052815-nenews by Northeast News

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Health:

Two Fort St. John doctors are leaving the FSJ Medical Clinic.

May 28, 2015 | Vol. 12 - Nº 22

INSIDE

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Dino trackways Marketing the Peace region

Photo Credit Stacy Thomas Katherin Charbonneau of the South Peace Child Care Resource and Referral centre (right) presents Ashley Foden from Kiwanis Child Care Centre with her award at the Helping Little Hands awards of Excellence May 19.

Baldonnel kids

Child care month: recognizing those who care for the little ones

Rock SD60’s Speech Contest

STACY THOMAS news@northeastnews.ca

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DAWSON CREEK - In honour of Child Care Month which takes place in B.C. in May, child care professionals gathered at Calvin Kruk Center for the Arts May 19 for a tea and awards cer-

emony celebrating standout early care and learning professionals in the South Peace. The Helping Little Hands Awards of Excellence was organized by the Dawson Creek branch of the Early Childhood Educators of

Continued on Page 17.

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Page 2

Northeast NEWS

May 28, 2015

Health care study results presented to council

ABC Medical Clinic and the Fort St. John Medical Clinic. “There was a suspicion that the fee structures, or FORT ST. JOHN – Fort St. John has the tools to address the overhead fees that were the community’s health care needs now that a report com- charged to the practicing missioned by the Long Term Health Care Solutions Com- physicians in each of those mittee is complete. clinics were high, which MNP, one of the largest business advisory firms in Can- were impeding the ability to ada, conducted the study, and presented their findings at a recruit, as well as there were Committee of the Whole meeting on Tues., May 19. space limitations within Their work entailed two key components. One part in- those two clinics, particuvolved looking specifically at the operating expenses of the larly ABC Clinic, was essentially full, at 100 per cent occupancy,” explained Greg Photo Credit Bronwyn Scott Lamothe, national director Fort St. John council listens intently to what Greg Lamothe, national director of health consultof health consulting with ing with MNP, has to say about the community’s approach to improving health care. Lamothe M&M Meat Shops would like to introduce MNP. wasn’t able to attend in person due to a cancelled flight, and so spoke to council remotely. The other part entailed Christel and Mark Haynes as the looking at infrastructure opNew Owners of the Fort St. John location ABC Medical Clinic, in contrast, has been a little shy in tions to help meet the proterms of what they collected from their physicians. jected need of 31 physicians for the area. “If the excess revenue that Fort St. John [Medical Clinic] was collecting was distributed back to the physicians, both Comparing costs Totem Mall clinics would essentially be having their physicians conFort St. John When comparing the clinics’ overheads, MNP found that tributing $10,000 a month,” Lamothe said. 250-263-9500 MNP went on to examine how the overhead fees physithey were essentially the same. “One clinic isn’t operat- cians pay here compare to elsewhere in Canada. All of the ing incredibly inefficiently clinics they spoke to, in B.C., Manitoba and Ontario, used when compared to the oth- a percentage based overhead calculation, rather than a flat monthly amount. er,” Lamothe said. One of the clinics used a tiered system, charging a de“ABC Clinic has significantly higher staff expenses, creasing percentage of overhead on the increasing amount Offers Expire June 30, 2015 due to higher staffing num- of fees billed. 2025R Tractor “Using these models, that are used elsewhere in the bers and a higher average country, the overheads [that] would actually be charged to $19,897 payroll, however that’s •24.2HP •4WD That`s Only countered or offset by high- the physician would be higher than they are currently being •Liquid Cooled Diesel Engine $329/Month! er locum revenues. The Fort charged,” Lamothe said. •Auto Hydrostatic Transmission Changing the overhead model to be on par with what’s St. John practice has signifiAdd an H130 •Cruise Control •Folding ROPS cantly higher rent and utili- done elsewhere in the country would therefore not help Loader $4297 ties expense on a per square with recruiting efforts. foot basis, but that’s counThe four options tered by their lower staff 5045E Tractors expenses. All the other ex•4WD Tractor •45 HP Finance In terms of infrastructure solutions, MNP’s research depense categories are essenOR Deduct •John Deere PowerTech 2.9L Engine tailed four options that included building a Campus of Care tially equal to one another.” •9F/3R SyncShuttle Transmission However, he did indi- that would accommodate 30 physicians as well as other •18.2 GPM Hyd’s, Cat 2 3pt Hitch cate that the Fort St. John health specialists and tenants, purchasing the existing Fort clinic has been collecting St. John Medical Clinic building, leasing the Fort St. John more revenue than what’s Medical Clinic building, or leasing some other space. The first option, building a Campus of Care, is the most needed to operate the clinic, 6M Series Tractors with each physician paying costly at $16-million. This price tag does not include the Finance •105-125 HP $2,000 more per month than cost to purchase land. If the city does not provide the land OR Deduct for free and it has to be purchased, the cost would likely •Cab or open-station configuration required. rise by $2-million, Lamothe said. •30GPM pressure-flow syst. available To follow through with •Range of available transmissions this option would require a significant investment from outside sources to make it 459 Balers feasible, and keep physi•Uniform & dense 4’x5’ Bales Finance cians’ overhead fees comAND Deduct “The The Crack Stops S Here” •Easy - Automatic Electric Tie parable with what they’re •BaleTrak Pro Monitor included already being charged. ALL ICBC •DiamondTough Self Cleaning Belt COURTESY “Without non repayable PAPERWORK CAR DONE ON SITE equity contributions, it’s Grande Prairie Fairview La Crete Dawson Creek AVAILABLE 1-877-553-3373 780-532-8402 780-835-4440 780-928-3337 250-782-4141 pretty unattractive, it results in a building that you’d have 250-787-0032

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May 28, 2015

Northeast NEWS

Health care study

Continued from Page 2.

to charge $38.46 [per square foot] rent on,” Lamothe said. “There’s no physician that’s going to want to practice in that environment, that’s two to three times as expensive as what they’re currently paying in their current space. Without benefactors, philanthropists, organizations, fundraising, this option is a pretty expensive option.” The second solution presented, purchasing the Fort St. John Medical Clinic building, would be significantly less at $6-million. It is already a kind of a Campus of Care in that there is a small restaurant there and other tenants, although once fully renovated to maximize space and transform the upper floor into medical offices, the building can only hold a maximum of 21 or 22 physicians.

You could not fill 30 physicians in that space, no matter how you sliced it up, but you could get 21, which is a lot more than are currently there. “You could not fill 30 physicians in that space, no matter how you sliced it up, but you could get 21, so you could get a lot more than are currently there,” Lamothe said. As opposed to purchasing the Fort St. John Medical Clinic, it could be leased. This third option would have the same capacity limitations as option two, without the purchase price. Renovations to make the space accommodate 21 physicians would cost roughly $700,000. The fourth option is to lease some other building that could potentially accommodate 30 physicians. “The only debt you’d have to serve there would be, renovations would be required,” Lamothe said. “You could calculate that at $95 a square foot.” With the data that MNP provided, it’s now up to the Long Term Health Care Solutions Committee to make a decision about how to proceed. “Two of the options are tough because purchasing a building that’s got 21, with not a lot of room for expansion, as well as leasing a location that’s got 21, not a lot of room for expansion,” said Coun. Trevor Bolin, at the close of Lamothe’s presentation. “The fourth option, which was looking to lease an additional building that would potentially fit that kind of square footage, which just doesn’t really exist,” he said. “There’s a tonne of information, it’s very in depth, and gives us a lot to work with.” Mayor Lori Ackerman also expressed her hesitation with pursuing a solution that didn’t provide much room for growth. “My only stumbling block with this whole thing is 21 physicians is not sufficient if we’re looking long term,” she said. “Community long term is decades out . . . I appreciate options two and three, but that’s more of a short term fix.” Coun. Christensen asked Lamothe and council if it’s known whether or not the Fort St. John Clinic has any interest in either selling or leasing their building. “I appreciate all the comments that it’s a too small building, but has that conversation even happened?” he asked. Mayor Ackerman indicated that she doesn’t think that conversation has happened, and said that it would be a closed conversation if it did take place.

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Charges approved against Thomas Gauthier in F.S.J. road rage assault

after, police spotted one of the vehicles and attempted a roadside stop. The driver sped away, and nearly struck an ofﬁcer standing in the street before turning away and driving rampant through various residential yards, hitting fences, shrubs and trees. The vehicle drove off, but RCMP later located it parked outside of Winks Convenience Store. Inside, Gauthier was arrested. RCMP have identiﬁed three other suspects, as well as the female, but none of them have yet been located, according to Cpl. Shelkie.

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One coupon per visit (Expires August 30, 2015) FORT ST. JOHN – Fort St. John resident Thomas Gauthier is the individual who was arrested in the May 13 road rage incident that escalated to violence, leaving a three-year-old child in hospital overnight. RCMP recommended numerous charges against Mary Mayes, P.Chem. Gauthier, 20, and Crown Counsel approved those Vice-President, Operations charges. They include three Assessment, Remediation, Reclamation & Monitoring counts of assault with a Peace Region and Northeast British Columbia weapon, flight from a police officer, assault to a police ofRobert Pockar, president and chief executive officer of Matrix Solutions Inc., ficer, and dangerous operais pleased to announce the appointment of Mary Mayes, tion of a motor vehicle, acas vice-president, Operations. cording to Cpl. Jodi Shelkie. Gauthier is one of many In this new role, Mary provides technical and operational suspects in the May 13 inleadership to Matrix’s Assessment, Remediation, cident that began when one Reclamation & Monitoring teams to ensure the efficient driver took exception with delivery of locally-connected, responsive and scalable another for following too client services. closely, according to an Mary is a professional chemist with more than 25 years RCMP press release. of experience in the environmental industry. She has Words were exchanged, conducted and directed environmental site assessments of and the assault and use of oil and gas facilities, soil monitoring programs at production pepper spray followed. and processing plants, liability assessments and assessment A number of witnesses and remediation of sites contaminated with hydrocarbons, phoned 911 to report that a salts and metals. As well as managing numerous regulatory man and a woman were besoil and groundwater monitoring projects, Mary provides ing assaulted in the street, technical leadership to a variety of projects in her role as and upon arrival, RCMP disprincipal environmental chemist. covered that a three-year-old Mary holds a B.Sc. in chemistry and is a registered member of the Association of the child was also victim, havChemical Profession of Alberta (ACPA) and the Association of the Chemical Profession ing been pepper sprayed. of British Colombia (ACPBC). The man, woman and child were all taken to hosMatrix Solutions Inc. is a Canadian, employee-owned multi-service environmental and engineering pital. The child had to stay consulting company providing scientifically sound, pragmatic and innovative solutions to clients overnight for monitoring. domestically and internationally. The company has more than 650 professional, technical The suspects, thought to and administrative employees strategically located in 19 offices across Canada. include five or six men and one female, fled in two sepawww.matrix-solutions.com rate vehicles. Shortly there-

Page 4

Northeast NEWS

May 28, 2015

B.C. bringing avalanche awareness program to South Peace backcountry

Photo Credit MetroCreativeConnection

STACY THOMAS news@northeastnews.ca

POMEROY HOT E L

& CONFERENCE CENTRE

DAWSON CREEK - B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources Operations (MFLNRO) representative Tim Bennett is bringing a new avalanche awareness program to the South Peace backcountry this winter. Bennett, who is the District Recreation Ofﬁcer with Recreation Sites and Trails B.C., was in Tumbler Ridge for the District’s May 5 council meeting to ask for a $2,500 contribution to the program. He is also asking the Districts of Chetwynd and Mackenzie for equal contributions, which the Ministry has matched. The funds will go towards the employment of an “avalanche professional” to do snowpack analysis of various backcountry areas. The data which this professional would compile during monthly trips into the backcountry will be contributed to Avalanche Canada’s website, to be accessed by users via a mobile phone application. Northeast B.C. is a “data sparse area”, explained Bennett; in southern parts of the province which are heavily accessed by various user groups such as Cat and Helisking companies, data is more regularly compiled and made available by stakeholders. “To do that up north would cost an exorbitant amount of money,” said Bennett. The application, called the Mountain Information Network, will be used to eventually build a complete, user-compiled network of information in the South Peace. “It’s sort of a pilot for the ﬁrst year, to establish that information and get the backcountry users that are in that area, get them accustomed to actually utilizing the Mountain Information Network application,” said Bennett. The hope is that a culture of avalanche awareness will be started in the Peace with this initiative, and that backcountry users will begin educating themselves through the Avalanche Skills Training (AST) course which teaches rescue skills and safety in the backcountry. Once the initial data is collected and contributed to the Avalanche Canada applica-

tion, users can then begin updating it from the ﬁeld, creating a useful tool for others heading into those areas. Users can contribute photos and details from their own snowpack assessments, as well as observations of recent avalanche activity and other relevant information. “There’s a whole gamut of stuff, you really need to take the AST 1 to really understand what you’re looking for,” said Bennett. “If you don’t have that information and you’re just riding around back there, you’re at the luck of the draw of what can happen, which you don’t want to be.” In regards to avalanches, snowmobiling is the most dangerous backcountry activity, Bennett says. MFLNRO has already begun Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale (ATES) mapping of the region, to bring it on par with much of the rest of the country’s standardized avalanche safety scale. Snowpack analysis will likely begin in October 2015, and will continue throughout the season in snowmobiling areas around the three communities. Areas on the list for inclusion in the initiative include Core Lodge, Wolverine, Windfall, Burnt River, Hasler Flats, Silver Sands and Pine Bowl. Ideally the avalanche professional will spend approximately two weeks each month throughout this winter season analyzing snowpack in these areas. If the Ministry does not receive contributions from District of Chetwynd and Mackenzie, the program will go forward but will not be as thorough. “It won’t be as much as if we had $10,000,” said Bennett. “The more information you’re trying to gather the more costly it is.” A public awareness campaign will begin in October, with the network being updated by the avalanche professional’s information, and hopefully more and more users’, into future years. B.C. Search and Rescue Association as well as various snowmobiling groups in the area are working with MFLNRO. “We’re trying to build partnerships,” Bennett said. “They want to provide as many safety tools as they can.”

May 28, 2015

Northeast NEWS

Page 5

Additional camping available for Canola Fest

FORT ST. JOHN – Although camping spaces ﬁlled up at Peace Island Park during the weekend of Canola Fest

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to and from the campground. Canadian country act the Road Hammers are this year’s headliners, and they’ll be joined by more than 10 other musicians from around the Peace. Full details can be found at canolafest.ca. Tickets are $55 for adults, $25 for youth, and children under the age of seven are free. They can be purchased at Moose FM either by calling 250-787-7100, or visiting the Canola Fest website. Camping spaces can also be purchased here. There are now fewer than 200 Canola Fest tickets left.

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DATE: Thursday, June 4, 2015 TIME: 2:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Presentation starts at 7:00 p.m. LOCATION: Hudson’s Hope Community Hall Since the construction of the W.A.C. Bennett Dam more than 45 years ago, there has been steady deterioration of the rip-rap protecting the upstream slope of the earthfill dam. Upgrading the deteriorated portions of the rip-rap will ensure long-term dam safety and erosion protection of the upstream slope from the impact of waves in the Williston Reservoir during wind storms. The current plan is to start the rip-rap replacement in the summer of 2016, after obtaining all permits and regulatory approvals. The placement of the new rip-rap on the dam is planned to start in March 2017 with completion targeted for 2019. Your views are important to us. For further information about the open house, please call 250 561 4858 or email us at bob.gammer@bchydro.com.

4565

BRONWYN SCOTT reporter@northeastnews.ca

shortly after the music event was announced, festival goers now have another chance to camp. Organizers have struck a deal with Big Bam Ski Hill to allow for festival style camping during the weekend of July 18. “Response to this event has been overwhelming and camping at Peace Island Park sold out in just a few days after the event was announced,” said Adam Reaburn, general manager at Moose FM, in a press release. Campers can stay at Big Bam Ski Hill all weekend for just $40 per unit. The dollars Big Bam raises from this will go towards helping the nonproﬁt group improve the ski hill. There will be shuttle service all day during the one day music festival on Sat., July 18, to help move people

Page 6

Northeast NEWS

May 28, 2015

Toll Free: 1.877.787.7030 | Phone: 250.787.7030

Proceed with caution if pursuing a Campus of Care

Campus of Care medical service models have been popping up across the country, and the idea of building one in Fort St. John has been floating around since our city’s health care crisis reached its pinnacle last summer. A Campus of Care is a facility that has doctors practicing, as well as other specialists like naturopaths, chiropractors, perhaps a pharmacy, and a café or small restaurant. To address the problems of physician recruitment and retention, and to proceed in the best informed way possible towards meeting goals of improved health care, the Long Term Health Care Solutions Committee arranged for researchers at MNP to provide hard data detailing options the city has in trying to meet and accommodate physicians’ needs. The doctor shortage hasn’t gone anywhere, although five new physicians will be starting in July and September, taking the place of many who lately left the community. The fact remains that we need a total of 31 doctors. We have 15, when we count in these new recruits who will soon be joining our ranks. How many more will be retiring as soon as they can? I’m guessing one or two. By my count, we’re a little shy of where we should be. Greg Lamothe, from MNP, presented their findings to council at a Committee of the Whole meeting on Tues., May 19. Although I was initially attracted to the idea of a Campus of Care, I am not anymore after hearing Lamothe’s presentation. To me, his data suggested that there are red flags all over that Campus of Care concept, from too much capital expense, which would translate into extraordinarily high physician overhead costs, to having a $16-million dollar facility be practically vacant. Of course, we’d all be hopeful that 31 doctors would come and have their practice here in Fort St. John… but my belief is that they probably won’t. Thirty-one is a large number, and we’re a long way off from it. For over a year now there has been a consolidated effort to recruit physicians to Fort St. John. We got a few – that’s great! – but there’s a long way to go to meet the projected need. I’m much more in favour of a model that would not create an extravagant space for 16 physicians we don’t have, and that will not cost $16-million. Lamothe gave four options in his presentation. They are, 1) building a campus of care, 2) purchasing the Fort St. John Medical Clinic building, 3) leasing the Fort St. John Medical Clinic building, and 4) leasing some other space. Here’s what Lamothe had to say about the Campus of Care option:

“Without non repayable equity contributions, it’s pretty unattractive, it results in a building that you’d have to charge $38.46 [per square foot] rent on, there’s no physician that’s going to want to practice in that environment, that’s two to three times as expensive as what they’re currently paying in their current space. “Without benefactors, philanthropists, organizations, fundraising, this option is a pretty expensive option . . . it makes it very unattractive for physicians without a massive subsidy.” I have no doubt that the intention is to request funding from industry, but to get those lease rates down to what doctors in the community are currently paying for their office spaces, industry would have to provide between $7-million and $9-million to offset the capital cost. That’s a lot of money, and how far ahead would we be? Options two and three seemed the most intelligible, being that the building is already there, designed as a medical space, and already has physicians working there. It has a little café there and other health professionals, and is already, in a way, a Campus of Care. Purchasing the building, and renovating the upper floor of that building to make it more suitable as a medical space would cost just $6-million – a whopping $10-million less than the Campus of Care that may, or more likely, may not, have doctors to fill it. Leasing the additional space would also not be $16-million, thus it, too, gets my vote. Option four, leasing some other space, just didn’t seem feasible. I personally am not aware of any other space that would be suitable. The only downside of both options two and three is that the Fort St. John Medical Clinic building could only accommodate 21 physicians, when the projected need is for 31. My feeling when listening to council’s short deliberation on the presentation was that some members of council already had their minds set on a Campus of Care when Lamothe came in to do his presentation. “My only stumbling block with this whole thing is 21 physicians is not sufficient if we’re looking long term,” said Mayor Lori Ackerman, shortly after the presentation wrapped up. “Community

long term is decades out . . . I appreciate options two and three, but that’s more of a short term ﬁx.” City councillor Trevor Bolin echoed her opinion. But I disagree. Why not save $10-million (which would be good for Fort St. John’s long term future), purchase the existing medical space, and have alternative medical solutions, like telehealth company LiveCare, supplement the need? (I realize that we now have LiveCare in the community for two days per week. If needed, couldn’t that be expanded?) If more than 21 physicians miraculously set up practices in Fort St. John, why not deal with it then, and possibly have additional physicians lease a separate space when needed? I would say the possibility is even there to expand on the Fort St. John Medical Clinic building to accommodate a few extra doctors, if the need is there, down the road. If we do build this new Campus of Care to hold 31 physicians, and all the doctors in the community move there to be part of this ‘health care hub,’ what will happen to the existing Fort St. John Medical Clinic building? And the ABC Medical Clinic? Will those then sit empty, too, like so many of the buildings and business spaces in town? I do recognize that Mayor Ackerman and council, as well as many, many others, have put so much hard work and time into trying to ﬁnd good solutions for health care in this community, and I don’t want to discredit that. But this whole Campus of Care thing, do we really need such a lavish facility? We have a nice new hospital here, and so far it hasn’t been much of a draw for medical professionals. Why does there seem to be the belief that this Campus of Care will be? I appreciate that there has to be room for growth, but there’s a balance to strike. Bronwyn Scott, senior reporter

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May 28, 2015

Northeast NEWS

Page 7

Dawson Creek RCMP: more stolen firearms, home invasion at gunpoint

Photo Credit File photo

STACY THOMAS news@northeastnews.ca DAWSON CREEK – There have been several recent break-ins in Dawson Creek and Rolla, and one home invasion at gunpoint. According to a press release issued by Sgt. Ed Reinink of Dawson Creek RCMP, on May 6 an undisclosed number of suspects entered a home in the 700 block of 105th Avenue, pointed handguns at the two residents of the house and proceeded to steal a quantity of prescription drugs. On April 30, thieves entered a residence in Rolla and stole a number of ﬁrearms. On May 5, suspects broke entry into a home in Daw-

son Creek and stole several firearms. Another break-in in Rolla occurred on May 7, with more firearms being reported as stolen. One individual was arrested on May 7 as the result of a targeted traffic stop. The cause of the stop was due to the driver lacking valid identification. The vehicle was searched and the driver—a 26-yearold male—and his passenger were arrested when a handgun was discovered in the glovebox. The resultant investigation included the search of an apartment in the 600 block of 100th Avenue in

Dawson Creek. During this raid police recovered stolen ﬁrearms from the break and enters which had occurred since April 30. Upon further investigation it was found that these individuals may have been involved in the home invasion of May 6. Also, one of the arrested individuals is a suspect in a sexual assault which occurred on May 6. The 26-year-old male is currently in custody on ﬁrearms offences. He will be appearing in court on June 2; police expect that additional charges will be laid against this individual as well as others involved in these crimes. They are not associated with a recognized crime group, but are a small group of local residents who “act together

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on some occasions”, Sgt. Reinink wrote in an email to Northeast News. He said the recent increase in theft of ﬁrearms is likely due to the value such items hold in the criminal world, as “most criminals do not possess ﬁrearms licenses”. In this instance, he wrote, there is a connection between the residences targeted and the perpetrators. There were 12 break and enters in total in Dawson Creek between May 3 and May 17.

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Page 8

Northeast NEWS

May 28, 2015

Protecting the Williston Lake dinosaur trackways

called the Northern Dinosaur Tour, and with the attractions that are in the Peace Region, on the Alberta side as well as the B.C. side,” said McCrea. HUDSON’S HOPE – The Williston Lake dinosaur “The strength of this is that, instead trackways in a building, protected from the elements, with of individual sites having to market an interpretive and educational component is what Richard to tourists, that you can market the McCrea envisions for the major paleontological find. whole area, the whole region.” McCrea, curator of paleontology with the Peace Region A Peace region resident found the Paleontology Research Centre, has been meeting with mu- impeccably preserved, large scale dinicipal councils to request letters of support for such a proj- nosaur track site near Williston Lake ect, which he believes would be a major draw for tourists. in the fall of 2008. Because funding “What it does is it really removes the prints from erosion, for paleontological research is tenuplus it puts it into a central sort of building where people ous, the experts did a preliminary can come and visit it, and have the interpretive component survey of the area to verify its sigthere,” he said in his presentation to the District of Taylor nificance, and quickly left so as to not council on Tues., May 19. draw attention to the find. With Tumbler Ridge recently having established their “As soon as we go anywhere to do Global Geopark status – making it the second such site in work, it’s a red flag, people will know Photo Credit Bronwyn Scott North America – the Williston Lake track site could help to where it is,” McCrea said, in an interRichard McCrea, curator of paleontology at the Peace Region Paleontology Research Centre, is market the region to tourists. view with the Northeast News. approaching municipal councils to request letters of support for the development of the Williston “In my mind, I had this idea that we could do this thing But having just received substanLake trackway site, which he will then take to government and industry to request funding. tial funding from the Peace River Regional District, the team has finally he said. been able to get to work on the site. DISTRICT OF TAYLOR “The ones near Williston Lake are much better across the “We just got four years of committed funding. . . we know we’re going to be around for four years,” McCrea board in just about every category. It’s a bigger site, we’re NOTICE OF probably talking about 1,200-1,500 square metres, maybe said. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING As of Tues., May 19, the Peace Region Paleontology Re- we could get even more than that. Notice is hereby given for the District of Taylor’s Annual General search Centre had already requested letters of support from Meeting. A comprehensive Annual Report will be presented Hudson’s Hope, Fort St. John, the North Peace Economic outlining financial and operational results for 2014 and an Development Commission, and the Peace River Regional opportunity will be provided for questions from the public. District. Date: Tuesday, June 2, 2015 at 7:00 pm The response has been “overwhelmingly” favourable, according to McCrea. Location: District of Taylor Municipal Hall Council Chambers, The District of Taylor, too, endorsed the request. 10007 – 100A Street, He defines the Williston Lake trackways as “a once in Taylor, BC a lifetime, maybe once in two lifetimes sort of a site,” be“There’s thousands of footprints potentially there, many cause of the potential for tourism development. Copies of the Annual Report are also available at the District of “Normally you see these large scale sites on the tops of different track makers, so, small, medium, large, meat eatTaylor Municipal Hall during regular office hours (Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm). mountains, or you know, far deep in a river valley some- ing dinosaurs, and kylosaurs [plant eaters] . . . a diversity of where that is subject to flooding and degradation from things, really good teaching material too.” Melany A. de Weerdt The first steps toward development of the site involve weathering, so we actually have a chance now to do someDirector of Finance site protection, documentation and analysis by professionthing with a large scale site, and preserve it and also show 250-789-3392 als, which will get underway this summer. it off,” he said. It will involve the excavation and clearing of the track While Tumbler Ridge is well known for its dinosaur trackways, they are ex- surface, photography for high resolution 3D imaging, mapposed to the elements. Mc- ping and measuring of the tracks and trackways at the site, Crea wants to make sure the according to the Peace Region Paleontology Research Centrackways near Hudson’s tre’s report to council. This work will give insight into the numbers of the Hope are kept in their curFrankenstein (live theatre) at NPSS Auditions for Live Theatre ’15-’16 Season tracks, as well as their diversity and orientation. This inrent, well preserved state. May 28, 29, 30 Jun 13 and 20 “[The] Tumbler Ridge formation will then factor into plans for the tourist centre, With the NPSS students in the school drama room With Stage North at The Space ones are good, they’re not which would literally be built over and around the site. (on East Bypass Road) 10-4pm Equipped with letters of moral and political support for Doc Walker Canada Country Legends May 31 very large scale, they’re not At the North Peace Cultural Centre 7:30pm Bright Nights in June very diverse, and they’ve the project from local municipalities to execute this work A celebration of the Arts Jun 19-20 also been degraded some- and proceed with the tourist centre development plans, the Ian Tyson Live on Stage Jun 4 at NPCC and Artspost what by weathering. They’re Research Centre plans to approach government and indusat the NPCC not as good preservation,” try for funding. Opening of the Annual Artwalk Documentary Night Front Page Challenge Downtown FSJ Jun 19 featuring Ma Murray Jun 5 until Jul 18 free tour flyers Peace Gallery North NPCC At the Museum 7pm Museum Yard Sale Jun 20 The Move Dance Recital Jun 7 with NP Historical Society With the Move Dance students at NPCC Chili Bowl Bash Jun 20 The Move Dance Company Showcase Jun 8 with NP Potter’s Guild at the Artpost With the Move Dance students at NPCC

BRONWYN SCOTT reporter@northeastnews.ca

There’s thousands of footprints potentially there, many different track makers . . .

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Northeast NEWS

Page 9

More dialogue with youth needed around date rape and sexual assault, says Chetwynd RCMP STACY THOMAS news@northeastnews.ca CHETWYND - Date rape and drug facilitated sexual assault are the subjects of Dissolve, a touring play which was performed at Saulteau First Nations Band Hall on May 19, and RCMP Constable Susan Harvey thinks it could be an essential tool to teaching local youth about standing up for

ignore because its hard,” she said. While issues of sexual assault do not appear to be rampant in the Peace, Harvey says that does not necessarily mean that it is not going on. Which is why opening dialogue is so important. “I know that there’s a lot of stuff going on that we’re not told about, and it’s not cool to talk to police,” she said. “I can’t say for sure that it’s happening at a school, but

police, and one in three women will be sexually assaulted in her lifetime. B.C. has the highest recorded occurences of sexual assault against aboriginal women than any other province, with isolation, poverty and lacl of resources being known causes.

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Photo Credit Submitted Chetwynd RCMP First Narions Policing Cst. Susan Harvey (left), actress Emmellia Gordon (middle) and Kristan Willis, Saulteau Mental Health and Addictions Counsellor at Gordon’s performance of Dissolve May 19. themselves. Harvey, who saw the play in Vancouver while she was an ofﬁcer in Surrey B.C., was instrumental in bringing the play to Chetwynd. “I thought it was the perfect way to get messages out as opposed to a serious police ofﬁcer,” said Harvey. “It’s a mix of entertainment and humour and you get slapped with a very important message at the end.” The play is a one-woman performance starring Emmellia Gordon, who won the 2014 Vancouver Jessie Richardson Award for the performance. Toured to colleges, universities and high schools around North America for over a decade, the plot follows a collegeaged woman on a night out, and is meant to spark dialogue around sexual consent, a point which is vital to Harvey. “It opens discussion, which is something that I think we as society are afraid of. We ignore big issues and are afraid to discuss them, yet we’re happy to discuss what the Kardashians did last week . . . but when it comes to friends being sexually assaulted, it’s a conversation most people

Photo Credit Pink Monkey Studios Emmellia Gordon was in Chetwynd on May 19 performing a onewoman play about date rape and drug facilitated sexual assault.

being a police ofﬁcer and seeing what I’ve seen, I guarantee it’s somewhere, whether it’s one individual or a group of individuals. It’s something that’s happening across our country, and it’s going undetected because our kids aren’t talking to their parents, they’re not talking to us.” Harvey would like to bring the performance to high schools in Dawson Creek, to continue to spread the message of sexual consent to teenagers who may be experiencing pressure from friends around “sexting” and other social media. “It sounds horrible but for me, the more calls we get the better, because it lets us know that something’s going on so that we can ﬁx it. But if we don’t start the conversation then who knows? There could be something going on underground that we don’t know.” Reporting incidences and sticking up for others is another issue Harvey would like to see more focus on. “Be an upstander, not a bystander,” she said. According to Statistics Canada, only 12 per cent of sexual assaults against women are reported to the

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Northeast NEWS

Page 11

Gold, silver and bronze for Baldonnel Elementary

Photo Credit Bronwyn Scott Left to right: Second place winner Adarah May Burrows, third place winner Drayden Tyrrell and first place winner Aaron Lavigne hold the trophy they earned for their school, Baldonnel Elementary.

BRONWYN SCOTT reporter@northeastnews.ca FORT ST. JOHN – For many, standing in front of a crowd to speak publicly induces heart palpations, shaky knees, profuse sweating, anxiety induced ‘brain farts,’ and the uncontrollable urge to run away. But contestants in School District 60’s annual Speech Contest showed none of those telltale signs of fear and panic. One by one, the students conﬁdently and capably stood centre stage to share their carefully crafted speeches with the audience and adjudicators. There were 33 brave souls who participated in the competition, held at the North Peace Cultural Centre on Thurs., May 21. Not only was there a healthy turnout, with 11 elementary schools participating, but the quality of the speeches was very high, according to the judges. Topics ranged from gay marriage to batman, from annoying brothers to cats, to electronic devices, and how to make a school better. But it was Aaron Lavigne’s speech on aliens that earned him ﬁrst place. Lavigne is a Baldonnel Elementary student, as are the second and third place winners, Adarah May Burrows and Drayden Tyrrell. Burrows’ presentation on healthy eating impressed the

judges enough to earn her a silver medal, and Tyrrell got third place for his thoroughly researched speech on maple syrup. Judges took a number of factors into consideration when scoring, and commented on captivating openings, good organization and a strong use of descriptive vocabulary. “We really noticed that it helps a speech immensely when the students have done a lot of research and they really think about the vocabulary that they use in their speech. That makes a big difference, and I want to congratulate the students for doing that, because that was one of the strengths here, is the research and the quality of the research,” said Stephen Petrucci, assistant superintendent of School District 60. Petrucci was one of the adjudicators, along with Ida Campbell, school district trustee, and Kim Boettcher, district principal of

learning services. He also commented on the difference it makes when the speaker knows their material well enough to not require notes on stage. “When you’re in the audience, what we really notice is when there’s a really energetic presence on the stage, and that helps make a connection with the speaker, and it’s really hard to quantify or qualify, but what we did notice is when there’s lots of energy, and you’re not having to look at your notes, it really goes over well,” he said. “That really reminded me that the better you know your speech, the easier it is to concentrate on what you’re saying, and many of

you did a terrific job of that.” Organizer and emcee for the event Helen Gilbert, principal at C.M. Finch Elementary, was likewise impressed by the strength of the speeches. “They talk about public speaking and it’s supposedly one of the number one things that people are afraid of. This group of students has already conquered that, they have confidence to present their ideas,” she said. “If you listen to the flow of speeches you can hear the organization of an opening, and they were all really proud of their openings . . . as well with supporting details and concluding pizzazz,” she said. “If you think about a speech representing a series of ideas that are presented, and those students all wrote those speeches, it talks about strong language arts programs in our schools.” Each of the elementary schools could have three students participate in the district wide event. As all three top place speeches were by Baldonnel Elementary students, Baldonnel Elementary took home the school aggregate trophy. The school with the second highest score was Clearview Elementary, and Bert Ambrose ranked third.

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Northeast NEWS

May 28, 2015

Chetwynd one of ﬁrst three B.C. communities to implement BCEHS community paramedicine care

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STACY THOMAS news@northeastnews.ca CHETWYND - In a new strategy to alleviate the shortage of full time physicians in the district, BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) has identified Chetwynd as one of the first communities to benefit from its community paramedicine program. The program will see paramedics providing primary care, within their areas of practice, in non-urgent circumstances. According to a press release issued by BCEHS, the program is in partnership with local health care providers and is not meant to replace other services such as nursing. Rather, the paramedics will complement and support those professionals, the release states. “By phasing in community paramedicine, we are developing an integrated approach to patient care to best suit the unique needs of each community population,” said B.C. Health Minister Terry Lake. “We know that health-care providers in rural and remote areas may face challenges and we value their guidance in how we can best engage local paramedics to address gaps in service.” BCEHS has coordinated the implementation of the pro-

gram along with the B.C. Ministry of Health and health authorities, and the Ambulance Paramedics of BC. “BC’s paramedics are highly trained medical professionals, who are well suited for this new role in community health,” said Bronwyn Barter, president of the Ambulance Paramedics of BC. “With the community paramedicine program will come better patient care and new full-time career opportunities across the province.” Fort St. James and Hazelton are the other two communities in which Phase One of the program will be imple-

We’re very excited about being able to introduce community paramedicine here. mented. During Phase One, BCEHS paramedic unit chiefs will work to conﬁrm speciﬁc needs of the target communities which paramedics with their particular training are able to alleviate.

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Paramedics are expected to be delivering services in Chetwynd and the other two Phase One communties by fall of 2015. Phase Two will bring “lessons learned”, according to the press release, to other communities by January 2016. “BCEHS is continually striving to find new and better ways to provide patient care and to strengthen its ability to respond to medical emergencies,” said BCEHS Chief Operating Officer Jodi Jensen. “Enhancing the talents and skills of paramedics in a community-based setting will help keep paramedics engaged in remote communities that have low call volumes.” In order to support the implementation of the community paramedicine program over the next four years, the Province of B.C. and BCEHS are committing to the creation of at least 80 full-time equivalent positions. Interior communities to be taking part in the program will be announced in June of 2015, and Vancouver Island communities in late summer. The gradual implementation of the program will allow BCEHS to concentrate on one health authority at a time, the release states, and to develop contacts in each area to ensure the paramedics will be “well-integrated members of the established health-care teams.” It is not certain how the program will be specifically implemented in Chetwynd and if the paramedics will be working out of the new Primary Care Clinic. “We’re using the existing paramedic chief in the community to work with local healthcare providers to identify what the patient care gaps are in Chetwynd, that a community paramedic could help to address and how that community paramedic will work with those other providers to ensure good patient care,” Jensen said. She did confirm that in the fall of 2015 they will be looking to recruit permament community paramedic positions. “At that time we’ll have a better idea for the community of Chetwynd what kind of commitment that looks like, from a staffing perspective.” Community paramedics will be additionally trained on working in non-traditional settings and how to work with people in their homes. “The selection of our initial communities was done in conjunction with Northern Health,” said Jensen. “To identify our initial communities, where we believed that we could work to roll out community paramedicine and develop programs, and where we had the right people on the ground to be able to do that work.” Community paramedicine programs have been implemented around North America and overseas, but it is the first time it will be used in B.C. “We’ve seen some very good results from those programs in terms of a benefit to the health system overall,” said Jensen. “We’re very excited about being able to introduce community paramedicine here.”

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May 28, 2015

Northeast NEWS

Two doctors announce they’re leaving Fort St. John Medical Clinic

Page 13

Mammoth tusk named “Taylor” after town where it was found

Photo Credit Submitted photo Thelma Ostero beside the mammoth tusk she discovered.

Photo Credit File photo

Fri., July 10, 2015. BRONWYN SCOTT “We appreciate the trust and conreporter@northeastnews.ca fidence you have placed in us to take care of your health care needs over the FORT ST. JOHN – Just when it past several years,” the letter reads. looked like Fort St. John’s doctor “Thank you for your loyalty and supshortage was starting to get better, port. We enjoyed our time in Fort St. physicians Pieter de Bruyn and Jana John . . . we were very happy here and de Bruyn have announced they will be will always have fond memories of our leaving. time here.” On May 13, 2015, the doctors wrote According to information on the Fort a notification of their departure on the St. John Medical Clinic website, there Fort St. John Medical Clinic website. are currently 12 physicians at the Fort “It is with mixed emotions that we St. John Medical Clinic, and with their write this letter to inform you of our departure there will be 10. None of the decision to move from Fort St. John in physicians there are accepting new paJuly, 2015,” the letter reads. tients. “Despite conHowever, five siderable efforts new permanent, over the last 18 time, family Despite considerable full months to find physicians are replacements efforts over the last expected to start for us, we have in Fort St. John 18 months to find been unsuccessbetween July ful in doing so.” replacements for us, we and September They went on this year. to write that the have been unsuccessful Four of the current health five are comin doing so. care situation in ing from the Fort St. John has University of made it nearly British Columimpossible to recruit new physicians to bia’s International Medical Graduate full service family care. Residency Program and will be moving “We hope that this will change in the here after they complete their residency near future,” they wrote. program at St. Paul’s Hospital in VanSince they are no longer able to couver this summer. provide medical services, the doctors The fifth physician is coming from recommend their patients register at the British Columbia Practice Ready the unattached patient clinic as soon Assessment Program, which takes phyas possible to have their records trans- sicians who are close to being able to be ferred. licensed in B.C., and puts them through Their last day seeing patients will be a three-month assessment process.

BRONWYN SCOTT reporter@northeastnews.ca

be 27,400 years old. “I expect this one would be about the same. But we’re going to get separate carbon dating on that, . . . Taylor is deﬁnitely in the paleontology game now too,” said McCrea. The original tusk will be a prime exhibit in the Dinosaur Discovery Gallery in Tumbler Ridge,as part of an Ice Age display that will include a recently repatriated 12,400 year old Tumbler Ridge bison skull. A number of mammoth tusks and teeth have been unearthed in the Peace Region over the past century, including from Hudson’s Hope and Taylor. The estimated age of the specimens range from 40,000 to 10,500 years.

TAYLOR – The mammoth tusk that was unearthed at the end of April has been named Taylor after the town where it was discovered. Peace region residents Tom and Thelma Ostero stumbled upon the massive tusk, weighing more than 25 kilograms and almost two metres in length, in an ancient Pleistocene river channel. With the support of the Treaty 8 Tribal Association and local government, they donated it to the Peace Region Paleontology Research Centre in Tumbler Ridge. “There’s a mammoth tusk that was recovered from a gravel pit in this town, my staff named this tusk Taylor after the town where it came from,” said Richard McCrea, curaFIR PELLETS tor of paleontology at the & STOVES Peace Region Paleontology in stock Research Centre, at a District of Taylor council meeting on Tues., May 19. We do ICBC The tusk is in an excellent Claims at shop state of preservation, except for at its end, where a numMile 49½, Alaska Hwy. • 250.785.3433 ber of loose pieces will soon be added and ﬁxed in place by museum staff. Once all the pieces are in place, the research centre will have replicas made, to be prized and exhibited Loose? elsewhere, and also for the Painful? TAKE the TEST couple that discovered it. Are your dentures: Keeping you from smiling? “I think their idea was that Over 5 years old? they were going to give one to the District of Taylor,” In your pocket? McCrea said. In the 1970’s, there was a Call to Book a Free Consultation in Fort St. John mammoth tusk discovered at milezerodentureclinic.ca Denturist Jodie Atkinson 250-782-6004 the same site. It was found to

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Northeast NEWS

May 28, 2015

How many ﬁsh in Charlie Lake?

Bike to Work and School Week in Dawson Creek

Article submitted by Charlie Lake Conservation Society

STACY THOMAS news@northeastnews.ca DAWSON CREEK - May 25 to May 31 is Bike to Work and School Week and Dawson Creek is entering its third year of participation in the province-wide event. “We’ve just started to get into it, it was kind of a tough sell the first year, I think because the weather wasn’t participating, and we weren’t really engaged for biking and to rally the community,” said Melanie Turcotte, Sustainability Clerk for Dawson Creek. “As biking is getting really popular, and it’s starting to increase through the North, its kind of exciting to see so many people out biking.” Dawson Creek City Planner Nigel Whitehead says that while currently the city is not especially bike-friendly, education paired with a transportation plan dedicated to more alternative transportation methods in the future means a positive direction for cycling. Creating a commuter culture, such as in more urban centes, will be a challenge but with more dedicated bike lanes he is hopeful. “A big first step is education and getting people used to and adjusted to driving and biking, and sharing that space together,” he said. “We’re actively chipping away at those proposed networks . . . every small town is its own kind of entity, its not a one size fits all. The week was officially proclaimed Bike to Work and School Week by the mayor of Dawson Creek Dale Bumstead on May 11.

FWIN survey. This is done to determine a variety of information including age, feeding characteristics and gender. Don’t worry; the number of fish sacrificed is a very small percentage of the overall population. The information provides the Ministry with much better estimate of the numbers of walleye in Charlie Lake and helps to better manage the fishery through changes in fishing regulations for daily limits and sizes. Although we might be concerned about the “plenty of other fish in the ocean”, our fish stocks are healthy. That will be good news for the walleye love happening again this spring in Charlie Lake! For more information go to info@charlielakeconservationsociety.ca

“Don’t worry - there are plenty of other fish in the ocean.” These words have long encouraged the lovelorn. It would be difficult to know how many fish were in the ocean, but did you ever wonder how many fish are in Charlie Lake? Biologists with the Ministry of Forest, Lands and Natural Resource Operations (MFLNRO) are trying to answer that very question. Over the past several years, Nick Baccante, Lynn Avis and Brendan Anderson have led three fall-time surveys of Charlie Lake walleye. Volunteers with the Charlie Lake Conservation Society have been lucky to participate in a few of these trips on the lake. These surveys are based on a scientifically based method used internationally to estimate fish populations in lakes. This method is called Fall Walleye Index Netting (FWIN). This is a standardized survey technique that allows for comparisons between lakes and over time. This is the walleye assessment technique in Ontario and Alberta. Nets composed of 8 mesh sizes varying in size from (25mm to 152mm) set perpendicular to shore on the lake bottom were randomly placed at different depths (2-5m and 5-15m) over a 24 hour period. In the latest survey in 2013, biologists netted 624 Walleye, 94 White Suckers, 31 Northern Pike, 32 Spottail Shiners and 22 Yellow Perch. The walleye ranged from young of the year to 23 years! Preliminary 2013 estimates, for walleye greater than 30 cm, indicate that the Charlie Lake population is in good health with age and size structures that are comparable to previous surveys. Photo Credit MetroCreativeConnection.com It is true that fish are killed to complete the

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Special Olympics golf fundraiser a success

May 28, 2015

Page 15

It’s that time again to watch movies under the stars with Movies in the Park BRONWYN SCOTT reporter@northeastnews.ca FORT ST. JOHN – Summer is ﬁnally upon us, and Movies in the Park is back for another year. Movies in the Park will happen each month this summer, starting with Kung Fu Panda and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory starring Johnny Depp being shown on Fri., June 12, 2015 at Centennial Park. This free community event starts at 7 p.m. Bring a lawn chair and a blanket to enjoy the show under the stars. Food will be sold on site, and the Watt School of Irish Dance will be selling pop-

corn. The next Movies in the Park date will be July 10, with the movies The Lego Movie and Night at the Museum. On August 21, the movies will be Penguins of Madagascar and the classic Grease. Movies in the Park is made possible because of sponsors Troyer Ventures and Shell Canada, as well as North Peace Savings and Credit Union, Good Ole’ Dayz, Alta Gas/PNG, Progress Energy, the Fort St. John Co-op, Driving Force and Eaglevision Video Productions.

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Photo Credit Bronwyn Scott Organizers, volunteers and athletes take a break from a busy day of golfing during the 17th annual Special Olympics Charity Golf Tournament to smile for a photo.

BRONWYN SCOTT reporter@northeastnews.ca FORT ST. JOHN – The 17th annual Special Olympics Charity Golf Tournament went off without a hitch, despite a ﬂeeting storm that ripped through Taylor, blowing down a tree on the course. “Everyone was a trooper, everyone kept golﬁng,” said Ashley Roblin, a volunteer. She was helping out at Hole 4 when the storm blew in, with intense rain and strong winds. “We heard this cracking and I literally ran . . . and then everyone was running one way, and me and my dad ran that way,” she said, in an interview with the Northeast News. The tree hit a golf cart on its way down, and a golfer was in the cart at the time. He felt the impact on his head, but sustained

no injuries. “He said he’s ﬁne, I just asked him how he was,” Roblin said. The annual event, at Lone Wolf Golf Course in Taylor, was held on Fri., May 22. Aside from the half hour storm, the weather was beautiful, according to Crystal Laboucane, one of the organizers. A total of 16 teams participated, with four people to a team. “I’m very happy with the turnout. Fort St. John and Taylor have been great supporters,” she said. “Last year we had 12 teams, so this year we bettered that by four teams, so I’m happy.” Her goal for dollars raised was $10,000, and as of press deadline the totals hadn’t yet been counted. However, last year, with fewer participants, they managed to raise $11,000.

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Pagepresident 16 May 28, 2015 Editor: NLC The past five and a half years in the Peace Country as President and CEO of Editor:Lights College have been very fulfilling. bids president farewell Northern NLC The five and a halfforyears in when the Peace Country President CEO of The past potential I noted NLC I decided to as apply for thisand position is Lights College have beenevolving very fulfilling. and becoming a reality. The addition bids farewell Northern The potential I noted for NLC I decided to apply for position is of when the Centre of Excellence forthis Clean Energy

staff, and has been able to recruit experienced leaders in many departments. The Northeast NEWS leadership team members are exceptional and I have been proud to work with them staff, andthe hasclarity been able recruit experienced leaders inexperienced many departments. The Further, of thetoCollege's vision is attracting professionals leadership team members exceptional and have been proud work with them who want to contribute toare an organization thatI "knows where it to is going". Further, of the College's vision on is attracting experienced professionals It alsothe hasclarity been gratifying to collaborate Dual Credit programming with loca who want to contribute to an organization that "knows where it is going". partners School Districts, industry, Aboriginal agencies and other post-secondary ALL It alsoNorthern has been gratifying to collaborate on Dual Credit programming locaa evolving and becoming reality.combined The addition Opportunities. The Peace Region is very fortunate with to have Technologies in DawsonaCreek, with through Peace River industry, Aboriginal agencies and other partners of of Industry Excellence for Clean Energy group ofDistricts, exceptional leaders committed to expanding thepost-secondary scope of this program thethe JimCentre Kassen Training Centre/ Oil School SHAREHOLDERS Seed Co-op Ltd. ALL Northernthe Opportunities. The Peace Region is veryeducational fortunate to have a Technologies in Dawson Creek,incombined with through and to spreading word on the benefits of this innovative initiative and Gas Centre of Excellence Fort St. John, Peace River exceptional leadersby committed to for expanding scope of this program the JimNorthern Kassen Lights Industry Training Centre/ Oil group I have of been very impressed the passion learningthe these leaders bring to the allows College to fulfil its brand SHAREHOLDERS Seed Co-op Ltd. spreading on the commitment benefits of this educational initiative and Gas Centre Excellence in Fort St. John, and table,tobut also forthe theirword continuing toinnovative finding learning solutions for the as B.C.'s Energyof Collegeâ&#x201E;˘. haveof been impressed by the passion for learning these leaders bring to the allows Northern Lights College to fulfil brand Iyouth the very region. NLC is committed to providing theitsskilled butthe also for their commitment to finding learning solutions for the as B.C.'s Energy Collegeâ&#x201E;˘. Over years, I havecontinuing received support and encouragement from local politicians workers for these expanding industrial sectors table, $1,000.Richard Keep your receipts. 15% on the first the $43,953 ofproviding taxable income, plus If your family includes at least one child under the age of â&#x20AC;˘ and youth of the region. NLC is committed to the skilled including: Senator Neufeld, the former Minister of Energy, Mines and supporting economic development of February 23, 2011 â&#x20AC;˘ 1:30pm 18, you may be able to save on taxes and have a bit more â&#x20AC;˘workers Over theâ&#x20AC;˘ Resources; years, haveJay received support and encouragement from politicians for Given these expanding industrial sectors plus Petroleum Hill, Member of Parliament forlocal Prince Georgethe the from scope$43,954 of the toindustrial The IChildrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Artsformer Tax Credit allows you to claim fees 22%region. of taxable income $87,907, disposable income thanks to a new non-refundable federal Rycroft Community Hall for a prescribed program ofPeace artistic, cultural, Senator Richard Neufeld, former Minister of Energy, Mines and and supporting theregion, economic development of including: Peace River; Blair Lekstrom, MLA forthe River Southrecreational, and former Minister of expansion in our a major part of my February 23, 2011 â&#x20AC;˘ 1:30pm tax credit. The Family CutAvenue allows you to transfer up to â&#x20AC;˘ 26% of taxable income from $87,908 up to $136,270, plus 5208 Tax - 47th or developmental children theMLA age 16Peace Petroleum Resources; Jay Hill,activity formerfor Member of under Parliament foroffor Prince Georgethe region. Given the was scopetoofbuild the industrial Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources; and Pat Pimm, River role at the College capacity $50,000 of taxable income to TOH an eligible spouse in a lower â&#x20AC;˘ 29% of taxable income over $136,270. Rycroft, AB 3A0 Rycroft Community Hall if Lekstrom, eligible the Disability Tax Credit). Theformer maxi-and Blair MLA for Peace Southmunicipal and Minister of expansion in our region, major part of my Peace North.River; And I(18 would like to for acknowledge the River exceptional regiona through partnerships with aother post-secondary tax bracket. Agenda:Avenue 5208 - 47th mum credit is $500 per child. Energy, and Petroleum Resources; Pat Pimm, MLA forCouncils, Peace River role at theTax College was and to most build capacity leadership provided by the Chiefs and Bandand Councils, Mayors and and institutions and to ensure that there The Family Cutindustry, provides the benefit when is a Mines 1) To receive the financial statements of the Association for the financial TOH The TaxRycroft, Cut is inAB effect for3A0 the 2014 tax year (al- significant yearFamily end. North. And I would like acknowledge the exceptional municipal and regiona through other post-secondary Regional District Boards. Itowas impressed the quality of leadership demonstrated funding partnerships provided the taxable government supports differencebyinwith incomes between eligible Beginning in the 2015 taxationby year there will be further 2) To electcontinues Directors of the Agenda: to parliamentary approval) though to Association. be subject leadership provided by the Chiefs and Band Councils, Mayors and Councils, institutions and industry, and to ensure that by members of the oil and gas and renewable energy industries. Thank you toand al the breadth and depth of needed programming. spouses. changes to the Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fitness Credit as well as to the 3) To To receive appointthe an financial auditor ofstatements the Association. 1) of the Association for the financial and may a maximum family benefit of come $2,000 in the 4) To transact such other business, if any, as may properly before year end. provide Regional District Boards. I was impressed by the quality of leadership demonstrated funding provided by the government supports for being willing to work with Northern Lights College on joint planning tha I knew Northern Lights College was a "classy" Child Care Expense Deduction and the Universal Child Care tax-cutters for families with children are: theelect meeting. 2) To of the Association. form of Directors a non-refundable tax credit. How it applies in your Other members of the oil and gas and renewable energy industries. Thank you to al the breadth when and depth needed programming. benefits theBenefit. region. institution the of first person to welcome by 3) To appoint an auditor of the Association. situation depends on the taxable income and marginal tax â&#x20AC;˘ The Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tax Credit 4) To transact such other business, if any, as may properly come before being willing to work with Northern College on joint planning tha I knew NorthernFitness Lights College was aâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;"classy" Collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Board ofofGovernors recruited to make and supported me toa non-refundable my forThe And speaking right: To be sureLights allme is right withchanges your 2014 rates for you and your eligible spouse. For the 2014 tax year, the meeting. federal taxwhen creditthe for first 15%person of fitness-related fees for benefits region. institution to welcome mechilwhenthe the changes became uncomfortable. I was very appreciative of this suppor new job was taxes (and the rest of your financial life, for that matter) talk these are the federal tax rates: dren under the age of 16 (18 if eligible for my the Disability The Collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s of Governors recruited me to Boards make changes andprogressive supported me and pleased the original Board and succeeding provided the toformer to that yourBoard professional advisor and tax professional before you Taxnew Credit). The maximum when the changes became uncomfortable. I was veryproud appreciative this supporto job was direction and encouraged innovation. I am particularly that weofcontinued President, Jim me file your tax return. credit for the 2014 tax year is the original Boardofand succeeding Boardsforprovided progressive the focuspleased on the that fundamental mandate providing education quality of life in the Kassen.former He and andthat encouraged innovation.toIrequests am particularly proud continued to President, region, and we were responsive by industry forthat newwe programming committedJim 25 direction Together we will find a solution. the fundamental of providing education for quality offor lifeapplied in the Kassen. He focus I amonlooking forward tomandate the innovative initiatives and opportunities years to NLC Dr. J. Grant Timmins Dr. going J. Grant Tim This column, written andstages. pubWe understand what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re through. Rae Evans region, and that we were responsive to requests by industry for new programming committed 25 research in clean energy technologies that are in the planning Through and provided Dr. John E. Gentles E. Ge lished by Investors Group FinanTogether we will Dr. findDr. a John solution. Division Director Todd Lang I am looking forward to thenational innovative initiatives and opportunities applied years to aNLC with provincial, andcial international leaders in thisforevolving me with firm partnerships Dr.J. Todd J. Services Inc. (in QuĂŠbec â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a 9319 100 Avenue We understand what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going through. For your FREE confidential consultation, in clean energy technologies thattoare in the planning stages. Through and provided research industry, Northern Lights College is poised demonstrate the strength of its vision foundation Fort St. John, BC V1J 1X8 Financial Services Firm), and InÂ&#x152; State-of-the-Art eye health FORT ST. JOHN P 250-785-2020 partnerships with provincial, national and international leaders in this evolving me with a firm I will be cheering from afar as these plans become operational. on which to FORT ST. JOHN P 250-785-20 Ph: 250-785-4312 Fax: 250-785-2344 vestors Group Securities Inc. (in and vision examinations CALL For your FREE confidential consultation, industry, Northern Lightsand College is poised towith demonstrate the of its vision foundation My husband Gordon I made friendsQuĂŠbec, aa firm number ofstrength veryPlanspecial people build. Email: rae.evans@investorsgroup.com in Financial Â&#x152; &RQWDFW OHQV Ă&#x20AC;WWLQJ UH Ă&#x20AC;WWLQJ XSJUDGHV Debt troubles? DAWSON CREEK P 250-782-1121 be cheering from asyou. these plans become operational. the north and we willafar miss We were treated to thegeneral uniqueinformabrand of warmth onTwhich h toe Iinwill DAWSON CREEK P 250-782ning) presents Â&#x152; 'LPHQVLRQDO 5HWLQDO ,PDJLQJ or visit our website at RRSPS â&#x20AC;˘ inveStmentS â&#x20AC;˘ inSURAnCe CALL My husband andspirit I made friends with number very special people and Gordon innovative we now associate British Columbia build. institution is enthusiasm tion onlyawith and isnorthern not aofsolicitation Â&#x152; (\HZHDU IRU HYHU\ EXGJHW â&#x20AC;˘ ReSPS â&#x20AC;˘ mORtGAGeS Debt troubles? FORT NELSON P 250-774-2020 A fond farewell to you all and our sincere thank you for your many kindnesses. in the north and we will miss you. We were treated to the unique brand of warmth fortunate to T h e to buy or sell any investments. 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Northeast NEWS

Child care Continued from Front. B.C. and the South Peace Child Care Resource & Referral (SPCCRR). Categories for awards included Licensed Family Daycare of the Year, Licensed Group Daycare of the Year, Licensed Preschool of the Year, Support Staff of the Year and New Faces. Chetwynd, Dawson Creek and Tumbler Ridge had their own categories; “we felt each community’s own culture and uniqueness should be showcased,” said SPCCRR program

director Katherin Charbonneau, who hosted the event. “What a great process it was, when we sat down and were reading all of the nominations put forth by our communities,” she said. “We wanted our criteria to describe a well-rounded, early care and learning provider . . . committed to professional development, accepts all children and practices inclusion, mentors and collaborates with others in the workplace and with other community services, is warm caring and responsive when working with all children, their families and the community, and is excellent in program planning and presentation. This year’s winners included Chelsea’s Family Day-

Page 17

home, Kiwanis Child Care Centre’s Rainbow Room, Miss Patti’s Preschool, Tumbler Ridge StrongStart and Chetwynd Public Library Children’s Programs. B.C. Child Care month was created in 2012 as a way to recognize the province’s child care providers and earlychildhood educators. “During Child Care Month, and throughout the year, we thank the child-care community for providing young children with a wonderful and healthy early learning environment where they are encouraged and inspired to grow, learn, socialize,” said Mary McNeil, Minister of Children and Family Development.

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MARKET REPORT ON MAY 21, 2015

SLAUGHTER CATTLE

On May 21, 2015, 500 head of cattle went through Vold Jones Vold Auction in Dawson Creek D1 - D2 Cows 137.00-148.00 D3 - D4 Cows 110.00-134.00 Holstein Cows N/A Heiferettes 160.00-185.00 Bologna Bulls 155.00-178.00 Feeder Bulls 160.00-185.00 Good Bred Cows N/A Good Bred Heifers N/A Cow/calf pairs younger 3200.00-4000.00 Cow/calf pairs older N/A Older Cows N/A Milk Cows 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:

185.00-208.00 220.00-236.00 225.00-248.00 255.00-283.00 275.00-305.00 315.00-330.00 320.00-342.00 320.00-350.00

Heifers Heifers Heifers Heifers Heifers Heifers Heifers Heifers

170.00-195.00 195.00-220.00 205.00-235.00 245.00-275.00 270.00-300.00 285.00-310.00 300.00-325.00 305.00-330.00

Next Regular Cattle Sale Thursday, May 28, 2015

Vold, Jones & Vold Auction Co. Ltd. Photo Credit Stacy Thomas Chris Norbury from Tumbler Ridge Library won the New Face of the Year award. Presented by Katherin Charbonneau.

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

Page 18

Northeast NEWS

May 28, 2015

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COMMUNITY

May 28, 2015

Page 19

Toll Free: 1.877.787.7030 | Phone: 250.787.7030

Upcoming Fort St. John

• Understanding Dementia, Communication & Behavior May 2015 Workshop. Takes place May 28, 6-8 p.m. at the FSJ Hospital Room 1640. This education session is for staff and family members in Fort St John who are caring for a person with dementia. Learn about: - Dementia: types of dementia and practical coping strategies - Tools for effective, meaningful communication with the person with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia - Behaviour as a form of communication and tips for understanding what the person with dementia might be trying to communicate. Call to Register: 1-866-564-7533 or Email: ljones@alzheimerbc.org • Calling all actors young and old in the Fort St John area! Come out to The Space and show us what you’ve got! We have selected our 2015/16 Season and we want you. Please come prepared to do a monologue and sing a little tune and most of all...HAVE FUN! April 13-June 20. Any questions please feel free to contact: Lisa Behrens Executive Director for Stage Northexecdir@stagenorth.ca (250)785-8118 Tickets:eg. Adults: $12 Kids: $7 Children under 5 - Free • May Fundraiser Dance at the Legion. May 23rd, 7 p.m at the Auditorium at Royal Canadian Legion Branch #102. Donation at the door. Silent auction. 50/50 draws, dance to follow. Hope to see you come out and support our local Legion. Please call Roxanne Steeves at 250-263-1474 with any questions. • That’s right, Bert Bowes School has turned 50 years old! The school officially opened on November 27th, 1964. Please join us for a celebration from 7:00 to 8:30 pm on Wednesday, May 27th at the school. Come out to visit the school, connect with alumni and former staff, and re-live some old memories. People are also encouraged to visit http://bert-bowes-middle.padlet.org/pphillips5/anniversary to share their memories by posting comments or pictures. • Grand Opening of Museum Renovations. May 29th, 2015, 7p.m. to 8p.m. at the Fort St. John North Peace Museum. Come and see the brand new, fully accessible renovations at the Museum. We will outline what has been accomplished and provide guided tours of the renovations. Free admission. This expansion was made possible thanks to a grant from the Northern Development Initiative Trust as well as donations from individuals and local businesses. Tickets:Free • ROLLER DERBY! The Killbillies ready for second home bout, but due to circumstances beyond the Killbillies control, the Beelzebubs from St. Albert Heavenly Rollers chose to cancel their trip to the Energetic City. Fear not! The bout will go on! An amalgamation team, made up of skaters from the William’s Lake Puddle Pounders and Terrace’s North Coast Nightmares, has agreed to make the trip to Fort St. John to play the Killbillies! It all goes down on May 30 at the North Peace Arena. The doors open at 6 p.m. and the first whistle blows at 7 p.m. Tickets a $10 and will be available at ZooFood in advance or at the door. Kids three and under are free! This time around we have a pre-sale special: Buy four tickets and get the fifth one free! So grab a bunch of friends and make an evening of it! The Patch Java concession will be open during the game, and you can grab some Killbillies merch while you’re there! • Annual Cadet Ceremonial Review, on May 30, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. This event is hosted by 2276 PPCLI Army Cadet Corps, and will take place at the Fort St John Curling Club. Please come out to the Annual Ceremonial Review for 2276 Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps. This is where our cadets showcase what they have accomplished and learned this year and is also where we make our awards and presentations to our top cadets. Everyone is welcome to attend

and see some of Fort St John’s finest young people who are becoming tomorrow’sleaders while helping to build the community of Fort St John today. Please arrive by 10:45 in order to be present at the arrival of the Reviewing Officer. For more info, please call the Cadet Office on a Monday or Wednesday evening at 787-5323 • 5th Annual Heroes Mess Dinner at the Quality Inn Northern Grand, May 30th, 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. This event is to celebrate all those in uniform that keep us safe and protect our way of life. Open to everyone including past or present members of our Armed Forces, Emergency Services and anyone that appreciates how much these individuals contribute to our great country. Dress is Formal. This dinner is also a fundraiser for Honour House in Vancouver which provides a home away from home for anyone in uniform that needs a place to stay during medical travel for them or their families. Check our Honourhouse.ca for more info. For Tickets contact Ken Lane at 250 261 4860 or KRLane@spectraenergy.com Tickets:Tickets $75 • Bluey Day 2015, organized by the Fort St. John

Hospital Foundation. This event will take place at the B.C. Ambulance Station on May 30, from 10:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. On May 30th participants will gather at the BC Ambulance Building to “Be Brave & Shave”. The 2015 campaign goal is $100,000 for the Foundation’s Cancer Diagnostic and Treatment Fund. Donations to this fund are used to purchase equipment that aids in the comfort, diagnosis, and treatment of patients with cancer at our hospital. Each “Be Brave & Shave” participant agrees to raise at least $500 to have their head shaved but most set much higher personal goals. These amazing individuals seek sponsorship from family, friends and businesses.

• UEFA Champion’s League Final, hosted by the Fort St. John Soccer Club, at the Lido Theatre Sat., June 6, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Join us to celebrate the Champions of Europe on June 6. This is a great event for the whole family. Tickets at FSJ Soccer Office Mon – Fri 10 am – 2 pm Tickets and reserve seating at the Lido 250.785-3011 For more info, call Jaimelia 250-794-7336. Tickets:$5 in advance $10 at the door. • Fandango Festival, hosted by PeaceQuest Energetics at the North Peace Cultural Centre on June 13th, 2015, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. All medicine comes down to this: Find out what’s bugging you; get rid of it. Find out what you need; get it. The body does the rest. Mark Hyman, MD Massage, Aromatherapy, Art and Art-making, Spiritual Healing/Reading, Eden Energy Medinine, Tai Chi & Qi Gong, Louise Hay “You can HEal Your Lie,” Reiki, Chakra Balancing, Naturaopathy, Pottery, Yoga, Art Journaling and MORE. Full and sample sessions, plus free workshops and activities. Tickets:Free • 2015 FSJ World Fair, hosted by SD 60 SWIS & FSJ League of United Youth. July 1st at Centennial Park, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The FSJ World Fair is a free event for all ages to showcase diversity within Fort St. John. During this event we will have around 12-14 Pavilions/Booths from different cultures showing their culture. (Ex. the food, clothing, games,etc...) During the event we will have entertainment from different people throughout the community. This event is planned and organized by the school district 60 and a group of diverse youth who want to show multi-culturalism in Fort St. John. FREE EVENT

Taylor

• Save the Date! Thurs., June 11th is UNITED WAY’s 5th Annual CHARITY GOLF TOURNAMENT FUNDRAISER at the Lone Wolf Golf Course in Taylor, once again proudly sponsored in part by our good friends at Shell. A day full of fun and laughs! Please join us to raise funds and awareness for critical community programs! Your entry fee will include Golf Fees/18 Holes/Lunch/Dinner/ Registration Gift For Sponsorship Opportunities, contact

Niki Hedges at 250-263-9266. Tickets:Registration online www.pguw.bc.ca $150 includes 18 Holes of Golf/Green Fees/Power Carts/Dinner/Lunch/Registration Gift

Dawson Creek

• June 6 - COUNTRY MUSIC DANCE - Music by Night Sounds at the Senior Citizens Hall, 1101 McKellar Ave. Dawson Creek Dance from 8:30 - 12:30. Admission includes lunch. 19 years and over welcome. For more information phone Fred at 782-2192 or Linda at 843-7418. • The 2nd Annual Swap Meet Show & Shine is back at Rolla Pub on June 6, 2015. Starts at 1 p.m., judging at 3 p.m., BBQ and camping afterwards. $10 bike entry fee, $10 table rental. Proceeds go to local children’s charity. For more info, call 250-719-8226. Hosted by 97 Knights M.A. • June 20: Yard Sale at South Peace United Church in Dawson Creek, 1300-104th Avenue; from 9:00 AM to 3:00 pm, rain or shine. To rent a table to sell your own stuff, phone Judith at 250-782-8728

Hudson’s Hope

• New Horizon’s Senior Club Plant and Bake Sale - May 30, 2015. Starts at 11:00 a.m. Donations of plants or bake goods would be gratefully appreciated! 9907 Dudley Drive (little house next to the Library) Your garden getting overrun with seasonal plants... we would be happy to take them for our funraiser! There will be raffles and a 50/50 draw. • Canada Day celebration at Pool Park, July 1st – there will be games, free swimming, and a free barbecue!

Northern Rockies Regional Municipality

• Plant Bartlett’s Garden at the Fort Nelson Heritage Museum! Sat., May 30th at 10:30 a.m. Bring your family to the Fort Nelson Museum and plant the flower beds! Seeds and watering cans will be provided. Bring your gloves if desired!

Tumbler Ridge

• Come see Hoop Dancer Teddy Anderson on Fri., June 5 from 10-11 a.m. at the community centre. This is a FREE event.

Ongoing Dawson Creek

• Dawson Creek Ladies Hospital Auxiliary meets the last Tuesday of the month in the Hospital Conference room (3rd Floor) at 1:30pm. New members are welcome. Call Carol at (250-)782-4595

Chetwynd

• Alcoholics Anonymous meets Tues & Fri at Tansi Friendship Centre, 5301 S ACCESS. Tues. are closed meetings (AA members), Fri. mtgs open. Both days from 8-9 p.m.

If you would like to have your non-profit event listed on our Community page, please email us at reporter@northeastnews.ca

Page 20

Northeast NEWS

May 28, 2015

Fort St. John Co-operative FSJ Celebrates Association’s 70th Annual kindness, Pays General Meeting breakdown It Forward Submitted article

~ 104 persons attended (members and their guests) our 70th Annual General Meeting. The meeting was held at Pomeroy Hotel at 7:15pm, Thursday May 21, 2015. The staff from the Pomeroy Hotel served up a great meal. Board President Bruce Chisholm Chaired the meeting. ~ The Board of Directors reported 201 sales increased $20.1 million to $101 million dollars or 24.6% which generated a net savings of $7.9 million or 7.9% of sales; this is a increase in savings of $.4 million from the previous year. ~ The members approved the following distribution of savings: patronage allocation in equity and cash back to members of $4.9million at a rate of 5.14% on members 2014 purchases with a provision for general reserve of $2.4 million. In 2014 Co-op members earned an average of 6.0 cents per litre at 5.14% of allocation. ~ Board election Nominating Committee chair, Bruce Chisholm introduced: Gerald Peters for a 3 year term and Glen Kelly stated that we were un able to ﬁll a second position to the board which leaves six serving directors. Bruce Chisholm thanked George Bergen for his willingness to serve on the Board ~ The Co-op purchased one new fuel truck and replaced one of our oldest trucks this past year. Planning for cardlock Prespatou is also in progress and hopefully will be completed later this year.

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~ Management projects 2015 sales to increase $1.4 million, our members demand for fuel continues to grow and our market share becomes larger, lumber, oil and gas demands climb due to increase exports to Asia markets, stronger cattle prices and increased grain acres planted. ~ Employees were thanked for their continued hard work and dedication. One employees was recognized for course their years of service to the Co-op, Katrina Marquardt 5 years. Twelve door prizes were awarded to members and guests. ~ Members with any questions about the Annual Meeting or operations, please call Brad Lussier, General Manager at 250-785-4471 or on his cell at 250-262-2785.

FIND Y YouR HuSQVaRNa at You

#47 Vic Turner Road, Dawson Creek, BC Ph: 250-782-6685

10516 Alaska Road Fort St. John, BC Ph: 250-785-6675

Check us out on Facebook & Twitter

Photo Credit Facebook photo Jennifer Snider, Fort St. John Association for Community Living board president.

BRONWYN SCOTT reporter@northeastnews.ca FORT ST. JOHN – “It is so easy to get caught up in our own worries and the fast pace of our own lives. Sometimes, we forget about everyone else around us . . .”. That’s the mentality that Jennifer Snider, board president for the Fort St. John Association for Community Living, wants to uproot with the association’s 7th annual Pay It Forward Day. Inspired by the ‘Pay It Forward’ movement around the world, the Fort St. John Association for Community Living is going to be giving back to the community on Fri., June 12. As a non-profit organization that provides services to adults with developmental disabilities, FSJACL relies heavily on the community for sponsorships, financial support, and volunteers. Thankful for those who continually step forward to help out, FSJACL has strived to recognize the community’s dedication and support with a day to give back since 2009. It will be a day where the people in the organization will, in some way, Pay It Forward throughout the day. “Pay It Forward Day is a great opportunity for each and every one of us to do something big or small for someone else and to brighten their day . . . if only for a moment,” said Snider. “In return, we pause and reflect on how much that little action can mean, and what a small sacrifice it was to make.” Each act of kindness can be as simple as opening a door for someone, paying for someone’s coffee, putting money in a parking metre or helping to raise money for a cause. The acts can be impromptu or planned. Although this Pay It Forward Day is starting with the FSJACL, it is not only for the organization’s members. It’s for everyone to join in on. FSJACL encourages people to perform their own acts of kindness, and also to report acts of kindness on that day to either Moose FM, at 250-787-222, or Sun FM, 250-7877403, or The Bear, at 250-787-9669. FSJACL also has a “Pay It Forward” page on Facebook where acts of kindness can be shared. The hope is that Pay It Forward Day will encourage many people to participate, share stories, and inspire others to not only extend kindness on the annual Pay It Forward Day, but to extend kindness to others every day.

May 28, 2015

Northeast NEWS

UNBC celebrates 30 new doctors

Page 21

Personalized service for remarkably natural results

11116 100th Avenue, Fort St John, BC info@mediskin.ca Ph. 250 787 0010 or book online

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Photo Credit Submitted photo These five new graduates are all from northeastern B.C., and can proudly call themselves doctors.

BRONWYN SCOTT reporter@northeastnews.ca FORT ST. JOHN – Thirty graduates from the Northern Medical Program have transitioned from students to doctors, and they celebrated the milestone in Prince George on Sat., May 16. Although they can now call themselves physicians, the graduates are not yet licensed. They must complete the residency and fellowship training component of their education, which takes between two and seven years depending on their specialty. Of the 30 graduates, 14 are from northern B.C., and ﬁve from northeast B.C. Taya O’Neill is from Fort St. John, and Omesh Syal, Jayden McIntyre, Elizabeth Weninger, and Sheldon Clark are all from Dawson Creek. Of the 2015 class, 20 will be entering family practice residency program, and nine of those will be training in Northern B.C. One graduate, Alison Leighton, will be doing her family medicine residency in Fort St. John. During this next step of her medical education, Leighton will be assigned a preceptor, in this case a local physician in town, with whom she will spend time with at his or her local clinic. She will also spend time at the hospital, working alongside different specialists. “She’s going to be doing broad training with various specialists,” explained Sonya Kruger, communications ofﬁcer with the Northern Medical Program. “So she would be doing emergency . . . gynecology,

working for example with a pediatrician, an internist, just different specialties that are in town or ones that come to town, she’ll spend time with as well.” The Northern Medical Program is a distributed site of UBC’s Faculty of Medicine. Although the students studied at UNBC, except the ﬁrst semester that was spent at Vancouver’s UBC campus, they degree they received is from the UBC Faculty of Medicine. The medical undergraduate degree program takes four years to complete, and to get into the program, an applicant must have 90 credits of a university undergraduate degree. “Most have ﬁnished an undergraduate degree before you come into our program . . . and you have to have certain courses that you have done,” Kruger said. The Northern Medical Program gives medical students the opportunity to get to know the north, and what it means to be a physician who would practice in a rural environment. “It gives them that opportunity to kind of get to know that, so when they move on past graduation with the medical program, that hopefully they’re looking at opportunities in rural areas, depending on their own personal interests,” said Kruger.

She’s going to be doing broad training with various specialists . . .

Special Olympics Continued from Page 15. All proceeds are going to benefit the Fort St. John division of Special Olympics B.C. There will be 38 local athletes benefitting from the event. “We have bowling, rhythmic gymnastics, athletics, golfing and swimming qualifiers that all happen in the year 2016, so we either have to travel out to that or host those events in Fort St. John, and they all cost dollars,” Laboucane said. The event takes roughly three months to plan, and numerous volunteers are required to pull it off. This year 17 people came out

to help, including ﬁve athletes: Tyler, Miranda, Katie, Wyatt and Darlene. “We have people with intellectual needs helping out, we have people with intellectual needs actually participating,” Laboucane said, explaining that the event not only raises dollars, but also awareness of the Special Olympics. Not only do volunteers come out every year to help out, but sponsors are always very generous in supporting the cause. “The sponsorship has been really good this year. The businesses, even though everybody’s hit, they are still supporting us,” she said. “We can’t do this without volunteers, we can’t do this without golfers. So a shout out to them.”

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Page 22

Northeast NEWS

May 28, 2015

CLASSIFIEDS SERVICES

Read the

SERVICES

Sterling Management Services Ltd. has for rent:

Bach. 1 and 2 bedroom apartments. Townhouses, Duplexes & Houses. Fort St. John Dawson Creek Commercial Space For Lease/Rent

250.785.2829

• PROPERTY MANAGEMENT • COMMERCIAL • RESIDENTIAL •

HELP WANTED

ADVERTISING

Get your message home. Book your ad now!

We are looking for great candidates to join our Dawson Creek Branch for the following full time position: Commercial Loans Clerk Interested candidates are invited to email their cover letter & resume by June 7, 2015 to vtay@lvcu.ca

Phone 250-787-7030 www.northeastnews.ca

Kristine • Sales Fort St. John, BC

On Line

www.northeastnews.ca

HELP WANTED

TENDER

United Way of Northern British Columbia

SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 60 (PEACE RIVER NORTH) TENDER – CUSTODIAL SERVICES

“Investing in the organized capacity of persons to care for one another” The United Way of Northern British Columbia is a leading proponent of community development initiatives and collaborates with agencies providing programs and services in Northern BC. Our plan is to expand and support programs and services in North East BC by seeking an individual to join our office, located in Fort St John.

Community Development & Campaign Officer

North East Office (Fort St John, BC) (One year Term Position commencing August 1, 2015)

Dawson Creek’s Local Located in Fort St John, this position is responsible for working with key community Electric Instrumentation leaders, volunteers, community & groups and organizations in the South Peace – Dawson Creek, Chetwynd, Tumbler Ridge. The incumbent will assist communities, located in Service Provider Northeastern British Columbia, to plan and establish programs and services and build volunteer capacity to address emerging and critical community needs.

Hiring Electric/Instrumentation Journeyman/Apprentice

Please apply if you have: • experience in fundraising or community development • leadership qualities and strong project coordination experience • great interpersonal skills and a strong capacity to interact with key community leaders and community health and social service providers • experience managing a volunteer workforce • proven organizational and analytical skills and are attentive to detail • strong communication skills (written and verbal) • the ability to work under pressure while meeting deadlines and goals • strong computer skills, including database applications • access to personal transportation and a willingness to travel throughout northeastern BC • the ability to work outside of standard business hours

Since 2008 Edge Controls has been serving Dawson Creek and area with Residential, Commercial and Industrial electrical and instrumentation.

We also offer electrical and instrumentation parts retail. RV Batteries & Solar Panels Available. Being locally owned and operated

We arewe looking for anour individual with in the doing above skills aptitudeswork in addition to a postpride selves 1stand quality with secondary education in community organization, marketing or communications and 100% customer satisfaction GUARANTEED. demonstrated experience in community building and fundraising. Previous experience in a United not-for-profit environment wouldin bethe anairport asset.industrial subdivision. StopWay for aor coffee anytime at our new location If you are a committed and dynamic individual who is dedicated to excelling in a challenging and rewarding environment, please apply in writing by June 19, 2015, to:

We carry pre wired power sheds for 250.784.0555 your rural 34 Vic Turner Airport Industrial Rd., Dawson Creek, BC V1G 4H9 United Way of Northern British Columbia thanks all applicants, however, only selected power needs! Fx (250) 784-0556 • office@edgecontrols.ca Trevor Williams, Executive Director United Way of Northern British Columbia Fax (250) 562-8102 trevorw@unitedwaynbc.ca EDGE ELECTRIC & CONTROLS • candidates will be contacted.

School District No. 60 (Peace River North) is accepting tenders to provide custodial services at each of the following schools (three separate tenders): 1. 2. 3.

Upper Halfway – approximately 130 kms from Fort St. John Buick Creek – approximately 71 kms from Fort St. John Wonowon – approximately 88 kms from Fort St. John

Custodial services will commence September 1, 2015 and continue up to and including July 15, 2017, with the option of extending to a third year. In general, duties will include: o Daily cleaning of the school, five days per week (Monday - Friday); o Steam cleaning carpeted areas at least three times annually, and as required; o Removal of snow from outside entrances and fire exits; o Cleaning exterior windows at least twice annually; o Keeping the immediate area around the school clean from debris and garbage; o Changing light tubes and bulbs, as required. NOTE:

Tenders for Wonowon Elementary School are not to include cleaning of the kitchen area or other cleaning required as a result of Wonowon Horse Club activities.

Contractors will be responsible for supplying cleaning supplies and equipment. If there is a need for equipment rental from the District, that need must be stated within tender proposal. Contractors must be able to communicate and work in co-operation with the staff in the school. Contractors must have their own WorkSafe BC coverage and supply the clearance letter to the district with the tender submission. Separate tenders, stipulated in dollar amounts per month, must be submitted for each location. The lowest or any tender will not necessarily be accepted. Further detail concerning this tender may be obtained by contacting Chad Cushway, Supervisor of Safety Services, at 250-263-6422. Written tenders reflecting experience and at least three references will be received by the Secretary-Treasurer until 12:00 noon, June 8, 2015. Envelope must be clearly marked “Custodial Tender – (School Name)” and delivered to: Secretary-Treasurer School District #60 10112 – 105 Avenue Fort St. John, BC V1J 4S4

May 28, 2015

Northeast NEWS

CLASSIFIEDS

Garage Sale: Huge Multi-Family Garage Sale. Saturday May 30 at 8003-96 Ave. Weather Permitting - lots of new and used! 05.28 Mystery Shoppers Wanted. National Market Research company seeks individuals to evaluate customer experience at local establishments. Apply FREE: shop.bestmark.com or call 1-800969-8477. 05.07-06.11 Full Hearing Services ages 12 and up. Locally owned and operated. Open M-F 9-4:30. 9807 101 Ave #111 Fort St. John (250) 787-7758 05.1407.16 10x We are looking for a qualified Child Care Provider to help us w/ our 2 Children ages 3 and 2. Experience and references are a plus. For detailed information and interest person please contact us at: 250-271-0933; cvsimmigration@gmail.com 05.14/07.23 every2 For Hire: Fort St. John Representative. Hands on roll - field service to field sales in a growing start up. Role includes; - Service field equipment - Setup units - Service generators - General maintenance of units - Field Sales - Safety documentation for the area - Equipment & maintenance tracking - On-call 24/7 as required (Scheduled time off available) to accommodate startup and growth phase - Travel required (some overnight work may be required) Competitive compensation pkg. Growth opportunities. Company service truck for required travel. Send resumes to mg@ apolloenergy.ca. 05.21-06.04 3x

FOR RENT

Li-Car Management Group is now taking applications for 1, 2 and 3 bedroom units,

Contact our ofce for more information! Phone: 250-785-2662 Email: reception@licar.ca

SHORT & LONG TERM RENTAL HOUSING. 1&2 BDRM unfurnished from $1320 + hydro. 1&2 BDRM furnished from $1550 incl. Dishwasher. Insuite laundry. Elevator. Parking. Non-smoking. New mgmt. Reliable maintenance. 900 100A Ave., Dawson Creek 250.782.2255 SkylineLiving. ca 05.07-05.28/4x

NOTICE

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Who: Northern Environmental Action Team What: Annual General Meeting 2015 When: June 10, 2015, 7-9pm Where: Northern Lights College, Fort St. John, Rm.104 Why: All are invited!

For more information Contact: 888-689-6328 info@neat.ca

Page 23

HELP WANTED

LAWYER

Full-Time Permanent

Dick Byl Law Corporation is a proud and progressive Personal Injury law firm located in British Columbia’s Northern Capital, since its beginning in 1993. The lawyers and staff at the Dick Byl Law Corporation are committed to working with our clients to ensure that they are treated fairly and their needs are met. With a strong emphasis on team work, a pleasant and cohesive working environment is created and this, combined with modern computer technology, enables us to ensure our clients’ files are handled in an efficient and professional manner. We recognize that there are many choices and the selection of legal representation is an important one. The Dick Byl Law Corporation has deep roots in this community. We strongly support the people who live in this and our neighbouring communities because we beleive that it is these people who are the backbone of our success. We are a busy, well established Personal Injury practice looking for a lawyer with 2 to 5 years experience. We are located in the City of Prince George. Please forward cover letter with salary expectations and resume to: lauralee@dbylaw.com Expiring: June 15, 2015

Advertising Sales Consultant Dawson Creek

Make a difference join the Northeast News team; the number one community newspaper in Northeast BC. The Northeast News has an opening for the position of Advertising Sales Consultant. We are seeking a “team player” with organizational skills, sales experience, pleasant telephone skills, experience in creating written proposals and an ability and desire to work and learn in a fast paced, busy environment. The ideal candidate must be motivated and take the initiative to sell multiple media products, including on-line advertising and special products, work with existing customers and find ways to grow sales and income. Strong interpersonal skills and a strong knowledge of sales and marketing are required. Above average communication skills, valid driver’s licence and a reliable vehicle are necessary. The benefits and opportunities of working for the leading newspaper in Northeast BC are why we attract and employ the best. If a rewarding challenge resonates with you, contact us today. Please submit your resume and cover letter to the attention of:

Brenda Piper, Publisher / Sales Manager Northeast News, 9909 - 100th Avenue, Fort St. John, BC V1J 1Y4 salesmanager@northeastnews.ca

NOTICE

NOTICE OF EXCLUSION APPLICATION Regarding Land in the Agricultural Land Reserve I, Keldon Kevin Fell and Rachel Wendy Fell of RR #1 S15 C123 Fort St. John BC V1J 4M6 intend on making an application pursuant to Section 30(1) of the Agricultural Land Commission Act to exclude from the Agricultural Land Reserve the following property which is legally described as, Lot 7 Section 24 Township 84 Range Road 19 west of the 6th Meridian Peace River District Plan 9578 Except Plan 18582 Any person wishing to express an interest in the application may do so by forwarding their comments in writing to, Peace River Regional District 9505 100th Street, Fort St. John BC V1J 4N4 by June 11, 2015

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Northeast NEWS

May 28, 2015

Due to Customer Demand, we have extended the sale to MAY 31st

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