper education to students who live in rural areas and have a strong desire to get into medical school.” The curriculum in the Rural Pre-Medicine Program weaves together courses tailored to rural medicine with courses recommended for the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). Extra training in skills such as mediation and conflict resolution, leadership, communication and interprofessional skills, small business training and MCAT preparation supports students’ futures as physicians and their medical school applications. “People understand that this is something that can form one piece of a really long term solution to a big problem,” says Lund. “This is not a problem for doctors or the government, really this is a problem in our society across Canada where there is a big difference between rural and urban.”
RURAL PRE-MEDICINE
If you want to populate the rural areas with physicians, you need to provide the proper education to students who live in rural areas and have a strong desire to get into medical school. ELIZABETH LUND, RURAL PRE-MEDICINE PROGRAM COORDINATOR, SELKIRK COLLEGE
Helping Solve the Problem of a Growing Need The mounting challenges with health care in rural Canada have gained traction in the media over the last few years. With shrinking government budgets, an aging population and societal shifts forming the basis of these struggles, more attention has been focussed on the gap between urban and rural. Three years ago, Lund and her colleagues in the Selkirk College School of University Arts & Sciences were looking for ways to bolster second year sciences at the Castlegar Campus. A story on CBC radio about the doctor shortage in rural British Columbia triggered the idea for a program that would help address the need with homegrown solutions. Lund was charged with putting together the proposal and soliciting support. For almost two years Lund put her skills in research and passion for education to the test as she approached senior levels of government, the Doctors of BC, local physicians, the University of British Columbia and anybody else that would listen. “There was a lot of pounding the pavement… I had to become a salesperson,” says Lund, who holds a PhD in Chemistry. “That’s the last thing I thought I would ever do, but I was selling something that I totally believe in. It ceases to be selling and becomes talking to people to let them know what we want to do.”
selkirk.ca/rural-pre-medicine
The First Cohort a Brilliant Example of What is Possible On a sunny late-September afternoon in Castlegar, Selkirk College administration joined representatives from the Doctors of BC, the Ministry of Health and health care professionals from around the Kootenay region for a special reception to welcome the first Rural Pre-Medicine cohort to the program. With a class made up of diverse backgrounds that range from recent high school grads to single mothers who have been away from post-secondary for more than a decade, there was a buzz in the air. “I have a vision of some of the graduates of this program not only making it into medical school, but also being really grounded and solid people,” said Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital physician Dr. Blair Stanley, chair of the program’s advisory committee. “Not only because of their rural roots, but because of some of the learnings they will have had in this unique program. They will bring that groundedness and can bring that awareness into their clinical setting when they are looking after patients. I think that will be a magical connection that they will have with patients and the work they do.” A visit to a Friday afternoon chemistry lab is further proof that the cohort model and small classroom environment is already paying dividends. Three months into their education journey at Selkirk College, students work together with a spirit more often found with the cohesiveness of a sports team rather than the individualistic competitive pursuit of entrance into medical school. “You can see already that the students in this program are going do something and they are going to do something great… It’s already a success,” says Lund. “I’m really proud of these students and very excited about the opportunities for them in the future. Whether they end up choosing medicine or another health field or something else completely different in science, this is where it starts.”
Alicia Pongracz (top) and Jaeger Nickson (bottom left) are students in the first Rural Pre-Medicine Program cohort that is diligently building skills on the Castlegar Campus. With a diverse background and intimate understanding of the challenges faced by students in smaller communities, Rural Pre-Medicine Program Coordinator Elizabeth Lund (bottom right) is the motivating presence behind Selkirk College’s push to bolster the numbers of rural doctors.
elund@selkirk.ca @SelkirkRPM facebook.com/selkirkcollege
I have a vision of some of the graduates of this program not only making it into medical school, but also being really grounded and solid people. DR. BLAIR STANLEY, KOOTENAY BOUNDARY REGIONAL HOSPITAL PHYSICIAN, CHAIR OF THE RURAL PRE-MEDICINE ADVISORY COMMITTEE.