February 28, 2013 - Vol. 10 - No. 9
Layoffs trigger talks to walk out
Inside
By Kyla Corpuz
Charlie Lake ďŹ re hall budget - Page 3
Disc Continued D.C. council backs city airport- Page 4
Kyla Corpuz photo
The second annual Fashion in Form competition was held at On The Rocks during the screening of the Oscars on Feb. 24. Contestants made fashion pieces using CDs and DVDs. The event was hosted by Stage North. More on page 30.
Northeastern residents more succeptable to health problems Fundraising starts for Sweetwater- Page 19
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By Kyla Corpuz FORT ST. JOHN – The health profile is northeastern B.C. needs to be looked at more closely, says a health officer for Northern Health. Based on the 2013 Northeast Health Delivery Area indicates that healthy living isn’t doing very well. “Lot of that has to do with life choices,� said Charl Badenhorst, medical health officer for Northern Health and the northeast. Overweight and obesity rates are up by 14 per cent when compared to the rest of B.C. Colon cancer incidences (per 100,000) in northeastern B.C. is almost
30 per cent more than the rest of the province and daily current smokers is nearly double of B.C.’s average. Badenhorst also listed substance use, alcohol use, vehicle crashes, injuries from accidents, violence against women, STIs, and activity rates as well as how people perceive themselves as being healthy, are lower when compared to B.C. and other places in Canada. “So that tells us there is specific health needs that needs to be addressed,� he said. Badenhorst attributes the health trend in northeastContinued on Page 12.
FORT ST. JOHN - Layoffs from KBR Wabi at the Shell Saturn 1 site have past and present employees concerned. The uneasiness between management and employees almost triggered a walkout of 400 workers on Feb. 22, according to a KBR foreman ironworker who asked not to be named, due to security reasons. He aliased himself as ‘Chris.’ However, Matthew Shuttleworth, from Duncan, B.C., was laid off on Jan. 22 after having worked at the site as a structural ironworker since Oct. 19. Shuttleworth’s work schedule is twoweeks on, one-week off. The first day during his one-week off on Jan. 21 he received a call saying he was being laid off. The explanation as to why he was being let go was unclear, he said, adding that either shortly before or after his layoff a new employee was hired in his position. “I passed my probation period, and like I said they had a gentlemen up there who was hired when I was home on my return.â€? Shuttleworth was later told that his compensation was the credit for the airline on what would have been his return flight to the Peace. “Well the wage is well over the price of the ticket and I have a family and everything and I need to work to support my family.â€? Shuttleworth is now on a hunt for a new job, but is still concerned with losing his position at KBR. “I have not had one violation ‌ this has all just been a huge blow up.â€? According to Shuttleworth he isn’t the only one who lost his job, him and Chris, a current KBR employee, said they’ve talked to or seen about 20 other employees let go, and shortly after replaced. Chris said he feels his job is at risk with the changes occurring in the past month. “Right now I feel very jeopardized. They are laying people off left, right and center.â€? According to Chris employees are being let go—without reason—then
Story continued on Page 12.
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February 28, 2013
Northeast NEWS
Doctors, government ns partner for better care solutions By Jill Earl
of approximately 9,400 patients connected to a family doctor that didn’t have one previously. In White Rock-South Surrey, program coordinators estimate 4,500 people have been matched with a family doctor. They also highlight that seven new doctors were recruited into the community, a new primary care clinic was opened with other health organization partners to help people find doctors and provide long-term care for patients not pursing traditional Contributed photo care practices. Health Minister Margaret MacDiarmid announces the new A GP for Me program Feb. 22. “Two years ago, there were of which is from the existing physician master agreement negotino doctors in our community accepting new patients. Now, those without a family doctor can ated by the province and the BCMA in 2012. $40 million is to be distributed over the next three years to be referred to one immediately. That is radically different than it was at the beginning of 2011,â€? said Dr. Brenda Hefford, a White Divisions of Family Practice to evaluate community needs and develop and implement community plans to improve care. $22 Rock family physician, at the announcement. Other initiatives some of the pilot communities have taken on million will be committed to physicians consulting with patients include matching grants to physician practices, offering them the via telephone; doctors will be paid $15 per call and will be able opportunity to expand access to other care providers and estab- to bill a total of 500 phone consultations annually. $20 million lishing a locum program that ensures patients are cared for when will support an incentive assisting doctors in providing care to their family doctor is away. Community pilots report that many vulnerable populations, like cancer or mental health patients. For this, they will be paid $200 per patient when they agree to be other projects are currently underway. In addition to A GP for Me, their primary care provider. $18.5 million will go to expanding a separate program is being the current complex care management fee for doctors developcreated to support hospital- ing long-term care plans for patients. $31.9 million is allocated ized patients in receiving care to existing family physicians, to help them support patients when from family physicians. Both they are in hospitals and to increase incentives for family doctors programs will be supported by to provide hospital or terminal facility care to patients. “We’re investing today to help us build on those successes $132 million in funding; most and really roll this out province-wide,â€? said MacDiarmid. “Having your own GP [gen eral practitioner] means you have a leader for your health care team, your family docthickness of the pipeline; ďŹ tting the pipeline with dual-leak detection analysis tor is the one that knows your systems; bumping up the frequency of health history as well as your in-line inspection surveys to a minimum family’s health history, and as
of 50 per cent above current standards; the team leader is in the best
adding nearly 100 remotely operated position to oversee and coor & " isolation valves, bringing the total to 264; dinate all aspects of patient and stafďŹ ng of all our pump stations 24/7. & " 3KRQH health care,â€? said Ross. The planning doesn’t stop, either. Working WK $YHQXH )RUW 6W -RKQ %&
DAWSON CREEK - The Province of British Columbia is on their way to delivering on a 2010 commitment, promising that any citizen wanting a family physician would have one by 2015. Health Minister Margaret MacDiarmid and BC Medical Association president, Dr. Shelley Ross, announced Feb. 22 that the two organizations have partnered to create programs aimed at helping citizens connect with family doctors. A GP for Me will launch on Apr. 1, and will: provide funding to family physicians so that they may consult with patients by telephone, provide incentives for doctors to take on more patients with complex conditions onto their caseloads, and support physician groups working collaboratively with health authorities to provide better local access to care. “We know that a strong primary care system built around continuous doctor-patient relationships can improve health outcomes for patients. This new program will make it easier for physicians to provide high-quality care to their patients, and in many cases ease their workload so that they can accept more patients into their practice,� said MacDiarmid in the press release. The components of A GP for Me are based on a successful pilot program done in the Cowichan Valley, White Rock-South Surrey and Prince George. The program focused on matching patients with doctors, but also opened new primary care clinics, recruited more doctors and developed more mutli-disciplinary teams including nurses and mental health workers. The pilot programs called Divisions of Family Practice were launched in the communities June 2010. Since that time, a total
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Northeast NEWS
February 28, 2013
Page 3
on Feb. 21, where residents can review the budget options and engage with elected representatives and the CFO (chief financial officer). The second option is to elect an advisory committee made up for five people, including the fire chief who would not be a voting member and two electoral area representatives. This option was recommended as part of the Dave Mitchell Report “The idea is that it has to be open and transparent and people can be on either side and so I think either, or will work,” said Hadland, adding that the decision will be based on feedback that they are hoping to gain before the budget is presented to the regional district on Mar. 14. The Dave Mitchell Report was presented in August 2011 and established a set of recommended guidelines for the Charlie Lake fire department. One of the recommendations was that the Peace River Regional District would take control of the fire
Continued on Page 5.
Kyla Corpuz
Arthur Hadland explains the three budget scenarios to a couple of residents at the Charlie Lake fire department open house on Feb. 21.
Charlie Lake fire hall budget calls for community input By Kyla Corpuz CHARLIE LAKE – The 2013 Charlie Lake fire department’s budget will be based on community input. “The last time … it was under a contract basis, so they brought the proposal in and the [regional district] board either accepted it or rejected it. This time here we’re trying to communicate more with the community, back and forth,” explained electoral Area C director Arthur Hadland. On Feb. 21 the fire department hosted an open house where community members could review three budget scenarios. The following tax dollars represented below are based on the highest property assessment of $400,000. Hadland mentioned that they were scrutinized for using a low property value as the highest assessment. Scenario One would use $100,000 of the department’s capital reserve to cover the capital acquisitions in the 2013-operating budget. The tax rate per thousand would be .785, bringing the ordinary taxpayer’s cost to $314. Using the reserve fund would offset a higher tax rate, as seen in the next two options. Scenario Two would not use any capital reserve to offset the operating budget, instead it would raise the tax rate per thousand to .901 for a cost of $361. Though the tax rate is nearly $50 more, it would maintain the department’s capital reserve. Scenario Three has the highest tax rate per thousand of .96,
which translates to $384 in taxes. This is measured by not using any capital reserve funds to cover the operating budget and adding $50,000 to the reserve fund. Hadland said there aren’t particular pros and cons to each option; instead they are simply looking for feedback on which scenario best suits taxpayers’ wants and needs. “Do they want higher taxes and maintain the reserves?” Over the next five years the fire department has set priorities to replace and upgrade capital acquisitions. In the 2013 operating budget, $365,000 will go towards capital upgrades on vehicles and equipments such as a Replacement (CL-6) Tender ($220,000), Second Command/Wild-Land Unit ($100,000), New Wild-Land Skid for CL-7 ($20,000) and exhaust drop ($25,000). “This is budgeted by our chief financial officer and has been accumulated over the years so we can anticipate the need for changing out the big capital items,” said Hadland. The Peace River Regional District and the Charlie Lake Fire Department are also asking community members to guide next year’s budget discussions. “We are looking for ways to communicate with the people on looking at the budget and how the money is spent,” said Hadland. Option one is to continue to hold open houses, like the one
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Page 4
February 28, 2013
Northeast NEWS
D.C. Airport seeks flights despite West Jet announcement By Jill Earl
DAWSON CREEK - West Jet’s recent announcement of future service to Fort St. John isn’t stopping the City of Dawson Creek from continuing to seek out an airline that will offer service at the city’s airport. Last week city representatives met with an airline to discuss the possibility of providing the city with another carrier. “We’re constantly speaking with other airline companies and we have to be,” said Mayor Mike Bernier. He says that they hope West Jet’s announcement hasn’t potentially hurt the city from finding a company that will offer a schedule to the city. “Our hope is that it doesn’t and that’s why we’re going to be looking at alternatives, we’re going to be looking at different companies that will offer a different kind of service, so it wouldn’t necessarily be a competition to a bigger airline, but maybe a different kind of service,” Bernier said. Pursuing additional flights and carriers is an ongoing proj-
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ect for the airport and is also identified as a short-term goal in the Dawson Creek Airport Sustainability Report prepared by McElhanney and Patricia Maloney and Associates for the city in December 2011. The city has begun moving towards the recommendations suggested by the consultants, including other short-terms goals such as the development of a pilot’s lounge and a community governance review. Although not a part of the consultant’s report, on Feb. 18 council decided to officially decommission the float plane base Jill Earl photo at the airport that hasn’t been in Coun. Charlie Parslow made several motions to reduce staffing within some city deoperation since 2010 when it partments during the last budget meeting on Feb. 18, council approved that the cost was closed for the construction savings from the reduction be put into a fund for the airport. of water supply infrastructure. During the budget meeting on Feb. 18, Coun. Charlie Parslow Council decided that as there are no current commercial users of the base and that recreational made a number of recommended changes to the draft budget that use has decreased, in the last seven years there have been less were approved by the majority of councillors. Motions included than 400 landings. The airport doesn’t charge planes to land, and cutting the hiring of two fire fighters, one RCMP (for next year) with no revenue, must cover the cost of operational and capital and choosing not to seek filling the vacancy of the deputy chief administrative officer at the City of Dawson Creek that became expenses. This is passed on to the city. In order to reopen the base, staff would need to remove an vacant fall last year. He proposed to move the cost savings of estimated 45,000 cubic metres of sediment from the lagoon, pur- those positions, an estimated sum of $268,000, into a fund alchase new wooden float docks and purchase a concrete ramp for located for the airport for its use to be determined at a later date planes to transfer to dry-land; all costing a total of an estimated by council. Parslow’s recommendations were eventually approved by $350,000. council but were met with opposition from a few councils. Coun. “If we wanted to keep the float plane base and we wanted to Cheryl Shuman was against earmarking the money for the airland planes on it again, it was going to cost over $350,000 to fix it up, so that’s why Counc. McFayden brought it forward, and port, and Coun. Duncan Malkinson suggested putting the funds said ‘we’re never going to spend $350,000 to fix it up, so let’s into the general capital reserve, though Malkinson later voted in favour of allocating the money towards the airport. Chief exjust finally say we don’t have it anymore,’” said Bernier. “It isn’t feasible to maintain it…it’s not cost effective to keep ecutive officer, Jim Chute, recommended that council apply the funds to the commercial tax rate. it open,” said Coun. Shaely Wilbur. “I thought it might be a good thing to do to designate to the airport to be determined later by council what the specifics are, but I think one of the hopes is that if we find a carrier who might provide earlier morning service to Vancouver or Calgary,” said Parslow. “Having set aside some money so that the airport manager can explore things with the possible carrier, there are some funds that they can use,” he said. All of council’s decisions regarding the 2013 budget have not been finalized yet and are subject to change pending public consultation or a change of direction from council. Medium-term goals highlighted in the sustainability report are expected to take another three to six years to complete. They include a design of the runway extension, the construction of an airplane hangar and hiring a community economic development officer. The single long-term goal is extending the runway 1,0001,500 feet, a goal which is expected to take more than six years to complete and $8-$14 million to construct. “We’ve accomplished most of the short-term goals that were under the consultant’s report …council has not committed anything to the mid-term goals yet… some of the councillors are trying to speed that up a little bit, nothing has been voted on or approved yet,” Bernier said.
Northeast NEWS
February 28, 2013
Charlie Lake fire hall budget
Site C impact statement calls for feedback
department, whereas in previous years the department was self-governed. “It was pretty internal and then you had the contractor basically dictating what they felt had to happen,â€? said Hadland in regards to how the previous budgets were set up. “This tends to minimize input from the taxpayer and that was a glitch.â€? The contractor was made up of the fire department. “That was the problem ‌ there wasn’t enough distance between the contractor and the tax payer. “The fire department was putting it together themselves. What we had was a failure to communicate all the way around,â€? said Hadland. The Dave Mitchell report also stated: The previous Fire Committee, established under the Service Agreement, suffered from a lack of separation from the Department and the Society. The PRRD assumed management of the fire department last April, and a new fire chief was put in place. The changeover caused discourse with the existing volunteer members and on Apr. 1 more than 20 volunteers staged a walk out. Since then, some of the volunteers who left, returned and the department now has a steady volunteer membership of 30 people.
FORT ST. JOHN – Site C has hit its halfway mark to meeting the finish line for a final decision on the controversial dam. The 60-day public comment period is the eighth leg of the 14-step environmental assessment process hosted by the Canadian Environment Assessment Agency and the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office. British Columbians are asked to participate by submitting questions or comments regarding BC Hydro’s Environmental Impact Statement on Site C. “We ‌ wanted to allow the public an opportunity to look at the summary information of the environmental impact statement and give the public an opportunity to ask questions to some of the technical experts‌,â€? said Linda Jones, the Agency’s panel manager. All of the questions asked will be submitted and BC Hydro will answer them through a public document. “The BCEAO and CEAA will consider all of that information, there may be some issues to resolve, and at the end of that process we will be able to consider
Continued from Page 3
By Kyla Corpuz
Page 5
all that information before we deem the EIS satisfactory,� said Jones. Once deemed satisfactory it moves on to the joint review panel. The review panel is an independent three-person board made up of appointees by the federal and provincial Minister of Environment. “The ministers decided that establishing a joint review panel provides a forum for the public to come to hold public hearings in potentially affected communities,� said Jones. While the independent panel will review the entire EIS and make recommendations to the decision, Site C’s future would be ultimately decided by the federal Minister of Environment and the provincial Minister of Forest, Lands and Natural Resources. “The other minister [provincial] is usually a minister who is responsible for the sector, so normally that would be Minister of Energy Mines and Natural Gas for this project,� said Brian Murphy, executive project director for the Assessment Office. “However, because BC Hydro is a crown corporation underneath the Minister of Energy, Mines and Natural Gas we’ve gone to an alternate minister to
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BC Hydro consultants address attendees at the Environmental Impact Statement feedback open house on Feb. 19 at the North Peace Cultural Centre in Fort St. John.
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February 28, 2013
B.C. JOB’S PLAN FOR EVERYONE? There’s a lot of buzz around temporary foreign workers lately. Why they’re good, how they’re stealing jobs, why we need them and why we don’t. I see how some British Columbians can get a little fussy when they read stories about companies who utilize foreign workers and how the PNP is a contradiction to the B.C. job’s plan. But really, what do you do when people who are legal to work in Canada don’t want to sign up for those jobs? You can’t force them to do it, so the most reasonable answer is to find people who will. However, when it comes to getting the local population into jobs that would close the gap between the rich and the poor, the government has come up with a strategy called the B.C. job’s plan. If the B.C. job’s plan caters to British Columbians, then I get the feeling that west coasters all have aspirations to work as labourers—or on a site next to one. The plan would be ideal if the jobs weren’t all geared to working in the resource industry. I feel as if the notion around this campaign is that the next generation of British Columbians wants to (or should grow up wanting to) work as labourers, because if they don’t how will we fill the job vacancies? God forbid we use foreign workers. But what about those who dream of becoming an international dancer performing in front of thousands of people, or a world famous chef, or an architect, or the next big runway designer spotted by Anna Wintour (editor of Vogue)? There isn’t half as much support that goes into those career choices as there are for industry jobs. And I get it, it’s because we don’t need hundreds of thousands of Karl Lagerfelds (designer for Chanel) as we do skilled labourers, but those dreams do exist, and it’s getting
Northeast NEWS
EDITORIAL
harder for them to become a reality. I see that the B.C. government wants to capitalize on getting locals to work in the resource industry—which is a booming industry. But it just feels like unless you have goals of working in a camp, or in heavy-duty gear the chances of finishing an educa-
tion and getting placed into a job where you’re making big bucks by the age of 21 just isn’t fathomable.
-Kyla
LNG industry: “comes down to simple supply and demand” Dear Editors More doom and gloom from Mr. Pitt. what a surprise. In his Feb. 7 letter he wrote”LNG is terribly polluting, depleting,and destructive.” Later in the same letter he states, and I quote “We live in the second coldest country on earth. The heat we get from our natural gas is not optional. We cannot live without it. “How does he justify those contradictory statements? Does he not know that there are alternatives to heating your home with natural gas? I use the latest geo-thermal technology and solar energy to heat my home. I do not have a natural gas bill. PERIOD. I’m stunned that a man who supposedly is so concerned about the environment is not up on the latest technology! Could it be that my carbon footprint (and I’m just a low-life piece of oilfield trash) is smaller than his??!! I propose that we reduce the diameter of the natural gas line going to his house by at least 30 percent. It’s because of people like him thatthe polar ice caps are melting..... on Mars! Or could it be because of the sun’s solar activity, which might also have an impact on our climate? Mr. Pitt seems to imply that its OK for him to heat his home with natural gas, but don’t sell LNG to people overseas. They
can freeze in the dark. What an elitist point of view! Not tomention hypocritical. That point of view sounds a lot like Al Gore’s or David Suzuki’s views. Al Gore is the father of today’s modern environmental movement. He has no problem telling us how we should live and what we should do to save the environment. In the mean time he fly’s around in his private gas guzzling jet. He lives in a house, er mansion in Tennessee that, according to theTennessee utilities commission consumes 20 times more energy than the average house in that state. He recently sold a small television network that he owned in the US to Al Jazzeera which is owned by the country of Qatar, whose only industry is”BIG OIL.” For 450 million dollars. That sounds a lot like corporate greed to me. Mr. Pitt and his Occupy friends should “occupy” Al Gore Global Warming INC. So there are two sides, on one side there are the “environmentalist” who do nothing but fear-monger, wring their hands and spew false information. The other side has hardworking, taxpaying men and women in industry, that while providing a valuable resource the public demands, they are constantly trying to improve things. For example the internal combus-
tion engine has become way more efficient and cleaner burning than a few years ago thanks to innovation. The oil patch has also cleaned up its act dramatically and is heavily regulated by government as far as environmental practices are concerned. If Mr. Pitt wants to see a real environmentalist he should go spend some time on a farm. A farmer genuinely cares for the land and nurtures it because he makes his living from the land and while doing so provides a vital resource to the public. Mr. Pitt has expressed admiration for the “occupy” movement, which in my opinion is nothing more than a bunch of college drop-out anarchists who could not make it in the real world so instead became professional protesters. It comes down to simple supply and demand economics. People around the world use oil and natural gas for many different things so until demand decreases or new technology comes along oil and gas development will continue due to popular demand.
Dan Tiechroeb Fort St. John
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Northeast NEWS
February 28, 2012
Letters to the Editor
Page 7
“WHAT PART OF NO, DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?” To all CEO’s of BC Hydro and Gary Murphy, Chief Project Officer This is in response to the letter I received from you the other day telling me that you are coming to install a smart meter at my home even though I have written you a letter stating that I do not want one, and told you that I am more than willing to phone in my usage. I have a lock on my meter and have my no trespassing signs up. When I called your office, I was not allowed to talk to you directly, and was only allowed to leave a message. That’s pretty cowardly to have the girl screen your calls. Where is democracy? What happened to freedom of choice? What part of “NO”, do you not understand? NO means NO. Why is it that you think it’s ok and acceptable to intimidate, threaten, co-herce, harass and force us to accept something we don’t want. The people have supported you all these years and filled your pockets with cash only to have you force your agenda upon us, with the Hydro Dam and lousy Smart Meters. We have allowed you to build two hydro dams, and that’s not enough for greedy you. It seems that you don’t care about the people’s feelings, lives, or their properties. The only thing you seem to care about is making another dollar no matter who it’s hurts. That’s pure greed. Isn’t it true that we have been supplying California and others with power all these years and they haven’t even paid us for it? They owe us billions of dollars and you want to build another
dam to supply them with more power? What, for free? At our people’s expense? Shame on you. I wish that another electrical company would start up and put you out of business & into bankruptcy! In my opinion it would be the best thing that could happen to you! It would teach you a lesson that’s long overdue. It would be nice to see every home put in solar panels and teach you another lesson! Democracy is for the people-by the people & freedom of choice by the people. What has happened to that? If you want to live in a country that doesn’t abide by democratic rules- then you and your company should move to communist China- where your ethics and actions would be right at home-forcing your agenda against the peoples’ will. That’s called Bullying and deserves a class action law suit. Till then- we the people have a right to choose. Most people do not want another dam in the Peace area and all the damage & heartbreak it will do to our valley- to people’s lives & their properties, but you don’t seem to care, because it’s all about the money right? Same goes for your Smart Meters! In my opinion you are not telling the truth about the Smart Meters. They are spewing high levels of radiation on to us, our children and grandchildren and in some cases causing homes to catch on fire and burn down. You didn’t tell us the truth about the CFL light bulbs too. Trying to force them on us-telling us they were so safe, until other people tested them and told the truth and
Hydro incapable of thinking outside the box for alternatives to Site C The following letter is a response to the Feb. 7/13 article in the NE News entitled. “ Site C Justifiable despite Wildlife Disturbances” Hydro, with its total reliance on its Site C Portfolio, is not serving the public well. Its tactics of consistently downplaying the detrimental impacts of the project and exaggerating the potential benefits are not convincing. The use of “spin” distorted logic and pro Site C propaganda will only fool some people. Hydro has never seriously considered alternatives to Site C. It has failed to develop natural gas, wind, solar, tidal and geothermal. On page 9 (Executive Summary-2013) Hydro states: “The screening process identifies the resources that were screened out because they are not technically or economically feasible in BC”. This is an amazing admission of incompetence. Why is it that countries like the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany find these options “technically and economically feasible”?
Are we a third-world country? Furthermore, the BC Liberals have ruled out natural gas, even though the capital costs and fuel costs for a natural gas powered system are substantially lower. This, despite the fact that research done in Europe shows great promise in developing methods that will completely eliminate CO2 emissions from gas powered thermal energy in the near future. Unfortunately, Hydro is stuck in the 1950’s mind set, being incapable of thinking outside the box of its own creation. The following paragraph is an example of the methods BC Hydro is willing to use to convince skeptics that Site C is the only option. On page 9,(Executive Summary) Hydro compares Site C with an artificial concoction of “Clean Alternatives Portfolio” and a “Clean and Thermal Portfolio”. Both portfolios use as their clean components unreliable and very expensive IPP (Run of the River) generated electricity. This is a distorted
comparison and a shameful attempt to make Site C’s footprint appear to be in line with any other alternatives. This manipulation of data is appalling and cannot disguise the fact that Site C’s footprint will, by an long shot, be the most destructive of all electricity options available. Finally, we want to talk briefly about detrimental impacts and mitigation. Hydro does not use statements such as “problems caused by Site C” or such terms as “negative impacts” and “detrimental impacts”. Under Hydro’s terminology, the following are not considered to be “detrimental impacts”: local climate change, loss of valuable agricultural land, destruction of wildlife habitat and ecosystems, polluted air due to burning 1.5 million cu metres of wood debris, infringement on First Nations traditional rights, expulsion of local residents near the river. Hydro instead prefers to use the vague and largely meaningless “potential effects”
term. What does the “potential effects” term really mean: here are effects, which may not really be effects; however, they might have the potential to be effects and should they be effects, they probably have only minor effects? Based on this view point, Hydro can wave its magical mitigation wand and make everything beautiful once again. It is very surprising that Hydro has even admitted that there are a number of negative impacts that cannot be mitigated. In conclusion, the Peace River Valley has been designated as the sacrificial lamb, needing to be butchered by BC Hydro and the BC Liberals. Their lack of creative thinking and their inability to develop viable alternatives to Site C demonstrates a colossal failure on their part to the people of BC. It’s truly time to bury the Site C proposal along side the other dinosaurs. Mike Kroecher & Rick Koechl Fort St. John
then you backed off. You seem like an intelligent man, therefore you should know that radiation accumulates in our bodies and doesn’t leave. It builds& builds and then next thing you know is that you or your children have cancer, ex: Leukemia. If you think that’s ok, think again. I am ashamed of what’s happening here! Where are our politicians that we elected & trusted to look after the best interests of the people? Why are they being silent & letting Hydro get away with this unconscionable unjustice! Where is our mayor and city councillors? Why are they not taking a stand? Are they getting paid under the table not to say anything? We elected you and you should be representing us. I voted for you all but if things don’t change you will never get my vote again. Wake up people and speak out before it’s too late! Think of your children and grand children’s future, what kind of life they will have to endure if you don’t speak up and change the wrongs that other people are forcing on us! In a democracy we have the right to our opinion and this is mine. I refuse to take your radiation emitting Smart Meter installed at my residence and if you install it against my will, after I have said no, you will be sued for the duress you are causing me. Totally Disheartened, Kay Linley Fort St. John
RECONSIDER LNG SCHEME Dear Editor In response to last week’s letter to the editor titled ‘LNG needs sober, second thought’, I have to say I agree with most of what the writer says. However, there is one important point he failed to mention. It requires a tremendous amount of energy to liquefy natural gas for transport by ship. One year ago, Christy Clark said that the Site C dam was ‘needed’ just to power the one LNG plant proposed by Shell. LNG does not produce one unit of new energy; it just wastes vast amounts of energy in an attempt to chase after a higher price somewhere else. Now Christy says this will create a trillion dollar industry for BC, and she seems to have our entire future banking on this. In light of climate change, shipping LNG abroad might be the dirtiest
proposal ever conceived. Meanwhile, her governments ‘Clean Energy Act’ dictate that we can only use a small percentage of our own natural gas for electrical generation, and therefore they want to flood a low elevation valley with the only Class 1 farmland north of Quesnel to produce electricity for this scheme. I agree with those who propose that we look at more home grown uses for our natural gas, including electrical generation. At the same time, we should seriously reconsider the LNG scheme. Finally, our government should stop creating excuses for building the environmental nightmare called Site C dam when we do not need it, and also cannot afford it. Ken Boon Fort St. John
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Page 8
February 28, 2013
Northeast NEWS
D.C. fire hall steps forward, and back with department goals By Jill Earl
DAWSON CREEK - The city’s fire hall is in the processes of completing five goals they’ve established for their department; but, as they get one step closer, Dawson Creek’s 2013 budget may force them to take a step back. On Feb. 18, city council approved the purchase of a new fire truck for $498,663 (plus tax) and extended the project’s budget to $580,000 to cover the costs. The fire department had hoped to get a manufacturer to start the work on assembling the truck last year, but some delays with preparing the Request For Proposals held the project back, causing some slight inflation and a higher
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cost for the completion of the project. “You can try to push it [RFP] through as quickly as you want but you don’t want to push it through so quick that you miss something. It took a bit to develop the RFP because there’s a lot of stuff to go in it,” said fire chief Gordon Smith, about the very detailed and lengthy RFP. The new truck will take 1012 months to be delivered to the city, it will replace a truck that has been in use since 1992; they typically sell their decommissioned trucks to smaller communities or rural fire departments. Obtaining a new truck was one of the five goals of the Jill Earl photo department, identified in the Dawson Creek fire fighters will welcome a new fire truck to the hall in the next 10 Fire Underwriters Survey in to 12 months. 2010. The survey highlighted ing public consultation and the approval of this year’s budget. 22 different items that needed During the Feb. 18 budget meeting, Coun. Charlie Parslow improvement in the city’s fire department. The five which they made the motion to cut the two fire fighter positions as well as have chosen to pursue first include: a new fire truck, writing a a 2014 RCMP position and the rehiring of the deputy chief adplan for equipment replacement, improving the training facility, hiring two fire fighter floater positions and making the fire hall ministrative officer position, and put the cost savings towards the airport. Council approved the motion but changes could be more secure. “We’re doing some renovations in the front end of the fire made pending public consultation on Mar. 5 and final approval station…a part of the Fire Underwriters Survey talked about the of the budget. “All changes are still on the table, council can decide whatsecurity of our dispatching centre and so some of those renovations deal with that, they’ll be a locked door in the front now, so ever they want based on the input they hear,” said chief adminyou have to be invited in, before you could just walk right in,” istrative officer Jim Chute. According to Gordon, many of his staff are called in on days Smith said. While the department is currently in the process of writing a off and have trouble taking vacation time. “We have about 65 per cent of the time somebody off at any plan for equipment and constructing the training facility on airgiven time... So those two floater fire fighter positions were to port grounds, hiring two floater positions may be delayed pend-
Continued on Page 18.
KPMG in Fort St. John welcomes Tyler Harrison! The Partners of KPMG in northern British Columbia are pleased to welcome Tyler Harrison, CA. Tyler is our KPMG Enterprise Leader in Fort St. John. KPMG serves clients from four centres in Northern British Columbia—Fort St. John, Prince George, Quesnel, and Vanderhoof. KPMG is committed to serving this growing region. Our clients will benefit from the collective experience and talent of our professionals. We provide a full range of Audit, Tax and Advisory services. KPMG is privileged to serve personal tax clients, small and large private companies in diverse industries, and public sector organizations across northern British Columbia. For more information on how Tyler can assist you, contact him at 250-271-0229 or toll free 800-665-5595. 102 - 9705 100th Avenue Fort St. John, BC V1Y 1Y2
kpmg.ca © 2013 KPMG LLP, a Canadian limited liability partnership and a member firm of the KPMG network of independent member firms affiliated with KPMG International Cooperative (“KPMG International”), a Swiss entity. All rights reserved. 1521
February 28, 2013
Northeast NEWS
Page 9
Investing for income: FIVE FUNDAMENTALS By Investors Group Submitted article A sound financial plan usually includes developing and maintaining a portfolio of investments that you will, at some point, tap into on a regular basis to cover living expenses or for some other ongoing need. That is most likely to occur after you retire but, depending on your unique financial needs, it could come earlier – so here are five fundamentals for getting the most from your investments.
4. Assess your need for income stability and how to achieve it Be mindful of the impact that constant withdrawals can have on your investments. If you need a high level of income stability, look at investments that deliver regular distributions – fixed income, real property, dividend paying securities – or products that provide a guaranteed monthly income, such as annuities.
OAS benefits. Look at investment structures that can provide more tax-advantaged income for non-registered accounts. Planning to ensure you retirement income needs will be met can be complex. Your professional advisor can supply the expertise and vision you need to meet those needs.
Daphne Hogg Financial Consultant 9319 - 100 Avenue Fort St. John, BC V1J 1X8 Ph: 250-785-4312 Fax: 250-785-2344
5. Consider the tax impact on the income you draw 1. Be realistic about whether or not your current investments will deliver an adequate level of income In retirement, your income will usually consist of amounts you’ll receive from the Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security (CPP/OAS), private pension plan(s) and perhaps work income, plus draws from your investments. If you think your retirement expenses will be such that the income produced from your investments will be inadequate, you should revisit your portfolio and savings strategies now.
Income from investments held within a TFSA are tax-free, while income from your other registered assets is fully taxable. For your other accounts, the tax on interest is generally higher than income from dividends or capital gains. The amount of your taxable retirement income may also trigger clawbacks of your
Email: daphne.hogg@investorsgroup.com RRSPS • INVESTMENTS • INSURANCE • RESPS • MORTGAGES TM Trademark owned by IGM Financial Inc. and licensed to its subsidiary corporations. Mortgage products are offered through I.G. Investment Management Ltd., Investors Group Trust Co. Ltd. is a trust company licensed to lend money in all jurisdictions in Canada. Clients with mortgage inquiries will be referred to an Investors Group Mortgage Planning Specialist. Insurance products and services distributed through I.G. Insurance Services Inc. Insurance license sponsored by The Great-West Life Assurance Company.
2. Verify that your income will last as long as you need it The level of income you draw from your investments should not completely deplete your savings while you still need them. The investments you choose will depend on your investment style and income needs.
3. As your expenses increase with inflation, your income needs will also change A portfolio that consists solely of fixed income investments, such as GICs, is unlikely to produce long-term growth above inflation. Growth in income comes from growth in assets. That’s why investing for income during a long retirement usually means including investments in diversified equity markets, depending on your comfort level with market risk.
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Page 10
Northeast NEWS
February 28, 2013
Site C EIS feedback session Continued from Page 5.
READY, SET, LEARN and OPEN HOUSE for Kindergarten on Tuesday, March 5th at 7 pm CHRISTIAN LIFE SCHOOL Fort St. John, BC Christian Life School in Fort St. John wishes to inÁuence the school readiness of children by hosting an Open House. Families of 3-5 year olds are encouraged to attend and will receive a free Ready, Set, Learn information package. Information will include medical, social, emotional, and intellectual developmental milestones. An Open House will be held for Kindergarten for the 2013-2014 school year. Applications are currently being accepted. Plan to attend to: • Help your PRESCHOOLER get ready for school Learn about the programs and tour the facilities at Christian Life School, including: • B.C. curriculum K-12 from a Christian perspective • Christian teachers to care for your child • Early Intervention Reading Program • Computer Lab starting in elementary Handbook and applications are available on our website or may be picked up at: Christian Life School 8923 112 Avenue Fort St. John BC V1J 5H8 Phone: (250) 785-1437 Fax: (250) 785-4852 Email: ofÀce@christianlifeschool.ca Website: www.christianlifeschool.ca
avoid that conflict.” Murphy said at the end of the day it’s up to those two ministers whether or not Site C will be granted an environmental certificate. The CEAA and BCEAO anticipate the decision will be made by the fall of 2014. Near the end of the day on Feb. 19, the first public open house session/comment period in Fort St. John was met by a group of protestors chanting “Site C Sucks.” Protestors have met nearly every Site C open house/ public consultation in Fort St. John. Opposition may have showed up, but supporters were also present. Fort St. John resident Vincent Rodriguez is pro Kyla Corpuz photo Site C, he attributes his support Protestors walked through the Site C Environmental Impact Statement feedback sesto the low cost the dam would sion/open house on Feb. 19 at the North Peace Cultural Centre. have on ratepayers compared to alternatives such as windmills despite potential effects that cannot be mitigated, like loss of fish and solar panels. species, ecological features and rare plants, habitat for migratory Rodriguez believes capitalizing on the water already given off birds and First Nations’ lands, the project should go through beby the other two dams in the Peace is the most cost-efficient way cause it “serves the public interest.” to produce energy. Murphy said under the BCEAO’s act they will examine the “We already have two huge reservoirs built … let’s say for environmental, economical, social, health and heritage effects of the amount of water that comes down the [Peace] Canyon dam the project, adding that they remain a neutral party. produces—maybe not as much—but still produce quite a bit of megawatts; so if we already use it twice why not the third time? So the same amount of water will be produced three times the electricity, therefore, relatively speaking we will have very low hydro rates.” Rodriguez moved to Fort St. John in the 80s when Site C was first proposed hoping to find employment working on the dam. “We move here in 1986 because the dam was supposed to be built them,” said Rodriguez, adding that he was living in RevelLinda Jones, Panel Manager stoke at the time ready to take a Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency job in Cambridge, Ont. 22nd Floor, 160 Elgin Street “I said to my wife … forget Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3 Ontario let’s go Fort St. John, SiteCReview@ceaa-acee.gc.ca and here we are waiting for or: them to build it—but now we Brian Murphy, Executive Project Director are retired.” B.C. Environmental Assessment Office BC Hydro anticipates that PO Box 9426 Stn Prov Govt Site C would provide over Victoria, BC V8W 9V1 44,000 construction jobs over Fax: 250-356-7477 seven years. www.eao.gov.bc.ca/pcp/forms/Site_C_form.html BC Hydro’s environmental impact statement affirms that
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Northeast NEWS
February 28, 2013
D.C. council gives potential geothermal project the cold shoulder By Jill Earl DAWSON CREEK- Council reaffirmed its commitment to the previously stated strategic priorities of solving water security issues and fixing current sewage problems by shutting the door on a $70 million geothermal project. During the Feb. 18 meeting, Coun. Sue Kenny moved the recommendation to direct staff to pursue discussions with potential partners about the possibility of realizing a geothermal energy project in the community; however, Coun. Charlie Parslow thought the project should be moved to the backburner. “I’m certainly intrigued by the possibilities of geothermal. In this report I was alarmed by the cost,” said Parslow, after making the motion that staff only be directed to start work on the geothermal project after water and sewer project decisions have been made. “We have many many costly issues to deal with in this community, water, people are concerned about our core infrastructures and I don’t want energy to be diverted from those things or funds…I know that anytime we add something to the workload of staff, some things are missed when we ask for additional resources to carry through this,” Parslow said. Kenny highlighted that potential revenues generated from a geothermal project could help pay for core infrastructure upgrades such as water and sewer projects. Her motion was defeated by Parslow’s amendment. “When we deal with water and sewer then will be the time, if nothing else trumps it…I want us to focus on water security and sewage,” he said. “I’m all for geothermal, but now is not the time,” agreed Coun. Shealy Wilbur. The decision to hold off on the project came after a report verifying that there is sufficient heat beneath the city to support geothermal power production, furthermore that a geopower plant could be economically viable. The report included a feasibility study from Borealis Geopower the city contracted last August. The report suggested drilling four wells approximately 3.5km
deep to access the indicated heat source that has the capacity to power a 13.3MW stream driven power plant and the potential to provide emission free electricity and enormous amounts of heat for space heating. The project is estimated to generate $9.3 million, with a net income of approximately $7.2 million; operating costs account for the difference of approximately $2.1 million. The consultants estimate that the city could operate a geothermal plant for 31 years with a 15 per cent thermal energy recovery and 12 per cent plant efficiency. Revenue would potentially come from a long-term Power Purchase Agreement from BC Hydro, who would pay roughly $99 per megawatt hour. Matthew McWillam, energy manager for the City of Dawson Creek, said approximately $22 of the $99 paid would be needed for operational costs. The report states that the city could save some money by utilizing a small percentage of the captured heat to heat civic buildings such as the South Peace Community Multiplex. “It was definitely suggested in the report that there would be excess heat left over from the power generation process that you could take advantage of to offset natural gas and space heating for civic buildings or potentially other businesses as well,” said McWilliam. The project would take approximately three years to complete, and comes with a price tag of an estimated $70 million. The cost required is identified as one of the project’s major hurdles. The consultants recommend finding partners to help finance it if the city should proceed. Obtaining the permitting required to access geothermal rights in the city was also identified as a hurdle. “Council is very concerned obviously about the water and the sewer, making sure that those are the top of mind. In my opinion it never hurts to keep the door open and continue asking questions, which is why I voted against it, because I think we should at least be looking at all avenues,” said Mayor Mike Bernier. “Unfortunately with the motion that was made we’ve told staff not to pursue it any further, so it kind of closes the door for now, but that can change down the road,” he said.
Page 11
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“We’ve laid out an ambitious plan to create jobs in the BC Jobs Plan and we will need skilled immigrants to help fill more than one million job openings expected over the next decade.”
| BC Premier Christy Clark
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Last week was proclaimed ‘Women’s Institute Week in Dawson Creek’ by Mayor Mike Bernier, Patsy Nagel and other institute members attended the council meeting on Feb. 18 to receive the proclamation. The institute works locally, provincially, nationally and internationally on projects and programs that support agriculture, citizenship, home economics, health and welfare.
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Page 12
Northeast NEWS
February 28, 2013
Layoff
Continued from Front Page replaced. In addition, American workers are also being welcomed onto the site. “US employees are moving in,� said Chris. “It’s very funny
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that our guys are getting laid off for no reason, never been ticketed, never missed a day of attendance ‌ [and] a worker who was there for 11 months was laid off for no reason at all, but there was a new employee a week and a half ago. Why? I don’t know.â€? The foreman said the new employees are filling the vacant positions. However, according to Christian Labour Association of Canadian’s northeastern B.C. representative Josh Pastoor, the layoffs are in response to a shortage of work. “We’ve received some complaints from members who have been laid off,â€? said Pastoor. “It’s nothing out of the ordinary ‌ layoffs are due to a shortage of work, there has been a slow down,â€? he said, adding that it is not uncommon for ironworkers and steel workers to lose their job when the demand is down. Pastoor said the layoffs have “nothing to doâ€? with KBR using an American workforce. “There is a very small component of temporary foreign workers ‌ they work in different trades,â€? he said. Stephen Olney, a regional contact for KBR said the use of a “smallâ€? American workforce is in place because they are “highly skilledâ€? at what they do. Olney did not mention what positions they hold.
Pastoor said the agreement between KBR and CLAC is that KBR is not obligated to contact employees that were laid off if the position becomes open again. “They may or may not be contacted, there is no requirement. I do know efforts are being made to [transfer laid-off employees] over to another project in Alberta,� he said. To date the company in question uses over 96 per cent Canadian workers, including First Nations, wrote KBR vice president Robin Bonk in an email. “KBR Wabi makes every effort to retain its qualified workforce, including the transfer of skilled craft between projects when possible, in order to maintain the continuity of our labour pool,� Bonk wrote. While Bonk did not comment on the lay off of workers or specifics into how many foreign workers were hired for the project at the Shell Saturn 1 Site, it was added that KBR does utilize temporary foreign workers. “KBR Wabi employment practices are focused with a priority on local, provincial and national hiring; however, the market is not always able to meet our demand. In instances where KBR Wabi has exhausted all options to hire within Canada, we pursue, with strict adherence to the current governmental guidelines, temporary foreign workers.�
Health profile
Continued from Front page.
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ern B.C. to the common lifestyle of living in a northern community, as well as transient community. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a certain extent of what choices we make, how we live, how the climate influences us, how we interact sociallyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s complex to address,â&#x20AC;? he said. Therefore, Badenhorst said part of Northern Healthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s priority is to work closely with industry and different levels of government to come up with services that are more available and accessible. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is important that individuals need to have a one-stop show because we are so fractionated in how we provide services,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everybody needs to be educated.â&#x20AC;? Badenhorst and MLA Pat Pimm attribute some of the lower health stats in the area to the working lifestyle of individuals in the resource industry and access to healthy food. With over 1,500 camps in the region, Badenhorst said people donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always have access to make health conscious food choices. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you look at truck drivers they work long hours and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s difficult to have a healthy lifestyle because they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always have access to good healthy foods. So, all this adds up to unhealthy profiles we have. Pimm said the geography plays into higher smoking rates. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We realize that there are more people who smoke in the north, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not just the north but rural as well. For some reason you tend to smoke a little bit more â&#x20AC;Ś we want to live in healthy communities and healthy lifestyles and sometimes different conditions donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t exactly lead to that,â&#x20AC;? he said.
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FORT ST. JOHN â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Fort St. John fire department and RCMP finished their on-scene investigation for the fatal explosion that killed two people and destroyed a trailer home at Southridge Trailer Park on Feb. 14. While RCMP stated the identities were confirmed, they did not release names due to privacy. What they could confirm is that it was non criminal. The fire department is now trying to piece together their discoveries to draw a conclusion to the incident. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re still trying to put two and two together,â&#x20AC;? said deputy fire chief Curtis
Redpath on Feb. 20. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have to put all the stuff together and see what I can come up withâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;if anything. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot of damage so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pretty hard to do an investigation.â&#x20AC;? Within in city boundaries, this is the first fatal fire in nearly 10 years, said Redpath. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As far as fatalities and fires in the cities, we havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t had one since 1994. I know that because it was my very first fire I attended with the department.â&#x20AC;? The cause of the fire is still undetermined. Two occupancies on both sides of the destructed trailer sustained minor damages to the window and sidings.
Northeast NEWS
February 28, 2013
Page 13
New bylaw includes rural area in mandatory building inspection By Jill Earl
“It’s pretty hard to tell where the original designated area was at, now the new bylaw is the whole region, there is no designated area,” said new building inspector Fred Cornelssen. The district has hired Cornelssen to help their one other inspector in Fort St. John with the expansion. According to Cornelssen, the district previously didn’t have the resources to inspect all permits if the directors had obligated all builders in the region to have mandatory permits and inspections. “We didn’t have the man power, and then also at that time that was what the electors wanted,” he said. Requiring the inspections ensures that contractors have complied with the BC Building Code and reduces hazards for occupants. “For many years the Regional District has required building inspection for only a small portion of the rural area. With rapid growth and investment in the region, public and financial expectations for meeting minimum construction standards and safety have also increased,” said PRRD chair Karen Goodings. “This new building bylaw responds to those expectations and fairly applies building inspection requirements for everyone,” she said. Inspections are free but building permits cost .5 per Jill Earl photo cent of the total cost of the Rotarians Larry Moody and Alex Reschney were a delegation to city councilbuilding. lors on Feb. 18. The pair presented the Rotary’s solution to connecting the city’s walking path, which still remains to be connected behind the mall. A creek curCornelssen says that as an rently separates the path. Moody and Reschney propose that their group use an inspector he could inspect the old shipping container as a bridge to connect the path. Council approved their project during construction up design in theory, but will need to see the final design for official approval. to eight times, or more if it’s
DAWSON CREEK- Rural residents building outside of the Peace River Regional District’s designated area will soon be included in the district’s mandatory inspection zone. The PRRD’s new building bylaw, effective Mar. 18, will require permits and inspections for all new construction in the approximately 12 million hectares the district encompasses. Currently, inspections and permits are not mandatory for people living in rural areas further than approximately one mile off of the main roads that go through the area.
requested. He says he’ll inspect when and if a basement is dug, the framing of the structure, insulation is placed properly and give a final inspection prior to the occupancy of the building, among a long list of other details. “It’s to protect the health of all the people… all the little things that the home owner would not know about,” he said. “The [building] code is out there to protect the people; it’s not out there to protect the contractors. We as building inspectors are to monitor, we can’t catch everything because we’re not out there 24/7 to make sure that they do build to the BC Building Code and meet the bylaws that are laid out in the areas,” said Cornelssen. Buildings that do not have permits built prior to Mar. 18 will not be required to be permitted or inspected, though owners can have them permitted if they feel it’s necessary. “We’re going to be using this first year to see whether the two building inspectors can handle the entire district. How much more are we going to have? And if more inspectors were needed, we’ll hire on down the road…the work load is very heavy,” Cornelssen said.
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February 28, 2013
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Fort St. John Bridal Fair 2013 FORT ST. JOHN - The bridal fair in Fort St. John took place at the Pomeroy Hotel on Feb. 24. Wedding vendors gathered at the Pomeroy just in time for the season of ‘I Do’s’. A fashion show was set for the aftrnoon, featuring prom dresses, bridesmaid dresses and gowns, flower girl dresses, tuxedos and, of course, white wedding dresses. Door prizes were given away throughout the show. The event was hosted by Systems By Trail.
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Northeast NEWS
February 28, 2013
Page 15
Poetry Night Jill Earl photo
The South Peace Arts Council’s Festival of the Arts continued last Friday, Feb. 22 with a poetry night. Donna Kane was host to the event and introduced all nine poets.
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Dawson Creek’s Cynthia Livingstone read an original piece, ‘The Painted Lady,’ commemorating the burning down of the historic Alaska Hotel last September.
Page 16
Northeast NEWS
February 28, 2013
Stepping down Superintendent to leave position after serving 32 years in school district By Kyla Corpuz FORT ST. JOHN – After 32 years of working in the school district, superintendent Larry Espe is stepping down. Espe informed District 60 at the latest school board meeting on Feb. 18. “At this point I don’t
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know if I’m retiring, resigning, or something totally different. I just wanted to let the board know that I wouldn’t be in the office as superintendent so they have time to choose a new [one],” said Espe, whose contract ends on Jul. 7, 2013. The decision to leave didn’t come easy. “The bottom line is that it was a big decision to make. It took a long time to make a decision because it was a tough one,” he said. “I weighed all the reasons that I could stay and all the reasons that maybe I shouldn’t.” Espe feels a lot ‘lighter’ now that he has announced his leave. “It’s nice to finally make the decision and feel good about it.” There seems to be a number of different options for Espe as he moves forward. Staying in the education system, working in the private sector or taking an adventure on his motorcycle across Canada are all future avenues he has entertained. “I never really started thinking about retirement until the age I could, and then it prompted me to say, ‘I guess I could retire,’ and you think of possibilities.” Espe won’t be leaving his position behind with any “hard feelings.” “I feel good about my career. Seven years is a long time to be a superintendent. I’m not leaving because I’m disappointed with how it’s gone.” Rather he is quite proud of the advancements District 60 has made within the education system. “The district has embraced social responsibility as [their] first goal … the idea of [using] proactive and preventive strategies instead of reactive and punitive,” is something that Espe was thrilled to be a part of. The start of project-based learning at the Energetic Learning Campus, which has since spread throughout schools in Fort St. John, is an initiative Espe was part of during his time as superintendent. “I’m not taking credit, but I feel really good about where we’re going with those things,” he said. He is also pleased with the willingness of so many teacher teams to collaborate on behalf of kids to really start asking questions like “is there a better way of doing things for kids.” Espe held position as superintendent for the last seven years, the longest he’s ever held the same position within the district.
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Larry Espe, School District 60 superintendent, was instrumental in the birth of the Energetic Learning Campus, an extension to North Peace Secondary School. The Grade 10 campus learns using project-based learning.
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Northeast NEWS
February 28, 2013
Draft budget ready for public review By Jill Earl DAWSON CREEK - City staff spent the last several months preparing the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2013 budget. Though councillors have approved the draft, they will be looking for feedback from residents at the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s public consultation night on Mar. 5. At the upcoming public consultation, attendees can expect to see a number of rec-
ommendations that were approved by council last October to use as a basis for constructing the budget. Residents can expect to see their residential tax rate remain the same as last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rate at $5.16 per $1,000 of assessment. Staff estimate that with the proposed rates an average single family dwelling valued at $233,734 will pay $71.82 more in municipal taxes than
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in 2012. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also estimated that 94.25 per cent of residential owners will pay less than a $300-increase, when the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s raised residential assessment is considered. This year the residential assessment increased by 7.23 per cent and commercial increased by 11.93 per cent for an overall increase of 9.07 per cent. The residential rate at $5.16 will generate approximately $5.3 million in taxes, an increase of $382,458 from last year. Commercial, major and light industrial tax rates are proposed to drop $0.25 from last year to a rate of $17.25 per $1,000. The budget report says that 91.3 per cent of businesses will pay less than a $1,000 increase from last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s amount. At a rate of $17.25, commercial taxation generates approximately $643,165 in revenue for the city. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s city revenues from taxation, government transfers and other fees and charges are estimated to total approximately $40.4 million; up $223,000 from last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s budget and an increase of $761,000 from last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s actual revenues. The city has budgeted for approximately $34.9 million in expenditures. Nearly $20
million is budgeted for services the city has deemed essential, such as policing, fire protection, building inspection, taxation, roads, sidewalks, water and sewer utility services. The city provides 44 services, categorized into essential, important and discretionary. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important services were allotted $4.6 million which includes library, bylaw enforcement, and health and safety, to name a few. Services like transit, arts and culture, recreation, community policing, mapping services were allotted $10.5 million this year. Proposed capital expenditures this year include completing the Calvin Kruk Centre for the Arts, water and sewer upgrades, storm drainage projects, sidewalk and roadwork projects, and upgrades to the NAR Station and the Encana Events Centre. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capital projects total approximately $20.95 million, including $17.5 million of new spending and $3.45 million for carry forward spending. The budget also proposes $11.29 million in new debt for projects like the road, storm drainage and sidewalk upgrades, the sewer trunk line upgrade and service growth for a treated water reservoir.
D.C. fire hall goals Continued from Page 8.
fill in those times, so that we could have a better response, so we could respond with four fire fighters each time, or more times with four fire fighters. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll never fill it 100 per cent but thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what our hope was to get as close as we could,â&#x20AC;? he said. He says that the department is always looking for volunteers, something which he believes the department is short of. They are currently in the middle of processing applications. Due to union contracts the department canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fill the two floater positions with volunteers, but in the past they have hired their volunteers to fill vacant positions. The Fire Underwriters Survey is often used by insurance companies to calculate the rate theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll charge for financial protection. Besides the last survey conducted in 2010, the last time the city was last surveyed was in 1984. Cities usually pay $15,000 to get the survey done when a significant change has happened either within their fire department or the city. The survey gives two ratings to fire halls, one for the dwelling protection grade and the other for the public fire protection classification. The Dawson Creek Fire Department rates 3a on a scale of one to five (one being the highest standard), meaning the city is fully protected. The department rates as a five on a scale of seven (one being the highest standard) for their public fire protection classification. Another survey may not be conducted for another few years down the road. The cutting of the two positions or any of the improvements the department has made may not mean an immediate effect on citizens. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to say what the implications will be until we get audited again,â&#x20AC;? said Mayor Mike Bernier. Effects may be seen however for fire respondents. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll just carry on, just like normal, and sometimes be responding with two or three fire fighters on a truck. Sometimes weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have four fire fighters per truck, but it just means simply that we wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be able to respond with four fire fighters on a truck most of the time,â&#x20AC;? said Smith, if the department would have to go without the two positions.
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Northeast NEWS
February 28, 2013
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Northeast NEWS
February 28, 2013
Northern Gateway will be one of the safest energy pipelines because it’s been designed by engineers, safety experts and the people of British Columbia.
Our every intention is to make the Northern Gateway Pipeline the strongest and safest of its kind in Canada. And the people of British Columbia have told us that we must exceed safety standards if it is to cross this beautiful province. We’ve heard their concerns and have continually incorporated their feedback into our plans. We have added $500 million in extra safety measures–like thicker pipe, more isolation valves, meticulous pipeline construction techniques, and plans for around the clock monitoring by real people, in real time, with sophisticated technology.
We will use thicker pipe... Northern Gateway pipe will have an average thickness of 0.80 inches. That’s 20% over and above current Canadian safety standard requirements for the Northern Gateway Project. The pipe will be even thicker when it crosses major rivers and tributaries. It will be welded with exacting precision and its integrity checked using ultrasonic inspection and hydrostatic testing methods. And to ensure safe operation, the frequency of high resolution, in-line inspection surveys will be increased across the entire pipeline system by a minimum of 50% over and above current practices.
We will respect wildlife habitats and migration routes... To address concerns from the public that the construction of the pipeline will affect the environment, we have pledged to build it in such a way that natural wildlife habitats, migration routes and fish spawning sites will be respected. During the building phase, disturbances will be kept to a minimum by having construction vehicles access most of the pipeline using existing forestry roads. Instead of building all new bridge structures, it will use existing watercourse crossings where possible. When construction is completed on each section, soil will be returned and shrubs and grasses native to the region will be planted. If any large trees are removed to make way for the pipeline, a new tree will be planted in another location as part of Enbridge’s commitment to plant a tree for every tree we remove to build our projects.
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Northeast NEWS
February 28, 2013
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Beaton Journals
FEBRUARY 1913 Sat 1st The boys got back. Finished hauling all the hay. Seven loads from dawn. Mr. Jamieson left for H. Hope at noon taking some freight along for the HB. A fine clear, day. Sun 2nd Duffie Noskup and 2 Indians arrived from M. lake and brought a few furs. Reid Johnston arrived from Hudson Hope. Mon 3rd Samson put the horses down on the Island. Self busy in office. Tues 4th Self busy cleaning up store. Samson out after horses and brought them in. The mail left this morning for Grande Prairie. Taylor was up for supplies. Wed 5th Self fixing up dog sled. Samson after horses. A fine day, slight fall of snow towards evening. Thurs 6th Self preparing to start to Dunvegan. Young Cadenhead came after some freight from Halfway River. Fri 7th Left for Dunvegan this morning. Sat 8th to Fri 21st, no entries.
Sat 22nd Arrived from Dunvegan along with Inspector Rackham. Had a bad trip. Found Montigue and a few starving Indians here. Been waiting 3 days. Sun 23rd Resting, and then busy with Indians. Mon 24th Busy in office with Inspector. Cold & stormy. Continues cold. Tues 25th Same as yesterday. Continues very cold. Wed 26th Mr. Rackham & Samson, also E Shaw left for Hudsons Hope this morning. Self busy in office. Kenny at odd jobs. Thurs 27th Self in office. Kenny after horses. Continues cold weather. Mooneas son and Geo Contrille arrived from the South Side and brought a few furs. Fri 28th Self busy with Indians. Kenny after the Horses and brought them in. The Indians left for home.
Advertorial
ENCANA EVENTS CENTRE NAMED FOURTH TOP STOP IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST By Encana Events Centre Submitted article DAWSON CREEK - Global Spectrum Facility Management, operators of the Encana Events Centre, announced that Venues Today, a national venue trade magazine, names the Encana Events Centre as their fourth top stop in the Pacific Northwest. The Encana Events Centre was featured in the 2,001-5000 capacity venue category, which included in order of their ranking, Keller Auditorium – Portland, Oregon, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall – Portland, Oregon, Morrison Centre for Performing Arts – Boise, Idaho, Encana Events Centre – Dawson Creek, BC and South Okanagan Events Centre – Penticton, BC. The ranking was based on concert and event grosses from January 1, 2012 to December 10, 2012, as reported to Venues Today. “Being named the fourth top stop in the pacific northwest is a great recognition for us on what an amazing year the Encana Events Centre had in 2012,” said Global Spectrum’s Ryan MacIvor, General Manager of the Encana Events Centre. “With 2013 being the fifth anniversary of the Encana Events Centre, this honour is a great way to get the year started. Along with having such successful shows like Eric Church and Carrie Underwood, this shows that in fact we are a top stop for artists of high caliber.” “I think a lot of artists love the idea of getting into secondary markets. They can go back and play the same major markets four, five or six times, or they get an opportunity to play to some new fans and potentially create a new consumer outreach.” said Jim Cressman, President of Invictus Entertainment Group – a company that books entertainment at various small venues across British Columbia and other parts of Canada. “The Encana Events Centre is a great asset to our community with the variety of events it has done in 2012 from Broadway’s Mamma Mia, Hockey Canada’s National Women’s U18 Hockey Championship to sold out shows from artists John Fogerty, Johnny Reid and Miranda Lambert,” said Mike Bernier, Mayor of Dawson Creek. “Having the Encana Events Centre named the fourth top stop in the Pacific Northwest shows the entertainment industry that the city of Dawson Creek is a stop they shouldn’t miss.” Along with being named the fourth top stop in the Pacific Northwest, the Encana Events Centre will be celebrating a milestone during the week of March 7-9 as the 300,000 customer of the Encana Events Centre is expected to walk into the building during either the Price is Right Live!, the CMT Hitlist Tour or PFX The Pink Floyd Experience. To celebrate the 300,000 customer, the winner will receive 2 tickets to an upcoming show, opportunity to attend a sound check party at an upcoming show where they might meet the artist, Ovations bucks for food and beverage at the Centre, gift certificates for dinner to Boston Pizza and the Fixx and a framed copy of their photo to celebrate being the 300,000 customer.
Chetwynd business relies on bank that understands business CHETWYND- It could be said that Tim Ethier and Sandra Leer have been bitten by the “entrepreneurship bug” – three times! This energetic, business-minded pair started the Àrst phase of their business, E-Five Ventures, 17 years ago. Looking around the area for an idea whose time had come, it seemed to make great business sense to Àll some of the needs created by the steamroller success of oil and gas exploration. Their Àrst foray into business came with building a very successful steam and pressure wash truck service. After getting that established, it seemed logical to add a dump truck business, which has been another winning play for them. Then three years ago, Tim and Sandra purchased a water store as the last jewel in their triple crown in business. Leer says that the pair started looking for another business endeavor a year before they came across the water store. “This one kind of fell into our laps,” she said. Valley Pure Water offers customers two options to get water. Either by bringing in their jugs to Àll or by using the 24-hour Àll station outside of the store that’s coin operated. The store draws customers from Chetwynd, Tumbler Ridge and Hudson’s Hope. They stay on top of their mini-empire by having Leer manage Valley Pure Water while Ethier takes care of the trucking side. Both Tim and Sandra attribute part of their success to their commercial lender Lucille, at Lake View Credit Union. “We were really happy when Lucille came on board as a commercial lender. She’s very knowledgeable about so many aspects of a healthy business, and she really understood our particular lending needs. It’s very nice to be able to bounce things off of her in terms of what kind of Ànancing makes sense for our business, so we’re not going to get caught down the road with either a) too much debt or b) not enough credit,” she said. Leer says that she has been banking with the credit union since she was 17 years old and that Tim has banked there all his life. They say it’s nice to be able to go into a small community bank where everyone knows each other, and employees have a high level of expertise. “We need to work with a bank and understand business…Lake View Credit Union has been instrumental in reviewing our company and devising a proper Ànance portfolio that works for us,” said Leer.
Page 22
Northeast NEWS
February 28, 2013
Gaming grant helps Nawican Friendship Centre help others By Jill Earl DAWSON CREEK - Forty-two thousand dollars of the latest in Community Gaming Grant allocations was awarded to the Nawican Friendship Centre in support of their hot meals program. “The Nawican Friendship Centre is an important asset to the
Pet Photo of the Week This is Gypsy! Email your pet’s photo to editor@ northeastnews.ca for a chance to win a special prize from the North Peace Veterinary Clinic
1 pet will be chosen each week and will be featured in the Northeast News. Each pet chosen will be entered into a draw for a monthly prize supplied by the
North Peace Veterinary Clinic
community of Dawson Creek, providing many important services in our community. This $42,000 gaming grant will help support their hot food program and recognizes their dedication to our community,” said Peace River South MLA Blair Lekstrom. Candace Stevenson, executive director of the centre, said that although the grant was more than they received last year, it was still less than the $80,000 they asked for. She hoped that the additional funding would have made them able to provide their hot meal service every day of the week, instead of the Monday, Wednesday and Friday schedule they offer now. “Our goal is to have the soup File photo kitchen run the whole week, Chef Laura Lambert at the Nawican Friendship Centre will be able to keep the cenMonday through Friday, and tre’s hot meal program alive with the recent announcement that the centre was awardour long-term goal is to have it ed $42,000 in Community Gaming Grants. seven days a week because it’s needed, but we did get more kitchen. The lunch is available for all community members and than we did last year,” said Steis free. Additionally, the centre is hoping to renovate their public venson. Stevenson says that the hot meals usually consist of soup and washrooms and replace parts of the floor in the main hall where tiles have broken. a bun, every so often they try to serve bannock on Fridays. “They [washrooms] need a complete overhaul, they are com“It’s soup because it’s something that stretches and it can feed pletely old and we even have some plumbing issues. We’re trya lot of people on a tight budget,” she said. She reports that the centre will serve anywhere between 75- ing to fundraise basically to get our bathrooms done and our 100 people a day, or approximately 1,200 people a month. The main floor fixed, some of the tiles are falling apart and we need centre fundraises with bottle drives, BBQ’s during the summer new tiles to be laid and the bathrooms to be fixed,” said Stevenand community dinners once a month in support of the soup son, adding that they are looking to any fundraising opportunity available to help them complete this project.
Northeast NEWS
February 28, 2013
Inquiry into custody death PRINCE GEORGE - The BC Coroners Service has announced a public inquest will be held into the death of Bretton Robert Kent Lohouse. The inquest will take place from Sept. 16 to 20, 2013, at the Fort St. John Court Services building in Fort St. John. Mr. Lohouse, aged 46, died on Sept. 9, 2011, while in custody in the RCMP lockup in Fort St. John. The Coroners Act makes an inquest mandatory in almost all cases in which a person dies while in police custody. Presiding coroner Donita Kuzma and a jury will hear evidence from subpoenaed witnesses to determine the facts surrounding this death. While the jury may not, by law, make any findings of legal responsibility, it will have the opportunity to make recommendations aimed at preventing deaths under similar circumstances in the future. An inquest is a formal process that allows for public presentation of evidence relating to a death.
Adding property value and protection By Charlie Lake Conservation Society Submitted article
Page 23
File photo
RCMP looking for suspected shooter FORT ST. JOHN - On Feb. 24, 2013 at approximately 9:00 pm Fort St John RCMP received a report that an unknown male had entered a residence approximately 30 minutes North of Fort St John and shot the male occupant of the residence. The unknown male left the area in a dark coloured vehicle in an unknown direction. The male victim was transported to the Fort St John Hospital where he underwent surgery to remove a bullet from his abdominal area. The male victim is expected to make a full recovery. The suspect male is described as being Caucasian, approximately 5’8” and approximately 170 - 180 lbs. Fort St John General Investigative Section continues to investigate the incident. No further information to be released at this time and will be released as it become available. Fort St John RCMP ask that if you or anyone else has any in-
A beautiful and stable natural shoreline not only adds property value, but it also serves to protect the lake and the creatures living in and around the water. The Peace River Regional District (PRRD) along with other local governments throughout the province have taken a more active role in managing development around lakeshore areas to protect water quality, preserve wildlife habitat and minimize negative impacts from human activities. The PRRD has had the foresight to place lake front property in a Development Permit area. This means that any development along the lake must be done under permit to help insure the works are done in a manner which is consistent with well thought out Lakeshore Development Guidelines. These guidelines outline a number of basic measures that can be used towards the protection of our lakes.
formation to please contact your local RCMP Detachment or the Fort St John RCMP Detachment at (250)787-8140. If you have any information on this or any other crime, please contact your local Police Detachment. If you wish to remain anonymous please call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or via the web at www.crimestoppersfsj.ca . They are open 24/7. You do not have to give your name, address, or your telephone number. You do not have to testify in Court. A cash reward of up to $2000.00 may be paid for any information which leads to an arrest and charge.
Taking New Clients! A&D OFFICE SERVICES LTD. • TYPING • BOOKKEEPING • INCOME TAXES AND MORE!
250.782.1502 • Fax 250.782.1505 michetti@shaw.ca 1-10200-8th St., Dawson Creek, BC
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SOME OF THESE INCLUDE:
• PLANNING THE CONSTRUCTION/ROAD ACCESS • MINIMIZING CLEARING AND GRADING ACTIVITIES • CONTROLLING EXCAVATED SOIL AND PROPERLY LOCATING STOCKPILES • CONSIDERATION OF THE SURFACE AND SLOPE CONDITIONS • PLANNING FOR SURFACE RUNOFF CONTROL MEASURES In the long term, these measures are more cost effective than reacting to problems resulting from poor planning. Inadequate planning could result in major damage to the property as well as make the land more vulnerable to serious soil erosion. Soil erosion increases shoreline instability and adds nutrient bearing sediment to the lake potentially contributing to an increased algal bloom and damaging fish spawning beds. Protect your investment and Charlie Lake. Pick up a copy of the Lakeshore Development Guidelines before embarking on work on your lakefront property at the PRRD office or website (http://prrd.bc.ca/services/development/documents/lakeshore_development.pdf).
“Financial security has always been important to my husband and I, ...that’s why we still invest through Western Financial Group.” To get a quick quote visit or call:
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Northeast NEWS
February 28, 2013
Contributed photo
Local artist Mary Parslow has won first prize for her painting entitled “This Way!” from the Federation of Canadian Artists. Jill Earl photo
Pat Pimm, M.L.A.
(Peace River North) Province of British Columbia
Legislative Office:
Constituency Office:
East Annex, Parliament Buildings Victoria, B.C. V8V 1X4 Phone: 250 952-6784 Fax: 250 387-9100
10104 - 100th Street Fort St. John, B.C. V1J 3Y7 Phone: 250 263-0101 Fax: 250 263-0104
Anne Haycock of the Peace Country Roots Group receives a proclamation from Mayor Mike Bernier, announcing Feb. 18- Feb. 24 as Heritage Week in Dawson Creek. The week, proclaimed in other communities throughout B.C., was meant to celebrate the unique history and heritage of the city.
e-mail: pat.pimm.mla@leg.bc.ca
Vold, Jones & Vold Auction Co. Ltd.
DAWSON CREEK AUCTION ‘MILE ZERO CITY’ DawsoAve. Dawson Creek, British Columbia 301-116th
Jill Earl photo Dawson Creek and District Chamber of Commerce president Denis Labelle, vice president Jeremy Earl and director Jim Kennedy receive a proclamation announcing Feb. 18-Feb. 22 as Chamber of Commerce Week in Dawson Creek by Mayor Mike Bernier. The Chamber is a volunteer organization that aims to support local business and the local economy in the community.
Dawson Creek Office: 250-782-3766 VJV Main Office: 403-783-5561 Cattle Sales, Don 301-116th Fessler: 250-719-5561 Fax: 250-782-6622 D C
MARKET REPORT FEBRUARY 21, 2013
SLAUGHTER CATTLE
On Thursday, February 21, 2013, 620 head of cattle went through our ring D1 - D2 Cows 64.00-71.00 D3 - D4 Cows 52.00-62.00 Holstein Cows N/A Heiferettes 65.00-80.00 Bologna Bulls 70.00-83.00 Feeder Bulls 70.00-90.00 Good Bred Cows N/A Good Bred Heifers N/A Milk Cows N/A Cow/ Calf Pairs (younger) N/A Cow/ Calf Pairs (older) N/A
STOCKERS AND FEEDERS Good Feeder Steers 1000 lbs Plus: Good Feeder Steers 900 lbs Plus: Good Feeder Steers 800 lbs Plus: Good Feeder Steers 700 lbs Plus: Good Feeder Steers 600 lbs Plus: Good Feeder Steers 500 lbs Plus: Good Feeder Steers 400 lbs Plus: Good Feeder Steers 300 lbs Plus:
90.00-104.00 100.00-122.00 105.00-124.00 110.00-130.00 120.00-145.00 125.00-158.00 130.00-167.00 140.00-175.00
Heifers Heifers Heifers Heifers Heifers Heifers Heifers Heifers
80.00-98.00 90.00-109.00 100.00-114.00 105.00-120.00 115.00-132.00 120.00-140.00 130.00-154.00 130.00-155.00
Next Cattle Sale - Thursday, February 28th
Vold, Jones & Vold Auction Co. Ltd.
DAWSON CREEK AUCTION ‘MILE ZERO CITY’
Dawso 301-116th Ave. Dawson Creek, British Columbia Dawson Creek Office: 301-116th 250-782-3766 VJV Main Office: 403-783-5561 Cattle Sales, Don Fessler: 250-719-5561 Fax: 250-782-6622 D
C
Hired Equipment Registration Peace District The Peace District of the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is creating its hired equipment list for the 2013/14 fiscal year, which begins April 1, 2013. Any individuals or companies not registered in 2012, but wishing to have equipment listed, are hereby invited to contact the District Office either in person or by phone to obtain the appropriate registration forms. Equipment can only be registered in one area, and seniority is not transferable between areas. Only owned or lease-to-own equipment is eligible for registration. Note that while you do not need to have Commercial (Comprehensive) General Liability insurance, or up-to-date WorkSafeBC coverage to register, you will have to meet these requirements prior to working on any ministry projects. The deadline for new registrations is 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 20, 2013. Late registrations will be accepted, but will be put at the bottom of the open list. Note that there is no charge for registering new equipment, or for changing or deleting equipment information already listed. Register by March 20, 2013, at: Peace District Office 10003 110th Avenue, Suite 300, Fort St. John or contact District Clerk Chrystal Jones by telephone at 250 787-3315 to have the forms faxed or e-mailed to you.
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Northeast NEWS
ANNOUNCEMENTS
CAREER OPPORTUNITY Established in 1900, E.B. Horsman & Son is the only independently owned and operated electrical wholesaler in BC. We currently have an opening in our Dawson Creek Branch for:
MATERIALS HANDLER
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February 28, 2013
Page 25
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MARGARET JEAN
MENSINK (nee Thompson, nee Spence)
October 3, 1918 to February 14, 2013 It is with sadness we announce the death of our mother, Jean Mensink. She was one of the few remaining pioneers of Cecil Lake, having moved with her family in 1930 from Ellersley, Alberta. The family had travelled by train to Hythe and team, wagon and horseback the remainder of the trek. She married Conrad Thompson in 1938 and continued the challenge of breaking new land to farm. Five children were born to the couple who married and have provided descendants, many who continue to live in the Fort St. John area. Although she lived in the Vancouver area for family and educational purposes at various times in her life, she always returned to her beloved â&#x20AC;&#x153;northâ&#x20AC;?. She taught in various schools in Fort St. John and surrounding areas. She and Henry enjoyed their retirement in the beautiful home they built on an acreage in Cecil Lake. Throughout her life Jean was always involved in community organizations. She was a lifetime member of the Norâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Pioneer Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Institute of Cecil Lake as well as other community organizations including Community Living in Fort St. John. She was a member of the Retired Teachers Association and of the Presbyterian Church in Fort St. John. She gave her all for whatever her involvement. The blessings of her long life have produced a progeny that includes ďŹ ve generations. She is survived by four children: Sherry McDonald, Wayne Thompson (Joan), Keith Thompson (Florence) and Connie Thompson, 20 grandchildren, 43 great grandchildren and 4 great great grandchildren. She is predeceased by her ďŹ rst husband Conrad Thompson, her second husband, Henry Mensink, her son Neil Thompson, her grandson Kirby Thompson, her granddaughter, Holly McDonald and her great granddaughter, Parke Anne Kjos. Her generosity, quick mind and sharp wit will be missed by all who loved her.
ClassiÂżed word ad
Best Buy $ 1000
JOB POSITIONS AVAILABLE All GO AUTO Positions offer: -BeneďŹ t Package -3 Weeks Vacation and All Stat Holidays -Professional Work Environment -Opportunity for Advancement Within our 27 Dealer Network. Capital Motors is a dynamic and well established Ford dealership located in Dawson Creek, British Columbia. As a member of the Go Auto Group of Companies, we offer ďŹ&#x201A;exible hours, a professional work environment, above average compensation, and opportunities for growth. If you would like to join the Go Auto family, please forward your resume and business references to Janet Wilkie Baruta at payables@ capitalford.ca or fax to 250-782--8153. While we sincerely thank all applicants, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
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Page 26
February 28, 2013
Falcon Equipment is a leading Distributor/ Installer of Hydraulic Truck Equipment with locations throughout Western Canada.
CLASSIFIEDS CAREER OPPORTUNITY
Our Prince George Shop is looking for people who:
Experience with Articulating and Stiffboom Cranes Preferred. Electrical and Hydraulic Experience is Necessary. :H RIIHU FRPSHWLWLYH ZDJHV DQG EHQHĂ&#x20AC;WV LQ D JURZWK RULHQWHG environment.
Please e-mail resume to matt@falconequip.com
4943 CONTINENTAL WAY, PRINCE GEORGE, BC V2N 5S5 (250) 562-9267 | FALCONEQUIP.COM/CAREERS
Fort Motors requires
Sales Administrator Required Immediately Skills
ANNOUNCEMENTS
DAWSON CO-OP AG M May 1, 2013
HEAVY DUTY MECHANICS & CRANE INSTALLERS NEEDED! Â&#x2021; Think logically and are attune with changes in technology Â&#x2021; Are self-motivated to meet workplace challenges
Northeast NEWS
HOUSING SALES CONSULTANT Great Compensation Package BeneďŹ ts Package Good Commission Structure Please bring resume to: Hart Modular Homes 1900 Alaska Ave Dawson Creek, BC Ask for Ron No Phone Calls
Dawson Co-op Board of Directors Call For Nominations A Co-op is about people helping peopleâ&#x20AC;Ś itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a business with a difference. If you are a Co-op Member, have some experience if interest in ďŹ nancial and business operations, enjoy working in groups and care about the future development of the Dawson Co-op, consider allowing your name stand nomination as director for one of two available positions. OfďŹ cial nomination forms are available at the Dawson Co-op Administration OfďŹ ce 10200 8th St. Dawson Creek between 9am and 5pm. Submissions must be received prior to 5pm on March 15, 2013 If you require more information please contact the Nomination Chair, Tyler Marion @ 250-784-8487 Call for Resolutions Members are invited to submit resolutions for consideration relating to the Dawson Co-op at the Annual General Meeting. Resolutions to be considered for the 2013 AGM must be received prior to 5pm on March 15, 2013.
Dawson Co-op
250-782-4858
10200 8th Street, Dawson Creek
In a fast-paced environment, excellent communication and timemanagement skills are required, as well as the ability to handle multiple projects and priorities
Responsibilities Supporting an organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sales team includes managing schedules, creating sales documents and proposals, generating reports related to sales activities, as well as handling customer and prioritizing customer requests.
Sales Manager Required Immediately Operational Duties The automotive sales manager is responsible for forecasting sales, maintaining vehicle inventory and completing sales reports and other paperwork.
Management Duties He is tasked with training, motivating and monitoring the sales and sales support staff. He also deals with customer complaints and works in conjunction with the salespeople to close and negotiate vehicle purchases.
Work Environment Automobile dealerships are often highly competitive work environments. The sales manager is pressured to exceed sales quotas each month, and he has to push his team to achieve. The hours are often long and include weekends and evenings.
Personality The auto sales manager needs to possess strong leadership qualities and a solid sales acumen. He should be an agile, selfdirecting task juggler. He needs to be comfortable dealing with both people and data/numbers.
Requirements A high school diploma or equivalent and two or more years in automotive dealership sales
Apply in person to Corey Nicolls, General Sales Manager or by email: Cnicol4@fortmotors.ca
Field Operations Manager Fort St. John We are currently recruiting a Field Operations Manager in the Fort St John area. As a ďŹ eld operations manager, you are the point person for maintenance operations and customer relationships for the property. In this role you will plan and manage the daily activities that make our properties run eďŹ&#x192;ciently and eďŹ&#x20AC;ectively. Responsibilities: t 1MBOOJOH BOE TVQFSWJTJPO PG NBJOUFOBODF BDUJWJUJFT JODMVEJOH DZDMF XPSL DPPSEJOBUJPO PG TQFDJBMUZ DSFXT XFFLMZ TDIFEVMFT BOE SFQPSUT t .BOBHFNFOU BOE RVBMJUZ DPOUSPM PG QMBOU PQFSBUJPOT BOE TFSWJDFT QSPWJEFE t 3FTPVSDF BOE JOWFOUPSZ NBOBHFNFOU t 4IJQQJOH BOE SFDFJWJOH t 'JFME SFMBUFE TBGFUZ NBOBHFNFOU t )BOET PO XPSL JO UIF ĂśFME NBOBHJOH PQFSBUJPOT EFWFMPQJOH USBJOJOH FNQMPZFFT t $PNNVOJDBUJPO XJUI DMJFOUT 0QFSBUJPOT .BOBHFS BOE GPSFNBO UISPVHI FNBJMT QIPOF BOE QSFTFOUBUJPOT t )JSJOH BOE NBOBHFNFOU PG DSFX NFNCFST Requirements: t .JOJNVN ZFBST FYQFSJFODF JO NBJOUFOBODF MFBEFSTIJQ NBOBHFNFOU SPMFT QSPKFDU FOHJOFFSJOH BOE QMBOU PQFSBUJPOT t 5SBEFT PS B SFMBUFE UFDIOJDBM EFHSFF BOE PS CVTJOFTT EFHSFF BO BTTFU t &YDFMMFOU MFBEFSTIJQ DPNNVOJDBUJPO PSHBOJ[BUJPOBM UFBN EFWFMPQNFOU BOE UJNF NBOBHFNFOU TLJMMT t 4USPOH DPNNJUNFOU UP DPOUJOVPVT JNQSPWFNFOU BOE TBGFUZ BOE FOWJSPONFOUBM QSPUFDUJPO t "QUJUVEF JO NFDIBOJDBM FMFDUSJDBM BOE XFMEJOH BQQMJDBUJPOT t $PNQVUFS MJUFSBUF JO .JDSPTPGU 0ĂłDF t 'PTUFST UFBNXPSL BOE DPNNVOJDBUFT PVUDPNFT FYQFDUBUJPOT BOE DPNNPO HPBMT BDSPTT UIF XPSL VOJU t $PNGPSUBCMF BOE DPNQFUFOU BSPVOE IFBWZ NBDIJOFSZ
To apply for this career opportunity, please reply with an e-mail copy of your resume to cohortrecruiting@gmail.com. We are an equal opportunity employer and thank you for your interest. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.
Reach over 60,000 potential customers
Call 250-787-7030 to place your ad.
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NOVELTY Bills Books & Bargains. We Buy your collectables, Adult Magazines, Books and coins. Open 12pm to 7pm Mon to Sat. Phone 250-7852660 TFN SERVICE Gordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Handyman Service Renovations and Repairs Call for a quote 250-2616149 TFN FOR RENT $2000.00 Office Retail Mile 49. Office 1800 sq.ft. Alaska Hwy mi 49, Office 1800 sq.ft., Alaska Hwy mi 49, good parking, large front office, large rear office, 3 smaller offices. 10996 Clairmont Frontage. Call Ken 250-785-3433 or email chambers@pris.ca 02/14
HOUSE FOR SALE 5 Bedroom House, 3 up & 2 down, 2 bath. Separate Entrance, shared laundry, excellent tenants. Keep the tenants or move in yourself on one acre. Bank Appraised Oct $350,000. Price now is $349,000. If interested drive by 6388 Daisy Ave, then call 250493-1807 02/21
FOR SALE Large Pails of Honey, Hay Bales, Alfalfa, Brome, Timothy Mix, Tamarack Corral Posts 10 ½, Corral Rails up to 24 feet long. Call 250-719-6142 04/25
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MASSAGE Nimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Thai Massage. Great stress relief for your Therapeutic well-being. Call 250-793-2335 02/28 HELP WANTED Peace River Building Products is looking for a Yard / Delivery person. Must have a valid driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s license. Wage starting at $18-20 hr. Bring resume to 9511-85th Ave 03/14
HELP WANTED Peace River Building Products is looking for a sales clerk. Wage starting at $15-17 hr subject to experience. Bring resume to 951185th Ave 03/14
Your Northeast BC Connection
Sterling Management Services Ltd. has for rent
Bach, 1 and 2 bedroom apartments. Townhouses & Duplexes Fort St John Dawson Creek Commercial Space For Lease/Rent
LOW PRICEST ES
Brandt: 9907-100th Ave 2500 sq ft retail retail or ofďŹ ce Dehod: 10614 Alaska Road 4000 commercial highway frontage Endicotte: 9512-100 Street 4248 sq ft retail or ofďŹ ce Pioneer Square: 9900-100 Ave 2050 sq ft approx. 100 Ave ofďŹ ce or retail Yenkana: Shop space 3000 sq ft OfďŹ ce space: 10615-102 St 5829 sq ft TD Bank: upstairs ofďŹ ce space 1323 sq ft Call Rob for viewing, rates and details - 250-785-2829
Northern BC & Area
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Page 28
Northeast NEWS
February 28, 2013
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
ONGOING
UPCOMING
February 2013
Fort St. John
feature performance by Twin Peaks and a silent auction.
• Feb. 27: North Peace Historical Society Annual General Meeting at 6 pm at the Seniors Hall (10908 100th Street). Enjoy good food and local history at the North Peace Historical Society’s AGM. Special presentation by Ross Peck entitled “Stories my Mother Told Me and Some She Didn’t.” Everyone is welcome. Tickets are $27.00 each and are available at the Museum. Call the Museum at 250-787-0430 for more information. • Mar. 8: International Women’s Day celebration at the Quality Inn from 7 a.m. to 9.m. Purchase tickets at North Peace Community Resource Society, BCGEU or Whole Wheat and Honey: $5 in advanced, $7 at the door. The morning will
• Feb. 26: A book club for adults at the Dawson Creek Library starting at 7 p.m. Members read a book of their choice, during the meet you can share your likes and dislikes about the book. Limited spaces, register at 250-782-4661. • Mar. 2: Winter Fun Day for all ages at Matthews Park in Farmington starting at 10:00 AM. with pancake breakfast. Admission by donation. Children’s races, hot dog lunch, log sawing competition for adults and youth, tea boiling competition with prizes & frying pan toss. The event ends at 4:00 PM. For more information contact the Farmington Community Association: Jane at 250-843-7617.
Fort St. John • Ft. St. John Parkinson’s Support Group Parkinson Society British Columbia People living with Parkinson’s disease, caregivers and family members are warmly invited to the Ft. St. John Parkinson’s Support Group. Join others in your community to share information and resources, coping strategies, ideas for living well with PD, good humour, social support and more. Last Wednesday of the month at 11:00 am McDonald’s Restaurant 10920 Alaska Road North Ft. St. John, BC Note: there is no meeting in December For more information please contact: Sarah at 250 785 7348 • S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Northern B.C. Newcomers Integration Service Centre is a non-profit organization in Fort St. John. Our Settlement Program provides information, orientation, assessment, referral and service linking, educational workshops and short term adaptation counselling to immigrants. The program also offers assistance with form completion, correspondence between clients and service providers, navigating immigration processes including sponsorship applications, obtaining permanent residence cards and applying for citizenship. Bridging services are provided to a variety of community and government service agencies and organizations. Service is available in English and Spanish. The Settlement Program is located at: #209 10142-101st Ave (Execuplace building). From 8:30-4:30 p.m. Phone # 250785-5323 Ext 22. • Toastmasters International Club of Fort St. John meets from 7 - 8:30 p.m. every Thursday evening at Northern Lights College, Room 105. Learn valuable communication & leadership skills. Contact Claire Seidler at 250-787-9697 or Gayle Wagner at 250785-3991 for more information. • Rocky Mountain Rangers Army Cadets meet at 6:30 PM each Wednesday night at the Royal Canadian Legion on 102nd and 105 Ave. If you are between 12 and 18 years old please drop in or call us at 250-787-5323. • Alcoholics Anonymous - If you think you might have a problem with drinking, come to an AA meeting. Call for times and places or someone to talk to (250) 785-8866. • Fort St. John Multiple Sclerosis support group. If you or anyone you know has MS and have any questions or just need to talk, please call Susie at (250) 785-2381 or Sandi at (250) 787-2652. • Are you tired of the crime? Then do the time. Join the Fort St. John Citizens Patrol. Donate a minimum of five hours per month. For information, call (250) 262-4530. • Pan African Caribbean Association welcomes the
Dawson Creek
community to join our group to promote community awareness of culture, music and cuisine. Phone Donald at (250) 785-0815 for more information. • “Butterfly Families – Families Supporting Families” is open to all caregivers of children and youth with Special Needs. We meet the third Wednesday of every month at the Child Development Centre from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., 10417 106 Ave. Does your child have learning, behavior or other complex special needs? Would you like to connect with other caregivers? Child minding available but please call ahead a few days before the meeting. Call (250) 785-3200 for more information. • Pregnancy tests, pregnancy options, peer-counselling and support are available at the North Peace Pregnancy Care Centre. New location at #208 10139 100 Street (above TD Bank). Drop in hours Monday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Tuesday from noon to 4 p.m. or to make an appointment call our 24 hour hotline at (250) 262-1280. All services are free and completely confidential. • New Totem Archery hold their indoor shoots at the Fort St. John Co-op Mall every Tuesday and Thursday at 7 p.m. and every Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. • Come out and join us for an afternoon of play, crafts, a healthy snack, circle time and an opportunity to borrow books from the Devereaux School Library. This is a chance to meet other people from your community and introduce your children to a school setting. We meet from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. every other Wednesday beginning Oct. 20th. This program is geared for three to four year-olds but siblings are welcome to come with their parents. Call Patti (250) 843-7813 for more information.
Dawson Creek
• The Visually Impaired Support Group meets on the first Tuesday of the month at 12 noon at First Baptist Church, 1400 113 Ave. Each month we have a guest speaker and we share lunch. (cost by donation). Anyone who is visually impaired or who cares about someone with vision difficulties is welcome to attend. For further information please call Kathy 7827539 orMargaret 782-3221. • If you know how to visit with a friend, you already have the skills required to be a CASI Friendly Visitor volunteer! There are seniors in Dawson Creek right now who would like to have a friend come and visit them and perhaps take them to doctor’s appointments or shopping. Can you spare an hour or two a week to visit a senior? Call CASI (Community Action for Seniors’ Independence) today. 250-782-1138 ext. 228, email lstudley@spcrs.ca or visit the website at www. casidc.org. • Alcoholics Anonymous - meets Mon., Tues., Fri., &
Sat., 8 p.m. at Peace River Health Unit. Wed. 8 p.m. Hospital Education Room. All meetings are open. • Mile 0 Al-Anon meets 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. every Thursday evening at the Health Unit, Dawson Creek. • Mile 0 Quilt Guild meets every Tuesday and Thursday at 7 p.m., Studio 10 at KPAC. Come join us for sewing, fun and friendship. Contact Gloria at 250 786 5597. for more info. • Dawson Creek Toastmasters meets every Thursday at 7pm at Farmer’s Advocacy Office 1032 103 Ave (Front door on 11 st.) Contact Heather at 250-7845700 or 780-353-3050.
Fort Nelson
• The Community Market is held at the Westend Campground every Saturday except on long weekends. For more info or a vendor package please contact Jaylene Arnold at (250) 774-2541 or Audrey Reynolds (250) 774-6574. Pouce Coupe • Youth Drop-In at Pouce Coupe Community Church Annex (the old Pouce library). Saturday nights 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Ages 13 to 17.
Chetwynd
• Alcoholics Anonymous meets Tuesday and Friday at 8 p.m. at the Public Library, 5012 46 Street. If you think you might have a problem with drinking, come to an AA meeting. Call for times and places or someone to talk to, phone 788-9658 or 788-1100
Tumbler Ridge
• Alcoholics Anonymous - meeting Thursday. 8 p.m. 115 Commercial Park (Baptist Church). If you think you might have a problem with drinking, come to an AA meeting. Call for times and places or someone to talk to. Phone 242-4018. • Tuesdays: TR Seniors (55+) Drop-In – Floor curling, carpet bowling, card & board games, coffee & cookies. Community Centre Room 5 from 1-4 pm. Small drop-in fee. • Tumbler Ridge’s self-employed women will receive six months of free personal business monitoring beginning this October at no charge. If you are a self-employed woman in their first three years of operation, or partially operate a business, contact Sara Cooper at the Women’s Enterprise Centre at 1-800643-7014 ext. 104 or Mila Lansdowne by e-mail at mila@persona.ca or (250) 242-3389. Registration is required.
Taylor
• Civil Air Search and Rescue (CASARA) meetings every second Tuesday at the Taylor Fire Hall at 7 p.m. For information call Bob at 250-789-9152 or 250-787-5802.
WE WOULD LIKE TO HELP YOU GET THE WORD OUT The Northeast News’ Community Calendar is a free service for non-profit organizations in the Peace region. If you would like to get the word out about an event your non-profit group is hosting please send it to: info@northeastnews.ca, include the date, name of the event and brief description, time, location and contact information; this goes for upcoming or ongoing events. Please submit your events before the Monday of each week you would like to see it appear in the paper.
Northeast NEWS
February 28, 2013
Page 29
Sweet sounds at Sweetwater
Jill Earl photos
Organizers of Rolla’s Sweetwater Festival have officially started this year’s fundraising with an open mic night called Cabin Fever at Albert’s Loft on the Mattson farm, Feb. 22. Left: Matthew Lee of the Dodge City Rockets entertains not only with his music but his on-stage presence. Right: Karl Mattson encourages Elaine Armagost to bring her talents to the stage.
Jill Earl photo
Samantha Scott cools down the crowd with some original songs and a few covers.
Positions available for Class 1 Drivers, General Labourers & Heavy Duty Mechanics Pomeroy Hotel
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Contact us at: 866-487-4622 / 250-782-7102 canrecruiting@trimac.com Jill Earl photo This harmonica player added her talents to many of the evening’s acts.
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Northeast NEWS
February 28, 2013
Disc Continued FORT ST. JOHN - The theme of this year’s Fashion in Form was using CDs and DVDs to create fashion pieces. From a flapper girl dress, to a kilt and a geisha, Fort St. John designers brought their creativity to On The Rocks during an Oscars showing on Feb. 24 hosted by Stage North.
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Northeast NEWS
February 28, 2013
“Proudly Sponsors the North and South Peace SPCA” Thousands of cats are abandoned and die needlessly in our communiƟes every year. You can help stop this tragedy.
THE BRITISH COLUMBIA SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (BC SPCA) NOTICE OF GENERAL MEETING SOUTH PEACE BRANCH OF THE BC SPCA In accordance with Bylaw 5.15(d), 9.5(b), 9.5(d) and 14 of the Bylaws of The British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Notice is hereby given that the annual general meeting of the:
Please get your cat spayed or neutered.
SOUTH PEACE BRANCH Will take place on: Monday, March 11th at 7pm At: Super 8 Hotel, 1440 Alaska Ave, Dawson Creek, BC For the purpose of: Electing members of the Community Council for the branch, as well as conducting any other business of the Branch
A message from the BC SPCA South Peace Branch
For further information on the meeting or to obtain a copy of the draft agenda, please contact Jenny at jennyspbcspca@gmail.com or 250-784-5522. A copy of the Constitution and Bylaws of the Society is available at: http://www.spca.bc.ca/about/governance-accountability/governance-docs/
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Page 31
Page 32
Northeast NEWS
February 28, 2013
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