Houston Today, January 06, 2016 by Black Press Media Group

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Houston prepares for new doctor By Xuyun Zeng Houston Today

SEARCH & Rescue

Houston is preparing for the coming of a new doctor. Coun. Tom Stringfellow updated council on Dr. Onoura Odoh, the new doctor slated to come to Houston. Stringfellow reported his findings from the Northern Health Physician Committee meeting on Dec. 8, noting that they are working at ensuring a smooth settlement into town for Dr. Odoh. “The biggest problem we have is trying to find the doctor a house,” said Stringfellow. “He’s working with a realtor in town and trying to find a house.” “He wants to rent, not buy.” Dr. Odoh is currently undergoing the final stage of the Practice Ready Assessment, a year-

Submitted photo

Houston Search and Rescue was called out the evening of Dec. 28 to help extract two young people from the trail to the Alpine Cabin at the Morice Nordic Ski Trails. After snowshoeing all day, the two had not reached the cabin destination and at 6 p.m. that day turned around to go back. With darkness and exhaustion setting in they used their cell phone and called for help. Houston Search and Rescue got four local snowmobilers to pickup Clayton and Rebecca Tait. Trail conditions to the Alpine were tough as the snowshoe pair sank in over their knees in the powder snow. Clayton and Rebecca thanked Search and Rescue and local volunteers who helped get them off the mountain.

“

“The biggest problem we have is trying to find the doctor a house...” - Coun. Tom Stringfellow

old provincial scheme that fast-tracks international doctors into practice. The final stage is a practicum where a licensed doctor assesses him on his performance. According to economic development officer Maureen Czirfusz, who was at the meeting stated that there has been “very positive feedback about Dr. Odoh during his practicum. Dr. Odoh is great with patients and their care plans.”

Cullen supports test run elections, to find a voting system that’s best By Chris Gareau Black Press

The Liberal federal government was elected this fall on a platform that included changing the way Canadians elect members of Parliament. What that system should look like has been a point of con-

tention among voters and federal parties, but Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen believes there is a way to make sure the best system is chosen: try one out and see if we like it. “I’ve nuanced it a bit and said, just in the experience in B.C., that we should try it for an

“There’s a lot of resistance to change when you don’t properly know what change is going to look like.”

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when you don’t properly know what change is going to look like. I remember this when STV [single transferable vote] was being debated here, it was really hard for people to grasp in real terms.” Concerns like having a local representative to connect with any concerns or issues

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Silverthorne gets indoor garden systems By Xuyun Zeng Houston Today

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Forget the 100-mile diet. Students at the Silverthorne Elementary school will enjoy lunches from just metres away once their indoor aeroponics garden starts producing vegetables. They installed three Tower Garden Systems last Friday and hope to see it produce a variety of crops in the weeks to come. “We’re putting them together and we have about 90 plants that we’re going to be planting and we’re hoping it will help sustain our hot lunch program,” said principal Bev Forster. “Mostly we’re going to be doing lettuce because that would be easy to grow.” They also hope to grow swiss chard, tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries and green beans and zucchini. Forster added that school’s Parent Advisory Committee is also funding a small salad bar to supplement the school’s lunch program. “I was looking at it last year and part of it was trying to create something that was sustainable,” said Forster. “I have a friend who grows them in Kelowna and I just think it’s an amazing product. It’s all self-contained, it’s got the lights and everything. It comes on wheels, it’s moveable.

News staff/Houston Today

Silverthorne Elementary School has installed three Tower Garden Systems to teach their students gardening skills, sustainability, and they hope to grow a variety of vegetables for their school’s salad bar at the same time. It’s perfect in a classroom.” “I don’t know of any other schools that are doing it in the District.” An expert from

Kelowna came to the school to setup the towers and plant seedlings last Friday. Forster hopes that the produce will fully supply the salad bar’s

required ingredients. The total cost of the system is about $3,800. The school raised the money from a $2,500 grant, support from the School

District Board Office and local fundraising. “If it goes well, we’ll fundraise again for another three, so each classroom grows a garden,” she added.

Evidence says the current voting system is not working

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VOTING from Page 1 of fail-safe where you say ‘we can go back to the old first-past-thepost,” said Cullen. When asked if this trial and error approach was risky, Cullen said the place to start was considering if the current system is working properly. “A lot of the evidence says that it’s not: people’s enthusiasm, voter participation, all those things,” said Cullen. “We’ve had this system for 150 years. If we were to switch over for four to eight years,

File Photo

it’s just a moment in time, really.” The NDP MP added that another way to

avoid parties seeking the best system that would help them win is to come up with prin-

ciples before specifics. “I’m willing to say we have a preferred system, the NDP does, we think it’s a good one. But we’ll step back from that and say ‘come up with the three to five most important tests that a new system must meet. Questions like proportionality or the vote being reflected in the House of Commons, direct representation — that you have somebody there on your behalf directly, and then once those principles are set up, then you come up with the system,’ ” explained Cullen.

Houston Today

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

COMMUNITY

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Houston wins SledTown title Houston voted favourite SledTown in British Columbia and Western Canada!! Submitted

2016

The Houston Snowmobile Club would like to thank all the people right across BC and western Canada for voting Houston favourite Sledtown. To go up against some of BC’s biggest snowmobile destination areas is a huge accomplishment but then to beat out the other entire western provinces, well that just says it all, wow! A big thanks to Koocanusa Publications who hosts the annual contest and Through SnoRiders magazine promotes snowmobiling right across western Canada. Houston Snowmobile Club is hosting a Celebration Barbeque at the Dungate snowmobile cabin on January the 16, 2016 starting at 11:00 a.m. Come out and celebrate with us, all snowmobilers are welcome. The Houston Snowmobile Club through grants this past year spent over $56,000.00 on snowmobile trails in the area and an additional $10,000.00 on cabin upgrades and then to be voted favourite Sledtown in western Canada is epic!

MARK YOUR CALENDAR! February 5-8, 2016 Taylor Wandler stands with his sled in the Telkwa Range meadows. This photo was taken last year.

Photo submitted

Egan to attend prestigious music program By Xuyun Zeng Houston Today

Houston’s Indra Egan is stepping up to a very prestigious music summer training program. The secondyear University of Manitoba music student has passed a three-stage audition in November and will attend a six-week training program in May called Opera NUOVA that culminates in the production of three operas and a musical. “Working in the music world as I do, and studying in the music world, Opera NUOVA is like everyone wants to get in and it’s constantly being talked about,” said Egan. This is the first year Egan applied for the program and she got in. “They only take a handful of pianists from across the country,” said Egan. “So basically what they do is they go to all the major Canadian cities in every province and then hold auditions.” During the auditions, she faced tough competition. “There would have been people competing who were in Master’s programs, people who have graduated from school, and they would have been from all

over. I know personally people who auditioned from McGill, from UBC, from U of T,” said Egan. At the auditions, Egan had to prove herself by playing a couple of pieces with a singer, and she had to sightread fluently. “You also have to play an excerpt from an opera in the audition, and you have to actually sing all the

Submitted photo

Indra Egan is excited to perform La boheme at Opera NUOVA. parts of the opera at the same time while you play so that they can see whether or not you would have the skills to coach an opera which involves not only playing the music, but also coaching the singers on how to sing it,” said Egan. “Basically, when you’re the pianist for an opera, you are not just going and playing the piano. That’s why the audition is so intense,

because it involves what’s called ‘vocal coaching’, which is also training the singers in diction.” Egan elaborated that “diction” referred to accurate pronunciation of words in various languages. She also needed to make sure her singers had the “right notes and phrasing.” During the six-weeks starting May 21, Egan will spend six-days-aweek, 12 hours daily, training in Edmonton. “The training program is working on those shows,” she said. “You have six weeks to put on these four shows. It is very intensive. So it’s basically learningthrough-doing, which is what makes it such a good program.” “I will be working on all four of the shows but my primary assignment is an opera called La bohème by [Giacomo] Puccini.” Egan feels very excited about performing La bohème. “It’s an opera that I went to see a long time ago when I was very young and I’ve always been very passionate about, because it came to Prince George actually about 10 years ago, so one of the first operas I’ve ever saw,” she said. For Egan, this program represents a step in her development as

a musician. She hopes to get a Master’s in collaborative piano in the future. “If I keep learning

at the rate that I have been for the last few years, that would be an exciting place to be in a few years.”

Full schedule of events including free Literacy Brunch, street hockey, curling, skiing, snowshoeing, ice fishing and the bonfire and treats sledding kickoff!

FULL SCHEDULE IS COMING SOON! Questions, comments, or to sponsor or volunteer contact Dawn Potvin at 250-845-01291 or Sally Sullivan at 250-845-9321

School District 54’s Kindergarten Registration is a little early this year!

Kindergarten registrations will be accepted during the week of January 18-22, 2016 at all of SD#54’s elementary schools for entry into school in September 2016 for children who will be five (5) years old on or before December 31, 2016. Registration during this time is required to assist for planning and organizing of our local schools. Proof of age (original birth certificate) & BC Care Card must be presented at the time of registration. Registration in regular school programs should take place at a resident’s neighbourhood school (see list below). If you have any other questions, please call your neighbourhood elementary school. Lake Kathlyn Elementary 7620 Highway 16 West Smithers, BC 250-847-9427

Walnut Park Elementary 4092 Mountainview Dr. Smithers, BC 250-847-4464

Telkwa Elementary 1000 Hankin Avenue Telkwa, BC 250-846-5851

Muheim Memorial Elementary 3659 – 3rd Avenue Smithers, BC 250-847-2688

Bulkley Valley Education Connection 7620 Highway 16 West Smithers, BC 250-847-9427

Silverthorne Elementary 3455 – 13th Avenue Houston, BC 250-845-2228

Twain Sullivan Elementary 1771 Hungerford Drive Houston, BC 250-845-2227

Opinion

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Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Houston Today

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In our opinion:

Fees up in 2016

edical Services Plan premiums, electricity bills and vehicle insurance rates are up in 2016, reviving criticism of the B.C. government’s constant boast about keeping taxes low. MSP premiums rise from $144 to $150 as of Jan. 1, for a family of three earning more than $30,000 a year. For a single person in the same income group, the rate goes from $72 to $75, with lower rates for lower incomes down to $22,000 a year, where premiums drop to zero. B.C. is now the only province in Canada with a health care fee, and it has risen about 40 per cent since 2010. Premier Christy Clark has defended the fee as a signal to citizens about the enormous cost of providing health care. BC Hydro rates have been politically dictated since Clark and Energy Minister Bill Bennett intervened to cap rate increases in 2013. Hydro rates jumped six per cent after the 2013 election, and are capped at no more than four per cent for 2015 and 2016, after which Bennett has promised to return rate-setting authority to the independent B.C. Utilities Commission (BCUC). Insurance Corporation of B.C. basic vehicle insurance went up by 5.5 per cent on Nov. 1, an increase still subject to review by the BCUC. That works out to an increase of $3.70 per month added for the average driver. ICBC had proposed the maximum 6.7 per cent increase to cover increasing costs of personal injury claims and fraud, but the province gave it permission for a one-time transfer of $450 million from its optional insurance business to subsidize the basic rate. In a year-end interview, NDP leader John Horgan stopped short of promising to eliminate MSP premiums, but he called it a “regressive tax” that would be part of a broad review of B.C. taxation fairness if he wins the 2017 election. The Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation says people who benefit from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s promised middle-class tax cut will see most of those savings eaten up by provincial and municipal tax increases. Trudeau vowed to reduce the federal income tax bracket between $45,282 and $90,563 from 22 per cent to 20.5 per cent, and increase the rate for income over $200,000 from 29 to 33 per cent. The change would provide up to $2,000 in tax relief for middle-income earners, with dual-income households benefiting most, CTF federal director Aaron Wudrick says. Municipal taxes are expected to increase across the province in 2016, with local councils preparing to set budgets for the new fiscal year that starts April 1. Port Alberni has proposed a seven per cent increase, and the CTF says it hasn’t found any B.C. municipalities yet that propose to freeze or lower property tax rates. With the rapid rise in property prices continuing in parts of the Lower Mainland, the B.C. Assessment Authority sent out 37,000 letters in December, warning single-family homeowners to brace for a big jump in their assessed value. -Tom Fletcher, Black Press

“

A fresh start to a new year Staring at a blank page before typing the first word for my column reminded me of what I love about New Years: a clean slate and a fresh start. Okay, so the slate of life can’t be completely clean when we begin a new year, I know that. But it can be tidied up so the fresh start is stronger. That’s where the beauty of resolution lists come in. They help un-clutter our minds from all the things we want to do and organize them accordingly. Yet this is where ugliness can also occur when we fail with our lists, even those with only one thing on it. I’ve always taken this time of year very seriously. My obsession to setting goals and try-

“...our fresh starts can start at any moment we choose.”

ing to improve has me doing what most people want to do: get rid of my bad addictions and habits that are holding me back. But what’s going to happen if I don’t? Our propensity as a society is to grumble about the pressures of New Years resolutions and surrender to the belief that we usually fail so why bother with them at all. Of course the alternative to that is to remember that it’s not perfection that creates our dreams, it’s persistence. So you’ve started smoking again or you’ve gone off your

diet already - so what? Falling off the wagon is just part of life. Get up, dust yourself off and jump back on again. Can you tell I’m writing this article more for me than for you? I should paint “Get back on the wagon” with a few exclamation marks on my wall to remind myself how important that is. A few years ago I had the word “perseverance” tattooed on my forearm. I look at it often and it reminds me to keep going and stay the course. It also reminds me

to pick a nicer font with a thinner needle and double check the spelling the next time I decide to mark my body with permanent ink. 2015 was a tough year for a lot of people I know, myself included. That old saying that we learn more from our failures than our successes has me believing I’m far wiser than I once was. But I’m ready to learn less and succeed more in the year 2016 and I wish that for all of you as well. The other thing I was sadly reminded of this past year is how precious life is and how short it can be - another reason not to beat ourselves up for failing to be perfect. A quote I have displayed in my office says this: “Life isn’t

2009

On a brighter note Lori Welbourne about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” Add in there: “Have fun while you do” and it’s the perfect quote. Happy New Year and good luck with whatever goals you set, and remember that our fresh starts can start at any moment we choose. As long as we’re living, there are no limits to how many times we can re-set our fresh start button.

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M.A. Ruiter - Sales Manager Xuyun Zeng - Reporter/Photographer Robin Vander Heide - Reporter/Photographer Annamarie Douglas - Production Manager Laura Blackwell - Sales Representative

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Houston Today

Opinion

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

HOUSTON TODAY “Member, B.C. Press Council” Published by Black Press Upstairs Houston Mall P.O. Box 899, Houston, B.C. V0J 1Z0

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Phone: 250 845-2890 • Fax 250 845-7893 News: editor@houston-today.com or: newsroom@houston-today.com Advertising: advertising@houston-today.com

On the

Street... What is your favourite winter sport? Why?

Quinn Jaarsma

Jay MacLeod

Sean Delege

Arlene Leffers

“Skating because its so much fun.”

“Tobogganing because its always a fun time with family and friends.”

“Hockey because its keeps me fit during the cold winter days. ”

“Cross-country skiing because its good exercise! Its a fun winter sport to do with my friends and grandchildren. It makes the winters so much more enjoyable.”

By Robin Vander Heide

Lights out for opponents of Site C dam By Tom Fletcher Black Press

The fall session of the B.C. legislature petered out two days early last week, as the ruling B.C. Liberals and the opposition NDP agreed to turn out the energy-efficient lights and head for home. NDP leader John Horgan skipped the last day and headed to the B.C. Institute of Technology campus in Burnaby. There he announced “PowerBC,” billed as the NDP’s “bold, progressive plan for the future of B.C. energy, with a strong focus on jobs.”

Reporters asked, how many jobs? Horgan said retrofitting public buildings and homes for energy efficiency would create jobs all around the province, but he can’t say how many. How much does the plan cost, and does it include subsidizing homeowners to fix their windows and insulation? “The costing will be more apparent when we get closer to the election,” Horgan replied. Whatever the cost, the NDP plan apparently rests on the assumption that the $9 billion Site C dam project on the Peace River can be stopped by an NDP government

after the 2017 election. That money would be used to build wind and solar generation, and to install a sixth and final water turbine at Revelstoke dam. The chances of Site C being stopped are approaching zero. Construction of an access road started two months ago, site clearing and work camp construction a month before that. Energy Minister Bill Bennett says the main dam construction contract will be let shortly, followed by the powerhouse contract next year. Horgan said remaining legal challenges could

slow or stop the project. The West Moberly and Prophet River First Nations have lost their case against Site C twice, in the B.C. Supreme and Federal Courts, and are appealing. The Doig River and McLeod Lake Indian Bands dropped their challenges, and McLeod Lake’s construction company has started work on a Site C contract. West Moberly Chief Roland Willson staged a dramatic protest at the legislature last spring, bringing a cooler of frozen bull trout from a river below the two existing Peace dams, telling

media they were too contaminated with mercury to eat. Flooding land for hydro dams does elevate methylmercury levels in water, but BC Hydro provided me with the latest study that included fish samples collected by West Moberly members. It shows average methylmercury levels remain below federal guidelines for limiting consumption of commercially sold fish. It’s an odd coincidence that Willson suddenly made this claim, 47 years after the first Peace dam was completed, when he happened to be in court trying to stop

Site C. A coalition of U.S. and Canadian environment groups is also demanding that Site C be stopped, using typical arguments to appeal to their low-information donor base. According to the Sierra Club and others, Site C is not renewable energy because the (largely idle) farmland it floods is a “carbon sink.” Forests do store carbon, albeit temporarily, but farmland where the trees have been cleared? This is gluten-free gobbledegook. They also trot out the claim that Site C will be used to power liquefied

natural gas operations. Most proponents so far have said they will use gas for LNG processing, and if they don’t have hydro available for ancillary power, they will have to burn more gas. BC Hydro has just finished its latest grid upgrade, a second highvoltage transmission line from Merritt to Coquitlam. It adds disaster reliability to the system that brings power from the Peace and Columbia dams to the Lower Mainland. If you’re arguing that hydroelectricity isn’t renewable power, you’ve already lost.

Passages of 2015: Harper’s media war By Tom Fletcher Black Press

I first met Stephen Harper when he was running for the Canadian Alliance leadership in 2002. Speaking to a group of Fraser Valley members concerned that the party had split over the leadership of Stockwell Day, Harper didn’t mince words because a local reporter had showed up on a Saturday morning. He explained his prediction that no matter who leads the conservative movement started by Preston Manning, the national media would work against it.

“The press is owned by big-L liberals and staffed by small-L liberals,” Harper said. “Preston was too cerebral; Stock was not cerebral enough. I’m not sure where I will be, but the media will always be on the other side.” Harper’s cold war with national media is a theme that runs through his decade as prime minister, peaking in 2015 with the most slanted election coverage I’ve ever witnessed. The celebration continues over Justin Trudeau’s victory, with the supposedly non-partisan federal bureaucracy cheering along with much of the national media.

Harper’s assessment of major newspaper ownership is no longer accurate, except for the Toronto Star. But the dying tradition of owners looking up from their accounting ledgers to endorse a political party continued, with the Postmedia chain and the Globe and Mail pointing out that Trudeau’s rash promises didn’t add up. Endorsements were a brief interruption in the media assault on Harper’s record. His government’s plan to welcome 10,000 refugees, unveiled way back in January 2015, was portrayed as heartless and feeble, while

Trudeau’s 25,000 by Christmas represented the generous character of the true Canada. As it turns out, the Liberals have been hard pressed to reach even the 10,000 mark. But they’ve put out a rash new promise to make it 50,000 at some point in the future, so the media’s new-found message of sunshine, hope and change continues. Those modest $10 billion annual deficits that Trudeau promised, and Harper warned against? Borrowing and spending will far exceed that, but we’re assured that’s because they were based on inflated Conservative financial

forecasts. In fact, independent private sector forecasts are now the key reference for government budgets at the federal and provincial level. None of them predicted the further slump in energy prices that continued through 2015. And cooking the books before an election isn’t really possible any more, thanks to the establishment of the Parliamentary Budget Office. That was a Harper innovation, along with scheduled elections. And that Trudeau pledge to raise taxes on the wealthiest Canadians and use the

proceeds to finance a tax cut for the middle class? That one didn’t add up either. For one thing, wealthy people have a variety of legal ways to reduce their taxable income. Here’s an actual front-page headline from the Globe and Mail, reporting this unfortunate fact, well after the election: “The way Liberals gauged response to new tax rate explains gap.” So it was just an understandable oversight, you see. Trudeau’s star turn in Paris, where he pronounced that “Canada is back” in the battle to control the world’s weather? The official

submission from his bloated delegation to the UN climate meetings was actually the existing Conservative plan, which includes phasing out coal-fired electricity generation. Harper generally represented a preference for the individual over the state, a concept that at one time was known as “liberalism.” This was illustrated by his preference for parents rather than a nanny state to administer child care. He advocated free trade, small government and low taxes. We’ll see how that legacy survives the new government and its media cheering section.

www.houston-today.com

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

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HOPE forToday Facing Our Fears

My grandmother never drove a car or rode a bicycle. My parents informed me that when she was young, she got on the bicycle, fell and never tried again. Later on she tried to drive a vehicle and on her first attempt forgot where the brake pedal was and ran over her rose bush. She never tried driving again. Maybe it was fear of being embarrassed, maybe fear of crashing and getting hurt but I am quite sure it was fear that kept her from trying again. I can understand how she felt as my first attempt at driving was similar. I could not even find first gear and kept stalling the old Austin Healey. It was embarrassing and the temptation was to give up and quit. After many more attempts and God’s help, I was able to learn to drive. We have many fears. Fear of being failing, fear of being alone, fear of heights, fear of being embarrassed, fear of darkness…the list is endless, especially if we think we must live this life out on our own. We are often paralysed or at least limited by fear. God’s word, the Bible, is very clear that he has a purpose for all who trust in Him. When the Israelites were in captivity, he promised his people “For I know the plans I have for you…. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope…when you pray I will listen...if you look to me wholeheartedly, you will find me.” Jeremiah 29:11,12 NLT As we surrender in faith to God and allow him to control our lives; as we grow in our personal relationship with him that is available in Christ Jesus, his love and care for us becomes more and more evident. We can then proclaim, “I am in the hands of the Almighty Creator, he is my God, there is none other. Surely he can handle whatever I am facing right now!” With him in the driver’s seat there is no reason to be immobilized by fear. As we approach another New Year, may you and I face our fears as we find our confidence in the Almighty God. “Such love has no fear; because perfect love expels all fear.” 1John 4:18 NLT Submitted by Ken Penner

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Houston Today

Cullen on the NDP’s future, LNG and the Bulkley Valley

Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen gave a year-end interview on the year past and what he sees as the future for his NDP party and the Northwest. For the full version, see the Opinion tab at interiornews.com. Chris Gareau: What do you see as your biggest accomplishments this year? Nathan Cullen: Considering the outcome of the last federal election for he party, my reelection up here and the team that we built was, I feel very — satisfied isn’t the right word, but extremely grateful ... We held off a bit of a red wave that was the trend. Although, I don’t know, it feels strange to point to a reelection as the greatest accomplishment. I think not having Stephen Harper as our Prime Minister, I don’t take credit for it but I certainly feel better about the future and some things that matter to me. CG: With the big disappointment of returning to third-party status after being in the lead in the polls at the beginning of the election campaign — it was quite the drop especially in the last bit — will there be a shake-up in leadership or policy for the NDP in 2016? NC: That will be

up to our members. We have a convention in April in Edmonton, and part of our constitution is we do a leadership review. We’d be doing one if we won the election, so we’re doing one, and that will be up to people there to decide whether they want a change or continue on with Tom. I suspect the general feeling is that Tom is secure in his leadership, certainly within the caucus. There is the obvious disappointment but I don’t see people making a direct connection to anything in particular he did or didn’t do during the campaign ... Policy side of things, if I reflect on it now, I think our message was a bit contradictory in the end. We had these bold, national, sweeping type initiatives: childcare, pharmacare. Yet it ended up being strongly in the frame of balanced budget, and those might have been what we call in politics counter narrative: where there’s ambition and then, it’s not austerity, it’s discipline. Those two things don’t come across as cohesive. So in an election where change was the ultimate question, our contrast wasn’t strong enough. I mean, these things are hard to pull apart at the end. I certainly don’t feel like I have

the definitive answer: if we had done X then we would have won it ... because I’m so B.C.focused, and in B.C., we bucked the trend a little bit, at least, where we picked up seats here and felt really good about our positioning in the public. I mean, explain Atlantic Canada. You’re losing people who those communities loved, right? MPs like Megan Leslie, Jack Harris — Jack won with [71 per cent] of the vote last time ... and then to walk around St. John’s and say ‘what do you think of Jack Harris,’ they say ‘love him, great guy, great MP, did his job.’ So I guess we’ve been the beneficiary of waves before, in Quebec, Alberta, and now we were on the other side of it, and that happens. CG: Turning back to B.C., the province and some businesses who are looking to invest in the North still see LNG as the economic driver for the next couple decades. Do you, and can that be balanced with the need to combat climate change? NC: Well it’s interesting because I was just in Paris trying to play a helpful role with the new government because the new Minister is a rookie Minister and has never been to one of these

things before, and I’ve been to several. Canada has just made some huge commitments in terms of reducing our carbon emissions, and that runs a bit counter to Premier Clark’s ambition to grow carbon emissions in B.C. How you square the circle? That’ll happen in the next couple of months in a meeting between the premiers and the Prime Minister. LNG, first of all, the emissions coming out of it if you want to talk the carbon piece, you can’t imagine another atmosphere; you can’t exclude them. They are what they are; they add to the province’s output and that’s reality, otherwise you’re just dreaming in technicolour. In terms of the economic side of your question, I think LNG is not a silver bullet. It cannot and will not answer the economic challenges that the province faces. The job numbers just aren’t there. I think the promises made — was it 100,000 jobs — it was just fanciful and not believable. So if you look at the specifics, break it right down to what’s happening on the ground, I think PETRONAS, that project is in some significant trouble. And it’s always boiled to the same thing: location. I think they were strongly directed by Harper and Clark

to pick that site. We changed federal law to enable that to go ahead, and I think they were sold a raw deal, actually. They’ve been trying to modify it, you’ve been seeing their very expensive changes. They’re adding this and they’ve added that; they’re trying to get around what has always been a problematic location. Problematic for salmon, for First Nations environmentally. If you were to do it again, I don’t think they would have picked that spot, but the feds and the province pushed them pretty hard. I’ve had meetings with them just recently and they’re still hopeful but understand the challenges. And I’ve had meetings with the new Environment Minister, who wants a full understanding because she’s the next one — the EA [environmental assessment] is now sitting on her desk, and I think she has until February. So that one’s challenging. Shell [LNG Canada’s planned Kitimat terminal, fed by Coastal GasLink that runs south of the Bulkley Valley], a lot more optimistic; just because they’ve got First Nations buy in, the location isn’t as problematic, the pipeline doesn’t seem to be as problematic either.

Houston Today

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

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Wednesday, January 6, 2016

SPORTS PHOTO FEATURE

Houston Today

4th Annual HCS Fundraiser

Basketball Tournament Many parents, students, alumni, and friends gathered at the Houston Christian School gym on Saturday, December 26th for the 4th Annual HCS Basketball Tournament. Five teams participated in an event that ran throughout the day. The event raised over $1100 for the school. Everyone had a great time watching all of the teams battle for the win. The winning team (pictured on the left) was (front) Noah Delege, (l to r) Laura Leffers, Tyler Delege, Arnold Groot, Shawn Meints, Hayden Vandenberg, and Evan Delege. A big thank you to Brendan Leffers for organizing the great event! Robin Vander Heide photos /Houston Today

Houston Today

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

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10 www.houston-today.com

Wednesday, January 6, 2016 Houston Today

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CANADA BENEFIT Group Do you or someone you know suffer from a disability? Get up to $40,000 from the Canadian Government. Toll-free 1-888511-2250 or www.canada benefit.ca/free-assessment

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ON THE WEB:

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PART-TIME RNOR ORLPN LPN CASUAL RN Southside Centre seeks anan RN or SouthsideHealth Health& &Wellness Wellness Centre seeks LPN forLPN casual employment in community RN or for part time employment as ahealth. The Centre endeavors to increase wellness through a system Community Health Nurse. The Centre provides a ofrange education, health disease prevention of acute andpromotion, primary care services in the and treatment that empowers people to make healthy lifestyle southside Community. Salary will commensurate choices. Salary commensurate with experience. Willing to withthe experience. Willing to train the right person. train right person. Email your cover letter & resume to aileen.serle@northernhealth.ca, or FAX to 250-694-3290, ATTN: Aileen Serle.

Career Opportunities

DZE L K’ANT FRIENDSHIP CENTRE SOCIETY

The Dze L K’ant Friendship Centre is seeking qualified applicants for the position of:

Legals

Become a Super hero! Legal Notices

Legal Notices

“A WORLD OF OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN OUR REGION” 37, 3RD Avenue, PH: 250-692-3195 PO Box 820, TF: 800-320-3339 Burns Lake, BC V0J 1E0 FX: 250-692-3305 www.rdbn.bc.ca E-MAIL:inquiries@rdbn.bc.ca

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

Notice is hereby given that a Public Hearing affecting “Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 1622, 2011” and “Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako Zoning Bylaw No. 700, 1993” will be held January 18, 2016 at 7:00 P.M. in the Topley Community Hall located at 11591 Chester Street in Topley, BC. “Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako Houston, Topley, Granisle Rural Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 1622, 2011” is proposed to be amended by Bylaw No. 1757 which re-designates part of the application area from Commercial (C) to Rural Residential (RR) to allow the proposed rezoning.

Donate!

“Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako Zoning Bylaw No. 700, 1993” is proposed to be amended by Bylaw No. 1758 which rezones the application area from the General Commercial (C1) Zone and Small Holdings (H1) Zone to the Rural Residential (R6) Zone. This amendment is to allow the residential use and other uses permitted in the R6 zone and to allow the creation of a parcel which is as small as 1.5 ha. The subject properties are located at 12003 Highway 118 and 21889 Strimbold Pit Road in the community of Topley, BC and are legally described as “District Lot 2625, Range 5, Coast District Except the South 160 Acres and Except Plans 4672 4870 5169 8353 11579 PRP14464 4042 and EPP13479”; and “Lot 9, District Lot 2623, Range 5, Coast District, Plan 5547.” The subject property is shown cross-hatched and labelled “Application Area” on the map below. LOCATION MAP FOR BYLAW NO. 1757 & BYLAW NO. 1758

Coordinator - Culture of Peace Project 14 hrs/wk. This position may be located in either Houston or Smithers

The Culture of Peace Project will build community capacity to prevent, and respond to domestic violence through frontline staff training, community research/consultation, and community education/leadership development. Key Responsibilities Include: t Planning and coordinating training events & conference t Community research and consultation t Planning & facilitation of family culture camps Qualifications Preferred education, training and experience t Diploma or degree in social work, counselling, or related discipline or a combination of education and experience t Recent, related experience and education/training in work responding to/addressing domestic violence t Related experience in community consultation and knowledge of existing resources t Knowledge of local First Nations culture t Valid Drivers License & reliable vehicle a must Please address all resumes to: Annette Morgan, Executive Director Drop off after January 4th: 3383 11th st Houston, or 1188 Main St Smithers, Fax: 250-845-2136 Email: morgan_mayner@hotmail.com Closing Date: January 8, 2016 Pursuant to section 41 of the BC Human Rights Code, preference may be given to applicants of Aboriginal ancestry. Only those candidates invited for an interview will be contacted.

TRY A CLASSIFIED AD

At the Public Hearing all persons who believe that their interest in property is affected by the proposed bylaws shall be afforded a reasonable opportunity to be heard or to present a written submission respecting matters contained in the bylaws that are the subject of the Public Hearing. Written submissions sent by mail to P.O. Box 820, Burns Lake, BC, V0J 1E0; by fax to (250) 692-1220; or by e-mail to inquiries@rdbn.bc.ca must be received by the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako no later than January 18, 2016 at 1:00 P.M. to be ensured of consideration at the Public Hearing.

Say yes and change a child’s life today.

The Public Hearing on Bylaw No. 1757 and Bylaw No. 1758 will be chaired by the Director or Alternate Director for Electoral Area ‘G’ as a delegate of the Board. A copy of the Board resolution making the delegation, copies of the proposed bylaws and other relevant information may be inspected at the office of the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako between the hours of 8:30 A.M. - 12:00 noon and 1:00 P.M. - 4:30 P.M., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays, January 4, 2016 through January 18, 2016 inclusive. A copy of the proposed bylaws and other relevant information will also be made available at the Houston Public Library. For further information please call the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako Planning Department at 250-692-3195 or 1-800-320-3339.

www.bcchf.ca

This is one of two publications.

pers

Houston Today Wednesday, January 6, 2016

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Childcare is provided. For Branch more info249: call The Houston Legion Margaret: 2nd 845-2348, Darlene 845-7438, Meeting: Monday of the month Evelyn 696-3229. is Executive, 4th Monday is General Meeting. The Houston Legion Branch 249: Meeting: 2nd Monday of the month is Executive, 4th Buck Flats Community Development Monday is General Meeting. Society, meets every 3rd Sat. evening at 6pm Andy Pollack’s house (17642) on BuckatFlats Community Development Buck Flats Rd. All Buck Flats Society, meets every 3rd Sat.residents evening July 2007 are welcome attend,house we discuss at 6pm at AndytoPollack’s (17642) issues Buck area. on Buckconcerning Flats Rd. Allthe Buck Flatsflats residents Please call Chris Newell at 250-845are welcome to attend, we discuss issues 3564 for more info. flats area. Please call concerning the Buck Chris Newell at 250-845-3564 for more info. Houston’s “Love by the Bowl” Soup Kitchen healthy homemade Houston’s serving “Love by the Bowl” Soup soups in two different seatings, Kitchen serving healthy homemade11-12 soups and 12different -1 on Wednesdays. in two seatings, 11-12 and 12 -1 on Wednesdays.

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Structural necessary Firefighting/Hwy experience please Rescue. contact Interested? Volunteer Fire Dept. Byron - F/CTopley 250-696-3348 or come is accepting applications. No 19:00 experience to a Fire Practice Thurs @ hrs necessary please contact Byron - F/C 250(7pm). 696-3348 or come to a Fire Practice Thurs @ 19:00 hrs (7pm).

GRANISLE The GRANISLE Granisle and District Senior

Citizens meet every second and The Granisle and District Senior Citizens fourth Thursday of the month at 1:30 meet every second and fourth p.m. at the Seniors Centre. Thursday of the month at 1:30 p.m. at the Seniors Granisle Centre. Volunteer Fire Department meetings & fire practices every Tues., Granisle atVolunteer Fire Department 7:00pm the Fire Hall. meetings & fire practices every Tues., Granisle of the Way services 7:00pm atChurch the Fire Hall. are Sundays at 11:00am. Granisle Church of the Way services are Sundays at 11:00am.

at the Houston Church. Women’s Come join Coffee Break -United an Interactive other women are Taking Pounds Bible Study whomeet everyOffTuesday Please keep your announcements as brief Sensibly andfrom encouraging a healthyat lifestyle. morning 9:30-11:00 the Topley Fire Protection Society as possible. Deadline (faxed or mailed or Topley Fireevery Protection Society second Tuesdaymeetings of the delivered) is 4 p.m. Thursday. Items are Houston Christian Church, meetings Coffee Break - an Reformed Interactive Women’s every second Tuesday of the month at 7:30 pm. month at 7:30 pm. printed or alternated as space permits. 1959 Goold Road. Childcare is provided. Bible Study meet every Tuesday morning Items will be accepted via fax, email or Colour Logo File For more info call Margaret: 845-2348, from 9:30-11:00 at the Houston Christian Structural Please keep your announcements as brief asdropped possible.atDeadline (faxed mailed or Firefighting/Hwy the office. No or phone calls Darlene 845-7438, Evelyn 696-3229. delivered)Interested? is 4 p.m. Thursday. are printed please. or alternated space permits. Items will Reformed Church, 1959 Goold Road. Rescue. Moreascalendar items are listed TopleyItems Volunteer be accepted via fax, email or dropped at the offionline ce. Noand phone please. More calendar cancalls be submitted or viewed at Fire Dept. is accepting applications. No Community Calendar Calendar proudly proudly sponsored sponsored by by Community

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Bulkley Valley N CREDIT UNION

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Since May 1941, Bulkley Valley Credit Union has been building a Since solid financial institution that members from Burns Lake to the solid Hazeltons have grown to rely on. Hazeltons People helping people is how we began and we strive to remain People people-oriented, both in our financial services and through direct people-oriented, involvement with our communities. involvement We are dedicated to local decision-making and local control, key We factors in providing the kinds of services that meet the financial factors needs of individuals and business members alike. needs

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