K
I
T
I
M
A
Sentinel
T
Northern
www.northernsentinel.com
Volume 61 No. 07
Union gives strike vote Cameron Orr Martin McIlwrath, the business agent representing the District of Kitimat employees, says the union absolutely will work towards avoiding a strike, but even if it comes to that they will await essential service designations from the Labour Relations Board before serving a notice. As of Friday union members had voted 95 per cent in favour of strike action, but Unifor 2300 was waiting for an essential services hearing scheduled for this past Monday before potentially issuing a strike notice. He said there were still meetings planned between the District and themselves. “We’re still trying to avoid a labour dispute, for sure,” he said. McIlwrath, representing the members of Unifor 2300, says it had been a struggle getting the city’s negotiators to the table to bargain but assured that no snow clearing efforts were compromised due to collective agreement negotiations. Local 2300 released a letter last week outlining the timeline for bargaining since December, explaining their frustrations making headway, while negotiations are now well past the expiry of the last agreement which ended December 31, 2014. The letter was a means to combat rumours on social media that snow clearing may have been slowed due to contract issues and that the members may have already been on strike. A month’s worth of meetings in January only resulted in 21 of their 90 or so items reaching agreement with the District, the union says. The District of Kitimat also indicate they’ve met eye to eye on approximately 20 topics.
The start of a new student-led feature.
Volume 1 No. 01
Kitimatian shares his view from the sky. /page 12
PM477761
1.30 INCLUDES TAX
$
A vessel at MK Bay Marina presses against and damages a walkway, following a snow storm which caused a number of boats at the facility to sink.
Snowfall causes damage to MK Cameron Orr The intense level of snow Kitimat experienced in just one weekend resulted in a number of boats lost at MK Bay Marina. Marina manager Kevin Guest said four boats were sunk due to snow, two boathouses, and one vessel was nearly fully submerged before it was recovered. Guest said staff went to work Friday morning but were sent away by the afternoon as the road was to be closed off. “We weren’t allowed back until Sunday,” he said. Guest said the fact that boathouses toppled over is unusual and he had been out inspecting damages and has some guesses for what happened. “It’s very unusual for boathouses to go over. I’ve been out there in the boat to assess what it was and my estimate is the boathouses that went over got heavy with snow and one side of the snow let go and then it becomes like a bobbing
MEMSS /page 11
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
cork...they flip to the side,” he said. “We’re just guessing because we don’t really know,” he added. He said the next step is for the insurance companies to get in touch with boat owners to figure out how to proceed. The marina meanwhile is doing what it can to protect the environment in the area. “Right now we have oil retention booms around the vessels to stop the hydrocarbonsWednesday, being discharged in to the February 18, 2015 general marina,” he said. “But the biggest problem is, we’re getting fuel [come in] from Minette Bay and from the Village, because they had vessels sunk in both locations too. Unfortunately the tide washes in towards us more than anything.” One of the boats that sunk is breaking up the sea dock, he said, because of how it came up under the walkway. For boat owners whose boats didn’t sink, Guest says they should get down to the marina if they haven’t already and
The Buzz
clear off snow to protect against future possible sinking. Kitimat’s Marine Rescue Society had issues of their own getting to their boats so no efforts could have been made to save the other marina boats until it was too late. Unit Leader Chris Peacock said the group had seen the photos of the damage on social media and began fearing for their own boathouse too, but they couldn’t get to it until Monday because the road was not cleared until then. “After shoveling off our boat and dock, I was relieved to see that no damage had occurred. At that point, attention was turned to MK Bay,” said Peacock. He took a salvage pump over to the marina but the only boat that could be saved was a 12 foot aluminum skiff that was nearly under. Peacock said boat owners and marina staff did a great job doing what they could to save boats.
2 Northern Sentinel, Wednesday, February 18, 2015
explains why local government jumped in to racism debate REGIONAL Mayor Cameron Orr Kitimat Mayor Phil Germuth said he had welcome and statements like that [the comment] In the mid-afternoon on January 30 a joint- been approached by a resident asking if the lo- clearly do not reflect the overwhelming majority BRIEFS statement was released by the District of Kitimat, cal government was going to do something in re- in the community,” he said.
PNW LNG Port Edward’s Pacific NorthWest LNG may have delayed a final investment decision last year, but community relations advisor Derek Baker told Port Edward council work on the project are still very much alive. “We deferred that decision for a number of different reasons, including not having regulatory approval and other approvals from the government. There is a view that once we are done the environmental assessment process that is it, but really there are a number of other permits through other agencies that we need to get as well,” he said at the Feb. 10 meeting, noting there is no definitive timeline for a decision. “We really are hesitant to put a date on it because we are not in control of what the clock is, it’s to their [Canadian Environmental Assessment Office’s] discretion. If there is an additional information request that could stop. I don’t know what day we’re on, but we’re a good portion of the way through and we’re certainly hopeful for a decision this year ... the early part of this year.”
the City of Terrace and the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine. The statement came in the wake of a racist comment made on the website of our sister paper, the Terrace Standard. The comment made was more than derogatory to First Nations everywhere and created a fire storm of social media response. The comment was more than condemned. The RCMP say they are even investigating the comment on the basis of a potential hate crime. “As you can imagine, a statement like this on social media garners a lot of attention and we have had numerous reports,” said Const. Angela Rabut of the Terrace RCMP detachment in an article published January 28. The comment “is so low it deserves no response,” Rabut added, but instead it has spread and bred more negativity “like a bad virus.” Yet as the RCMP suggest the comment is so low in value that it shouldn’t be engaged by others, although local governments did.
sponse to the comments, and Germuth felt it was important for the community’s image to go on the record condemning the comments, even if it went without saying. “I had a call from a citizen who was concerned about it and asked if we were doing anything,”said Germuth. “So I got a hold of our [Chief Administrative Officer] and said ‘Hey, I think we probably should say something on this possibly.’ So he then contacted the regional district and Terrace and together...we decided we should say something.” Germuth said he just wanted to put something small out there just to show how Kitimat and the other communities felt on this issue. He also didn’t want to put too much out there in a statement given the RCMP’s ongoing investigation on this subject. “There’s a very large First Nations population in the region too, of course, and all our communities are multicultural in addition to First Nations so we want everyone to know they are
K.U.T.E.
RECYCLING DEPOT 316 Railway Ave., Kitimat • Ph. 250 632-6633
www.kitimatrecycle.org/home KITIMAT UNDERSTANDING THE ENVIRONMENT
BYOB Bring you own bags Bringing your own reusable bags to the store is great way to stay green. It can also save you money as many stores have started charging for the use of their plastic bags. Inspire others – email your green tip to
advertising@northernsentinel.com
We may publish your commitment to change.
K.U.T.E Accepts...
Family still fights against killer’s parole An online petition started by the family of a woman murdered in Terrace in 1998 opposing parole for her killer has gathered more than 1,200 signatures. Linda LeFranc’s family has also placed hard copy petitions in stores in both Terrace and Kitimat in hopes of preventing Christopher Maurice Alexander from being given day and full parole at a hearing scheduled for April. He has, however, already been given a number of temporary passes since first becoming eligible following his murder conviction and subsequent life sentence, a circumstance that has consistently been opposed by LeFranc’s family over
the years. Previous applications for parole have been denied by the National Parole Board. Alexander, 17 at the time of the murder, broke into LeFranc’s southside townhouse in Terrace in the early morning hours of Dec. 9, 1998, stabbing LeFranc, then 36, 83 times with a hunting knife. LeFranc’s sevenyear-old daughter was in the home at the time. “Our intent is not to exploit or sensationalize Linda’s death but to justify our extreme concern and continued position that Christopher Alexander remains a serious threat to public safety and should never be released,” reads a portion
of a statement written by Anita Johnstone, a sister to LeFranc, which is posted as part of the online petition. Alexander has spent the last years in a Fraser Valley federal facility. Alexander was found guilty of LeFranc’s murder and sentenced to life in prison at a trial here in 2002. He was arrested in Dec. 1999 after an extensive RCMP investigation that employed undercover police officers who first gained Alexander’s confidence in order to get him to talk about LeFranc’s death. Alexander lived in a neighbouring townhouse to LeFranc whose hometown
Trading Post
Newspapers & Flyers, Magazines Love a treasure hunt? & Catalogues, Office Paper, Then check out our Trading Cardboard, Tin, Aluminum, Batteries, Post, an area for exchange of Cell Phones, Paint, Electronics, materials by swap or donation. Flourescent Lights and Tubes, Check often, selection varies. Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Redecorating? Detectors and Small Appliances. Our Product Care Depot has leftover paint; check out For a more detailed list please visit our selection today! www.kitimatrecycle.org/home
THINK GLOBALLY...ACT LOCALLY
was Kitimat. The petition can be found at http://chn. ge/1I588aU.
THIS MESSAGE BROUGHT TO YOU BY: K
I
T
I
M
A
Sentinel
T
Northern “Aluminum infinitely recyclable”
READ AND RECYCLE
Shooting Kitimat LNG invites you to attend a Community Open House
The Northern Sentinel celebrated 60 years of bringing the community of Kitimat their local news in April of 2014. To commemorate this milestone, the Kitimat Museum and Archives, together with the Northern Sentinel, have prepared an exhibition of various newspapers, photographs and artifacts.
Kitimat Museum & Archives
Available for viewing until
FEBRUARY 28
Columbia Ave W
Riverlodge Rec Centre
Peace St.
at the Kitimat Museum and Archives • 293 City Centre
Location: Riverlodge Rec Centre 654 Columbia Ave. West, Kitimat
la B lvd
vd
THE EXHIBITION
Hais
Blvd
Date and time: Tuesday, February 24 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Kuld o
The Kitimat Museum & Archives and the Kitimat Northern Sentinel proudly present
Dyke Bl
Terrace RCMP are still trying to understand the circumstances of the tragic shooting of a 15-year-old boy earlier this week. On Feb. 10, Terrace RCMP reported that officers were called to a residence on Molitor St. around 10 p.m. Feb. 9, where they found a 15-year-old suffering from a gunshot wound. The boy was taken to hospital, but later died from his injury. A 16-year-old, at s willthe beresidence, served ~ was taken into police custody and later released to parents on conditions.
Please join us for an update about planned Kitimat LNG Project activities for 2015, and to share your thoughts and ideas with our Project team.
For more information please email KitimatLNGfeedback@chevron.com chevron.ca/KitimatLNG
Northern Sentinel, Wednesday, February 18, 2015 3
Police Beat
THANK YOU
Thieves concealed faces in burglary February 2 At 11:19 p.m. the police attended to a car accident on Haisla Boulevard toward Rio Tinto Alcan. A single vehicle was in the ditch but the driver had already left the scene. February 3 At 4:15 p.m. a report of mischief was called in regarding the Horizon North construction site on Forest Avenue. A door to a construction trailer was damaged. No suspects have been identified. February 4 At 12:04 a.m. the police were alerted to a woman seeking shelter. Officers took her to the emergency weather shelter. At 10:50 p.m. the RCMP responded to a break and enter on Industrial Avenue. A rock was used to smash through the glass window and the suspects took a television and household items. One suspect wore a motorbike-style helmet and another covered their face with a sweater. The file remains open. February 5 At 1:17 p.m. the RCMP responded to a hit and run collision where a blue pick-up truck suffered damage to the left tail light and left tailgate. The owner believes the car was damaged while parked at the City Centre Mall. At 7 p.m. there was a two-vehicle collision at Kuldo Boulevard and Nass Street. A vehicle did not see the other and police say a high snow bank was a contributing factor. Moderate damage to
168 cm A day and a half of snow, from 4 p.m. on February 5 to 5 a.m. on February 7, resulted in 168 cm of snow, according to a meteorologist from Environment Canada. For that same period at Onion Lake there was 157 cm of snow. In Terrace there was 159 cm. A previous Environment Canada record for Kitimat was 112.3 cm, on February 18, 1972. Terrace’s record was set in 1999 on February 11, with 113.4 cm. If you’re thinking that Kitimat gets the most snow, that title actually goes to Gander, Newfoundland, which has a 443.1 cm annual snowfall. Nowhere in B.C. even ranks in the top 20 of snowiest places in the country, apparently.
Historian weighs in on snowfalls We asked Kitimat historian Walter Thorne his take on historical snow falls. He referred to his second Kitimat Chronicles book which details some large snow falls. He said in 1966, the month of January saw 436.9 cm of snow. The
Advertise Your Business Call today for details! 250-632-6144
Commercial Residen tial Industrial
We are your local Class “A”
Certified Electrical Contr
176 5th Street, Kitim
at BC • 250-632-3334
SPECIAL OFFERS Scan QR code or go to www.caronelectric .ca for promotions and in store specials.
actor
Wakita Construction
for the excellent job of keeping our lengthy driveway cleared of snow during the extreme winter storm in Kitimat. We know you were busy assisting the District of Kitimat and BC Hydro, and we appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule to make sure our long driveway was clear. Thank you again, Sheila and Bill Eynon
OPEN: SUN. - WED. 11AM to 10PM & THURS. TO SAT. 11AM to MIDNIGHT 238 City Centre Mall, Kitimat
WEATHER WATCH STATS H
Historical Stats
Jan. 23 Jan. 24 Jan. 25 Jan. 26 Jan. 27 Jan. 28 Jan. 29
L
THIS WEEK
Rain(mm) Snow(cm)
8 -2 22.8 8 3 n/a 7 4 n/a 5 3 35.4 5 2 0.4 3 1 3.9 3 1 3
0 0 0 0 0 0 6.6
THURSDAY High 6 Low 3
FRIDAY High 6 Low 2
SATURDAY High 6 Low 2
SUNDAY High 6 Low 3
Monday Night is... $4
WING NIGHT ! 5t o 9pm
BEER &
.75C WINGS EAT IN ONLY Ph.
whole winter of 1971-72 takes the cake with what Thorne calls a “roof-breaking” 1,054.9 cm. Thorne has Volume 1 and 2 of Kitimat Chronicles available for sale at the Northern Sentinel.
BULLETIN BOARD
CARON Electr c Ltd.
to
both vehicles but no reported injuries. February 6 At 10:07 p.m. the police were called to an aggressive person at the KMP camp. The person was intoxicated and acting aggressively towards security. Police determined he was able to care for himself and escorted him back to his room. February 7 There was a hit and run involving a vehicle and a snowmobile. The complainant says their vehicle was struck while in the driveway on Petrel Street by a person riding a snowmobile, causing minor damage. The snowmobile driver did not stop and police are still investigating. There were three requests to check on the welfare of seniors from their children, who called in from out of town. There was also one check request for a person who was homeless and had tried to use the emergency weather shelter which was closed that night. Police did not report there were any concerns following the calls. February 8 Charges are being recommended against a youth who was found not at home as per an established curfew. At 11:33 p.m. police were called regarding an intoxicated woman lying on the snow on Lahakas Boulevard and Gyrfalcon. Police determined the person could not care for herself and was arrested for public intoxication and held in cells until sober.
250-639-9333
Read it. Live it. Love it! $ $
471Srs 65
3
50
T . GS
Incl
To Subscribe call or email: Ph: 250-632-6144 • classifieds@northernsentinel.com
Kitimat WorkBC Employment Se rvic
es Centre
"Your Employme nt Job Search Ass
Resource"
istance
250-632-6581 em ail esc.kcss@telu s.ne www.kitimatcom munityservices.c t a British ColumBia
Employment Services Centre
The Employment Pro gra Government of Canad m of British Columbia is funded by the a and the Province of British Columbia
1-877-632-6859
Roofing, Plumbing & Heat ing, Furnaces, Fireplaces, Hot Water Ta nks Welding, PiPing, sheet metal, steel FabRiCati
on, maChine shoP
For all your advertising needs in Kitimat call Louisa today! ph. 250-632-6144 fax 250-639-9373 louisa.genzale@northernsentinel.com K
I
T
I
M
A
T
NorthernSentinel
Industries Ltd.
Residential • CommeR Cial • industRial
Let our qualified, experienced journe
ymen get the job
done right. 245-3rd St., Kitimat Ph: 25 0-6 32 -68 59 Fax : 250-632-21 Ph:1-877-632-6859 Terrace E-mail: 101first@101industrie 01 s.com www.101industries.com
Quality Through Craftsman
ship
4 Northern Sentinel, Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Viewpoints
Snow biz
I go away for three days and this is what happens? Fine, maybe I won’t go away anymore. I am referring to the Family Day Weekend Blizzard which powdered this entire town for days, left people stranded and without power as roads slowly opened up. That’s what I’ve gathered, anyway. I was holed up with friends in Smithers away from the craziness and could only watch helplessly as the major event unfolded. This is how crazy the whole weekend is, from my perspective: Kitimat, which means ‘People of the Snow’, were so amazed by the snowfall that a Facebook page was created just to document those photos. From a distance it was hard to figure out: was the snowfall really that bad, or have we become soft after such a mild, thus-far, winter. I got my answer talking to Kitimat’s deputy fire chief who said Kitimat was so close to exceeding the historically largest snow fall. For a town known for its snow that is impressive. Over 1.5 days, give or take, there was 168 cm of snow, Environment Canada says. It was an impressive drop and the mayhem was easy to report. Power off, roads closed, all very dramatic. And yes, you may remember just a few weeks ago I jokingly mentioned how I can never use the phrases Snowmageddon or the like, and I’ve carefully resisted as best as I can so far. (Snowpocalypse Wow!) The best news to come out of this event though is, like with any sort of hardship a town faces, the unity of the community. The fire department activated the emergency operations centre, drawing in the local expertise, while local groups like the Snowmobile Club and Search and Rescue showed up in snowmobiles to lend a hand. Volunteers from throughout town offered their hand when people were evacuated from Kitamaat Village and put up in Riverlodge as a warming centre until people could go home. Rio Tinto Alcan sent out their own snow clearing equipment to the town. People shared in the challenge. You know what the word team stands for right? Together Each Achieves More. There may have been gripes, complaints and whines — and certainly some legitimate criticisms in general — but all in all Kitimat showed its basic humanity in rising to the challenge. Lately these days there are times when a person asks “What has our town become?” but when the lights came back on that weekend we saw our true colours. And they are beautiful. Cameron Orr
Canadian storms both winter and political Interesting week. Canada has been ravaged by winter snowstorms coast to coast that have reminded us that while scientists and learned scholars make up their collective minds about the effects of climate change, Mother Nature has a more practical way of telling all of us that she’s still around and the future mysteries can be supplanted very quickly by the unpleasantness of the present. But while all these natural storms have been beating us down, there have been a whole lot of unrelated political whirlwind mini-storms going on, enough to remind us that 2015 is a scheduled federal election year and its going to be a very unpredictable one. Various polls have shown us that the great Canadian political public is restless, in the mood for a change in attitude by any party in power after the scheduled date of October 15. Despite the Prime Minister’s setting fixed election dates, there’s plenty of speculation that the October date is not necessarily cast in stone and the election could be brought forward. I don’t really subscribe to that view. There’s a large enough number
Under Miscellaneous by Allan Hewitson ahewitson@telus.net
of possible game changing influencers around this spring and summer to mitigate against a quicker election. Stephen Harper and the Conservatives have seen some quick changes in fortune in the past week or two. The PM’s favourite pitbull John Baird simply up and quit abruptly, leaving Harper with a second quick cabinet shuffle to carry out in a couple of weeks. No one knows yet what’s behind the Bairr resignation or what he’s going to do. One thing I know it will be good for John Baird. And I could care less. The girls are causing trouble too: MP Eve Adams, a dyed-in-the-wool Harperite for years, put on her Belinda Stronach shoes and stomped across the floor to joining a cheery Liberal leader Justin Trudeau, who like all good politicians had a ready response
for Adams’ change of heart about the conservatives. Her trashings of Trudeau and his policies are infamous but she’s clearly newly appreciated the man behind the political facade. The Duffy trial is coming up. Suspended Senator Mike Duffy’s fraud, bribery and breach of trust case will begin on April 7 and last for 41 days through June, lawyers agreed last year. Duffy has said clearly he has no qualms whatsoever about dragging his former party through the mud. The speed of the trial and whether it presents the potential to damage Conservative electoral fortunes will have political strategists scratching their heads as testimony proceeds. Will Harper be called and show up? He can invoke Parliamentary privilege, something that should promptly be changed, but won’t. The biggest question remains, did Harper know about the secret $90,000 payment made by his former chief of staff Nigel Wright to cover Duffy’s contested Senate expenses? He has vehemently denied it. Can’t wait! Continued on page 7
Working together bringing the news to you. Community newspapers a s s o C i a t i o n
We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage.
Contents Copyrighted Canadian Publications Mail Product, Agreement No. 477761, Canada Post Corp., Ottawa, and for payment of postage in cash.
Sarah Campbell Misty Johnsen Louisa Genzale Cameron Orr Advertising Assistant Classifieds/Administration Publisher Editor publisher@northernsentinel.com newsroom@northernsentinel.com classifieds@northernsentinel.com advertising@northernsentinel.com
Kristyn Green Flyer Distribution office@northernsentinel.com
The Kitimat Northern Sentinel is a member of the British Columbia Press Council, a self-regulating body governing the province’s newspaper industry. The council considers complaints from the public about the conduct of member newspapers. Directors oversee the mediation of complaints, with input from both newspaper and the complaint holder. If talking with the editor or publisher does not resolve your complaint about coverage or story treatment, you may contact the B.C. Press Council. Your written concern, with documentation, should be sent within 45 days to the B.C. Press Council, PO Box 1356, Ladysmith, B.C. V9G 1A9. For more information phone 1-888-687-2213, or go to www.bcpresscouncil.org. Published every Wednesday by the Northern Sentinel • LOUISA GENZALE - Publisher / General Manager • CAMERON ORR - Editor 626 Enterprise Ave., Kitimat, BC V8C 2E4 • Ph. 250 632-6144 • Fax 250 639-9373 • Email newsroom@northernsentinel.com • www.northernsentinel.com KITIMAT NORTHERN SENTINEL Reg. $41.65 Senior $37.50 Mail: out of town or business $60.45. Includes tax.
Northern Sentinel, Wednesday, February 18, 2015 5
A market-based pineapple express may do more good than the real one
Baxyard Banter
by Malcolm Baxter msdbax@citywest.ca
There is an old expression that goes, “It’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good.” Case in point was the February 5 blizzard, about as ill a wind as you could get. Yet despite the general
chaos and misery, it was good news for the local heavy equipment contractors who suddenly found their services in high demand. In the LNG world there is a similar example where the impact of
a price hurricane felt in the Caribbean just might translate into a warm breeze that fills the sails of an LNG proposal in our back yard. To explain, in 2012 a Belgian outfit called EXMAR signed an agreement with Canadian-based Pacific Rubiales Energy (PRE) that was meant to result in the first floating natural gas liquefaction plant in the world. EXMAR was to
build, own, operate and maintain the plant while PRE, which owns gas fields in Colombia, had exclusive rights to supply and liquefy up to half a million tonnes of LNG a year for 15 years. EXMAR awarded the contract to build the LNG barge to Wilson Heavy Industry of Nantong, China and the plan was to have it up and running in Colombia in the second half of this year.
And everything went swimmingly with Wilson on February 4 confirming the barge would sail away from its yard bound for South America by June of this year. So smoothly did everything run that EXMAR ordered a second barge in December of last year with a delivery date of 2017. So what is the connection to projects up here?
Well, EXMAR is one of the members of the newly formed consortium that is planning to have a floating LNG plant moored off Kitimat district lot 99 on the west side of the Douglas Channel and operational sometime in 2018. It also just happens that the Douglas Channel plan is for a barge capable of producing a half a million tonnes of LNG per year. And this is where
the ill wind comes into play. On February 3 EXMAR announced in its quarterly report that PRE had decided to delay the Colombia project because of “unfavourable energy market conditions.” The same day, in an interview with energy publication Interfax, Peter Volk, general manager of PRE, floated (pardon the pun) another possibility. Continued on page 12
Readers Write
Thumbs up to Kitimat public works Local citizen is concerned over inadequate response Dear Sir, My name is Norman Delong and I have lived in numerous towns in BC and Alberta, this is the first community that I have lived in where the town cleans the roads, sidewalks
along with walking trails after a snow storm. After this last storm, the largest in over a couple of decades, your dedication to getting the job done is much appreciated.
I think you all deserve a big Thumbs Up. I would like to thank the District crew for a Job well done. From your friend on Yukon street, Norman Delong
Troubles not on CAO’s shoulders Dear Sir, I was born in Kitimat. I remember going to school and having to walk on the main streets because the sidewalks were buried in snow. Alcan would tell people even if you can make it out of your street there was no place to park at Alcan and to take the bus. I also remember District employees picking up our garbage, taking care of the dump, and painting lines on the streets. Now we have less than half of the employees in the yard and much less equipment while we
have more streets and subdivisions. This is not the fault of the new city manager. Due to the record snow fall, I have only made it home to sleep and my children had to take care of themselves with no power for 28 hours. I did not get to spend Family Day with my kids. Over the past five days I have worked over 70 hours as well as most of the other District employees. Sincerely, Doug Ribeiro, District of Kitimat Employee
Weekly Crossword Solution in the Classifieds Clues Across
1. Baby or infant 5. Common Indian weaverbird 9. Walk 14. Shiite spiritual leader’s title 15. Mirish 16. Nostrils 17. Confiscate 18. Powder mineral 19. Moss, lace or banded stone 20. Doyle detective 23. New Rochelle college 24. “Case of the Ex” singer 25. Rays or devilfish 28. Cutting implements for sewing 33. Two-toed sloth 34. Lightly fry 35. Japanese apricot 36. Gargle 38. Consumed food
39. Swats 41. Doctors’ group 42. Baseball teams 44. Japanese waist pouch 45. Impaired by diminution 47. A fixed portion of food 49. Gall 50. A block of soap or wax 51. Polite phrase for “What?” 58. Blackberry drupelets 59. Wild sheep of Northern Africa 60. River in Florence 61. Carried 62. Was visualized 63. Giant armadillo 64. Dwarf buffaloes 65. An account of events 66. Avery dark black
30. A citizen of Oman 31. Duplicate or copy 32. Municipality in Philippines 34. Mentally healthy 37. Capacities for work or activity 40. Able to read and write 43. Dark bluish black 46. Loudenville college 47. Seizure of property by force 48. Alias 50. Showing no mercy or pity 51. Sacred picture 52. Hungarian pen inventor 53. Hops kiln 54. Carbamide 55. Dull in color 56. Upon 57. Person, place or thing word 58. Sleeveless Arab garment
negligence on the part of District of Kitimat administration who created this emergency situation because of winter storm conditions. Weather forecasters had for days predicted a heavy snow fall warning and warned the public to get organized and be prepared for a massive snow fall. The senior staff of the Public Works Yard should know better and be prepared for such a heavy snow fall. Continued on page 12
l e n i t n SSeentinel
SubScribe Today! Northern Northern I
K
T
I
T
A
M
I
T
I
K
M
, July 23, Wednesday
T
A
est. 195
No. 30 Volume 60 culprit arspfire CaYem wildfire t a itim rtment sayas onaneunheat-ctinVolumK e 60 No. 30at Fire Depa use of tim The Ki re is the likely u cca thelpdevertowlopitnmeblantsnmpfi fire t at risk tended m which pu and left down acabere p firefor C are wildfi rry Meadows ographyunatach. tallenwginilgtged at Straw it July 17 says an smokeim ke inted inK wasFirine Departmen of a one hecte e blaze
$
S
INCLUDE
1.30 TAX
om
entinel.c
therns www.nor
Year4s
2014
, July 23, Wednesday
$
2014
S
INCLUDE
1.30 TAX
tinel.com
thernsen
www.nor
4
est. 195
Th e Kitimat depart- ely caus nts Th al firere is theerlik velopme d fi and aft at risk theipdementnan blanthe deloc mpch t d carea punt “Elefqu ten ichme t downtow all whess mentwitoldfire ass ws- and personnel ial rry Meadorth are for ll, an int hy bed the No we . rap aw ly 17 og Str al ge ly lle at g re sed allge gind oke Ju enlle they ca e, bain in esm Centrwa ted Fir s ch ke l ’re very westTh e blazefor aeria and we ithers, re departthed tht an in Sm wi d loc.al fi and afterd se en m ea the pl quip ort reach kers an supp the “E mentWtoater tan ome ofl all essmentou ial s ass wereNoim petcrsonne int rth ” an opter ed helic ally well, lled the patch reC. dEO y ca the tely Cedis e, based der gelle media ethe ntr very l fire un e ’r ria stgeFir ae we we t d an to Smithers, for thakths,eto in ol. sedfirewibre heavyd contrort eaate . e rs an use toplcre e suppMeanwhil ke t to e of th read. r tan spom atery totc was pu Wine im-nagedou g down re kin we machopters fire if it ma knoc ” lic in the dispatched entially EOC. he r. is ess conta tely break un r fuel free buffe to go in, de home is media re A fire reers fi fi a mb 14. The rallied get dthe ers to leaving owing any me to on July to membak has trees an fire]fire bre s, n ol.e weren’t all ed down ity meanwhile avyir [forest ate hethe contr“W e conditio cre . Th hile or ich burn nw usine to Mrea d.ssing,” said mbers torta use wh y. The commun hazatords tce rea ho me pu sp s et ou wn re wa d gre of chineryt due to managewas pro king do out safel llooet St ma in, jus fire if itspeed it tially knoc on a Li anaged to get Cameron Orr go in theand the en . ffer. ps with m t water conta fire break isPeess e bu air droto go in,p te Bizal rro ge 3. of the of five re e Chief firehome is ters blas fue fre en mb . See pa AtyfiFir ersed to dro firefigh but the family g a re aboutansev 14. The ralliedwill y sme e of need Depu continu mbers to d leavin Kitimat re we ingopter on July hile haes ap peal ow gutted ners in their tim treesInanall theren lic rest fire] me ndition ’t all ely he ed down ity meanw tiv ile it. Th we urse e rs, wh their [fo ow co est fire effec . “W Thde for ich burn communex ing perm ll be and of co orthe eveningza . un tankemb e home ist wh d rds ers th e sai re us water its ,” nd ha t wi meoughou certain hed gro gressing. behi our thr y. The der reet ho appeal that if the of to finis s pro t spots water out safel n Orr be what the llooet St results of be made,” just duesupport had eedkitcawa re of. ho sptoo on a Li anaged to get Camero go in, k to the usly wi to onthe Oncere air th loo vir vio d ter ed ll rro d en ob an ne wa za an t wi ps m t e, 3. of an is for fi nt in Pete Bion sit dro ge ct cava-p five(NO 2). . See pa the at we of anges tha t at this stage s t seven air ief of ex ters blas familyerof ide bje tim ch ters we wa Ch su er gh y Ki dro e fi fighpu ed tt] an o mb to pe re Fir the ou d ne en fi tw ty ck [Oviawere abhad a nu ntinued ing wir-ll De “Ja n’s are said. “Our int r their existpe but the aththov time ofSO 2 is it appeal by co guards,” adde Kitimat re nt. We optersre theme gutted theirnebre de The ap al all uip nto Alca in eirsrm she In helic e ile ke these .fi erate un ectivneelyholding ntal pe ursat l Rio Ti ow rsed Asses of eqke s are re cotim eff fitipermit. rs, wh to opist lotster estKi ing to ma ening Anyo re- me nts who fee SO emission tanrking andoofKi forof e home at Airsh RTAits d on th ents.” unati wa t the ev hed grotiv ide wiell be 2 rt reqex the Kitim r now with its hind n al on uiremap of twtha de res be tio t if there ing pe torsterwo za oughou ort finisfi . ) see ac rni thr mi what the nnus, otse (EOC er de s of permit,deis spntr ,”, . air suppalso the rst wa ath easie hotCe d ev rroce Sta ed the post-mo the resultRTA re of ns BizaOn Lis loo s d took caera includ uslyinghain ment can bre y. to berelma on-s be wi eased mmish. ll nts kagtoainstthathe fire wa envir obyvio need for anency Op tio t dy t study e, fet an is Build The we ainerg al gaat finaslly we too hig sitSa B.C. co ). vernmenbje Frida s nt of ge tur cav lla e’d O ge of on on ex sta na ct pe of stu sh t s (N an 2 s se ap c of d perternew Emviatt] wa Publi lea sur liquefiedtwo Kitim er ght’s pactsover ide The go fima any ch see the gas- are ase thefou vernmen of the imath entgeats thi sheexsai is of ded ing int in the had a numb by refinery, ca at cky [O SO 2ity The Go n’s ple saidd.to“Our s,” ad ir taiist dy their bre peal oil 0 pa “Jathe set upnt. really We bers. fire guard Al ing ls. Kitim thede rthe it ap s-t possibil et at over 30 de the stu nto me sh gelled Ti posed chamthe un sesen ng nts to the nerat perm for uip se do since o te l As ldi all cil pro ge d eq t er Ri a are of ho un era ed el nta ne bu ty l en ov of me s co nn ke rsh meminals, who feeelectrici issionipping RTA to op s mer rnm yone velop timat Ai lot tcome to go ts.” timat tot ma ti- sio An governm em sh Kiup the gove ng en and perso d with the ou thesfor red n SO 2rea o Ki the of trial dethe Ki rkiipm th its re-it ter ed time emen hedno idents nt SOis2 woqu onwofset res indussee tio inc sed from, on e powe it finissie e sigtw ase rst activati tor “E nificarm ure ne requirhs claiming r wntwi it, rs turbin era, buting sinceath ry ple derniza fi ing their ne dicted (EOC) ev and fut the mit GrsapSta nnustia . l for RT A pe ’re ve st-mo o the breto theeadocume scrubbe , zarro Centre ies, pre las Channel,included fBi Li the poten , say s als the andfiwe is-- po ins are wa nthecaldn on st ev 2 released facilit zarroOp mm ent fiSO h. Doug ent studyd and railaltra ing me well,Th ain erations s co ow ag lly ild y. d Bien eC,”resai hig ga En sh d na wa C. Bu ida e. cy the y nts a too ha y eg ent of B. Frida roa ed natur in the study are rnm e’d ng the verea pella Safet EO w Emerg se on Frprivilrnm c we d r sh ses in tions l. the t’s r Dyke saino pactsdofit alo Thedgo s-l ap orters elter.s she mi PubliLo (posnevery usefuin reduc inc fou dan- leaCrowenGove r liquefi d tobysee ry,tengatia thePoim the sm ma lak sai aseed g tosturep at expecte upuatiothe of minedntreally as Th ns, the vedthe refiynepo kinthe dyMofary timre0 page owedtai proce ls. idents y setac bers. s no imge Speafor eralt30 an generatings ple aret us ssibility proposedsuoil lle thellyKibe h risksershthe de to tua for ev at ovhe ry incen do sin As inister nts en cil cham d nt M there wa a nt to en ctrre ent po fic. nals,wa ission cotun pirato nnel all outcomee of icity rnmandt risk 2 e to go ov he saidd perso mer bu of sione ing bu SO velopme onme in res air em ele al t to evthe governm it termi“W for gor ve e we tim shipp a. d with the the red cent,ca the trialayde reases becaus arease proj- need uatedipm s meitan sed upe vir entinan usalw ntindSO md tw ing industri the ple reafor ind evac“E o pesig settak newfut finished nt claimsh us-2 fro s turbine po ly) inc that iris ne m e inc wuld qumpers nifi ure s ow sib hs ce fro ted an to ted wa ap be tia sin ry d . me report Gr een .5 tial forximity scrubbers dic ood nel, an ve n I ini ing thet it wo pacts to cad we’rerea a, but blicly the docuthe gerll, . ies, ypre pro t SO 2 say betwthe underst in- im poten lakd ilit anhe only Bisozarro, an toiew of d the fac ,” he said. s are d to ev leased pu las Chan d Po rail traf- of ow odate en we “T ld onerv ug clearl - fac relate are ng wacy had he d anpe saiofd the wind e.can accomm y yEn rmit, the sh aen 12 ved,” sai theapDo eg roaing ectly in the C,” idantl are ge An ov afpro vil in dir Fr pa n eful. mpers to lear ve ke EOec ns pri alo ses ed tio tio n on it Dy ist erg ers er. are the ca said it ects reaA’s ex elt ntinued minor (posisittial redalucarea. the smCo weeded emnent dan- as Crow airshto report usthose ca , the Lone incRT the dir - expectedfor “Thekin ut signifi veeryfor to rev en lak t the tri g ed by tho mi ns ns Po vedtim ten d s tha the wi ow ed im tio po an pla wa pro h or ea As nts ary nts y peal. s are us Sp growt ster M acua tion re was no ent someAs for ev re an h risks sh atory incide int fic. rnment hastonoensu lly be reini h of reside the ap departm or-to-door dustrial the evacuasai ission pir k an bu SO 2 healt em uneventua nt ities froalm air ment M Powerpo heing dthe fia.re healtan If ted tlud on gove“We wa e of t to eratepro ses in res per cent, and ris jcausloc tion t do tri RTA opne ssibilind al vir rnment me ting the rea be are us uaes, inc ina po ve s is fec ac inc w ay go mb the for ev o ing a e s co ly) m d to see before e was alw tw ” . indus sib ers indo a I initiatede tha show servic and ituswould, tak ctse fro en rstood d vironment, ort n .5 and proximity to pa“W Sul- sav cly int an toP,camp vic ee n rep im bli rM s. on t would so ve tw ser y ge pu de . say fac the be lea reapeaker and the ed to un in-lak sed ly ds ion iew ofed primaril odate ox lea RC “The onlou said. clearly the of tly related to sentatov said Po ndof the neleave,” he r. erv us mm Di it, are pre wi d,” co g, the foc rm en ve ac the ga ec pe kin n d Nitrgcantly afge 12 An pro studyshed ca n of people mpers to ency es toemergan knocdirectioale it dir Thehe existing ed on pa ts are ap air ca a. evacue O 2) an edure his kle revisit the to forrt those ut signifi Continu ce for en- ec As for RTA’s needinj thed that “T trial are oxide (S tho d an s did media tim plans to peal. water h a pla n gh entspan phur Di growth wi residents or the int me esteablisac tioefi ital do so uaFir partm t has no the ap at hoorwould to- or dustrial fisretrede an ev ated n vernmen bilities from Powerpo timating health of If the te unt do go en the era g wa op tio ssi One Ki al rnm lud and combina po loc fectin gove see RTA eventdo a vicges,theinc save for d using and nt,” a ser end to uld vice an vironme durin s. on Sul“We int MP, .wo dspeaker ser need to leave, marily ion say RC presentat dy focused pri trgen Dioxreleased the g, lou ther. Ni knockin alert people of evacuees to ga ankle The stu (includes GST) O ) and to dia 761 place for did injure his and oxide (S 2 me a Di h Pm477 ur lis ph ab ter ital would est timat Firefigh treated at hosp s One Ki t and wa en ev the during . released
d AirsheraTeS SubScripTion Kitimat
ed
t releas
men Assess
d
lease ment re 1 year regular delivery by carrier ..............$41.65 s s e s s shed A 1 year Senior (65+) byitim carrier at Air...................$37.50 K 1 year mail delivery (in Canada) ...............$60.45 above prices include GST *includes access to e-subscription* www.northernsentinel.com
Clues Down
1. Morsels 2. Indian wet nurse 3. Cook a cake 4. Retired with honorary title 5. Conductor’s instrument 6. Manila hemp 7. Yellow portion of an egg 8. Curved support structure 9. Reasonings 10. Molten rocks 11. Hillside (Scot.) 12. Leases 13. Point midway between E and SE 21. Mauna __, HI, volcano 22. Leave out 25. Wall painting 26. Colorful Japanese animation 27. Grandmothers 28. Fully satisfied 29. Billiards sticks
Dear Sir, I have spent 61 years of my 84 years in this community working also as a contractor when in winter for many decades we provided snow removal service to many private and public institutions. In the interest of public safety we worked around the clock when necessary, and often this was the case. I have never experienced in all my years living in Kitimat such a current disaster and failure and irresponsible
WD Fashion
❏ yeS, i would like To receive page 7 site ... p The norThern SenTinel every week m a c t river illed asubscription 7 zly kyear enclosed is $________ for one Griz ... page mpsite a c r e t riv killed a Name: _______________________________________________________________ Grizzly 761
Pm477
& Shoe Stop
addreSS:____________________________________________________________
WOMEN’S CLOTHING
PhoNe: ______________________________________________________________
& Accessories!
Scarves, Jewellery, Purses - unique one-of-each style
Shoes for the whole family! Upper City Centre Mall KITIMAT
tel 250-632-3336 OPEN Mon-Thur 9:30am-6pm Fri 9:30am-9pm • Sun noon - 5:00
CiTy: _____________________________PoSTal Code: ____________________
CliP aNd mail To: northern Sentinel, 626 enterprise ave., kitimat, bc v8c 2e4 or Call: (250) 632-6144 Visa and m/C accepted Fax (250) 639-9373 email: classifieds@northernsentinel.com
Kitimat’s Leading LocaL newspaper
6 Northern Sentinel, Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Emergency operations tested by the snowfall Cameron Orr The Kitimat snow storm was the second activation of Kitimat’s new Emergency Operations Centre — which activates in the Public Safety Building — and it was perhaps even more serious of the two times. Deputy Fire Chief Pete Bizarro says the other activation was during the forest fire in Strawberry Meadows last summer. The EOC was activated following a Friday morning of troubles on the road and at the fire hall itself which was wrestling with getting a back-up emergency generator working. Bizarro says that any sort of call that the local fire department handles was called in over the weekend, putting a large workload on a department dealing with power outages and impassable roads. Yet the community came together and support from a number of sides meant the emergency coordinators are
cheering for jobs well done. The fire department had two of their members stuck early on Friday on Kitamaat Village road with one of the rescue engines which was responding to a vehicle accident. Bizarro said the arrival of the local Search and Rescue group meant Engine 12 could finally be reached and those members took two people back in to Kitamaat Village. Meanwhile through the weekend there were 29 dispatches from the fire hall, including nine rescues (people stranded, patients needing out from their homes, etc.), three fire calls including a structure fire on Oriole Street and a chimney fire on Kechika. Road crews would give certain streets priority if there was an emergency call on it, he said. Bizarro said part of what made all their operations effective was everyone’s under-
standing of the severity of the storm and the community as a whole supporting their neighbours. He also gave an extra thanks to the families of the volunteers who may not have seen their family for hours or perhaps days at a time. Bizarro also responded to questions related to fire hydrants, many of which are still buried under snow, but he said the primary source of water is actually the fire trucks themselves. There are also apps on their smart phones and in the trucks which show precisely where all fire hydrants are and they can be quickly cleared while any potential fire is being fought. Meanwhile Chad Fournier, who is president of the Kitimat Snowmobile Club and also a Search and Rescue manager, said it was a very unique weekend and he’s still trying to put his finger on what made this snow particularly dis-
Kitimat’s deputy fire chief Pete Bizarro snapped these photos from their operations during the storm weekend, which included a medevac from Kitamaat Village with the helicopter shown above. Pete Bizarro ruptive versus other heavy snow years. “I’ve seen snow like this before for sure. Trying to wrap my head around what made this storm event so much different than other times, because we did have a similar... snowfall in 1999 where we had over a metre of snow that fell in 24 hours. It’s not like this hasn’t happened before,” he said. Even so it was an “interesting, new experience” for everyone he said. “Kind of a foreign
and atypical scenario with using snowmobiles and ATVs with tracks to shuttle paramedics and firefighters to the scene of different calls.” He’s thankful there were no calls that had serious delays and said if anything, the resources of SAR in times like that will be remembered in the future as another tool in an emergency. The RCMP are part of the emergency operations centre too, but on the crime side staff sergeant Phil Har-
rison said it was fairly quiet. “For us it was a good weekend. We had a few calls to check on the wellbeing of people, but otherwise it was fine,” he said. The RCMP were called to the Kitimat
Modernization Camp due to conflict involving security not letting workers drive out of the camp due to snow clearing efforts, but the police informed security that if people needed to leave no one could be forced to stay.
TERRACE TO KITIMAT TRANSMISSION PROJECT PUBLIC MEETINGS BC Hydro is planning to replace the transmission line between Terrace and Kitimat, which is reaching the end of its useful life. We have now selected our preferred option for carrying out this project, which is to build a new line along the west side of the Kitimat Valley. This decision was based on environmental, archaeological, design, cost and other studies, as well as feedback received during consultation with First Nations, local governments and interested members of the public. You are invited to attend a public meeting to find out more about the preferred option and the next steps BC Hydro will take in carrying out this project. Terrace Tuesday March 3 Best Western Hotel Skeena Room 4553 Greig Ave
A home away from home Kitamaat Village residents evacuated from their community following a lengthy power outage after the snow storm found a place within the Riverlodge on February 8, which was made in to a warming centre for those not able to go home. Haisla ladies and volunteers prepared meals, with food purchased and donated from the community. Photo Louisa Genzale
6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
For more information, please visit bchydro.com/tktp or contact Stakeholder Engagement at 1 866 647 3334 or stakeholderengagement@bchydro.com.
4471
Agenda Drop-in open house: Presentation/Q&A:
Kitimat Wednesday March 4 Riverlodge Recreation Centre Community Room 654 Columbia Ave West
Northern Sentinel, Wednesday, February 18, 2015 7
Coming Events
Storms
March 5 ART CLUB OF KITIMAT meets at 7 p.m. in Room 113 at MEMSS. Drawing: Contours and Continuity– Bring sketching materials. Kitimat No supplies? We have some and we share. For more information contact Katherine Johnsen at 250632-6888. Ongoing FRIENDS OF THE PUBLIC LIBRARY To join, contact Luce Gauthier at lucegauthier10@gmail.com or Virginia Charron @ vcharron@kitimatpubliclibrary.org or call 250-632-8985. KITIMAT QUILTERS GUILD: If you are interested in joining the Kitimat Quilters Guild please contact Aileen Ponter at 250-6326225 or Janet Malnis at 250-632-7387 for further information. KITIMAT POTTERY GUILD meets every Thursday in the Riverlodge arts wing, from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Interested in playing with clay? All experience levels welcome. For more information call Anne at 250-632-3318. THE KITIMAT PUBLIC LIBRARY offers the highly engaging Mother Goose StoryTime for pre-schoolers Monday mornings from 10:30 -11:15 am. Please register for this free program. KITIMAT MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS - I have M.S. but M.S. does not have me. You are not alone, male or female, and the Kitimat M.S. group would like to be here for you. Total confidentiality. For more information contact Mary at 250-639-6016. KITIMAT FIBRE ARTS GUILD: Interested in knitting, spinning,etc.? For more info call Maureen 250-632-5444.
Continued from page 4 The national economy is reeling, the price of oil has plummetted. I doubt any Canadians will give the Conservatives credit for welcome cheaper gas. The dollar is way down, when lots Canadians are getting away from winter in warmer places where its cost $1.20 or more get let a lo-
cal dollar. That can’t be good. Big job losses across Canada have brought into question decisions of the competition board which really comes down to the Harper cabinet. The government is adamant it will balance the budget while revenues plummet. Nobody really believes its possible, so good luck with that. I could go on but you get the picture. The
current government is in trouble, the door is open from Tom Mulcair and Justin Trudeau. It’ll really come down to who’s behind them on the farm team to see if they can convince enough Canadians to actually get off their duffs to get out and vote to effect change. I doubt if Quebec will continue to hand bonus seats to Tom Mulcair.
The mother of all deals. Get a full year of TELUS Satellite TV from just $15/mo. when you bundle with home phone.
$15/mo TELUS Satellite TV
for the first year when you sign up for a 3 year home bundle.*
.
Save over
$260 on TELUS Satellite TV over 3 years.
KITIMAT
MINI STORAGE
Call 310-MYTV (6988), go to telus.com/gettv or visit your TELUS store.
SELF SERVE STORAGE UNITS Sizes from
8’x8’x10’ to 12’x 27’x10’
250-632-6934
414 Enterprise Ave.
TELUS STORES Kitimat 216 City Centre *Offer includes TELUS Satellite TV Basic Package and is available until March 21, 2015, with a 3 year service agreement, where access and line of sight permit, to residential customers who have not subscribed to TELUS TV or Internet in the past 90 days. Cannot be combined with other offers. TELUS Satellite TV is not available to residents of multi-dwelling units. Regular price (currently $36.95/month) applies at the end of the promotional period. Rates include a $5/mo. discount for bundled services and a $3/mo. digital service fee. TELUS reserves the right to modify channel lineups and packaging, and regular pricing without notice. HDTV-input-equipped television required to watch HD. Minimum system requirements apply. The service agreement includes a free PVR rental and 2 free digital box rentals; current rental rates apply at the end of the term. A cancellation fee applies to the early termination of a service agreement and will be $10 multiplied by the number of months remaining in the service agreement. Rental equipment must be returned in good condition upon cancellation of service, otherwise the replacement cost will be charged to the account. TELUS, the TELUS logo, TELUS Satellite TV, telus.com and the future is friendly are trademarks of TELUS Corporation, used under licence. © 2015 TELUS. TEL362_R1_KitimatNorthern_Sentinel_8_83x12.indd 1
1/30/15 6:54 PM
8 Northern Sentinel, Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Chamber of Commerce Week February 16 to 20, 2014
Keeping on the ball for Kitimat’s future
at
adams heymen owen
et
y
ity
Hu
m
Comm
un
Kiti m
The Chamber of Commerce, whether here issue in the community. There are major in Prince George, getting the word out resources they may have to offer too. in town or those in other communities, is wait lists for child care providers, which on what Kitimat has to offer, and letting The Chamber is endeavouring to be essentially the primary resource for all can be an impediment to getting people to people know there are rooms here in our flexible and dynamic to meet the town’s work if their children can’t be cared for. hotels now too. things business for a community. always changing needs. They are the voice representing the Trades training is also important, and The bottom line is that the community The Kitimat Chamber of Commerce Parsons said programs are needs to look outside the box and realize operates out of their location on Forest business people and employers really needed right now to that the way things may have worked in Avenue along Highway 37, which doubles that keep economies humming. have people available for the past have changed. as the Kitimat Visitor Info Centre. Most of B.C.’s 162 municipalities future projects. Having a The Chamber of Commerce in Kitimat, They operate the Tourism Kitimat website have a local Chamber of variety of types of training said Parsons, works with all levels of and actively promote Kitimat to the wider Commerce, according to the B.C. will also be crucial. the government, and with developers world as a tourism destination. Chamber of Commerce. The town, meanwhile, has and educators to look for new In Kitimat, the Chamber of Commerce continues to establish lots of opportunities to make itself known, opportunities for the town. foundations to make the community a and the Chamber, through their tourism It’s important, she said, to keep promotion activities, will have a presence representatives for various projects place of continual growth. As Chamber of Commerce week is upon at the upcoming Canada Winter Games in town at the table to tap in to us, the local chapter RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL is looking at a threeKitimat Chamber of Commerce Board Members • Plumbing • Welding • Heating • Piping pronged approach to Derick Stinson ....................Chair Bill Hickman................... Director Patrick Vezina ................ Director • Furnaces • Steel Fabrication settling various issues • Sheet Metal Wendy Kraft ................Vice Chair Debbie Oviatt ................. Director Ron Burnett .................... Director • Machine Shop for Kitimat. • Roofing 250 632-6859 • Engineering Jas Pannu ...Secretary Treasurer Dusan Jankovics ........... Director Thom Meier .................... Director Those prongs are: Tony Brady ..................Past Chair Mark Gravel ................... Director 245-3rd St. – 101first@101industries.com – Fax: 250-632-2101 housing, child care, and skills training. Kitimat Chamber Kitimat Humane Society Shelter Executive Director Proud to be part Kitimat Humane Society, CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS Trish Parsons says the of the Kitimat 1000 Eurocan Way Kitimat town is entering a new Chamber of Commerce Ph. 250-632-7373 phase which means we Scott Adams CA #210 - 370 City Centre have some breathing Wishing Kitimat Kitimat, BC V8C 1T6 room from the breaka pleasant scott@ahobc.ca tel 250.632.2254 neck pace it has been Mcelhanney fax 250.763.9315 Chamber of in for a few years. 322 - 323 City Centre • tel 250.632.3200 The right equation. www.ahobc.ca Commerce Week Yet she emphasizes Kitimat@McElhanney.com Ad sponsored by Kitimat Northern Sentinel newspaper that the community is www.McElhanney.com still moving forward and has to be prepared Kitimat WorkBC to take advantage of Employment Services Centre Ltd. new opportunities. Commercial Residential Industrial In order to support www.caronelectric.ca "Your Employment Resource" COMMERCIAL & INDUSTRIAL CONTRACTOR the retail and service Job Search Assistance We are your local Class “A” sectors in town she ASPHALT PAVING 250-632-6581 email esc.kcss@telus.net Certified Electrical Contractor said the town itself has ROAD BUILDING www.kitimatcommunityservices.ca REDI MIX CONCRETE to be accommodating Employment British SAND & GRAVEL to potential employees. Services Centre ColumBia Toll Free 1.800.938.7483 She said the Chamber 306 Haisla Blvd., Kitimat The Employment Program of British Columbia is funded by the 176-5th Street, Kitimat BC V8C 2C2 Tel 250-639-9141 • Fax 250-632-5048 Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia is continually working with organizations and groups to make sure the town has housing stock, for instance. The Chamber of Commerce is set to KITIMAT Constituency 300 Sandhill Way, Kitimat 213 City Centre, co-host a housing Ph. 250-632-7145 Fax 250-632-3710 Lower City Centre Mall forum with the District Ph. 250-632-9886 of Kitimat’s housing committee sometime TERRACE Constituency 104-4710 Lazelle Ave. in the near future Ph. 250-638-7906 Child care is also a big ane Soci
CARON Electr c
DIV. OF YSC HOLDINGS LTD
250.632.3334
GLACIER CONCRETE LTD.
Robin Austin MLA
Proud to be a member of the
Kitimat Chamber of Commerce
Lapointe Engineering Ltd.
YOUR LOCAL NEWS TEAM
A proud member of the Chamber of Commerce. Kitimat’s first locally based Engineering firm Kitimat Office: 250-639-9252
www.lapointe-eng.com Local, Practical Engineering for Tomorrow, Since 1980
Louisa Genzale
Cameron Orr
Misty Johnsen
Sarah Campbell
Kristyn Green
250-632-6144 www.northernsentinel.com
725 Commercial Avenue Kitimat, BC V8C 2K6 Ph: 250-632-5070
Northern Sentinel, Wednesday, February 18, 2015 9
Chamber of Commerce Week February 16 to 20, 2014
A Message from Derek Stinson
Chair of the Kitimat Chamber of Commerce Promotion. Advocacy. Volunteers. Connected. Progressive. Critical-Thinking. These are just some of the many words that can be used to describe the work of the Kitimat Chamber of Commerce. Serving as the Voice of Business in Kitimat since 1955, the Kitimat Chamber of Commerce has been an integral part of our community for the past 60 years. Supporting and advocating for the business community is one of our paramount underpinnings. From networking opportunities for our business leaders to holding community events in tandem with many of our community partners,
we are in our town connecting Kitimat. We offer a multitude of advertising opportunities in many forms to help you promote your business as well as an array of resources to help you recruit and retain your workforce, your Kitimat Chamber of Commerce is here for you. Kitimat is enjoying a period of economic opportunity, but with these opportunities comes challenges. As a business community it is important that issues such as a shortage of housing stock, worker recruitment and lack of necessary training courses do not hold Kitimat back from achieving our full potential as a
growing community. The Kitimat Chamber of Commerce will continue to advocate on behalf of our members to ensure that these challenges are at the forefront, and as the voice of business, we will lobby our elected officials in all levels of government for the betterment of our community. Our members are from where we get our strength; your continued support to your Chamber will help to continue on our path of growth and help see Kitimat continue to thrive for many years to come. Derick Stinson Chair, Kitimat Chamber of Commerce
A Message from Trish Parsons
The Kitimat Chamber of Commerce provides an opportunity for business people to create local jobs and drive the local economy to work with government and the public to build a better community. The Chamber Network in BC is the largest and most broadly-based business organization in the province representing more than 36,000 businesses. Chambers are recognized by the government as the voice for BC’s business community because each chamber is represented by local business people, providing input to government on regulatory policy at the grass roots level. The Kitimat Chamber provides an avenue for
business people in our community to create a positive business environment. It also provides local business with a vehicle to promote our community and region to the outside world for tourism and business investment and then serves to help people find their way when they arrive. Current challenges resulting from increased economic activity in the region include housing, childcare and available workforce. All of these factors have significant impact on business’s ability to remain competitive and achieve sustainable growth. We are committed to working with all stakeholders including community organizations, all levels
Executive Director of the Kitimat Chamber of Commerce of government, first nations and our chamber members to build a sustainable future for Kitimat. The Kitimat Chamber of Commerce is proud to celebrate 60 years of service in Kitimat and we will continue to serve our community for many more years to come! Trish Parsons Executive Director, Kitimat Chamber of Commerce
RG's
Auto Marine
Hamer
741 ENTERPRISE AVE., KITIMAT BC PH. 250-632-7722 FAX 250-632-5538
FRAMER the
A proud member of the Kitimat Chamber of Commerce
AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR
MERCURY MerCruiser
96 Yukon Street Kitimat, BC V8C 1Z2 250-632-2257
YANMAR marine
Cummins MerCruiser Diesel
Kitimat Realty Let the RE/MAX team work for YOU! 3-528 Mountainview Sq. 250-632-7000 www.kitimatrealty.com
Proud to belong to the Kitimat Chamber of CommerCe and the loCal business Community!
kitimat bc 250-632-4831
SERVICE, MARINE PARTS AND ACCESSORIES
Proud to belong to the
KITIMAT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Derick Stinson, Plant Manager 221 Enterprise Avenue Kitimat BC V8C 2C8 Phone 250-632-2717 Fax 250-632-2719
www.pyrotek.info
We are proud to be a part of the
Kitimat Chamber of Commerce
Kitimat Valley institute 1352 Alexander Avenue, Kitimat tel. 250 639-9199 www.kvic.ca
B:10.31” T:10.31”
10 Northern Sentinel, Wednesday, February 18, 2015
S:10.31”
Long after the 2015 Canada Winter Games comes to a close, Northern Gateway will help keep its spirit alive. As the Official Legacy Partner of the 2015 Canada Winter Games, we’re proud to contribute sports funding that is supporting a more competitive North for future generations. Because when we invest in the people of the North, there’s no limit to what can be achieved.
gatewayfacts.ca
T:14”
S:14”
Passing the legacy on for future generations
Northern Sentinel, Wednesday, February 18, 2015 11
K
I
T
I
M
A
T
Sentinel
Northern
MEMSS
The Buzz A part of the Kitimat Northern Sentinel
Special Student Edition
Volume 1 No. 01
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
MEMSS’ fine drama tradition (from a 2013 performance of Conflagration) continues as Kitimat hosts Dramafest this month.
Kitimat set to host Dramafest
At least some of the MEMSS band made it to Vancouver for their trip of shows and workshops. The recent snow storm meant only part of the Kitimat contingent could make it. Photo provided by The Buzz correspondents
Snow storm divides MEMSS band for hotly anticipated Vancouver trip Eugene Chang On February 5, the Mount Elizabeth Middle Secondary School band was scheduled to depart for Vancouver on two separate flights. Prior to the trip, Kitimat received a weather warning for heavy snow, leaving the entire band on edge as the visit to Vancouver suddenly faced jeopardy. On arrival, all the students were set to do activities such as seeing the Broadway Musical of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, watch Theatre Sports — a performance of actors playing classic theatre games in teams in a head-to-head battle — see Space Centre and most importantly, visit the campus of the University of British Columbia for a number of clinics and workshops for the variety of different instruments and age groups. Unfortunately, the snowstorm warning issued shortly before the trip had be-
come a reality for the second flight. The first group was able to depart on time fairly smoothly. Once they had arrived, word was received that the bus was able to take the next 33 of 45 passengers to the airport, giving hope to the band that everyone could make it. However, by then the snow had picked up and visibility dropped. Hawkair was persistent with taking the band into the air but it was unsuccessful even after waiting hours for a chance. The original flight was to leave at 6:30 p.m. but the band did not go home until the final decision to cancel the flight was made by Hawkair at 9:00 p.m. that there was not going to be a flight. This would leave Nancyjane Harness and her small crew of 10 other band members in Vancouver without the rest of the team.
They would continue to do everything that was planned including the now modified workshop, more suitable for a smaller group as well as all the shows. Luckily most of the organizations shared their sympathy for our group and adapted to the sudden shortage of people when it came to doing tours or shows. The trip back to Kitimat went smoothly. The plane left early and the weather back home had already cleared up. Courtney Preyser, the director of the MEMSS concert band, came to the airport to welcome the partial band home with joy for the safety and enjoyment of us few who were able to leave that Thursday morning. Everyone flew home in clear skies on the evening of February 9 with a great experience and new memories that we all wish could be shared with everyone intended to go.
Erin Young Dramafest is an annual competition that draws drama clubs of different schools together for a weekend-long presentation of a variety of short plays. High schools from Kitimat, Terrace, Prince Rupert, Hazelton, Houston, and Smithers gather to participate, each presenting their own performance for the public as well as a selected adjudicator. Participating communities take turns hosting, and this year the job goes to Kitimat, Mount Elizabeth Theatre from February 19 to 21, each group will take turns performing plays between 20 and 60 minutes long for a number of awards. The overall winners are invited to further compete at the provincial level, Destination Mainstage, an eight-day drama festival taking place in New Westminster. “The most exciting part besides being a part of the play is the social aspect. You get to meet other high school students that are interested in the same things you are,” says Leah, a senior student who has attended Dramafest four years in a row. “I hope to see all the plays be successful and that as a part of the hosting town everyone has a tremendous amount of fun at our theatre.” As for Kitimat’s contribution, Mount Elizabeth Secondary School will be performing True the Mirror, a brief piece described as “Alice in Wonderland, but with a dramatic twist.” The show will be the second one of the night on Friday, February 20. Admission is by donation, and everyone is welcome. Submit articles to your MEMSS student council or Northern Sentinel Editor Cameron Orr at newsroom@northernsentinel.com
What is this page? The Northern Sentinel is a community paper, and with that over-arching mission in mind, we decided we needed to open up space in our paper to a sometimes unheard part of our community: our students.
Once a month our hope is to allow a dedicated portion of our newspaper to go to local students to write articles and submit photographs. With just a little guidance from the newspaper editor, we want this
space to highlight the news and trends happening in Kitimat’s high schools’ halls, all from the perspective of the students themselves. And with that, I’ll turn the page over to them... - Cameron
Northern Sentinel, Wednesday, February 18, 2015 12
Dewalt could drone on and on all day Jeremy Dewalt gave himself a unique vantage point during and after the Family Day weekend snow storm; from the sky. The radio controlled (RC) device enthusiast decided to take a break from endless shoveling to see what his neighbourhood looked like as Kitimat was pounded by snow, and the result was uploaded to YouTube and viewed nearly 25,000 times. He has also posted a follow-up video showing his street — Dunn — glowing with sunlight under mounds of snow. Dewalt has lived in Kitimat since 2011, after moving here from Prince George. So he’s not unfamiliar with winters, even though he said the recent snow storm was only comparable, from his own history, to a snow storm in 1996 in, of all places, Victoria. Dewalt, an enthu-
siastic outdoorsman, has had a passion for the RC hobby growing over years, since he was a kid. “It’s my passion, my hobby,” he said. Many of his neighbours are used to seeing his quad-chopper — well, that is his Blade 350 QX2AP — hovering around the neighbourhood. He has a few videos on his YouTube account of flying
through his neighbourhood, as well as a video of a pass through the air
at the Kitimat Air Park. “It’s amazing what you can capture with
that thing,” he said. The technology is impressive, even for a minute forgetting it’s a portable flying device. He said he can wirelessly link the camera on his RC to his smartphone and enjoy a live view of above. That means he can also control it when it’s out of few. It has come in handy as he has piloted through Moore Creek, beyond the waterfall near Rio Tinto Alcan’s smelter. It’s not only aerial vehicles he has though, but a range of air and land based vehicles, from boats to trucks to cars. The device he used to grab the snow storm video on Dunn Street uses a GPS lock to find its way. He notes that in the video you can see the quad-chopper drift in the wind but move back automatically to the GPS designated spot. Wind was a factor in not going much
Express Continued from page 5 “We are looking at various alternatives which would represent lower (capital expenditure) commitment in order to improve overall returns,” he said. “These include locations not only in Colombia but also other countries.” Canada for instance? Volk wouldn’t name any “alternatives”. But it strikes me that a logical play by PRE, given there is already a second barge under construction, is to cut a deal
with the Douglas Channel consortium that would see the first barge park up here and the second one go to the delayed Colombia project. Which could translate to Douglas Channel being up and running two years ahead of the current plan. I know, it’s all horribly speculative. But stranger things have happened in the world of LNG.
Municipal Manager of the day operated a snow blower. Every October there is a parade of the snow removal equipment in the District Service Centre yard which is getting prepared for the winter. Where is this equipment today? Why is this equipment not now cleaning streets and sidewalks? Because of this negligence and poor planning it will now be ever more costly to bring city street and sidewalks back to a normal. I understand that there have been several house fires. Also when driving around I noticed that fire hydrants are still buried in the snow. When will they
be dug out? With great concern I observed elderly and other pedestrians who had great difficulty in negotiating streets as sidewalks remain impassable. A commission of
Pick up your FREE Family Fun Book today!
FAMILY
FREE
Fun Bo ok yone For Ever A Little Fun K
I
T
I
M
A
T
Sentin Sentielnel
Northern Northern
has a garage full of parts. His ultimate dream is to open a specialty RC shop, and looks forward to the chance to do that in Kitimat, a town he’s grown to love in his over three years here, where he works as a carpenter. If anything though, the hobby of RC is great for people with families, he said, as a way to get kids outside away from non-stop video games. Dewalt has two children, a five-yearold and a six-monthold, and he said his oldest is already getting in to the hobby too. Taking hikes with their RCs and playing around with them provides great family opportunities, he said.
!
Great for... Birthday Parties • Goodie Bags Travelling • Day Camps and anything else you can think of!
Available at the
KITIMAT
626 Enterprise Avenue, Kitimat BC V8C 2E4 tel 250-632-6144 • fax 250-639-9373
www.northernsentinel.com
oast Mountains Board of Education
Response Continued from page 5 This delayed response and lack of action by the administration threatened the health, well being and safety of all citizens. This also hampered BC Hydro crews in their effort to restore power outages across Kitimat except for those areas which had preferred status for power supply. It is noteworthy that historically during times of heavy and continuous snow fall when the regular District crews needed relief due to fatigue, administrative officers and staff as well as Public Works yard supervisory staff operated snow removal equipment. Even the
higher as well. Wind drifts that high up can be disruptive. Any other local RC enthusiasts may soon see more of Dewalt’s name. He’s hopeful to form an RC club sometime in the future, perhaps linked to other clubs in the region to take advantage of established tracks. “It’d be nice to have a track to race around,” he said. He takes his boat to the lakes sometimes too, but he said he has to be careful when there are people around as his RC boat roars at typical, full-size boat speeds. He at least has hopes to build a track for RC vehicles on his own property and he
inquiry should be set up to get to the bottom of this disaster. And it should not be an inhouse white wash inquiry/ investigation. Sincerely, Leon DumstreySoos
KITIMAT COMMUNITY SERVICES SOCIETY
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Thursday, Feb. 26 at 7 pm Please join us at the Employment Centre 562 Mountainview Square, Kitimat
New members are welcome! Call 250-632-9107 for more information.
School District 82
2015-2016, 2016-2017 & 2017-2018 PROPOSED SCHOOL CALENDARS PUBLIC FEEDBACK REQUESTED
Coast Mountains Board of Education School District 82 is seeking public feedback regarding the 2015-2016, 2016-2017 and 20172018 Proposed School Calendars. An all-partner consultative School Calendar Committee was formed by the Board of Education in March 2014 with a mandate to guide the development of an ongoing plan for school calendars over the next three years. Details regarding the 2015-2016, 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 Proposed School Calendars are available on the Coast Mountains School District website at www.cmsd.bc.ca. Public feedback is welcomed by February 24, 2015, by completing the School Calendar Survey (link available on the school district website) or by forwarding your comments by email to carole.gagnon@cmsd.bc.ca, by fax to 1-888-290-4786, or drop off/mail to: Coast Mountains Board of Education School District 82 3211 Kenney Street, Terrace, B.C. V8G 3E9 A summary of all responses and feedback received will be reviewed by the Board of Education. The 2015-2016, 2016-2017 and 20172018 Proposed School Calendars will then be considered at the Regular (Public) Meeting of the Board to be held on March 11, 2015 at 5:00 p.m. at the Board of Education Office. For further information, please contact Carole Gagnon, Executive Assistant at the Board of Education Office (250) 638-4401 or 1-855635-4931, Ext. 4401. 3211 Kenney Street, Terrace, B.C. V8G 3E9 Tel. (250) 635-4931 or 1-855-635-4931 local 4401 . Fax 1-888-290-4786 . www.cmsd.bc.ca
13 Northern Sentinel, Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Donated slabs part of Village marine update Cameron Orr The Kitimat Modernization Project, which should secure smelter operations for another 60 years in the northwest, certainly has its spin-off benefits. While the more obvious benefits include employment and busy local businesses, Kitamaat Village was provided one, perhaps seemingly random, donation from the aluminum company: concrete slabs. "The concrete was developed...more specifically for lines seven and eight," explains Rio Tinto Alcan spokesperson Kevin Dobbin. Those old pot lines have been brought down over the course of the modernization project, and those old concrete slabs, which are custom made by Glacier Concrete, came out with it. From there those slabs rested over at Glacier Concrete, but a busy place like Glacier didn't have a whole lot of room to spare for unusable slabs. Dobbin said given the custom-made nature of the slabs there was no other place on the work site to move them to give them a new home. "They were basically sitting at Glacier Concrete on a cost to RTA," he said. It's not entirely uncommon for the company to seek out ways to give their equipment or supplies a second life elsewhere off the property,
he said. The 75 concrete slabs, said Dobbin, have a value of around $30,000. The company Dial N' Order handled the delivery of the slabs to Kitamaat Village. Haisla Nation Council Chief Councillor Ellis Ross said the slabs will be a major part for an overall plan to renovate the marina in Kitamaat Village. "Our administration is going to try to do improvements to our dock and our ramp system down at the bay for marine services," he said. "The boat ramp that's down there right now was done on a similar donation," he added, saying their ramp is made from about 30 year old slabs, also from Rio Tinto Alcan. The ramp improvement will be part of a larger plan which will also see the existing breakwater replaced and improved. "I think right now their [Fisheries department] priority is to put in a new breakwater," said Ross. "The old breakwater made up of logs is actually causing us more heartache than anything." He said the Haisla are working with the government of Canada to install a new breakwater with an eye to making it a more long-term structure. "It's time we upgraded that facility," said Ross.
A view from the Kitamaat Village Marina, which may soon see some upgrades, in part from a donation from RTA.
Middle school concept in Kitimat hasn’t helped, says KDTA graduation rates. Two years ago, the district moved Kitimat’s Grade 7s to Mt. Elizabeth as part of a district-wide shift towards the middle school model. Unlike Terrace, where the Skeena Middle School for Grades 7–9 has its own school site, Grade 7s at Mt. Elizabeth share the building with Grades 8–12s. The transition planned for the Hazeltons would be closer to the model used in Kitimat. Cathy Lambright, the president of the Terrace District Teachers’ Union, said Coast Mountains had not done enough research into how reconfiguring grades had affected those schools. “My concern is this, let’s take a look at our own district,” she said. “Kitimat is a school within a school, just like Hazelton. What were some of the concerns and pressures from the parents there, from the kids, from the teachers, what worked and what didn’t? Let’s take a look at that before we rush headlong into making possibly
similar mistakes.” She said the union was not opposed to the move itself but the time frame. She believes it would be a mistake to introduce changes in Hazelton this year because the school was not prepared. “I think that trying to do it in too short a time can be really harmful because the high school is certainly not organized or set up for a group of students to move into HSS at this point in time for Sept. 1,” she said. She called on the school district to provide more evidence to support its claim that the change was beneficial to students. Kitimat District Teachers’ Association president Kim Meyers does not believe the transition has helped students at the Mt. Elizabeth Secondary School. She said she would not recommend a similar model being introduced in the Hazeltons because resources at Mt. Elizabeth had been stretched by the move. She believes a middle school that operated separately,
like the one in Terrace, would be more successful. “A true middle school model provides for collaboration and team-building and kids doing collective activities but that’s just not possible when they are in the same building ... it just doesn’t work when you’re all in one building and sharing resources,” she said.
“In Kitimat we were assured over and over that the students would be kept separate ... but there is no separation and there is no way to do it.” Meyer agreed with concerns raised by Hazelton parents that younger students were more vulnerable in a high school environment, “for a lot of different reasons”.
“I find it cause for concern, absolutely,” she said. In her opinion, a similar move in Hazelton would not “hurt” Grade 7 students academically but it would not improve their graduation rates. Board chair Erasmus said last week the district was receiving positive feedback from parents, students and
teachers at the Terrace and Kitimat schools. He said the board would consider how to respond to community concerns at its next meeting on Feb. 18. “Given the amount of ‘we don’t want to do this’ that we had at the meeting ... clearly the board will be advised from the meeting ... that it’s not smooth sailing.”
Kitimat Concert Association presents
Ballet Jörgen: Cinderella Wednesday, February 25 at 8:00 pm This ballet by Bengt Jörgen is an innovative take on the classic fairy tale. Jörgen’s choreography balances the fairy tale elements of the story with a contemporary treatment of Cinderella and her family relationships.
www.balletjorgen.ca UPCOMING CONCERTS
Alicia Bridges Teachers’ union leaders from Kitimat and Terrace, where Grade 7s were moved out of elementary schools two years ago, say the Coast Mountains School District should research how the change has affected those schools before it makes similar changes in the Hazeltons. Hazeltons parents last week expressed concerns about a plan to move Grade 7 students to the Hazelton Secondary School in September 2015. Their concerns relate to a lack of consultation in the lead up to the move, longer travel times for younger students, bullying, and issues with Grade 7s sharing the school with older students. Opposition to the plan was also voiced at the Jan. 26 meeting of the Hazelton Grade Reconfiguration Committee, which was created by the district to investigate the best model for the move. School district board chair Art Erasmus told The Interior News last week that the transition was aimed at improving
Sat., Mar. 7: John Wort Hannam Returning to Kitimat with a great new show! He has a vast songwriting tradition in the styles of John Prine, Louden Wainwright III, and Steve Earle.
Sponsored in part by:
KITIMAT CONCERT ASSOCIATION
www.kitimatconcerts.ca Performances at Mount Elizabeth Theatre, 1491 Kingfisher, Ave., Kitimat TICKETS ON SALE AT: Katti’s Knook, Kitimat, or by emailing tickets@kitimatconcerts.ca, and the theatre lobby evening of performance. For more information call 250.632.4008.
Entertaining, enlightening, and inspiring community through live Performing Arts.
NorthernFebruary Sentinel,18, Wednesday, February 18,Sentinel 2015 14 Wednesday, 2015 Northern
A14 www.northernsentinel.com
Your community. Your classifieds.
250.632.6144 fax 250.639.9373 email classifieds@northernsentinel.com INDEX IN BRIEF FAMILY ANNOUNCEMENTS COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS TRAVEL CHILDREN EMPLOYMENT BUSINESS SERVICES PETS & LIVESTOCK MERCHANDISE FOR SALE REAL ESTATE RENTALS AUTOMOTIVE MARINE
Announcements
Employment
Information
Career Opportunities
APPLY NOW: A $2,500 Penny Wise scholarship is available for a woman entering the Journalism Certificate Program at Langara College in Vancouver. Application deadline April 30, 2015. Send applications to fbula@langara.bc.ca More information online at: www.bccommunitynews. com/ our-programs/scholarship.
Travel
AGREEMENT
It is agreed by any Display or Classified Advertiser requesting space that the liability of the paper in the event of failure to publish an advertisement shall be limited to the amount paid by the advertiser for that portion of the advertising space occupied by the incorrect item only, and that there shall be no liability in any event beyond the amount paid for such advertisement. The publisher shall not be liable for slight changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value of an advertisement. bcclassified.com cannot be responsible for errors after the first day of publication of any advertisement. Notice of errors on the first day should immediately be called to the attention of the Classified Department to be corrected for the following edition. bcclassified.com reserves the right to revise, edit, classify or reject any advertisment and to retain any answers directed to the bcclassified.com Box Reply Service and to repay the customer the sum paid for the advertisment and box rental.
House Exchange Former Kitimat Resident Will swap 2 bed,2 bath Condo (beautiful view) in Metro Vancouver, for your house in Kitimat. Last 2 weeks of July (flexible) please call: 604-461-4281 email:marggibs@gmail.com
Employment Business Opportunities GET FREE vending machines. Can earn $100,000 + per year. All cash-retire in just 3 years. Protected Territories. Full details call now 1-866-668-6629. Website: www.tcvend.com. THE DISABILITY Tax Credit. $1500 yearly tax credit. $15,000 lump sum refund (on avg). Covers: hip/knee replacements, back conditions and restrictions in walking and dressing. 1-844-453-5372.
DISCRIMINATORY LEGISLATION
COPYRIGHT
Copyright and/or properties subsist in all advertisements and in all other material appearing in this edition of bcclassified.com. Permission to reproduce wholly or in part and in any form whatsoever, particularly by a photographic or offset process in a publication must be obtained in writing from the publisher. Any unauthorized reproduction will be subject to recourse in law.
ON THE WEB:
Career Opportunities
Drivers/Courier/ Trucking SUTCO IS seeking U.S. qualified Class 1 Drivers, steady year round Super B Flat Deck work. We offer group health benefits, matched contribution pension, e logs, and auto deposit pay. Apply on line at: sutco.ca/fax resume and abstract to (250)357-2009/call 1-888-357-2612 ext. 230
Help Wanted CITY CENTRE MALL in Kitimat has an opening for a BUILDING CUSTODIANJANITOR PT/ 12-21 hrs/week approx. rotating schedule, evenings & weekends. Please fax: 250632-6784 or email resumes to info@citycentremall.ca
GLAZIERS
All-West Glass in Kitimat seeks a mature, self motivated team member for Kitimat & the surrounding area. Competitive Wages and benefits package including health & dental plus discounts on product. E-mail your resumes to: colinm@all-west.ca
www.all-westglass.com
Employment
Employment
Employment
Financial Services
Help Wanted
Help Wanted
Help Wanted
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 IF YOU own a home or real estate, Alpine Credits can lend you money: It’s That Simple. Your Credit / Age / Income is not an issue. 1.800.587.2161.
We need YOU! Looking for
S! NEWSPAPER CARRIER it Pay! WEDNESDAY & FRIDAY DELIVERIES. Direct Depos
AND
NEWSPAPER STUFFERS Needed for THURSDAY AFTERNOONS
LARGE FUND Borrowers Wanted Start saving hundreds of dollars today! We can easily approve you by phone. 1st, 2nd or 3rd mortgage money is available right now. Rates start at Prime. Equity counts. We don’t rely on credit, age or income. Call Anytime 1-800-639-2274 or 604-430-1498. Apply online www.capitaldirect.ca
in the Kitimat area.
KITIMAT
DRIVERS WANTED
Full and Part time for Coastal Taxi Send resume & driver’s abstract to PO Box 56 Kitimat, BC V8C 2G6 No phone calls
Medical/Dental 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!
PERFECT FOR STUDENTS, RETIREES, OR ANYONE LOOKING TO EARN EXTRA CASH!!! No Collecting!
PERMANENT CARRIER ROUTES ~ Blueberry, Strawberry, Cranberry (40) ~ Teal, Wakita, Wozney (70) ~ Williscroft, Swannell (80)
Community Health Nurse sought in Port Hardy, BC. Request job description or apply to marie.hunt@kwakiutl.bc.ca by Feb 22. Competitive salary offered. Tel. 250-949-6625
SMALL ENG/SAW/OUTBOARD MECHANIC WANTED. Exp required. Wage/benefits negotiable. ShopRite Marine/Logging, Port McNeill, BC Send resume to: crosback@telus.net
PUZZLE SOLUTION
Advertisers are reminded that Provincial legislation forbids the publication of any advertisement which discriminates against any person because of race, religion, sex, color, nationality, ancestry or place of origin, or age, unless the condition is justified by a bona fide requirement for the work involved.
GPRC, FAIRVIEW Campus urgently requires a Power Engineering Instructor! Please contact Brian Carreau at 780835-6631 and/or visit our website: www.gprc.ab.ca/careers
Services
Call to get your name on our Replacement Routes List.
Happy Thoughts
Happy Thoughts
Sentinel
Kitimat
Northern
and
Connector The Northern
Contact the Northern Sentinel at 250-632-6144. 626 Enterprise Avenue, Kitimat
Happy Thoughts
Happy Thoughts
Put your baby’s picture in the Northern Sentinel’s
u l f i B t u a e B of Kitimat feature!a b i e s
WIN
ME
Meli s Gidd sa & Dou Valu y Up & G g ed a t $99 o .99
!
The Beautiful Babies will be published in the Kitimat Northern Sentinel March 4!
Enter for
INE DEADL B. 26 WIN A GIFT FE .,- 250-632-6144 WECallDtoday Trading P ost Deadline for submission is Thurs., Feb. 26!
donated
a chance
to
by Kitima
t-based
Fill in the form below and enter your baby pic today! K
I
T
I
M
A
T
Sentinel
Northern
This is always a very popular feature and your child/grandchild/niece/nephew or any beautiful baby you know can be included.
ONLY Baby’s Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....................................................
$
Baby’s Birth Date. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
30 PLUS TAX COLOUR INCL.
Parent’s Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Submit this form along with a photo of the beautiful baby to: Northern Sentinel, 626 Enterprise Ave., Kitimat or email your photo to: classifieds@northernsentinel.com • Ph. 250 632-6144 fax 250 639-9373.
approx. size of ad 2"x2" includes photo and text
Let’s be social
Like us on Facebook for career articles, contests, job inspiration & more.
/LocalWork-BC
15 Northern Sentinel, Wednesday, February February 18,18, 2015 Northern Sentinel Wednesday, 2015
Merchandise for Sale
Rentals
Auctions
Homes for Rent
KWIKAUCTIONS.COM online-only weekly New/Used Restaurant & Commercial Food Equipment Auctions. Every auction ends Thursday night beginning @ 6pm (PST) View our website www.KwikAuctions.com for catalog & inventory pictures Preview our auction floor in person 9am- 4pm, Mon-Fri - 7305 Meadow Ave, Burnaby (604-299-2517)
BUNGALOW for RENT in Kitimat 3BDRM, 1BATH Renovated, lg fenced backyard, garage and double driveway. Fully furnished $1800 + utilities ref. req. Short+long term leases Neg. CALL-250-632-5956 aft 5pm
Misc. for Sale SAWMILLS FROM only $4,397 - Make money & save money with your own bandmill - Cut lumber any dimension. In stock ready to ship. Free info & DVD: www.NorwoodSaw mills.com/400OT 1-800-5666899 Ext:400OT.
FULLY FURNISHED 2 Bedroom home for rent In Kitimat attached garage, hot tub, large deck, gas bbq, w/d, f/s incl. N/S, no pets. $1500 + utilities avail. immediately Please call: 250-639-1641
Misc. Wanted Private Collector Looking to Buy Coin Collections, Silver, Antiques, Native Art, Estates + Chad: 778-281-0030 Local
Why brave the weather when you can e-mail us your ad . . .
classifieds@ northernsentinel.com For the Safety of Your Newspaper Carriers
Please keep your walkways and stairs clear of snow and ice. Thank you
Trucks & Vans
K
1998 GMC 1 TON DUMP TRUCK
FLAT DECK,4 WHEEL DRIVE Please call: 250-632-9935 2010 CHEV Silverado 85,700 Kms, 6.0 Liter Vortec - 6 speed automatic, tow package - brake controller, A/C, power windows/locks, Tonneau package, security system/Onstar, extending heated mirrors, all vinyl floor - no carpet. Asking $27,000 OBO (250) 691-1641
I
T
I
M
A
T
Northern
626 Enterprise Ave., Kitimat 250 632-6144 Fax 250 639-9373 email: classiďŹ eds@northernsentinel.com
Real Estate Business for Sale DVD RENTAL business. Selling due to illness. Fully stocked $5500 obo. 250-542-0743 www.tigressevideoretals.mydvd kiosks.net
Real Estate FURNISHED and Non Furnished accommodation available in Kitimat for Feb. Call Stan 780-974-3945 or email marps68@hotmail.com
Rentals Apt/Condo for Rent HILLCREST PLACE APARTMENTS Totally renovated (ask for details) Security Entrance, Dishwasher No pets, No smoking
250-632-7814 Kitimat
KITIMAT APTS BEST VALUE
•
Starting at $725 Balconies Security Entrances Cameras for your safety Now includes basic cable Visit our Website www.kitimatapartments.com Phone: 250.632.APTS (2787)
• • • •
KITIMAT
MIDTOWN APARTMENTS
Free heat & Free Hot Water Furnished & Unfurnished 1 & 2 bedrooms Security Entrances No Pets. No Smoking
250.632.7179
•
• • •
QUATSINO APTS KITIMAT Downtown location Balconies Security Entrances Some furnished suites Call for an appointment 250.632.4511
SUPPORT YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER! Subscribe to the K
I
T
I
M
A
T
Sentinel
Northern Today!
Fight $ 65 Back. 41 ONLY
Includes GST
SENIORS Volunteer
37
50 your$time, Includes GST energy and Call 250-632-6144 for yourtoday. subscription skills
or email classifieds@northernsentinel.com
In partnership with
SAVE ANYWHERE.
closed down but a lot of the efforts were on dealing with the snow rather than the construction. “I drove through there Sunday afternoon because it was a detour road to the plant and...in the camp parking lot the snow was pretty heavy,� he said. “When you got to the construction site a lot of the pathways were done.� Dobbin said he spent a lot of time communicating with the District of Kitimat from RTA’s command post at their administrative building and they helped each other out as best as they could. “To help them out we lent a bit of equipment,� he said. A couple of loaders were sent out to help out with some of Kitimat’s side streets, he said.
SAVE SAVE ANYWHERE. ANYWHERE. ANYWHERE.
Introducing the New Save.ca Mobile Cash-Back Feature. With exclusive offers for the brands you love & $5 cash-out minimums through PayPal, you’ll never go shopping without your smart phone again!
Introducing the New Save.ca Mobile Cash-Back Feature. Introducing the New Mobile Feature. With exclusive offers for theSave.ca brands you loveCash-Back & $5 cash-out minimums With exclusive offersnever for thegobrands youwithout love & $5 cash-out minimums through PayPal, you’ll shopping your smart phone again! Introducing the New Save.ca Mobile Cash-Back Feature. through PayPal, neverBack go shopping yourSteps smart phone again! Getyou’ll Cash in 3without Easy With exclusive offers for the brands you love & $5 cash-out minimums through PayPal, you’ll never go shopping without your smart phone again!
Cash Back inReceipt 3 Easy Steps 1. Browse &Get Shop 2. Upload 3. Get Cash Back!
Get Cash Back in 3 Easy Steps
Browse the mobile app Take a photo of your Once you reach just $5, 1. Browse & Shop 2. Upload Receipt Get Cashyou Back! for your favourite brand’s andin submit it 3.the money save will Get Cash receipt Back 3 Easy Steps mobile app 2.Take a photo ofapp your Once youCash reach just $5,your 1.Browse Browse & Shop Upload Receipt 3. Get Back! offers, andthe purchase through the be transferred into for your favourite receipt and submit it the money you save them at any storebrand’s PayPal wallet Browse the mobile app Take a photo of your Once you reach justwill $5,
THE FOUNDATION 'RQŇ‹W WDNH \RXU PXVFOHV of my community Visit save.ca/cashback to Learn More starts with IRU JUDQWHG 2YHU Employment you and me . . .
offers, and 1. Browse &purchase Shop for your favourite brand’s them at any store offers, purchase Browse theand mobile app at anybrand’s store for yourthem favourite offers, and purchase them at any store
through the app 2. receipt Upload Receipt and submit it
through the of app Take a photo your receipt and submit it through the app
be into your 3.transferred Get Cash the money you saveBack! will PayPal wallet beOnce transferred into your you reach just $5, the PayPal moneywallet you save will be transferred into your PayPal wallet
Visit save.ca/cashback to Learn More Visit save.ca/cashback to Learn More
Visit save.ca/cashback to Learn More
&DQDGLDQV ZLWK PXVFXODU RECREATION EDUCATION ENVIRONMENT ARTS SOCIAL SERVICES Casting MetallurgiCal teChniCian G\VWURSK\ WDNH WKHP YHU\ VHULRXVO\
Rio Tinto is a leading international mining group headquartered in the UK. Rio Tinto’s business is finding, mining, and processing mineral resources. For more information, please visit www.riotinto.com.
the opportunity We are looking for a Casting Metallurgical Technician, to be responsible for controlling one or more processes, major projects, complex equipment maintenance, scientific analyses or administrative techniques involving several technical disciplines and requiring considerable coordination and extensive consultation with internal and external parties. This role will work on a rotating roster of a 12hour day shift. The position is based in Kitimat, British Columbia.
COMMUNITY MAKES YOU. YOU MAKE YOUR COMMUNITY. /HDUQ PRUH DW PXVFOH FD
What you will need for this role To be successfully considered for this role, you will have:
• 2 year college Diploma in Metallurgy, Process or chemical technology or other relevant discipline • 3 to 5 years of experience • Knowledge of specific aspect of casting processes • Good communication and strong leadership skills • Strong analytical and results oriented skills • Ongoing learning and improvement of technical knowledge
SANDPIPER APTS KITIMAT
To apply your skills and experience with a global leader in aluminium production, please visit http://jobs.riotinto.ca and apply under the Position ID number RITM0035850. Resumes submitted should include a copy of your trade certification documents and must be either in MS-Word or Adobe PDF format.
250.632.4254
to make sure we can clean up those parking areas before we get everybody back to work, or driving back in to work,� he said last week. That shuttle picked up employees from the Mountainview Square parking lot downtown. Dobbin says there was little impact to how many people could show up for their shifts. “[There were] not really any no-shows that we’re aware of. Right away the teams were fully there, engaged throughout the weekend...We had a bit of a command centre at the main office building.� There were detours to the site as well due to downed trees. From the Kitimat Modernization Project side he said the site wasn’t officially
In partnership with
Candidates internal to the Rio Tinto Group must advise their managers of their application prior to progressing to the interview stage.
www.kitimatapartments.com
Rio Tinto Alcan initiated their emergency Business Resilience Plan as the smelter shared in the immense snowfall the town was experiencing. Even so the plant’s operations kept going, said company spokesperson Kevin Dobbin. “The operations kept plugging along. Obviously when there’s a lot of snow our focus is on safety in the plant to ensure everyone was safe in how we kept running the smelter,� said Dobbin last week. Early in the week he said the plant wasn’t quite back to normal yet as snow clearing operations continued. “Obviously a lot of the snow has fallen in the parking lots and so right now we’re running a shuttle from Kitimat to the plant
In partnership with In partnership with
www.kitimatapartments.com
Newer Buildings Elevators Security Entrances Covered Parking Balconies
RTA kept humming through the storm
,W WDNHV PXVFOHV WR IROG Sentinel XS WKLV QHZVSDSHU
FIND it, BUY it, SELL it . . . in the classifieds
Transportation
STEEL BUILDINGS/metal buildings 60% off! 20x28, 30x40, 40x62, 45x90, 50x120, 60x150, 80x100 sell for balance owed! Call 1-800-4572206 or visit us online: www.crownsteelbuildings.ca. STEEL BUILDINGS. “Really big sale!� All steel building models and sizes. Plus extra savings. Buy now and we will store until spring. Call Pioneer Steel 1-800-668-5422 or visit online: www.pioneersteel.ca
www.northernsentinel.com A15
The Angel Tree Program run by the Tamitik Status of Women helps low income families celebrate the holiday festivities by giving parents the opportunity to provide their children with a Christmas Gift. The Kitimat Community Foundation annually supports TSW programs.
www.kitimatfoundation.ca
communityfoundations.ca
Northern Sentinel, Wednesday, February 18, 2015 16
Sports & Leisure
Strike Continued from page 1 Union demands cover a wide range from wages, to seniority issues, to health and safety. The District of Kitimat, meanwhile, has issued a media release of their own regarding negotiations, saying that the District of Kitimat and the union have met 18 times. The District says the 90 demands of the union “[amounts] to re-writing much of the Collective Agreement.” “District of Kitimat employees already earn among the highest wages in the province,” the District’s release adds. “The District has tabled a two percent wage increase, which is consistent with other municipal contracts. The Union’s proposals would significantly increase the cost of the District of Kitimat’s operations and constrain the ability to deliver public services.”
The District of Kitimat says the union’s operational financial proposals would result in a minimum 12 per cent property tax increase. Responding to the union’s strike vote, deputy Chief Administrative Officer Warren Waycheshen simply acknowledged the vote had taken place, noting the Labour Relations Board meeting on Monday. “The District of Kitimat is committed to continue working towards reaching a Collective Agreement,” he added. Contract negotiations aside, the union is calling for a full investigation in to how the town handled the recent snow storm. The Kitimat council has also called for a review. Acting mayor Mario Feldhoff said at the February 10 Committee of the Whole meeting that there will be one conducted.
Having an ice time Members of the Snow Valley Skating Club travelled to Quesnel, January 23 – 26 to participate in the Regional Jamboree and the Cariboo North Central Figure Skating Championships. The club brought home some gold, silver and bronze medals and lots of great memories. Submitted
Marie’s friends and family are Relaying because Marie has cancer.
WHO WILL YOU RELAY FOR?
Relay For Life is a powerful and inspirational fundraising event that challenges you, your family and your community to walk or run to advance cancer research and support Canadians living with cancer. Every dollar you raise helps the Canadian Cancer Society have more impact, against more cancers, in more communities, across Canada.
Haisla and proud Top Haisla basketball players were among the many athletes competing at the All Native Basketball Tournament in Prince Rupert last week. Final scores wouldn’t be available until after press, but here’s a shot from the week of the Kitamaat and Hesquiaht ladies fighting for a spot in the semi-finals. This game follows the Kitamaat Ladies defeating New Aiyansh the day prior. The Northern View
FINAL
#WhyIRelay
Accept the baton. Register at relayforlife.ca
Fun in the sun catalogue 2015
now available! Pick up your Free copy at any Sears catalogue location or view it online at sears.ca/cataloguecentral
Free ShiPPing
When you spend $99 or more, before taxes. Some restrictions apply. See catalogue or sears.ca for details. Enjoy shopping from the comfort of your home, with 24/7 ordering convenience. Follow us @SearsCA
Connect with Sears Canada
NP315-728 © Sears Canada Inc., 2015. All rights reserved.