Prince George Citizen August 29, 2019

Truck fire

Prince George Fire/Rescue Department

Ferry Avenue for a brief time so that

Girls getting more involved in gang violence in B.C.

Laura KANE, Amy SMART

The Canadian Press

VANCOUVER — As gang unit officers for the Vancouver police, detectives Sandy Avelar and Anisha Parhar often pull over boys and men in flashy cars with drugs and guns in the glove compartment. But they also meet girls and women in the passenger’s seat, toting designer purses and expensive jewelry.

The detectives have noticed that often these females are assumed to be naive bystanders or helpless victims. While that may be true in some cases, Avelar and Parhar are pushing for recognition that many of these girls and women are more deeply involved.

“We don’t sit there and say: ‘Every girl’s a victim. Poor girl. She’s going to get targeted. These are the big, bad boyfriends coming in with the tattoos,’ ” Parhar says.

“That’s one facet of it, but I think something important is there are lot of girls that knowingly get involved. They want the money. They want the image. They want all that.” Girls and women are not immune from gang violence in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland. Females often become involved as girlfriends, but experts say they’re increasingly active participants, carrying guns and drugs or providing their names for houses, cars, credit cards and phones.

While females sometimes mistakenly believe they’re safe from gunfire, they have been killed over the years. Seventeen females

CP PHOTO

Detective Anisha Parhar and Sgt. Sandy Avelar, who run a program on their own time to try and keep girls out of gangs, pose for a photograph in Vancouver on July 3.

have been killed in gang-related violence between 2006 and 2017, according to an analysis by B.C.’s anti-gang agency, the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit. Today, prevention programs are targeting girls and women to keep them out of gangs.

Avelar and Parhar launched a program in 2017 to help discourage girls from gang life called Her Time. The program, which is not an official Vancouver police initiative but is supported by the department, educates young women on the dangers of dating gangsters and aims to shed the allure of the gang lifestyle.

The detectives deliver their presentation in schools, community centres and anywhere else it’s requested. They’ve also teamed up with women who have managed to escape gang life to share their stories.

One woman, who asked not to be identified for safety reasons, says she had a “fantastic” life growing up and never got into trouble. But when she was 20, she befriended a woman who introduced her to work as an exotic dancer.

— see ‘I KNOW WOMEN, page 3

B.C. selling less legal pot than most provinces

Laura KANE The Canadian Press VANCOUVER — British Columbia sold less legal cannabis than any province other than Prince Edward Island in the first nine months of legalization and officials blame supply shortages and a slow rollout of retail store locations.

Statistics Canada data shows B.C. sold $19.5 million worth of legal pot from October 2018 through June 2019.

The only province that sold less was P.E.I., which took in $10.7 million with only a fraction of B.C.’s population.

In its annual report, B.C.’s liquor distribution branch said problems with supply and slower than anticipated provincial and municipal approvals resulted in the province’s cannabis industry evolving at a slower rate.

“Managing inventory levels in an environment of product shortages and unknown customer demand is very challenging,” the branch said.

“The LDB is currently building inventory levels in anticipation of future public and private retail stores.”

Alberta has sold the most legal pot, raking in $123.7 million from its dozens of licensed stores. Ontario, which only began opening brick-and-mortar shops in April, sold $121.6 million while Quebec sold $119.2 million. Saskatchewan and Manitoba sold $38.2 million and $32.2 million respectively. The Atlantic provinces also sold more than B.C., with Nova Scotia raking in $47.9 million

Managing inventory levels in an environment of product shortages and unknown customer demand is very challenging.

— Liquor Distribution Branch statement

and New Brunswick nabbing $25.9 million.

B.C.’s liquor distribution branch said in its report that Statistics Canada estimates $2.2 billion worth of cannabis was sold in the fourth quarter of last year across the country, but 65 per cent of it was purchased illegally.

The branch report said its strategy on pricing is focused on being competitive with the illegal market and there were 212,000 retail transactions through store and online sales, with an average transaction value of $74.38, in the first six months of legalization. When edibles are introduced, the industry will need to adapt again, it said.

Branch CEO Blain Lawson said it had a $2 million revenue shortfall this year, due mostly to the upfront costs of adding the distribution and retail sale of cannabis to its operations. — see ‘IT’S VERY, page 3

Wildfire Service starting controlled burn next week

Citizen staff

The B.C. Wildfire Service will begin burning pile of accumulated woody debris in an area southeast of Prince George starting on Tuesday.

The controlled burn will cover a 3.8 hectare area north of Frenkel Road and south of Highway 16.

The B.C. Wildfire Service expects burning in the area to continue periodically until Nov. 1, depending on weather and other local conditions. Smoke and flames may be visible from nearby Blackwater Road, as well as Highway 16 and Frenkel Road.

“The debris piles will be lit only if conditions are suitable and allow for quick smoke dissipation,” a Ministry of Forests statement said.

“Once the debris piles are ignited, the intention is to extinguish them within 24 hours. BC Wildfire Service personnel will be onsite with firefighting equipment to monitor and control the burn piles at all times.”

The goals of the controlled burn are to reduce the amount of fuel available to a potential wildfire in the area, reduce the risk of an interface fire (a wildfire that burns into an urban area) and creating a gap between forested areas within 200 metres of homes.

For more information about current wildfires, burn restrictions, etc., go online to www.bcwildfire. ca. To report a wildfire, unattended campfire or burning violation, call 1-800-663-5555 or *5555 on a cellphone.

Father says he doesn’t know why he didn’t deny killing his daughters

The Canadian Press

VANCOUVER — A Crown attorney asked a B.C. father why he didn’t tell his sister he hadn’t killed his daughters or that they were attacked in his apartment.

Patrick Weir asked Andrew Berry at the man’s B.C. Supreme Court trial on Wednesday about a note he exchanged with his sister when he was in hospital following the alleged attack.

The trial heard earlier that Berry was stabbed in the throat and chest and because he couldn’t talk, he exchanged notes with his sister.

Berry is charged with seconddegree murder in the stabbing deaths of six-year-old Chloe Berry and four-year-old Aubrey Berry in his home in Oak Bay on Christmas Day 2017.

The trial heard Berry’s sister wrote a note saying it would be the last time Berry would see her and she asked whether there was something she needed to know.

Weir asked Berry why he didn’t take this chance to deny that he had killed his daughters. “You can try logic and parse this inside out,” Berry replied. “I don’t know.”

‘I know women who are dead’

— from page 1

She met her boyfriend – now her ex – at the strip club. He was a “great guy” in the beginning, she says, but the club attracted shady characters, and soon he was lured by the glamour and status attached to the gang lifestyle. His drug dealing allowed her to quit dancing and live a life of luxury, she recalls.

“I was able to shop seven days a week if I wanted to. I barely wore the same thing twice. We had a beautiful apartment in a very high end neighbourhood of Vancouver,” the woman says.

“The fact that someone wanted to take care of me in every which way made me think he was the one. ... Women do stupid things when they are young and in love. I am a prime example of that.”

When he asked her to join him on a trip across the border, she happily went along, looking

forward to shopping in the United States. She knew he was going to meet someone but she says she wasn’t involved in the plan.

The decision changed her life forever.

Border authorities searched the car of the man her boyfriend was supposed to meet and found drugs. The discovery led them to the car where she and her boyfriend were waiting, and both were arrested that afternoon.

She pleaded guilty to knowledge of a crime and failing to report it and served eight months in a federal prison.

“My family was heartbroken,” she says. “They were of course extremely disappointed in me for getting myself into this situation, as they were never a fan of my exboyfriend. Never liked him.”

The woman has since rebuilt her life and says a program like Her Time is long overdue.

“I know women who are dead – women who got so deeply entrenched into that life that it cost them their own.”

The gang landscape in B.C. is so unusual that when Parhar and Avelar travel to the U.S. or other parts of Canada, officers are often dumbfounded by their descriptions of gangsters’ girlfriends. The women may be nurses or lawyers and look like they belong in The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, the detectives say.

Gang membership in other jurisdictions is typically driven by poverty and need, but Avelar notes that feelings of need may be relative. In the Lower Mainland, where multimillion-dollar homes and Lamborghinis abound, young girls and women scrolling through Instagram may feel they “need” luxury goods, she says.

The main reasons why girls get involved with gangs include the

‘It’s very difficult for the legal industry’

— from page 1

The national supply shortage has held back legal sales across the country, but B.C. was slow to open stores and it also has the strongest black and grey market in Canada, said Michael Armstrong, an associate business professor at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont.

Vancouver and Victoria granted business licences to illegal dispensaries in the years prior to national legalization, and some of those shops have remained open despite not being authorized under the new regime, he noted.

“If there are hardly any stores, yeah, some people will go to the government website, but most people... if they’re already getting good service, they’ll just keep going to their grey market or black market retailer,” he said.

He said price and quality are the two biggest factors in a cannabis consumer’s decision of where to shop.

Price isn’t playing a big role yet because the product shortage means legal stores sell out no matter what, he said.

“There are enough consumers who are willing to pay the roughly 40 per cent extra for the legal cannabis,” he said.

“As product supply improves... then the price competition will be much more important.”

As for quality, Armstrong said legal cannabis has an advantage when it comes to consistency and safety.

But illegal marijuana users frequently report that legal weed isn’t as potent as the best pot that’s available on the black market, he said.

Legal edibles are expected to become available toward the end of this year, he added, and the

industry has been putting a lot of money into developing products that aren’t really available in the black market, such as cannabis drinks.

Some think these products will boost the legal market, but others aren’t convinced people will switch from drinking a beer to a weed cooler, Armstrong said.

Provincial governments, particularly in B.C. and Ontario, should focus on opening more stores, he said, and Health Canada needs to continue issuing licences to grow-

ers so they can scale up production.

Once the market is more competitive next year, governments need to reconsider their tax regimes, particularly the complicated excise tax, which differs by jurisdiction and creates challenges for industry, he added.

“On a more average $10-a-gram product, a $1 excise tax is a big chunk and if you want to compete with black market prices that are $5 or $6 a gram, it’s very difficult for the legal industry.”

financial lure, a desire for belonging or recognition, glamour, status and protection, Parhar adds.

While they typically start out as gangsters’ girlfriends, they become more entrenched over time, she says.

“Females will be used for proxy. Because they don’t have a lot of negative police history or the police are less likely to stop a female driving in a car than the guy covered in chains, she kind of goes under the radar,” Parhar says.

Gangs capitalize on this by using women’s names to insure vehicles or rent suites, she says. They also use females for “straw purchasing,” in which women purchase guns legally, then the gang fakes a break-in, and those guns end up being used in a drive-by shooting, she adds.

Then there’s sex trafficking, which has long been a facet of organized crime. Parhar says it’s

A rally was held in front of the Prince George Law Courts building on Wednesday to shine a light on the ‘revolving door’ justice system. Organizers of the peaceful protest hoped to bring awareness to the legal system that residents are fed up.

become easier to recruit girls via social media.

“It’s a tough time for youth and that’s why we’re really big on getting that message out,” she says.

In nearby Surrey, a group of girls in their early to mid-teens gathers to practice martial arts. The program run by the anti-gang group Yo Bro Yo Girl Youth Initiative aims to keep vulnerable girls away from the lifestyle.

Social media plays a huge role, says Harneet Sahota, 20, a martial arts teacher with the group.

“Everyone’s looking to fit in, especially in today’s society, with social media, Instagram, Snapchat, everybody putting their best face forward, edited, photoshopped and all that,” she says.

“Especially females, it gets them feeling insecure, like they need to keep up appearances ... Once you’re straying, there’s many paths for you to stray down.”

Fill housing gaps, cities urge feds

The Canadian Press Canada’s cities want all the federal parties to promise to pour billions more into the national government’s decade-long housing strategy to make sure that seniors, urban Indigenous people and low-income renters aren’t left behind by the tens of billions in already pledged spending.

The call, led by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, put a price tag on many of the federal actions advocates say are needed to make housing more affordable across the country - an issue the parties have spent months reviewing amid polling suggesting it remains top-of-mind for urban voters.

But the cost could be steep: an estimated total of about $827 million a year in new spending, for the remaining eight years of the strategy, that would include helping seniors pay for refits so they can stay in their homes longer, building more housing for urban Indigenous people, and paying for units for homeless people with mental illnesses.

Cities are also asking parties to consider a combination of subsidies and tax credits for owners of aging rental buildings to pay for upgrades and to maintain the apartments as low-cost units.

The Liberals unveiled their 10year, $40-billion national housing strategy in late 2017 in partnership with provinces and territories. They’ve since boasted the total cost is over $55 billion, counting new spending measures in this year’s budget like funding to help offset mortgage costs for first-time homebuyers – a program that has a campaign-tinged start date of Sept. 2, and which the Liberals promoted Wednesday.

But the strategy has faced criticism from the parliamentary budget officer, who in June reported that the plan doesn’t boost funding all that much and also questioned whether its goals are achievable. Housing providers have privately lamented how complicated some of the individual programs are.

FCM president Bill Karsten, a Halifax councillor, said the strategy “certainly solves part of the policy needs for housing in Canada moving forward, but there are some gaps.”

The first gap is for the hardestto-house homeless, who usually struggle with mental illness, addiction, or both. FCM suggests an extra $365-million annual fund to

fully cover the cost of 2,300 new units each year to cut the number of “chronic homeless” in half.

Keeping low-cost rentals on the market carries the next-largest price tag, at $250 million a year. The federation says that would keep about 40,000 units over eight years from falling prey to “renoviction,” where landlords renovate older units as a way to get rid of tenants they otherwise wouldn’t be able to evict and then rent out the refurbished units for more money. Most of the country’s rental housing was built in the 1970s and 1980s and those units are generally cheaper than newer apartments or condos.

The national housing strategy offers money to build new private rental units and renovate ones owned largely by non-profits. Older, less expensive units owned by private landlords are left out, advocates say.

The $250 million would be a combination of grants and tax breaks and come with strings attached, the FCM says, specifically so rents don’t increase beyond what’s allowed, or the rate of inflation, for at least 20 years.

And then there is $162.5 million annually to cover 70 per cent of the cost to renovate or build 1,000 units for urban Indigenous people, whose situation advocates have publicly lamented as a key gap in

the 10-year plan. A report released Wednesday on the issue by the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association estimated repairing or replacing the entire stock of off-reserve affordable housing would cost more than $725 million.

The association’s report, based on a survey earlier this year of 55 Indigenous housing providers, warned that money alone wouldn’t be a silver bullet to the “aging housing inventory, reduced funding and a growing clientele” that has put housing providers in a tough spot.

The association’s report recommends the federal government develop an Indigenous-led program

and centre to “provide advocacy, funding, capacity-building, best practices, and planning services” for off-reserve Indigenous housing providers.

The requests build on years of lobbying by cities and housing groups to reshape how the federal government funds and thinks about each part of the housing market – from social housing, to rentals and home ownership.

“The messages that we’ve outlined as our election planks have been resonating with the party leaders and their campaigns,” Karsten said.

“We’ll just have to wait and see how that translates into election planks from the various parties.”

Alcohol labels should list calories, study finds

The Canadian Press

A study suggests the average Canadian drinker receives more than one-tenth of their daily recommended calories from alcoholic beverages, but you wouldn’t know it from looking at the label.

Researchers at University of Victoria looked at Statistics Canada data on alcohol sales and consumption between 2015-2016 to calculate how many calories Canadians consume from booze.

The study, originally published in the Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research in February, estimates the average Canadian drinker consumes 250 calories from alcohol per day - the equivalent of a grab bag of chips.

Lead author Adam Sherk says when it comes to binge drinking, or four to five drinks per occasion, the number of additional calories rises to 550 per day, or about 25 per cent of the recommended

daily caloric intake. The post-doctoral fellow at University of Victoria’s Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research says previous studies suggest people tend not to consider alcohol part of their overall calorie count.

Sherk says these findings all point to the need for nutritional information to be required on labels for alcoholic beverages, as it is for almost all other packaged food and drinks.

A spokesperson for Health Canada says alcohol is exempt from such labelling because doing so would be a complex matter given its overall impact on health.

“The short- and long-term effects of alcohol on physical and mental health, as well as its addictive qualities and potential adverse consequences are all important considerations that are unrelated to the nutritional quality of these products,” said Geoffroy LegaultThivierge in an emailed statement.

There is a risk people would infer a nutritional benefit from alcoholic beverages with a label strongly associated with food, he added.

“Decisions about drinking alcoholic beverages must go beyond looking at the label to determine the nutritional profile of such beverages.”

But Sherk says labels could also be used to communicate information about alcohol’s other health risks, including cancer, stroke and heart disease.

“What we’re kind of putting forward here is that as a consumer and as a drinker, we have a right to know about the stuff we’re taking into our bodies.”

Ultimately, he said, it will be up to consumers to decide what to do with that information.

“If they want to leave their drinking unchanged, that’s their prerogative,” he said. “We think it’s just the right thing to do from an ethical standpoint.”

Released inmates need support: coroner’s jury

The Canadian Press

A coroner’s jury has recommended that inmates in British Columbia get the medication and mental-health resources they need when they are released.

The jury looked into the death of James Butters, who was shot and killed by police during a confrontation on the Island Highway in Port Hardy in July 2015.

The Independent Investigations Office reviewed the shooting and said it didn’t believe any police officer committed an offence.

The jury made seven recommendations including that offenders are given prescription medications related to their safety when they are released and that the province assume responsibility for arranging psychiatric assessments before they are freed. It also recommends mandatory de-escalation training for all police officers.

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO

People attend the opening of Ts’oo Yoh, a 27-unit seniors housing complex on Spruce Street run by the Aboriginal Housing Society of Prince George in 2018.

Inside Franklin’s HMS Terror

The Canadian Press

It remains, despite nearly two centuries beneath the Arctic seas, amazingly shipshape.

First pictures from inside the HMS Terror, part of the doomed Franklin Expedition, show tidy rows of crockery, neatly stowed storage lockers – even a propeller sitting solidly in place as if ready for a head of steam.

“Overturned armchairs, thermometers on the wall, stacked plates, chamberpots, washbasins – often in their correct position,” said Ryan Harris, one of a team of Parks Canada underwater archaeologists probing the secrets of the British warship lost around 1848 while searching for the Northwest Passage.

“We were able to see an incredible array of artifacts.”

The Terror and the Erebus, now lying in shallower water just to the south of its sister ship’s watery berth off Nunavut’s King William Island, set out from England in 1845. Commander Sir John Franklin and his 129 men never returned.

More than 30 expeditions tried to find them.

A few artifacts, graves and horrible tales of cannibalism is all they uncovered.

But with a blend of Inuit oral history and systematic, high-tech surveys, the Erebus was found in 2014 and the Terror two years later, to headlines around the world. Since then, Parks Canada has been working to understand what is down there and what light it could shed on a story that has become part of Canadian lore.

The 2017 season yielded a complete underwater survey of the Erebus, Franklin’s flagship. Bad weather shortened last year’s season, but conditions this year couldn’t have been better for a first look into the Terror.

“It was sunny and calm,” said Harris, speaking by satellite phone from the RV David Thompson, the Parks Canada research vessel perched over the Terror. “You start

Vaping reports alarm Canadian health officials

The Canadian Press

Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health says he and colleagues across Canada have increased their vigilance as American health officials investigate nearly 200 cases of severe respiratory illnesses potentially linked to vaping.

Dr. Robert Strang said surveillance is being strengthened and he is sending informal email inquiries to respiratory specialists and intensive care units at Nova Scotia hospitals to see if there are any similar cases.

“It’s premature to say that these (U.S. cases) are absolutely caused by vaping, but the links are very concerning,” Strang said in an interview. “We are well aware of the broader issue, and I’m certainly involved in the national conversations ... around what more do we need to do to strengthen our approach to vaping.”

As of late last week, officials with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 193 people in 22 states had contracted severe respiratory illnesses after vaping. But they stressed that a clear-cut common cause of the illnesses hadn’t been identified and that they were being classified as “potential cases still under investigation.”

Strang, who has long been outspoken about the potential dangers posed by e-cigarettes and vaping products, said Health Canada was already looking at strengthening its regulations before the U.S. health scare began in June.

He said health officials are collaborating on draft regulations to strengthen protections for youth, in particular. Provincial regulations are also being examined to see if they can be beefed up.

“This new (U.S.) evidence raises the importance and the urgency of that work while we wait for more definitive information to come,” Strang said.

Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada confirm they are monitoring the recent U.S. clusters of acute pulmonary illnesses reportedly linked to the use of vaping products, which have led to one death.

Maryse Durette, a spokeswoman for the two agencies, said Canadian health officials have not yet seen any evidence of similar clusters occurring in Canada.

Durette said in a statement that Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada are in close contact with counterparts in the United States, including the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to “better understand” the investigation into the illnesses.

to see the wreck shortly after you start your descent.”

After numerous dives scouting the exterior, Harris piloted a melon-sized remote camera through an open hatch and into the ship. The images were stunning.

“You have the lights of the ROV penetrating the darkness,” he said. “Looking forward in the corridor, you see the list of the ship to starboard.

“And then off to the left, you see a succession of doors into various officers’ cabins. Every single sliding door agape. Just imagine piloting the vehicle into one cabin after the next and see the private quarters of each officer. You see the bed places, you see the shelves, shipboard articles on the shelves, scientific instruments in their cases and many, many drawers.”

It was, he said, awe-inspiring.

“You can imagine the bustle of activity that once filled these corridors and cabins and messrooms with clamour,” Harris said.

“You carefully manoeuvre the ROV into the

cabins, you feel like you’re in a way violating their privacy. It’s exhilarating, but it’s quite a solemn space.”

The ship remains so intact the camera was able to visit 90 per cent of it. Some skylights even retain their glass.

The only door they found closed was, tantalizingly enough, the one opening on

the cabin of Capt. Francis Crozier. Even more tantalizing are all those cabinets and drawers, probably full of journals and maps, Harris said. Those papers, preserved by cold water and a protective layer of sediment, are likely to be legible.

“Each drawer potentially has materials that could shed light on the fate of the expedition,” he said.

The Terror’s tidy condition only poses another mystery.

“It looks like the ship, in many ways, was fully operational and then suddenly deserted. All the cabin doors were opened, almost as if there was a rush to see if anyone was on board as it sank. We don’t know.”

No Terror artifacts have been recovered. The team has first to map the entire site and analyze hundreds of hours of video.

Excavation is just starting on the wreck of the Erebus. Harris said he hoped the team could stay at work until mid-September.

A total of 65 artifacts previously recovered from the Erebus were retained by the United Kingdom, with many now on tour. Canada and the U.K. will negotiate where those objects will go after the tour is over. Parks Canada is storing other Erebus artifacts.

The U.K. has given the ships to Canada.

Future plans for both ships will be decided between Parks Canada, the government of Nunavut and Inuit.

Opinion

How non-profits can do business

Can a non-profit organization pursue both social gains and business revenue? Or is it as futile as mixing water and oil and hoping that the oil – commercial interests – won’t rise to the top?

Think about the YMCA of Canada. The Y is one of Canada’s oldest and largest charities, serving more than 2.25 million people each year from 1,700 program locations. It offers a wide range of social programs, from youth leadership development and immigrant services to skills development workshops. It also operates what is essentially a health club business that is somewhat more distantly tied to its mission, yet provides a critical source of revenue. The Y seems to be able to carry out its model of social enterprise just fine.

But for every YMCA, there are many more non-profits committed to advancing a social cause that struggle with finding revenue sources to keep themselves afloat. It’s no surprise; these two approaches often require very different mindsets and trying to pursue both requires a cultural shift for traditional non-profit organizations.

Traditionally, non-profit organizations that wanted to increase their revenues tended to create commercial activities that were unrelated to their core social activities.

Think about the annual cupcake sale organized by your local soup kitchen, or the café created within your local history museum. Those initiatives generate a welcome surplus of revenues but they remain somewhat unconnected to the core social mission of the organization.

Many say the concept of social enterprise represents the incursion of neoliberal thinking – putting the market above all else – into a sphere where it doesn’t belong.

Some scholars have predicted that ultimately, the “enterprise” would come to dominate the “social” as the pursuit of funds becomes the goal rather than the connection to a social purpose.

But are non-profits really selling their souls to the market?

Maybe not.

This argument overlooks the ways in which organizations and their leaders assimilate and adapt new ideas.

Our research suggests that non-profits tempted by the social enterprise model do not necessarily lose sight of their social mission.

In fact, we observed the opposite trend: non-profit organizations interested in developing commercial activities learned, over time, how to integrate them more deeply with their social goals.

We came to this conclusion after analyz-

ing 14 years of grant applications submitted to Enterprising NonProfits, then a leading Canadian funder that has since shut down, by non-profit organizations that sought to commercialize some of their services to create earned revenue.

With this long-term perspective, we could identify how non-profits in our study described their operating models and whether those models changed over time as the concept of social enterprise emerged and became more prevalent in society at large.

What we found is that the power of commerce did not win out as the years went by.

Yes, in the early 2000s, when the concept of social enterprise was still new, many nonprofits tended to emphasize the revenuegeneration aspect of their new venture over the social mission, and to keep the two rather disconnected.

This was particularly true among nonprofits in the social welfare and community benefit space.

Perhaps these non-profits wanted to differentiate themselves from others in the field or just could not envision how to realize their social mission while developing commercial activities.

But over time, this emphasis on pure revenue-generation diminished. In the education and health fields, it never even dominated in the first place.

YOUR LETTERS

Clear the air

Does anyone remember “not one more tonne?”

Back in 2010, the Millar Addition Citizens Coalition was formed to fight the Community Energy System, which was a proposed biomass burner to be situated right in the downtown. It was to be located close to our homes and schools in the Millar Addition. While the coalition was successful in making the biomass plant relocate, there was still an ongoing odour problem in Prince George.

The Millar Addition coalition continued its struggle to clean up the P.G. air shed. We first approached all levels of government. This proved to be pointless as it appeared as if governments were more interested in supporting big business than us as individuals. Inspired by the example set by the Global Community Monitor Bucket Brigade,

we decided to take air samples at our own expense and have them professionally analyzed.

Shortly after we began, the environment ministry approached us and suggested they would give us the canisters and pay to have them analyzed if we took the samples ourselves.

I, and one other Millar Addition resident, began taking samples in March of 2011.

Each morning we checked the air before going off to work. If the air was putrid, we stopped our plans, set up canisters to take the sample – a one-hour procedure. At the end, the canister was taken to the Ministry of Environment offices for analysis.

We took our last sample in June 2012.

When I arrived in 1973, the air was often foul smelling and people put up with it – “the smell of money” and all that nonsense. Even when it was known that P.G. had a higher rate of lung

cancer, childhood asthma and chronic obstructive airways disease than other places in BC, nothing was really done.

After all we didn’t want big business to close shop.

Analysis of the canisters showed many volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of which two were above acceptable levels –Acrolein (sources: pulp mills, oil refineries, vehicle emissions, residential wood combustion) and Alpha-Pinene. (source: manufacturing, wood based industries.) After the results were known, the odours largely disappeared.

Many individuals have given their time to clean up the air in this town. If the proposed Olefins petrochemical plant goes ahead as indicated, it will be telling us that our health and welfare are unimportant.

This is not the way to grow a city.

Wendy Barteluk Prince George

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Instead, hybrid models sprang up that integrated commercial and social objectives in multiple ways.

Some non-profits offered specialized products or services to their target beneficiaries and generated revenue that way. Others provided employment opportunities to their target disadvantaged populations and thus enhanced their social mission.

In short, non-profits became better at managing the tensions inherent in mixing revenue generation with social mission, and more amenable to exploring different options for doing so.

They learned what worked and didn’t work from their peers, as successful examples of hybrid social enterprises that integrated a social mission into a commercial business project became more visible in the environment.

In the process, non-profit organizations realized that injecting some earned revenue into their activities could not only provide some welcome relief to their bottom line, but also had the potential to enhance and deepen their social mission.

— Jean-Baptiste Litrico is an associate professor of strategy and organization at Queen’s University and Marya Besharov is an associate professor of organizational behavior at Cornell University. This article first appeared in The Conversation.

Would you move to Alberta?

For the past couple of

years, it has been practically impossible to tune out the debate over the relationship between B.C. and Alberta.

While opinions about the eventual conclusion of the Kinder Morgan TransMountain pipeline expansion changed in B.C. after the Canadian federal government chose to buy it, the political situation between the two provincial governments has not been ideal.

Politicians in both provinces have been preoccupied with equalization, “war rooms,” court challenges and coastline protection.

Lost in this battle are the feelings of residents about their neighbours, which have not been explored at length.

Last month, Research Co. asked residents of British Columbia and Alberta a simple question: “Suppose you had to move out of your province and live in any other region of Canada. Where would you move?”

No foreign countries were offered as an option, as respondents may have quickly gravitated towards French Polynesia or the Cayman Islands.

We also chose not to let respondents select the United States. We are aware of the affection of British Columbians for the concept of Cascadia, so there was no appetite to collate copious answers featuring the word “Seattle” or “Portland.”

Our surveys also found that Albertans were evenly split on whether they have more in common with Americans than with the inhabitants of other Canadian provinces.

When British Columbians were asked to ponder a possible move, the most popular answer was “not sure” with 33 per cent.

This was definitely eye-catching. One-third of residents find it very difficult to pick a province to relocate to, even if it comes with the promise of significantly more affordable housing than what is available in Metro Vancouver.

More than a quarter of British Columbians (26 per cent) say that they would pack their bags and head to Alberta to start over. Ontario is a distant second at 16 per cent, followed by Nova Scotia with eight per cent. All remaining provinces and territories are below the five per cent threshold. There are some nuances in the decision-making process that British Columbians would follow if they were forced to move out of the province.

BY

Alberta is a particularly popular destination with men (28 per cent) and residents aged 18 to 34 (31 per cent).

The affinity of British Columbians towards Ontario drops with age. The youngest B.C. adults are more likely to settle on Canada’s largest province (23 per cent) than those aged 35 to 54 (17 per cent) and baby boomers aged 55 and over (14 per cent).

Metro Vancouver is the only region of British Columbia where residents would be more comfortable moving to Ontario (24 per cent) than to Alberta (20 per cent). A third of the residents of northern B.C. (33 per cent) and the Fraser Valley (32 per cent) would have no qualms about packing their bags and heading to Wild Rose Country. The distribution of results was more direct when Albertans were asked where they would move.

Only 14 per cent of residents are undecided about where to relocate, and almost half (47 per cent) choose British Columbia.

This includes a majority of residents of Edmonton (53 per cent), but also sizable pluralities in Calgary (45 per cent) and the rest of the province (42 per cent).

Ontario and Saskatchewan are tied as the second destination for Albertans with 11 per cent each, with Saskatchewan climbing to 16 per cent among residents aged 55 and over and 20 per cent for United Conserative Party voters.

So, in spite of the tenuous relationship between the two current premiers, there are still features of each province that are attractive to residents of the other.

Practically half of Albertans would have no problem looking west to British Columbia if they had to resettle. British Columbians have Alberta as their first choice, but not by such a wide margin, and one-third are befuddled when told to imagine having to move.

— Mario Canseco is president of Research Co.

Results are based on an online study conducted July 23–25, 2019, among 800 adults in British Columbia and 700 adults in Alberta. The margin of error, which measures sample variability, is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points for the British Columbia sample and plus or minus 3.7 percentage points for the Alberta sample, 19 times out of 20.

SHAWN CORNELL DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING

THE NUMBERS

MARIO CANSECO

Canada centre stage in Bannon movie

The Canadian Press

Canada plays a starring role in a soon-tobe-released film aimed at exposing China’s bid for world domination through technology – produced by one-time Trump strategist Steve Bannon.

The film, Claws of the Red Dragon, is fiction, but “inspired by” Canada’s arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou and China’s subsequent retaliatory measures, including the detention of two Canadians for alleged espionage and death sentences meted out to two other Canadians convicted of drug crimes.

Bannon has said the movie is aimed at exposing ties between Huawei, which he describes as the “greatest national security threat” to the United States, and China’s communist government, which he maintains is “the greatest existential threat the West has ever faced.”

He’s also been clear that his objective is to stiffen U.S. President Donald Trump’s resolve to shut Huawei out of development of next generation wireless networks over fears the telecommunications giant is controlled by the Chinese government and its equipment could be used to spy on or sabotage other countries.

Maren Morris leads CMA nominations

The Associated Press

Maren Morris has a chance to win up to eight trophies including album of the year at the 2019 Country Music Association Awards thanks to her work as an artist, songwriter and producer.

With the success of her album GIRL, which Morris co-produced, the Grammy winner scored nominations like single of the year, song of the year and female vocalist of the year.

The album’s title track, which Morris co-wrote, topped Billboard’s country airplay chart this year, the first time a solo female had a No. 1 hit on that chart in well over a year.

The CMAs also announced Wednesday that Dan Smyers of Dan + Shay could win up to six awards work as an artist, coproducer of their self-titled third album and as a co-writer of their crossover hit, Speechless.

Shay Mooney of the Grammywinning duo earned three nominations, including duo of the year.

Carrie Underwood returned to the top category, entertainer of the year, for the first time since 2016, alongside Garth Brooks, Eric Church, Chris Stapleton and last year’s winner, Keith Urban.

There were no women nominated in the top category in 2018 and 2017.

The biggest song of 2019, Old Town Road by rapper Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus, will compete for musical event of the year, also earning a nomination for Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, who is listed as a co-producer of the No. 1 hit (Old Town Road samples Nine Inch Nails’ 34 Ghosts IV).

The nomination is Cyrus’ first since his own breakout countrydance hit, Achy Breaky Heart, was nominated in 1992.

Brothers Osborne picked up four nominations, including two for their collaboration with Dierks Bentley on Burning Man; one for All My Favorite People, a duet with Morris; and duo of the year.

Underwood could win up to four trophies, including for album of the year and female vocalist of the year.

Brooks & Dunn received their first CMA nominations since 2010: they picked up nominations for duo of the year and musical event of the year for a new version of Brand New Man featuring Luke Combs.

The veteran duo, who released a collaborative hits album this year, have a record 14 wins for duo of the year.

Also making history this year is

Jenee Fleenor, a fiddle player who is the first woman ever to be nominated for musician of the year, a category that began in 1988.

Fleenor, who has been in Blake Shelton’s band for about six years and has played on albums for Shelton, Jon Pardi, Rascal Flatts and Terri Clark, has been playing since she was three and knew early on that she wanted to be a studio musician.

But she never really paid attention to the gender disparity in the studio until recently.

“In the studio world, probably 99 per cent of the time, I am the only woman,” Fleenor said.

“Growing up when I wanted to be a session musician, I never told myself I can’t do that because I am a woman.”

New artist of the year nominations went to Cody Johnson, Ashley McBryde, Midland, Carly Pearce and Morgan Wallen. McBryde said after announcing the nominations on Good Morning America that she normally wears leather jackets to award shows, but she’s decided to dress it up this year.

“Another songwriter in town offered to loan me some of her gowns and no one is going to expect me in a gown on the red carpet,” McBryde said.

Underwood is returning to host the CMAs, which will air live on Nov. 13 on ABC, but without her longtime co-host Brad Paisley.

Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire will join Underwood as special guest hosts at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

Mark Wystrach, of the vocal group Midland, who are nominated for two awards, applauded the change in hosting duties as a way to acknowledge women’s contributions to the genre.

“No offence, Brad, but we’ve been wanting to meet Dolly for a long time,” he said Wednesday.

The film is to be released next month by New Tang Dynasty Television, part of the Epoch Media Group that is closely associated with the Falun Gong spiritual movement and includes the pro-Trump and vehemently anti-Beijing newspaper, The Epoch Times.

The 54-minute movie follows fictional Chinese-Canadian journalist Jane Li as she reports on Canada’s arrest of the chief financial officer of Huaxing Hi-Tech; along the way she “exposes the company’s ties” to the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese military, according to a news release.

The film features a Canadian cast, includ-

ing Eric Peterson of Street Legal and Corner Gas fame. A trailer for the movie, replete with ominous soundtrack, shows Peterson – playing a character named James MacAvoy and bearing an uncanny resemblance to Canada’s former ambassador to China, John McCallum – meeting with a detained Canadian named Michael.

In real life, Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor have been detained in China since December, accused of espionage shortly after Canada detained Meng, who is wanted by the U.S. on charges of fraud related to evasion of American sanctions on Iran.

MORRIS

Who’s the spy in your wallet?

Geoffrey A. FOWLER

The Washington Post I recently used my credit card to buy a banana. Then I tried to figure out how my credit card let companies buy me.

You might think my 29-cent swipe at Target would be just between me and my bank. Heavens, no. My banana generated data that’s likely worth more than it is. It ended up with marketers, Target, Amazon, Google and hedge funds, to name a few.

Credit cards are a spy in your wallet – and it’s time we add privacy, alongside rewards and rates, to how we evaluate them. Apple, branching out from gadgets, just began offering a needed alternative. The new Apple Card’s best attribute is privacy (though the fashion faux pas of its white titanium has gotten more attention). Apple limits bank partner Goldman Sachs from selling or sharing your data with marketers. But the Apple Card, which runs on the Mastercard network, doesn’t introduce much new technology to protect you from a lot of other hands grabbing at the till.

With my banana test – two bananas, one purchased with the Chase Amazon Prime Rewards Visa and the other with Apple’s Mastercard – I hoped to uncover the secret life of my credit card data. But in this murky industry, I was only partly successful.

What I learned: the card data business is booming for advertisers, for aiding investors and for helping retailers and banks encourage more spending. And there are many ways a card swipe can be exploited that don’t always require a transaction being “sold” or “shared” in a way that fully identifies you. Data can be aggregated, anonymized, hashed or pseudonymized (given a new name), or used to target you without ever technically changing hands.

People can have different views on whether it’s worth exchanging data for airline miles or cash back. But how are we supposed to make informed decisions when we don’t know where our data is going?

So who all can track, mine or share your transactions? Where does the Apple Card help? Let’s unravel the six kinds of companies that sold me out. It’s bananas.

The bank

When I swiped my cards, of course my banks received data. What’s surprising is who they can share it with. My data helped identify me to Chase’s marketing partners, who send me junk mail. Some even got fed to retail giant Amazon, because it co-branded my card. When I used my Visa, Chase’s privacy

statement reserves the right to share my data for seven different kinds of reasons.

The most appalling category is: “For nonaffiliates to market to you.” Who are “nonaffiliates?” Whoever the bank darn well wants. The term just means a company not owned by Chase.

This is where the Apple Card is different. In the Goldman Sachs privacy statement, its answers to most kinds of sharing is “no.”

Goldman still shares information to credit agencies about whether you pay your bills. But it says it doesn’t feed transactions to marketers or a sister company that mines card data.

Co-branded card partners get a piece of the action, too. Of course Amazon receives data when you buy things on Amazon with its card. What about other purchases?

Chase says it shares information with cobrand partners “at a high level only – not specific details around which merchant, and not specific items purchased,” but Wexler declined to be specific. Amazon also wouldn’t say exactly what it receives.

As a co-branded partner, Apple says it can’t access data about your transactions outside of Apple. The details of your

purchases, visible in the Wallet app, are encrypted so Apple can’t see them.

The card network

This is where Apple’s advantage starts to fade. Once my banana purchase passed to card networks run by Visa and Mastercard, either might have shared them – in an anonymized form – with businesses ranging from tourism bureaus to Google.

One Mastercard program particularly irks privacy advocates. Bloomberg has reported that data from millions of Mastercards –now likely including Apple Cards – ends up helping Google track retail sales. Data goes into a double-blind system that lets the Web giant link ads people have seen back to purchases they’ve made in the real world. A person familiar with the matter, who wasn’t authorized to speak about it, confirmed the deal to me. The firms wouldn’t acknowledge the specific program, but emphasize Mastercard scrubs identifiable information. Mastercard spokesman Jim Issokson says, “Mastercard is not sharing any data or insights for ad measurement purposes to any of the tech giants.” Google spokeswoman Anaik von der Weid says, “We have developed advanced, privacy protective technology in this area, precisely to avoid the sharing of personal information.”

The store

To Target, my credit card acted as a kind of ID – each swipe helps build a “guest profile” about me. That’s useful for learning my habits, targeting me with ads on Facebook and sharing information about me with others. It made no difference whether I paid with the Chase Visa or Apple Card.

Target says it does not “sell” our data. But its privacy policy grants it the right to “share your personal information with other companies” who “may use the information we share to provide special offers and opportunities to you.”

Who are these companies: Marketers? Data brokers? Other retailers? Target spokeswoman Jenna Reck wouldn’t say.

What specifically does Target share? That “varies,” Reck says, but adds “we provide aggregated, de-identified information whenever possible,” she says.

Point-of-sale systems and retailer banks

The tech that helps stores track us often comes from card-swipe machines and the merchant banks that process transactions for them. Those firms gain access to your name, card number and other details, and

often reserve rights to share data in some form. What are they doing with it? This is where my data trail gets particularly murky. Target wouldn’t say who its so-called acquiring bank is or what restrictions it places on it.

Target also wouldn’t say what data restrictions it puts on the company that makes its swipe terminals, VeriFone. That company didn’t answer my emails.

An experience you might have had at a coffee shop shows what’s possible. Ever swipe your card and the terminal already knows the phone number or email to send a receipt? That’s because the system has linked your card to a profile – and you’ve volunteered those details before.

Square, one maker of those systems, says it does not “sell” that data. But it does pass emails or phone numbers we enter for receipts back to merchants. And it shares aggregated data about purchases with organizations including trade groups.

Mobile wallets

I paid for my bananas with physical cards, but smartphone-payment systems introduce even more hands on transactions. Apps can access and store not only what you buy, but also where you go.

Google Pay for Android stores transactions in your Google account. Google says it doesn’t allow advertisers to target you based on that data.

But Google Pay’s default privacy settings, which you can adjust, grant it rights to use your personal information to allow Google companies to market to you.

The Samsung Pay app has details from your last 20 transactions, though the company says the information isn’t stored on its servers.

The app also delivers location-based promotions.

Apple says it doesn’t retain transaction information “that can be tied back to you” when you use Apple Pay.

Financial apps

Many free financial services are actually after your data.

Intuit’s Mint, which lets you track all your accounts in one place, uses your data to market to you in its app.

Financial software maker Yodlee sells deidentified data from customers to market research firms, retailers and investors. Your email might also be a mole. Any time you receive a receipt in Gmail, Google adds to it to a purchases database. Google says it doesn’t use the contents of Gmail to target ads, but that leaves open other uses.

Washington Post tech columnist Geoffrey A. Fowler tracked the same purchase at Target with two kinds of credit cards: the

Chase Amazon Prime Rewards Visa and the Apple Card.

BMX’er returns to his roots

Ted CLARKE Citizen staff tclarke@pgcitizen.ca

Rolly Hilland remembers his first BMX national race in 1989.

He was 10 years old at the time and it rained so hard that weekend on the Prince George track organizers were forced to set up a makeshift course indoors at the Exhibition Park Agriplex.

Thirty years later, Hilland was back at his hometown track at Carrie Jane Gray Park last weekend at the Northern Lights Nationals. He won both days in the 36-40-year-old intermediate class and joined a crowd of relatives cheering on his daughters Tiffany and Rachel as they pedaled the track.

This time the weather was much more conducive to bike racing.

Hilland now lives in Langley, where both his daughters were born and raised, and hadn’t raced on the track since he was a teenager.

“It was 30 years ago this weekend when I raced here,” said Rolly, who moved to Langley in 1999. “In 1989 when we had that national (race) here it got rained out and back then you had to have a backup plan, so all of the volunteers and moms and dads went to the fairgrounds and built an indoor track overnight. Everybody at that national raced on a track no one had raced before, it was crazy.”

Rolly’s wife Lindsay Lachance, also races BMX, but didn’t make the trip to Prince George. Lachance is president of the Langley Flippers Swim Club and both of their daughters are swim racers. They just started racing BMX knowing their dad was going to be racing in Prince George.

“I started racing again last year and I did this on my own, coming back, and they just wanted to be part if it,” Rolly said. “All of my family still lives here so it was exciting to come back here with the kids. They had a good weekend. The track was fun for them.”

Tiffany Hilland, 11, moved up from novice to intermediate and was fifth Saturday and fourth Sunday racing in the 12-year-old class.

“This is my dad’s home track and I like it better than my home track because you don’t know what’s going to happen, it’s new,” she said. “It’s my third or fourth favourite track.”

Rachel Hilland, 10, posted fifth- and seventh-place finishes in the 10-year-old intermediate class.

“My dad raced here was little and that makes me happy because all my family is here,” Rachel said.

The first BMX national event in Prince George in five years drew 280 riders from B.C. and Alberta and five U.S. states –Washington, Idaho, California, Arizona and New York. The host Supertrak BMX Club has revamped its track in a $200,000 renovation raised through grants and private donations. The 1 1/2-year project was completed last year and the Northern Lights event was their first chance for local riders to show it off to a national crowd.

“We’ve become a player again in the national world,” said Supertrak BMX Club president Corrie Anderson.

Shylo Orchard of Vernon, currently ranked No. 1 in Canadian 40-45 girls cruiser class, travels all over Canada and the U.S. to race and said Prince George and volunteers who operate the Supertrak club deserve

high praise for the work they’ve done to promote the sport and build a nationalcalibre facility.

“This event has been amazingly put on,” said Orchard, who finished second to Deb Williams of Didsbury, Alta., in her 41-45 women cruiser races. “It’s been five years they’ve gotten a national and this was so well-run. I can’t say enough about the volunteers and the organization and their energy and effort. It’s a BMX family, so all of these kids, when we come together, the family just pulls together.

“We’re going to come back, just because of the support and the community. I know this club is always looking for new riders and they’re so welcome with beginners.”

Carson Toth is in that category. The 24-year-old works as a train conductor for CN Rail and was talked into trying BMX by a fellow worker, Bryce Lamont. Toth hadn’t ridden a bike of any kind in six years when he started showing up for Supertrak club races in April. At the national pre-race event Friday he won 21-25-year-old cruiser class and then was fed to the wolves in the national races Saturday and Sunday.

“It was an eye-opener for sure, lots of nerves,” said Toth, who built his athletic endurance playing in the Prince George Senior Lacrosse Association for the Bandits.

“I’d never raced before this year and my very first run I crashed. It’s so much different that riding a normal bike. Everyone is so fast and the competitive level is high. You think it’s a no-brainer to just hop on a bike and go, well I crash every second day out here. You think, how do these kids just do this and for them it’s no problem. I try not to get airborne because if I do I usually crash.”

Toth finished fifth Saturday and fourth

Pfoh no friend of Centennials

Ted CLARKE Citizen staff

Brett Pfoh collected two goals and Chong Min Lee and Nick Poisson each picked up a goal and an assist to power the Prince George Spruce Kings to 5-3 B.C. Hockey League preseason win over the Merritt Centennials Tuesday night at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena

Jett Alexander, in his debut in net for the Spruce Kings, stopped 28 of 31 shots to lock away the victory.

Nicholas Poisson and Fin Williams also scored for Prince George.

Daniel Tkac, who opened the scoring late in the first period, Payton Matsqui and Troy Quinn were the Merritt goalscorers. All

on Sunday in his national races, competing against two seasoned riders from Idaho and Cole Patterson of Prince George, who placed second and third.

“It takes time, some guys have raced 14 years and how to race against that, I’ve maybe raced 14 times, all this year,” said Toth.

The increased profile of the national event gave Toth his first opportunity to race riders within his age class. That doesn’t happen at smaller club races where he’s lumped together with all the cruisers, including the city’s grand-veteran, 63-year-old Gord Fairbairn, who has become Toth’s track mentor.

“This is huge, on a normal (club) night we have 10 or 15 motos but today we had 53,” said Toth.

“You get faster. Every race, all weekend I felt faster. You’re always pushing harder racing against faster people. If you’re always first you’re never going to push yourself more. At the beginning of the year Gord was way ahead of me and now we’re competing against each other.”

Fairbairn, who finished third in each of his 51-55-year-old national races, laments the fact he’s not getting any faster.

“That’s what happens, I bring these guys under my wing and train them up and never see them again,” said Fairbairn.

“The 30-year-old dads start off pretty shaky and slow and next thing you know they blow by me.”

Brady Anderson of Prince George, despite nursing cracked vertebrae, took on the pros and finished third in Saturday’s race and was eighth on Sunday. Taylor Otterson of Cochrane, Alta.,won Saturday’s pro race and Joe Rasmussen of Langley won the class on Sunday.

three goals came on power plays. Pfoh gave the Kings their first lead midway through the second period, but Matsqui provided the equalizer 78 seconds later. Consecutive goals from Pfoh, a product of the Burnaby Winter Club, and Poisson put the Kings ahead 4-2, 11 seconds into the third period. Quinn made it close, striking on a Cents’ power play at 8:44 of the third, but just 22 seconds later Williams redirected a shot from Lee to restore the two-goal lead and cap the scoring.

The Kings and Cents will meet Friday in Merritt, the final preseason game for each team.

The Kings outshot the Cents 35-31. Dylan Kosik started in goal for Merritt. He stopped 12 of 15 shots before he was replaced halfway through the game by Aiden Hosein, who blocked 18 of 20 shots.

The defending-champion Spruce Kings open their 24th BCHL season at home on Friday, Sept. 6 when they host the Surrey Eagles.

On that night the Kings will raise their first Fred Page Cup and Doyle Cup banners.

Hailey Soles of Prince George leads Nora Reiling of Sherwood Park, AB out of the first corner at Rolling Mix Supertrak BMX Park on Saturday afternoon while competing

in a moto race of the BMX Canada Northern Lights National No. 1.

Ground out

Gervais, AJHL selects

advance to semifinal in Sochi

Citizen staff

Jeremy Gervais and the Alberta Junior Hockey League selects will be playing for a medal at the Junior Club World Cup hockey tournament in Sochi, Russia.

The AJHL team advanced to the medal round after a 7-0 win over HC Davos of Switzerland on Tuesday. Gervais, a 20-year-old defenceman from Prince George was held off the scoresheet in that game but Daine Dubois of Williams Lake, who plays in the AJHL with Gervais on the Bonnyville Pontiacs, scored the second AJHL goal 9:58 into the second period. Gervais and Dubois played two years of midget hockey together in Prince

George with the Cariboo Cougars. Griffen Bowerman made 15 saves for the shutout as the AJHL outshot Davos 40-15. William Zapernick and Max Giangualano each scored two goals, while Ryan Conroy and Michael Benning fired singles.

The AJHL (2-1) will play Karput Oulu of Finland (3-0) in a semifinal playoff on Thursday. Loko Yaroslavl of Russia (3-0), the defending champions, will face EC Red Bull Salzburg of Austria (1-2) in the other semifinal Thursday. The championship and bronze-medal games will be played on Saturday.

The AJHL opened the tournament with a 3-2 loss to Loko on Saturday, then on Sunday defeated Modo of Sweden 5-4.

Sander strikes twice for Team Black

Citizen staff

Defenceman Jack Sander provided the offensive spark for Team Black, scoring two goals in a 5-3 win over Team White in the Prince George Cougars intrasquad game Tuesday at CN Centre.

He scored both his goals in a four-goal second period which staked Black to a 5-2 lead.

Sander, an 18-year-old native of Beaumont, Alta., is about to begin his second Western Hockey League season. The sixfoot-one, 185-pound product of the Leduc Oil Kings midget program aced the Cougars’ fitness tests on Saturday. He and winger Tyson Upper shared the team’s Mountain Lion Fitness Award as the top overall performers in a range of off-ice tests.

Czech import Fillip Koffer, Craig Armstrong and Kyren Gronick also scored for Black. Replying for Team White were Chi-

cago Blackhawks draft pick Cole Moberg, Connor Bowie and John Herrington. Tyler Brennan, Jacob Herman and Zachery Onskiw teamed up in goal goal for Black and each played one period. Isaiah DiLaura, Colton Phillips-Watts and Ty Young were the Team White puckstoppers.

The Cougars continue team workouts this week at CN Centre.

The preseason begins Sept. 6 in Langley, where the Cats face the Kamloops Blazers in a 4:30 p.m. game.

The following night, also in Langley, the Cougars will take on the defending Western Conference-champion Vancouver Giants, then travel to Kelowna for a Sept. 7 date with the Rockets.

The Cougars wrap up the preseason Sept. 12 and 14 when they play the Edmonton Oil Kings in Dawson Creek. Their season-opener is set for Sept. 20 at CN Centre against Vancouver.

Late run drains Big Guy Lake

Citizen staff

The Big Guy Lake Kings of Prince George began their quest for the Canadian senior men’s fastball championship and as they learned in their 5-4 loss to the Irma Tigers in their opener Wednesday afternoon in Grande Prairie, they face some stiff competition.

Trailing 3-0 after facing just four batters in the first inning, the Kings scored three runs in the top f the seventh to tie the game 4-4, but the Tigers got to Kings’ reliever Bo Thomas in their half of the inning and scored a walk-off run for the victory.

Randy Potskin scored two runs for Prince George and Chad Ghostkeeper and Nicholas Potskin also crossed home plate.

Josh Anderson of Vancouver three five complete innings for Prince George and the Tigers led 4-3 heading into the sixth, when

CITIZEN SPORTS

Thomas took over. Thomas, a pickup from Regina, was the the top pitcher and most valuable player at the Canadian native fastball championship a few weeks ago in Winnipeg. The Kings have also added pitcher Tyler Kunz of Kelowna to their roster. Nicholas Potskin played for Irma at the International Softball Congress world championship in Denmark, Wisc., Aug. 10-12. He was named a Second-Team AllWorld infielder and led the tournament in runs batted in with 12. Irma finished 13th in the 36-team tournament. The Kings were due to face the host Grande Prairie Pirates later Wednesday at 6 p.m. PT.

Big Guy Lake is the first team to represent Prince George at the senior nationals since 2006, when the Prince George Black Bears hosted the event and lost 4-3 in the final to St. Thomas (Ontario).

Toronto Blue Jays’ Bo Bichette slams his bat to the ground after grounding out in the fourth inning of a game against the Atlanta Braves in Toronto on Wednesday. The Braves won 9-4.

Armed to suck blood

Newly discovered species of leech has three jaws and 59 teeth

The Washington Post

A newly discovered bloodsucking, olivegreen leech with three jaws and as many as 59 teeth has been found about 80 km outside of downtown Washington, D.C.

A team led by a researcher at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History discovered the new species, Macrobdella mimicus, in the swamps of southern Maryland.

It’s the first time since 1975 a new leech species has been found in North America.

Anna Phillips, the museum’s curator of parasitic worms, led the team that made the discovery.

She waded in murky waters for days wearing shorts – with bare legs and sandals – looking for leeches under wood, grass and trash in swampy, algae-covered ponds near Nanjemoy, a small community southwest of Waldorf.

The researchers’ findings of the new species, which is about the size of a cigarette, were published this month in the Journal of Parasitology.

Leeches are parasitic worms, and some feed on the blood of their hosts.

In the 1700s and 1800s, doctors sometimes used them to treat fevers and headaches by “ridding a patient’s body of ‘bad blood,’” according to Smithsonian experts.

There are more than 700 species of leeches in the world.

About four years ago, Phillips and her team started to dig into a well-known leech species known to live from the East Coast to the Rocky Mountains, including Canada and the southern United States.

The researchers, from universities across North America, wanted to determine whether the same species lived in such a large geographical area.

“You see a broad distribution with a different geography, and we were suspicious,” Phillips said. “Leeches don’t crawl across dry land, so we wanted to see if there was more going on.”

They collected hundreds of samples of leeches, including six found in swampy ponds in southern Maryland.

Using DNA sequencing and comparisons to more than 100 leech specimens, they discovered the new species.

The leech looked like the well-known M. decora species, but something was different.

To distinguish among species, parasitologists usually look at the way pores are arranged on the bottom of a leech.

Leeches are hermaphrodites and have what’s known as accessory pores that secrete mucus, which helps them stick together while mating.

Scientists noticed these leeches had four accessory pores grouped in two rows, like other leeches, but they also had another set of pores farther back on their bodies. They named the new species Macrobdella mimicus after the Greek word for “imitator” or “actor.”

“They were overlooked,” Phillips said. “It was unrecognized that these were different.”

WASHINGTON POST/SMITHSONIAN HANDOUT PHOTOS

Macrobdella mimicus, above, is the first new species of medicinal leech discovered in North America in more than 40 years. Right, Anna Phillips, the Smithsonian’s curator of parasitic worms, led a team that discovered the new leech in Maryland.

The species lives primarily in the Piedmont region of the United States between the Appalachian Mountains and the Atlantic coast.

Phillips said she spent hours with ticks, flies, mosquitoes and chiggers around her, walking in squishy, mucky water while trying to find leeches in ponds. She was unfazed when a leech would grab on to her leg.

Leeches bite only when they’re hungry, she said.

Indeed, when a leech attaches itself to her, Phillips “gets pretty excited,” she said.

“They come in very stealthy,” she said.

“They use their tail sucker, which is a muscle, to attach and then spread their mouth out and bite.”

The encounter doesn’t hurt – “nothing like a bee sting,” she said – and she uses a fingernail to lift them off.

After a leech finishes, “it will just itch a little.”

“Ticks and mosquitoes are way more scary than leeches,” she said, adding that in her 15 years of studying leeches, she has been bitten many times.

The leech uses its teeth to bite and siphon blood from its prey – usually frogs, fish and tadpoles, along with the occasional human,

Phillips said. It can suck two to five times its body weight in blood because of pockets that expand in its digestive system.

Leeches can go up to a year without eating, and blood meals can take months to digest.

To declare a new species, the team followed standards set by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, which keeps rules and makes recommendations for the scientific naming of animals.

Phillips said she and her team are pre-

Colour begins with chemistry

We have a long history with art. Paintings, sculptures, and dyed clothing date well back before modern civilization took hold. Every culture around the world has engaged in art of some form. Western art can be dated back to Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt. And it is their art which leads to the Egyptians being considered the first chemists. They conducted chemical transformations hardly less refined than European chemists 4,000 years later. Early artisans developed the firing of clay to produce pottery in high temperature kilns. Out of these came the invention of glazing, enamels, glass and metallurgy. The use of silicates generated glazes but freed from the underlying clay led to the development of glass. Inclusion of minerals resulted in coloured glasses and the accidental firing of the minerals by themselves would have resulted in the metals in their raw form. For example, the mineral malachite is an easy source of copper metal while also finding use in green paints. Around 2,500 BCE, the blue pigment called Egyptian frit was being produced in large quantities. The recipe wasn’t a simple accident but required careful precision with one part lime or calcium oxide (which itself was generated from limestone or calcium carbonate), one part malachite and four parts quartz or silica. The raw materials were ground together and fired at a temperature between 800 and 900 C. The temperature was actually quite critical or the results are not the desired blue pigment. This blue added to the co-

lour palette of ancient artists. It shows up as a substitute for the semi-precious gemstone lapis lazuli and was even used to coat sarcophaguses. The generation of pigment was a highly specialized knowledge requiring skill and experimentation. For example, the yellow pigment lead antimonite requires lead oxide or carbonate and antimony oxide as starting materials. These compounds were obtained by chemical transformation of minerals.

The Greeks and Romans used colour in decoration. Modern analysis of structures such as the Parthenon and sculptures such as the Venus de Milo indicate they were once brightly painted. The white stone we see know is a consequence of the paint slowly being weathered away. Greek and Roman houses featured coloured walls and tiled floors with incredible mosaics.

In the middle ages, the colour palette in Europe expanded slowly.

There are a number of reasons behind this but primarily it was due to a lack of cohesive chemistry and a slavish adherence to painting with pure pigments. The blending of colours to produce a richer range was frowned upon and at various times forbidden by painters guilds. This was not so in the Middle East and the Orient where elaborate works of art flourished. Much of modern chemistry owes its origins to Persian alchemists who refined the craft and developed

senting their findings at conferences and spreading the word on social media.

Michael Tessler, a postdoctoral fellow at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, said the new species is unique. He compared it to the feeling of having an “amazing find of anything new in your backyard.”

“This is really quite close to major metropolitan areas where people have professionally studied leeches,” Tessler said. “People have had this under their noses for so long and not known it.”

compounds unknown in the West. Indian dyers developed colours well outside of the European palette which were only slowly introduced into much later artwork. It was through the crusades and trade across the Mediterranean that colour pigments drifted out of Asia and onto the European artist’s canvas. Venice played a critical role as a gateway and it is perhaps not surprising the Italian Renaissance saw such magnificent artistry. Colours, such as ultramarine, vermilion and lead white were featured in paintings. Interestingly enough, colours were still not mixed but glazed one over the other to give varying hues. Transparency was critical to many great paintings. By the end of the 1700s, chemistry had become well-estab-

a greater understanding of chemistry.

lished as a discipline although its technical nature and connection with the material world often left the impression it was not a true science. Nevertheless, its role in the development of art remained firm as William Cullen contended in 1766: “Chemistry is the art of… producing several artificial substances more suitable to the intention of various arts than any natural productions are.” In the early 1800s, artists were admonished to learn a little chemistry and anatomy but to not dwell on the subjects. So in 1832 Winsor and Newton set up shop in London to provide the paints required by professional and amateur artists alike. The generation of colour had moved into the industrial age. Many modern chemical companies such as Bayer, Hoechst, and

BASF began by generating dyes and pigments primarily for the clothing industry but also for use by artists. In the mid-1800s, a whole new range of colours arrived on the scene. Mauve was synthesized as an aniline dye from coal tar by William Perkins and his work led to many imitators generating a wide variety of compounds. The modern pharmaceutical industry actually arose, to some extent, from the chemist’s labs as they pursued better and more diverse ways to make coloured compounds.

Chemistry is the art of transforming matter. It has a long history associated with the transformations necessary to make the wide variety of pigments and dyes used to colour our world.

NEWSPAPER TOOLBOX IMAGE

The very act of inventing colours to paint fuelled

Analysts question crop forecasts

Bloomberg

The Canadian government reported surprising crop forecasts with bigger-than-expected drops for canola and durum wheat. Some analysts are wary of the numbers, saying output will end up being better following favorable weather.

Farmers were surveyed from July 4 to Aug. 5, and beneficial conditions subsequently have probably pushed yields up, analysts said.

Crop development was delayed this year after farmers were forced to plant in dry conditions with rain arriving in late June and early July.

“Benign weather” has boosted the outlook for yields since the government’s survey was completed, Neil Townsend, a senior analyst at FarmLink in Winnipeg, Man, said.

Canola output this year will fall 9.3 per cent to 18.5 million metric tons from 2018, Statistics Canada said Wednesday in a report.

A woman and two young girls ride horses through a canola field near

Analysts expected 19.4 million. Durum production will slump 23 per cent to 4.42 million, trailing the 5.08 million estimate. Total wheat output will drop 2.9 per cent to 31.3 million tons after analysts expected an increase to 32.4 million.

Canola supplies have been shunned by China in a trade dispute, and durum exports to Italy fell after a regulation on country of origin curbed trade in the wheat

variety used to make pasta.

Through Tuesday, canola futures dropped 8.6 per cent this year, touching a four-year low on May 6.

Canada is the world’s top producer.

Spot prices for durum wheat in western Canada are down 5.7 per cent in the past 12 months, according to data from Farmers Advanced Risk Management Co.

“We have a little more uncer-

CP FILE PHOTO

tainty this year than other years because of the pricing conditions in the springtime and then relatively poor conditions right at planting,” Townsend said. Analysts forecasting higher yields may be too optimistic.

Canola development is patchy across Canada with some crops near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, still flowering as of last weekend. The crop faces risk from cooler temperatures and frost.

Legalities surround home ownership

This week, my wife and I were cycling around a central island beachside neighbourhood, lookylooing into the stately homes, admiring the cutesy yards and generally striving to be as annoying as possible.

After a couple of laps around beachfront villas we couldn’t afford, we ventured landward, toward the only-mostly-gorgeous sector and felt a bit more among our people. There in the shade of a mossy maple tree, a hand-painted sandwich board promoted a local artisan. We decided to poke our heads in to the yard and see what children of the 50s looked like in their 60s.

Just inside the driveway, behind a thicket of salmonberry bushes, a bearded ex-pat Albertan with a goofy grin on his face, sat in a five-foot inflatable dingy, oars in hand, mock-rowing across his shaded lawn. Clearly startled that someone responded to their advertisement, he looked wide-eyed, caught in the act of some sort of grassy escape (you decide). We dodged the seven cats, and picked our way about 400,000 handcrafted glass beads before making our decision and moving on.

Silly though he may have seemed, this guy had a roomy workshop that would make any shop teacher proud.

His wife, a cat-rescuer in a tie-died moomoo, was content to play with her glass-crafting instruments, whether or not some wondering couple would make their way in. On inquiry, we learned that they had sold their place in

IT’S ONLY MONEY

MARK RYAN

Calgary, cashed in that one huge tax-free benefit of Canadian life and settled into their dream in Ship’s Point, B.C. Thank goodness even a tax-obsessed government has not yet stripped away the cherished principle residence tax exemption.

This week, our fourth in a fourpart series outlines the benefit some more.

What if the home is owned by a trust? The trustee holds legal ownership of the property for the benefit of the beneficiary, who is in turn (of course) the beneficial owner.

Properties, including a principal residence, may be transferred to or held in a trust to minimize exposure to probate fees and/or U.S. estate tax on death, or to ensure the smooth transition of a property between generations.

Prior to 2017, a trust could designate sold property as a principal residence, and shelter some or all of the resulting capital gains. Since 2017, only certain types of trusts can do so. Namely:

An alter ego trust, spousal trust, joint spousal trust or certain trusts for the exclusive benefit of the settler during the life of the settler.

A testamentary trust that is a qualified disability trust (QDT). The disabled beneficiary must be a spouse, former spouse or child of the settler.

An inter-vivos or testamentary trust for a minor child where both parents have passed away before the start of the year or a testamentary trust for a minor child that arose before the start of the year where one of the parents has passed away.

Since the end of 2016, a special transitional rule allows newly disqualified trusts to use the principal residence exemption to shelter gains accrued up to the end of 2016.

If property is held by a trust that is no longer eligible to claim the principal residence exemption, you may want to consider whether it’s possible to transfer the property a trust beneficiary prior to selling it. If you do this properly, the trustee will be deemed to distribute the property at the its cost base, and the receiving beneficiary acquires the property at the same cost.

Where property is distributed to a beneficiary on a tax-deferred basis, the beneficiary is deemed to have owned the property continuously since the trust last acquired it for purposes of the principal residence exemption.

When the property is subsequently sold by the beneficiary, the beneficiary may claim the principal residence exemption for the years the trust owned the property provided that the beneficiary, or spouse, former spouse or children lived in the property while the trust owned the property.

But be careful. There are circumstances where it may not be appropriate to transfer the property to a beneficiary, as noted below.

Estate planning considerations:

as a surviving spouse, if you want to avoid probate fees or simplify the administration of your eventual estate, you might consider registering title to your principal residence in joint names with children. But that can produce unintended consequences. When you transfer your residence into joint ownership with your child, a taxable disposition may result with respect to the portion of the home transferred (though it may be possible to claim the principal residence exemption). As well, on a subsequent sale, your child may be liable to pay tax on their share of any gains that have accrued on the property, since the principal residence exemption will not be available to your child unless they lived in the home.

Caution and cost considerations: transferring a property into joint ownership with an adult child may expose the home to the marital and creditor claims of the child, and the child will be required to sign any documentation relating to its sale or refinancing. There may also be legal costs and land transfer fees involved. Consult with a lawyer prior to adding an adult child to the title.

— Mark Ryan is an investment advisor with RBC Dominion Securities Inc. (Member–Canadian Investor Protection Fund), and these are Mark’s views, and not those of RBC Dominion Securities. This article is for information purposes only. Please consult with a professional advisor before taking any action based on information in this article. See Mark’s website at: http://dir. rbcinvestments.com/mark.ryan.

National Bank profit up in third quarter

The Canadian Press

National Bank of Canada beat expectations in its third quarter with a seven per cent increase in profit driven by growth across the company.

Net income climbed to $608 million last quarter from $569 million a year earlier, boosted by rising earnings in all segments. Chief executive Louis Vachon stressed that each line of business contributed to the “solid performance.”

“In an environment of economic and geopolitical uncertainty, the bank will maintain its disciplined approach to managing costs, credit and capital,” he said in a statement.

National Bank’s personal and commercial banking division earned $277 million last quarter, up from $250 million year over year and helped by a growth in mortgage and commercial lending.

The wealth management business earned $126 million, up from $120 million a year ago, while the bank’s financial markets arm earned $182 million, up from $178 million. The bank’s U.S. specialty finance and international division earned $69 million, up from $54 million in the same quarter of 2018.

National Bank has benefited from the robust economy in Quebec, its main market.

The energy sector led Canada’s main stock index as it closed higher along with U.S. markets in a day that saw a lull in tradewar news. Markets rose more out of the absence of news than any clear positive push, said Candice Bangsund, portfolio manager for Fiera Capital.

“Nothing really in the way of a catalyst, but it may just be a case of no news being good news, particularly on the equity front.”

The relatively quieter day, which still saw a major move on the Brexit front, is in contrast to major escalations in the trade dispute between China and the U.S. recently, said Bangsund.

“Every day for the last week or so we’ve been getting some sort of trade-related headline, whether it was China’s retaliatory tariffs Friday morning followed by Trump’s retaliation thereafter,” she said.

“It’s been fairly eventful, and of course that weighs on sentiments.”

The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 88.06 points at 16,271.65.

The energy sector led gains with a 3.09 per cent climb in the S&P/TSX energy index. The sector was up as U.S. oil inventories dropped significantly more than expected, said Bangsund.

Most sectors saw gains, with the exception of information technology, which was down 1.1 per cent.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average closed up 258.20 points at 26,036.10. The S&P 500 index was up 18.78 points at 2,887.94, while the Nasdaq composite was up 29.94 points at 7,856.88.

The Canadian dollar averaged 75.18 cents US, down from an average of 75.37 cents US on Tuesday.

The downward pressure on the loonie came in part after the U.S. dollar rose, as investors sold off the British pound after Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked Queen Elizabeth to suspend Parliament. The move would hamper lawmakers’ efforts to quash a no-deal Brexit at the end of October.

The October crude contract closed up 85 cents at US$55.78 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was up three cents at US$2.22 per mmBTU.

The December gold contract was down US$2.70 at US$1,549.10 an ounce and the December copper contract was up 1.2 cents at US$2.57 a pound.

Cremona, Alta., in 2013.

Educated women still face pay gaps, study finds

The Canadian Press

The wage gap has closed between women and men with newly earned PhDs – though the numbers are less comforting for those without a decade to spend in the halls of higher learning, according to a University of Guelph study announced Tuesday.

The research found that both male and female doctoral graduates earn about $70,000 annually during the first three years after convocation.

“This is the first time that I’ve seen at any level that there is no discrepancy in earnings between males and females,” said co-author Prof. David Walters.

However, the study also suggests that the lower the level of education, the bigger the gender pay gap, and that on average only PhD graduates achieved income equity.

The authors attribute the link between advanced education and equal incomes to strong collective agreements and progressive labour policies in the sectors PhD graduates gravitate toward, such as academia and government. The pay gap is greatest among

employees in the trades, where on average women earn $32,500 and men earn $40,500 – 25 per cent more.

Lead author Anthony Jehn says men tend to go into more lucrative trades, such as pipefitting or plumbing, whereas women lean more toward hairdressing or cosmetology.

Published Monday in the journal Higher Education Policy, the study analyzed data from Statistics Canada’s sweeping 2013 National Graduates Survey, which surveyed trades, college and university graduates three years after graduation – before factors such as maternity leave start to influence results.

Having children can result in

“job segregation,” a much bigger culprit for pay inequity than unequal paycheques for equivalent work, said Sarah Kaplan, director of the Institute for Gender and the Economy at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.

Social attitudes and unconscious biases that “expect women to do more at home and take care of the kids” often take effect ahead of the onset of motherhood, which may help explain the income gap right out of the gate, she said.

“We know from the research that women pay a motherhood penalty even before they actually have children themselves,” Kaplan said.

Greater pay equity exists for those who can afford to invest in education, a problem that compounds class divisions along gendered lines, said Jehn.

The difference in income between male master’s and PhD graduates was virtually nonexistent at $69,500 and $70,000, respectively. For women entering the workforce, however, investing in a doctorate meant an average pay bump to $69,000, up from $62,500 for master’s graduates.

“This credentialism benefits those who have more social and economic capital, who are able to put in that investment. It does perpetuate a disparity among those who do not,” Jehn said.

A “culture of gender inequality” in some male-dominated fields discourages women from entering in the first place, said Jehn, who worked on the study with Walters and Prof. Stephanie Howells.

More than one-third of all male respondents majored in the more lucrative fields of math, engineering or computer science, versus five per cent for women, helping explain the income disparity among bachelor’s and master’s degree holders.

Pay gaps are smallest among those with liberal arts degrees.

The relatively few women who start out in math, engineering and computer science make far less than their male colleagues, the authors found.

Men fresh out of college earned $45,500 on average, versus $38,500 for women. Men with recent undergraduate degrees

earned $55,000 while their female counterparts took in $50,500, according to the study.

Those numbers show that adding a bachelor’s degree to your resume prompts a 22 per cent income boost for men, and a 30 per cent jump for women. The difference points to the potential fruits of education – particularly for female workers – but also the financial strain faced disproportionately by women who haven’t spent as much time in school.

Other studies highlight the

divergent value placed on work associated with men and women, respectively.

Truck drivers – 97 per cent are male – make a median annual wage of $45,417 working full time, according to a 2016 Oxfam Canada study. Early childhood educators – 97 per cent are female – make a median wage of $25,334 a year.

“That says something about our society – what type of work we value and what we don’t,” said Lauren Ravon, director of policy

and campaigns at Oxfam Canada.

“Sexual stereotypes die hard.”

Even among PhD graduates, however, income gaps persist later in life as “the motherhood penalty and the fatherhood bonus” come into play.

“Education is not the magic bullet,” Ravon said. The University of Guelph study excludes accredited professions, including teaching, nursing and law, Jehn said, where strong regulation helps narrow the income gap.

Google sets work talk rules

The Washington Post

Google has a message to its workers: heads down and do your job.

Google issued new guidelines in a memo Friday for how its roughly 100,000 employees ought to conduct themselves.

Out are open free-ranging discussions about politics, news stories and other non-work related topics, not to mention name-calling and bullying. In are work-related and factbased conversations, as well as manager-led crackdowns on violative speech or behaviour.

The spirit of the recommendations appear to fly in the face of Google’s famously uninhibited culture, where workers are encouraged to spend 20 per cent of their time working on personal side projects and new ideas are bandied about in a virtual sandbox.

Google has been buffeted by criticism from the White House over alleged anti-conservative biases and by employees who have openly protested against proposed defense projects and its handling of sexual harassment claims against high-profile executives.

“Our primary responsibility is to do the work we’ve each been hired to do, not to spend working time on debates about non-work topics,” wrote Google in the memo, posted to its website. “Avoid conversations that are disruptive to the workplace or otherwise violate Google’s workplace policies. Managers are expected to address discussions that violate those rules.”

A company spokeswoman, Jenn Kaiser, said the guidelines were in response to “a year of increased incivility on our internal platforms.”

“We’ve heard that employees want clearer rules of the road on

what’s OK to say and what’s not,” she said in an email.

However, the rules potentially drive a wedge between workers who have cherished the devil-maycare attitude of Google’s workplace and the company’s management which appears to be striving for a more buttoned-up culture.

Google has also been under pressure to clear up YouTube which some allege is rife with misinformation, particularly heading into the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

In recent weeks, former employees have alleged Google retaliated against them for expressing conservative views and for helping to organize a global walkout.

Google workers are active on internal forums for subgroups

representing a wide range of passions, ethnicities and lifestyles.

The Silicon Valley search giant also sought to put the kibosh on their overuse or misuse of the online forums, warning that “we will remove particular discussion forums, revoke commenting, viewing, or posting privileges, or take disciplinary action.”

As well, Google reminded, leaking classified information is a no-no and could result in disciplinary action or firing.

“Working at Google comes with tremendous responsibility,” said Kaiser. “Billions of people rely on us every day for high-quality, reliable information. It’s critical that we honor that trust and uphold the integrity of our products and services.”

Siri, ask Apple to apologize

The Associated Press Apple is apologizing and changing the way humans review audio recordings made through the company’s Siri digital assistant.

The company already suspended the practice following the discovery that Apple and other major tech companies have been doing this.

Apple now says only Apple employees, not contractors, will review the audio when the program is resumed this fall. And Apple reiterated that it won’t be enabled by default. Rather, users will have to choose to participate.

A newly published University of Guelph study has found that the wage gap between men and women with PhDs has closed but many other gaps still remain.

AP PHOTO

A woman walks past a Google sign in San Francisco in May.

Edith Heavysides June 11, 1924August 14, 2019

The family of Edith is saddened to announce her passing Aug 14, 2019 at the age of 95. She lived a long and full life enjoying it all very independently. Edith was predeceased by both her parents, Bill and Mary, husband Stanley, son Stanley Jr. and daughter Darlene. She will be forever loved and remembered by daughters Linda (Dave), and Carol (Dale), grandchildren and great grandchildren. Edith is survived by her sister Lena and family, many friends and extended family. A special thanks to the medical staff at UHNBC and to friends who cared for her. No service by request. A celebration of life to be held on Aug 31st at the Pomeroy Hotel, room 1&2 from 1:00-3:00pm. Bring your memories and stories of Edith to share!

ROBERT (BOB)

LESLIE ALDERSON Nov 10, 1945 – Aug 20, 2019

A loving Husband, Father, Brother, Poppa and friend. Robert Leslie Alderson passed peacefully August 20th, 2019. He is survived by his wife Heather and their children: son: Chad Alderson (Kristy) and their children , Sawyer and Paxton, daughter: Shauna O’Brien (Eric) and their children Olivia, Brogan and Fischer. His remaining sisters: Evy Ploeger , Pat Scott and brother: Clifford Alderson. Bob will forever be remembered for his passion of hunting, fishing, giving hugs, kisses and laughing with grandaughter Olivia and watching his four grandsons playing hockey, love for his wife of 49 years, family and all his grandchildren. His gentle disposition, kind heart, humor, mannerism’s, and physical traits can be seen in all of them. Robert’s time spent with all who were so lucky to know and love him and will never be forgotten. He rests peacefully now with his father Roy, mother Amy, and sister Marjorie. He was LOVED by all and will be missed more than any words can say……… As per Bob’s wishes there will be now funeral service. A Celebration of Life will be announced at a later date.

Andrew John Haan

April 11, 1963August 20, 2019

Andrew passed away peacefully at the Prince George Hospice House on August 20, 2019. He was taken from us far too soon after a six year battle with cancer. Throughout his fight he never lost his sense of humour, even when the cancer took away so much of what he loved to do including hiking with his dogs, golfing, photography and being a professional driver. Andrew is survived by his beloved wife and best friend Trina, fur babies Max and Smokey and his birds. He is also survived by his mother Elizabeth, sisters Sarah (Rob), Jane and their families. Andrew will also be dearly missed by his in-laws Judy, Larry and Trish, all of his extended family and a huge group of friends. He was predeceased by his father John and all of his aunts, uncles, and grandparents. He was also predeceased by his fur babies Gizmo, Goofy, Maggie, Molly, Monty, Bandit and Murphy. Andrew had a twenty day stay at the Hospice House and the staff and volunteers ensured our entire family had the opportunity to make important memories in such a loving atmosphere. Thank you to everyone who had a chance to visit us all there. You all helped make such a scary time so much easier. Throughout Andrew’s journey he met many health professionals and we would like to thank them all for their compassion and care. A special thank you to Dr. Kathleen O’Malley for always making sure we had everything we needed. Also a huge thank you to Dr Kraima, Tracy and Marilyn for making sure Andrew’s last eight months were as pain free as possible. You allowed him a quality of life that we did not believe was possible. Andrew will forever be remembered for his big heart and his quick wit. His laugh lit up the room and he will be missed by everyone who had the pleasure of meeting him. We know he is now pain free and playing golf and hiking with his fur kids. He was also looking forward to a brand new Freightliner to drive. A service to celebrate Andrew’s life will be held at the Grace Anglican Church on Saturday September 7, 2019 at 11:30AM with a tea to follow downstairs at

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2019

BERLIN, TOKYO MARATHONS AHEAD FOR LOCAL RUNNER

Once Jacqui Pettersen got bitten by the marathon bug, getting faster was the only cure.

With virtually every race she shredded increments off her previous best time, but the big breakthrough came last year when she annihilated her PB by 20 minutes running through the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany.

If that wasn’t inspiring enough for the 48-year-old from Prince George to keep up her training, her 3:08:55 time in April at the London Marathon certainly was. Now Pettersen has her sights trained on breaking the three-hour barrier when she returns to Germany for another crack at the Berlin Marathon on Sept. 29.

“My first marathon when I was 24 or 25 was 3:46, and up until Berlin last year they’ve all been in that range, give or take a few minutes,” she said. “I’m excited about Berlin this year because that was my breakthrough marathon last year and I’ve gone on to improve my times and I’m hopeful I’ll be able to do that again.

“I love beating my younger self.”

Pettersen is a voracious reader and the College Heights Secondary School graduate had to develop that habit to help her through 18 years of post-secondary medical school studies to become a neurologist. She had a book, Hansons Marathon Method, sitting on her shelf for years but it required too much running, so she never followed it, until last year. She finally took the time to read it thoroughly and radically changed her approach to training and exercise physiology. She realized she wasn’t running enough and that prompted a radical change. She started running as much as 130 kilometres each week - more than the 100 km per week the book recommended - and that paid off for her last year in Berlin.

“It’s made all the difference, it’s been a gamechanger,” said Pettersen. “I followed it very closely except I added a few tweaks

because I feel I need more long-distance runs than they require.”

Her willingness to get up every morning at 5 a.m. and follow through with her long high-intensity training runs shed 10 pounds from her already-lean five-foot-two frame which has put her on the path for her first sub-three-hour race.

The London race on April 28th, her ninth marathon, on a chilly day with 20,000 runners, did not come without some intestinal discomfort for Pettersen. Twice she had to make pit stops along the way. But her fast

time more than made up for that. Pettersen has always liked running but was more into short distances until she saw the Victoria Marathon while she was a masters student at UVic. The race piqued her curiosity and in 1995 when she ran her first marathon and did it in 3:46. She didn’t run the 42.2 km distance again until 2003, also in Victoria, and did one more the following year in Calgary with her husband Kevin. In that race, on a sweltering day they both hit the runners’ wall and she swore she’d never put herself in that situation again. But in

2013 she returned to Victoria and set a PB and hasn’t looked back since.

“I was enjoying running shorter distances and Kevin said to me, ‘I think I’m going to run another marathon and before long I was also training for Victoria again,” she said. “It felt good, it felt like I was starting to get the hang of running marathons. I qualified for Boston that year but I got injured so I couldn’t do it.”

She ran in New York the following year and her time was quick enough to get her to Boston. Running those big races proved addictive as her times continued to fall and that began her quest to complete her bucket list.

In mountaineering, scaling the highest peaks of the seven continents is the ultimate goal. In the marathon world, the dream of most runners is to complete the big six - Boston, New York, Chicago, London, Berlin and Tokyo. Pettersen already has five of them under her belt and on March 1st, 2020 she plans to complete the list when she races the Tokyo Marathon. She found out last week she’s locked up a Run as One start position in the semi-elite category for the Tokyo race.

“I never thought that would ever be possible, I’ve always said marathons are not my thing, I’m a sprinter, so it is kind of shocking how I’ve improved,” Pettersen said. “It just goes to show that with the right training program and motivation and dedication I think anybody who puts their mind to it can do this.”

As a cognitive neurologist, Pettersen treats patients suffering from memory loss or Parkinson’s disease. Eighty per cent of her work involves teaching medical students as a UBC instructor and conducting research.

Every marathon is a learning process for Pettersen and her Berlin experience last year was like no other. She was among 40,000 runners and hoofing it through the narrow streets of the city took some getting

TED CLARKE

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‘WE KEEP OUR FAITH AND JOURNEY

TSENIORS’ SCENE

ony and Dodie (Bridden) Bond have been in Prince George since 1976.

Dodie’s parents were living in the small village of Masset, on the Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii) when she was ready to be born into this world.

Since there was no hospital in Masset at the time, she was actually born in Prince Rupert in 1950. She is one of five children. Her father worked as a heavy-duty mechanic in the air force. Dodie said, “I was brought up by my grandparents and I would not be who I am today if not for them.

“After Grade 3 and at the age of nine we first moved to New Westminster, followed my many moves after that.

“I graduated from Esquimalt high school in Victoria in 1968 and went on to hairdressing school. In those days, it took two years of hairdressing school and one year as an apprentice before you wrote the government exam to get a license. I worked as an usher at the Odeon theatre in Victoria to pay for my schooling.

“It was while I was waiting for the city bus to take me home that I first met my future husband Tony Bond at the bus stop in front of Scott’s Café in Victoria. We talked for so long that I eventually missed my bus. Tony asked if he could drive me home and I asked him if he was in the navy. The navy fellows in Victoria had a bit of a bad reputation so the good girls always had their guard up. He said he wasn’t in the navy so I accepted the ride home. We dated for a month and I wanted to introduce him to my sister. He agreed to meet her but admitted that he needed to make a confession first. He told me that he was indeed in the navy and did not tell me the truth at the beginning because he did not want me to think that he was one of those navy guys with a girl in every port. He also admitted that he had seen me from the café at the bus stop before we met that day.

“Talk about a small world, one Sunday morning I was coming out of church and he was going in. I was surprised and pleased to learn that he was a Catholic –the same as me.

“By this time, I already knew that he was the man I wanted to marry.

“I introduced him to my grandmother and she was thrilled to learn that he was a Catholic.

“We got married two years later at St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Victoria in 1970, bought a house and started a family.”

Tony, one of five children, was born in Mission in 1949. After high school, he joined the navy, trained and worked as an engineer on a navy ship.

After he got out of the service, he continued to work as an engineer on other ships. After that, he got his heavy-duty mechanic license and worked for Eddie Goodwill, the owner of Goodwill Bottling Coca-Cola in Victoria. He was then offered a company transfer to Prince George to work on their fleet of trucks.

Dodie said, “We moved to Prince George in 1976 for better work opportunities for Tony. It was scary to make the move because we already had a mortgage and I didn’t want to start moving around again. I had to move many times while I was growing up and I did not want that for my family.

“We flew to Prince George to look for a house. Our realtor Noel O’Biern found us the right place and we have lived here ever since.”

Tony and Dodie had two daughters Julie (deceased in 2007) and Jennifer. They have one grandson and his name is Torsten.

Over time, Tony’s knees started to cause him problems so he went to work for Fred Walls as a truck salesman. He worked there until he started his own business Tony Bond Transport.

Tony had an accident and fell in 2000 and seriously broke his leg and he was no longer able to work. He is still having medical issues from that injury.

When they first came to Prince George, Dodie worked for the Cut and Curl hair salon on the Hart and then the Rendezvous Coiffure hair salon for the next 15 years.

Tony was a member of the Rod and Gun Club and served on the Friends of Children board of directors for many years.

He is a longtime member of the Sacred Heart Knights of Columbus 8927. He is a member and serves on the board of the Prince George Knights Society and has participated in their annual RV raffle for many years.

Dodie is a life member of the Sacred Heart Cathedral Catholic Women’s League. Over the years she served on the parish, diocesan, provincial and the national councils. She has been a Beta Sigma Phi member for the past 40 years and she leads the music at the 9 a.m. Sunday Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral.

Dodie concluded, “Time has gone by very fast and we recently celebrated 49 years of marriage. It hasn’t always been easy and together we have gone through many happy times and some sad times. We realize that what will be will be. We keep our faith and we journey on.

“When Tony had his leg injury and was no longer able to work, I started my own hair salon in our home. That was 24 years ago and so far, I have no thoughts of retiring at this point in time. I can relate to mobility issues and many times if my clients can’t come to me, I will go to them, on my days off, to do their hair. I have a wonderful family and many great clients. I would like to take this opportunity to

thank them all for their loyalty and their willingness to make the trek up and down my stairs all these many years.

“Tony and I feel that when we moved to Prince George we moved to the best community in B.C.”

August birthdays that I know about: Rita Svatos, Marion Van Caeseele, Diana Myers, Marilyn Goetjen, Carol Stewart, Helen Dery, Judy Dix, Supi Peter, Jeannette Goossens, Don Grantham, Joyce Unrau, Gord Babcock, Lorraine Knight, Heather Couch, Gary Drake, Ted Haugland, Betty Townsend, Dean Cole, Marlies Greulich, Margaret Johnston, Elaine Lamb, Malcolm Lamb, Barb Claffey, Shafeed Rahman, Alan Idiens, Joy Warner, Sharon Stene, Joy McKeller, Lyn Thibault, Ray Demily, Walt Wessner, Betty Wessner, Eileen Hughes, Victor Lavallee, Shirley McDermid, Lorea Reimer, Fred Buchi, Eva Buchi, Alexa Chykowski, How-

ard Germain, Leona Gervais, Rosemarie Maack, John Pavich, Elaine Reid, Esther Monroe, Doris Da’Silva, Edna Rouleau, Barbara Iwaskow, Muriel Lank, John Kuharchuk, Donald Jones, Bob Horning, Wolfgang Jechow, Phyllis Anderson, Sandra Simola, James Loughery, Edward Normand, Harold Iverson, Charlene Vankoughne, Connie Gibson, John Walsh and Sonny Swanson •••

August Anniversaries: 73 years for Fred and Eva Buchi, 70 years for Harold and Doreen Hewlett, 70 years for Clarence and Irene Switzer, 64 years for Bob and Marvina Nikkel, 60 years for Jim and Noreen Rustad, 60 years for Matt and Gerda Korolek, 59 years for Cliff and Sharon Dezell, 56 years for Maurice and Adele Mingay, 55 years for Colin and Judy Dix, 54 years for Dave and Faye Croft, 54 years for Gerry and Mai Dulmage, and 26 years for Larry and Lucy Young.

Handout photo Tony and Dodie Bond on their wedding day on June 13, 1970.

97/16 photo by James Doyle

Tony and Dodie Bond continue to be active, both at their home and out in the community.

This is the front page from the August 29, 1989 edition of the Prince George Citizen. You can search all of The Citizen’s archives online at pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca

FINDING JASPER

Unlike other spring break holidays, this year I found myself not sure what to do with my little family of three. In years past, we would travel from our home In Prince George to Calgary to visit family but this year the family members were busy elsewhere.

I knew I wanted to get the kids out of the house to see some new things and keep them away from their screens as much as possible. The question was where? How could I find something exciting without travelling to one of the bigger centres like Calgary, Vancouver or Edmonton?

It seemed like an impossible task and then it came to me – let’s go to Jasper! Mountains, wildlife, waterfalls, pristine lakes, hiking and even some shopping could be done. It seemed like the perfect solution and I wondered why I hadn’t thought of it sooner. I would soon learn that the real fun was to be had in simply finding Jasper.

Road trips always have a bittersweet taste to them as a photographer because along the way there are always things we see that need to be photographed but often time does not allow us to stop at all those places.

Packed and ready to roll onto the highway we headed out, armed with cameras in hand. In no rush to arrive at any particular time, I decided that this would be the trip of stops – no rushing, no need to hurry and drive, a literal stop and smell the flowers type adventure. Usually, there is always a sense of urgency to get to “the destination” no matter the distance, but this time I chose to do it differently.

Our first stop was a quick turn onto a simple forestry road only because of the inevitable call from the back seat – “Dad, I have to go to the washroom!”

Around the corner of the road, we hopped out and watched a grouse cross directly in front of us with apparently the same attitude we had of not being in a hurry to go anywhere. We watched quietly, taking photos as he went on his way. As we got back in the truck, we marvelled at how beautiful the morning mist was as it climbed up the forested walls of fir trees lining the road.

Back in the truck, it wasn’t long before we pulled up to one of my favourite little spots just before the entrance to the Viking Ridge hiking trail. The roadside is lined by thick looming cedar trees and willows creating what appears to be an impenetrable wall against the forest. We discovered that with some persistence and will to push through the thick willows, the forest opens its arms and invites you in. Once past the barrier of willows, our eyes are met with a wide open space of moss-covered wonder. Our feet cross the soft carpet of the forest floor and the sun filters through the high branches of the

JOURNEY THROUGH MY LENS

BILL CAMPBELL

cedar giants creating a glow around the entire scene.

The kids squeal in excitement – it’s like a fairy world, Dad!!” – and I agree as we delve deeper. Less than a minute walk and we are met by a three-metre high waterfall feeding a crystal clear creek winding through the mossy forest floor. We stop to sit and take it all in. Not another soul is in sight as the kids and I marvel at our surroundings.

Hard pressed to leave but wanting to see what’s next we jump back into the our adventure. It isn’t far along the road that we find the Ancient Dorest, another amazing place so close to Prince George yet so different from our accustomed scenery. A number of hikes are available to us among the giant cedars, creeks and waterfalls which seem to lay in wait around every other corner.

The feeling of being “elsewhere” is unmistakable as the trees tower over the walking paths and our surroundings slowly convince us we are on a coastal hike somewhere far from northern B.C. Hours upon hours could easily be spent at the park but with views of snow-capped mountains in the horizon, we decide to move on, eager to see what is next.

Morkill Falls comes to mind as we pass the turnoff to Crescent Spur and onto the Morkill Forest Service Road, but I realize there is simply too much to do in a single trip. I choose to take the adventure of Morkill Falls on another journey not far into our future. We drive through to Mcbride where we are witness to herds of deer and elk grazing in farmers’ fields. The mountains surround the valley and every view seems like a painting of an epic landscape.

It isn’t long before we are at Tete Jaune Cache. Our favourite camping spot isn’t open but there is still plenty worth stopping for. We pull off the highway and park at the old one lane bridge built in 1953 that crosses the Fraser River. At this point in the Fraser River, the proximity to glacial feeds and a rocky river bed keep the waters of the river a beautiful aqua tint and crystal clear. We venture down some walking paths exploring the sights as we go. The kids find trees to climb, rocks to throw and we all take pictures of our incredible surroundings.

Piling back in the vehicle, we drive just a few minutes up the highway and then stop again to hike into the beautiful Rearguard Falls. A five-minute walk into the

Continued on page 8

Photos by Bill Campbell TOP: Rearguard Falls, BELOW: Highway 16 heading east from Prince George to Jasper

Where car insurance is heading.

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GREAT STOPS ON ROAD TO JASPER

Continued from page 6

forest and we are at the falls. There is still a bit of snow and ice, so we have the entire place to ourselves. Our voices are nearly drowned out by the rush of the crystal clear water falling over the rocks.

In August, you can witness Mother Nature’s work at its finest as the spawning salmon return up the Fraser River to their

birthplace to spawn. The sight of 15 to 40 pound salmon launching themselves up and over a rocky waterfall that is approximately five metres high is truly a sight that one must see in person.

Even though we are all having the time of our lives, it’s getting late in the day and my preference is to arrive at our hotel before it’s completely dark.

Fall RegistRation

• Dance classes are for 3 years old and up. We even have an adult class! (No experience required),

• All dancers perform at 2 major events (January & June) and numerous events around PG.

• After the $35 family membership fee, lesson fees range from $25$45/month, depending on age (one of the least expensive dance fees in PG.)

• Most costume pieces are provided.

We reluctantly leave Rearguard Falls behind us, but to my delight, everyone is still smiling, joking with each other and laughing. As we pull back onto the highway for the last leg of our adventure, I eavesdrop on my kids as they talk giddily about all that they have seen and done in one day. Their conversation makes me reflect on how much I have enjoyed my day as well without the pressure of “getting there”

looming over me.

Even more enjoyable was the opportunity to watch my kids immerse themselves in the outdoors and come to appreciate all that our little world of northern B.C. has to offer. As I look in my rearview at the journey behind us, I realize that the best part of our adventure wasn’t going to require getting to Jasper but was actually the experience in simply finding Jasper.

PB THE GOAL IN BERLIN

Continued from page 1

used to and there were times she felt like a lemming heading uncontrollably over a cliff, knowing one misstep could lead to a disastrous fall. Runner traffic was especially dense around the aid stations, where she had to be especially careful not to run into other athletes on the course.

In London, her 3:19 qualifying time put her in an advanced starting row with much less traffic and she’s hoping that will also be the case when she returns to the Berlin route.

“London was much less crowded and that allowed me to run faster,” she said. “I’m encouraged by my London results because despite stopping twice I was still able to achieve the time I did and I’m training harder since then.”

Pettersen can take comfort in the fact her husband and their two sons, 11-year-old Kai and eight-year-old Max, will be there for moral support, as will a friend from Berlin

who has run the race there for 15 years. Anything that reduces mental stress will help overcome the physical demands of racing that distance.

This is the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall and for Pettersen that added to the lure of coming back for this year’s race. Halfway through her race last year in Berlin, Pettersen heard an announcement that Kenyan runner Eliude Kipchoge set a new world record time of 2:01:39 while winning the men’s race.

“That gave me a little extra motivation and my last 10K were my fastest,” she said. Pettersen is already making plans for Japan in March and her rising status as an elite age group runner has opened the door for her to race in the age group world championship in London, April 26, 2020. She’s ranked 41st in the world in her 45-49-yearold age group to qualify for the world event. She’s also making plans to race in Victoria again.

Photos by Bill Campbell

Plenty of wildlife can be seen on the journey from Prince George to Jasper.

WHAT ELSE CAME HOME WITH MY BABY

In November of 2014, I brought home my first child.I brought something else home too, although I didn’t know it at the time. I, like many new mothers, was so overwhelmingly focused on my child, this new person that had suddenly and completely taken over my life. I remember how at first my husband and I held her almost all the time. She slept in our arms and we took three-hour shifts holding her through the night because that just somehow seemed like the right choice. She was so small, so vulnerable, who could possibly let her go?

So, we fumbled our way through the first few months, as all parents do. We opted to use disposable diapers instead of the planned cloth, at least at first so we could just get used to changing diapers in general. I struggled to establish a breast milk supply via pumping when we were unable to breastfeed the traditional way. We finally figured out how to get our baby to sleep in a bassinet, not our arms.

Somewhere in these first few months, the other thing I brought home with me after my daughter’s birth started to creep into my life. I started to become irritable and anxious. I was borderline obsessive about pumping enough milk to feed my daughter, completely determined to not give her any more formula. I was that woman who literally cried over spilt milk when I dropped a

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bottle full of freshly expressed milk. I began to get really snappy and easily frustrated. I hated when my husband seemed to be able to do things I couldn’t. Why didn’t the baby cry when he changed her diaper? Why would she settle down to sleep with him, but not me? All of these negative emotions lead to some pretty ridiculous arguments, after which I would storm off and cry alone in the bedroom.

Crying became a norm; for the baby and for me.

I pumped milk for hours every day.

Often I would be sitting at my pumping station, my daughter in her little bouncy chair, pumping for 45 minutes while she screamed the whole time. I would try talking to her and rocking the chair with my foot, all to no avail. I had several days where I felt like I was about to lose it – as in completely lose my mind and do something I would regret. I’d end up calling my husband, in tears, begging him to come home and take the baby for me because I

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just couldn’t deal with one more minute of being stuck at home, alone, in the dead of winter with a baby who obviously (in my mind) hated me.

Perhaps you’re reading this and thinking “wow, what a horrible mother.” Or maybe you’re thinking “I felt that way too.”

Perhaps you might even be thinking “that woman sounds like she’s mentally ill.”

And that last piece, that’s the truth.

I was ill.

When I’d gone home after the birth of my daughter, I had brought home a baby and I had also gone home with postpartum depression and anxiety.

I just didn’t know it yet.

I have to admit I am a bit embarrassed to say that I didn’t recognize my own illness. I am a well-educated woman who works in mental health. I was completely aware that postpartum depression was a possibility and was never in denial about the fact that it could happen to me. Except when it did happen, it was nothing like I thought it would be.

It crept up on me, slowly, insidiously. The progression of fine, to slightly stressed, to stressed and tired, to not really functioning well in my daily life was so slow it all just seemed… normal. As if this was what parenting was – a horrible time of self-doubt, frustration, depression and panic – but no

one ever warned me.

The moral of this story is I think that mental illness can happen to anyone. Mental illness does not care if you are rich or poor, university educated or a high school dropout, a man or a woman. Mental illness can affect anyone, at anytime, and if often does just that.

The Canadian Mental Health Association says that by the age of 40, 50 per cent of all Canadians have or have had a mental illness. That is a shockingly high number of people. Yet stigma about mental illness remains strong. There is a belief that people can just be happier or that it is a personal failing to be depressed or anxious. Mental illness and recovery from mental illness is much more complicated that being positive or getting more sleep.

I hope that as I write this column, I can shed some light on the realities of living with mental illness and the work that goes into recovery. Dispelling some of the stigma that surrounds mental illness is one of the best ways the we as a society can support others who may be struggling – we need to understand and empathize with people who are mentally unwell. As a culture, we as Canadians can improve our support for those living with mental illness and I hope this column can play a small role in making those much needed societal changes.

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POSITIVE DIALOGUE WITH POLITICIANS

One of the most important tasks I have as a public school educator is empowering my students to take an active role in the Canadian political process. If I am going to ask my students to be active citizens, then I need to model the desired behaviour.

I’ve honestly been very impressed with the response I’ve received to my inquiries from elected officials on the local, provincial and federal levels. The argument “I don’t say anything because they won’t listen to me” simply does not hold water in our Canadian system. Yes, I too have been frustrated by leaving voice mails with politicians and not getting any response but the key is to not just leave one message and then walk away. We are dealing with very busy and hardworking people. The key to getting through to them is persistence, plain and simple. When we persist and look for opportunities to speak to our politicians, amazing things happen. I read recently that Prince George–Peace River– Northern Rockies MP Bob Zimmer was hosting “coffee with

constituents” at various restaurants around his vast riding. I took the opportunity to meet with him and, after waiting for only a few minutes, I was able to speak to him one on one for more than a half-hour, expressing my views on several national and international issues.

It was clear that Bob and I did not agree on all topics and he never asked how I voted in the last election. He clearly wanted to hear what I had to say, however. He was doing his job as an MP and I was doing my part as a citizen. That is how a democratic system functions.

I listened attentively as Bob told me about his government-sponsored trip to Israel, where he gained insights into the goings-on in that troubled country. We agreed that

anti-Semitism is a real and dangerous threat in the world and I gained his interest when I spoke of the need for a clear definition for the term.

Before he entered politics, Zimmer was a high school teacher, so he clearly understood the importance of academic freedom. Pro-Israeli groups are proposing a definition which is very vague and quite frankly makes me fearful as an educator. I brought to his attention a clearer definition proposed by Independent Jewish Voices Canada (IJVC): “Antisemitism is hostility, prejudice, defamation or discrimination against Jews, individuals or as a collective, because they are Jews. It includes essentializing Jews by attributing to them characteristics or behaviors that are deemed negative and/or are harmful to non-Jews.”

Bob agreed to discuss this topic further with IJVC and I agreed to establish email contact between him and the organization. I am confident that Bob will bring his newfound awareness to his parliamentary colleagues in Ottawa.

VEHICLE SPENDING BORES ME

Icannot overestimate how much I dislike spending money on vehicles. I go out of my way to avoid buying gas and consider it a personal victory if someone else (i.e. my husband) has to drive my vehicle and buys gas for me. It doesn’t matter that our money comes out of the same account. Buying gas feels like throwing money away. If it was financially viable, I would buy an electric vehicle except I don’t like to pay electric bills either.

Really, I’m just cheap.

Right now, my van sounds like an airplane and I should probably have the tires changed and the oil changed and

the muffler fixed. Except I’m busy and it seems too inconvenient to be out of a vehicle for a couple of days for a fix. And I don’t like spending money.

People (i.e. my brother) have told me that you have to get oil changes regularly because... I actually don’t know because

I cannot pay attention to the end of the sentence. Sure, preventative maintenance is likely an important part about having a well-tended vehicle that lasts for a long time.

Boring!

I belong to the school of thought that if you have to own a vehicle, you should spend as little as possible on it and drive that sucker until it literally falls apart. It is a good and solid plan that I will not be able to use because I drive my kids around in Becky the Minivan and it should probably be safe-ish – and clean. The safe will happen, the clean, prob-

This is only one example of democracy in action and it illustrates how important it is for Canadians to dialogue with their government officials on all levels. Though I do not agree with my representatives on many issues, I recognize how hard they and their staff members work for their constituents. I am also very grateful for their ability to put aside partisan issues and dedicate their efforts to the people in the communities which elected them.

We in Canada are among the most fortunate people in the world. Our country is not perfect and neither is our democracy. The key point is that have a democracy, whereas people in many other countries do not. We have the power to be a voice for the voiceless, and the ability to make Canada what we want it to be. It is our job as citizens to embrace this responsibility.

— Gerry Chidiac is a champion for social enlightenment, inspiring others to find their greatness in making the world a better place. For more of his writings, go to www.gerrychidiac.com.

ably not.

Trying to clean a vehicle when you have kids is an exercise in futility and disappointment and who likes to waste time with cleaning?

I would much rather waste time reading or sleeping or whining about things I don’t like to do, like taking my van in to get fixed. But (she says begrudgingly) sometimes you have to spend the money, be a grown up and fix the stuff that’s broken.

But it doesn’t mean I have to like it.

AROUND TOWN

DJ Dance Nights

Today from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. the Omineca Arts Centre, 369 Victoria St., presents various local, regional and/or touring DJs to get bodies grooving and keep spirits and energies high. Each night will feature various local, regional and/ or touring DJs. Both licenced and dry DJ Nights will occur each month. Admission by donation (suggested $5-20 sliding scale). No one turned away for lack of funds. Contact: 250-552-0826 | info@ ominecaartscentre.com

Foodie Fridays

Every Friday until Sept. 6 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., 808 Canada Games Way, hungry residents and visitors are invited to come downtown for Foodie Fridays. Tantalize your tastebuds at a variety of licensed sidewalk and food truck vendors and listen to live music throughout the lunch hour. For more information call 250-614-7880.

Friday Night Mics

Every Friday at 7 p.m. Books & Co., 1685 Third Ave., in Cafe Voltaire, hosts an open mic night for all musicians local or just passing through. The weekly event features great music, audience engagement, tasty beverages and treats while intermission finds people browsing through book shelves filled with contributions from local authors as well as best sellers. For more information visit www. booksandcompany.ca.

Art In The Park

Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ancient Forest / Chun T’oh Whudujut, Highway 16, 113 km east of Prince George. Enjoy the beauty, magic and biodiversity of the forest through a fun-filled day of music and arts. The event will begin with welcoming to the Territory by the Lheidli T’enneh First Nations and a dedication of the festivals in memory of Mary Gouchie by singer-songwriter Kym Gouchie. There will be local artists and musicians, from dancers and quilters, knitters and painters, sculptors and felters, basket weavers and wood turners scattered throughout the forest performing and showing off their creations. There is complimentary accessible buses from Prince George and McBride available by preregistration on a first come, first serve basis. RSVP through Engage Sport North website.

Potato Festival

Sunday and Monday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Huble Homestead Historic Site, 15000 Mitchell Rd. This a-peel-ing event celebrates the mighty spud, a vegetable the Huble family once grew by the acre. There will be a variety of vegetable harvested from the garden for guests to purchase. Play traditional pioneer games like hot potato, potato spoon race, potato sack races, or enter the potato peeling races. Live musicians will be on site to provide entertainment and there’s a special lunch menu to showcase the almighty spud. Admission is by suggested donation of $10 per family. Contact: 250-564-7033 |

programs@hublehomestead.ca | www. hublehomestead.ca

Afrofest

Sunday from 5:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. at Columbus Community Hall, 7201 Domano Blvd., DJ Afro Superstore, with proceeds going to Patience Children Charity Organization Centre, presents the second annual Afrofest. A community event for the whole family, bringing diversity, culture and tradition. DJ Vinnie Bugatti from Victoria will be playing the best in hip hop, dancehall, afrobeats, reggae and more. British rap sensation Chicutie will be performing her latest hits. Red carpet, food, music, dancing. Tickets at DJ Afro Superstore, 1424 Second Ave. For more information 250-563-0782 | djafrosuperstore@gmail.com

Scrabble Sundays

Every Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m. at Books & Co., 1685 Third Ave., in Cafe Voltaire there is Scrabble Sunday every weekend. Bring friends, family or yourself and your scrabble board. Contact: 250-563-6637 | orderbooks@shaw.ca

Wordplay Open Stage Night

Third Thursday of every month Books & Co., 1685 Third Ave., hosts Wordplay Open Stage Night in Cafe Voltaire from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. This event is geared for poets and storytellers, aspiring, published or professional. Bring original work, take the stage and share with a creative reading.

Tapestry Singers

Sept. 12, 19 and 26 at 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. for junior choir and Sept. 12 and 19 at 6 to 8 p.m. for senior choir all students in the community are invited to attend Everybody Welcome rehearsals at Trinity Downtown, 1448 Fifth Ave., where students in Grades 4 to 7 and Grades 7 to 12 can see if the choirs are the right fit for them. For information visit the Tapestry Singers website or email carolynduerksen@hotmail.com.

Red Green

Sept. 26

He’s colourful in name and deed. Red Green is the bumbling but pleasantly practical TV fix-it man, the clown prince of duct tape, the sage of the man-shed. This Canadian comedy icon is coming to Vanier Hall on his Red Green-This Could Be It Tour. His P.G. shows are always a sell-out. Get tickets at the TicketsNorth website/box office.

Chris Gaskin Comedy Tour Special

Oct. 5 from 7 to 10 p.m. at Artspace, above Books & Co., 1685 Third Ave., hometown boy Chris Gaskin will be taping his first ever comedy special. Hailed

by Brielle Magazine as the Baby-Faced Assassin, Gaskin is known for commanding audiences’ attention with his innocent looks and sharp tongue, which has led to him being described as, brutally honest and hysterical. Tickets on sale at eventbrite.com

Patrick, Scott & Tessa

Oct. 12

During last year’s sold out Thank You Canada tour, it was clear to figure skating superstars, Tessa Virtue, Scott Moir and Patrick Chan, that they were far from done creating and developing a new style of skating entertainment. They and some special guest performers come back to CN Centre to show the Prince George fans what they’ve come up with next.

Rock The Rink is the first edition of an annual tour that focuses on being more than a figure skating show. Combining the highest level of on-ice superstar talent with an ever-evolving touring production, Rock The Rink will produce the highest value of entertainment in the figure skating realm. This year – along with upgrades to lighting, video and interactive technology – live music will be introduced to the show, with featured special musical guest, Birds of Bellwoods.

Burton, Live

Oct. 18

Canada’s piano man, the Guess Who’s

epic vocalist, the only artist inducted into the nation’s music Hall of Fame for both his band and his solo career, the incomparable Burton Cummings is coming to PG. He was the power voice propelling American Woman, These Eyes, No Time, Clap For The Wolfman and many other hits of the groundbreaking band The Guess Who, but then when he went solo he continued the multi-platinum success with I Will Sing A Rhapsody, Stand Tall, My Own Way To Rock, Fine State Of Affairs, You Saved My Soul, Break It To Them Gently, and more besides. Cummings will be solo at the piano at Vanier Hall. Tickets are on sale now through all TicketsNorth platforms.

World Curling

March 14 start

Don’t let the date fool you. The event may be in 2020 but the plans are underway now and the tickets are on sale for this Prince George groundbreaker. P.G. goes global as the host of the World Women’s Curling Championships. Get your tickets now, and spread the word to friends and family everywhere that this is the time to come spend some Prince George time and get a close, personal view of the world-class action the rest of the winter sports community will only get to see on TV. Oh yeah, and there’s also the great social side of curling – there’ll be no bigger party in Canada. Contact Tickets North for tickets and info.

Casual Fine Dining

Why do I have to get a shot, Doctor? I’m not even sick!

We give kids shots to protect them.

Blood carries tiny cells to all parts of your body. There are fat, round, red cells. There are white cells, too. The white cells have a special job. They fight germs and kill them. White cells keep you well. When germs get in, your white blood cells go to work.

But some germs are too strong for an unprepared body. When a doctor gives you a shot, or immunization, this helps your white cells prepare for certain kinds of germs.

Shots are like a fire drill. A fire drill gets you ready in case of a real fire. A shot gets you ready in case of a real attack by germs.

White blood cells are larger than red blood cells and they eat germs.

To understand that, you need to know a little more about how your body works.

Are you an eagle-eyed reader? Circle the seven errors in the article below. Then, rewrite it correctly.

Why go to the docttor when you’re not sick? Regular checkups is important for kids. These visits can happen when your feeling fine and are sometimes called “well-child” visits because, well, you’re well. Get it?

At a checkup the doctor cheecks to see that you're growing and developing normally. It’s also a chance for you and you’re parents to tawk with the doctor about your body. For example, you might wonder when you will grow taller, or if you weigh the right amount.

Germs are everywhere–even alloverthispage! Canyoufindthetwo germsthatmatch?

Long ago, whooping cough killed many people. Now most people never get this disease because they have been immunized with a shot.

When the doctor gives you a shot with a small amount of weak whooping cough germs, certain white cells in your body start making a germ-killing chemical called an “antibody.”

Each antibody kills only one kind of germ. When an antibody and a germ match up, the antibody kills the germ.

When you take polio vaccine drops, killer white cells in your body find the polio germs and kill them. After that, these cells act like polio police and keep on looking for more polio germs.

Help the “Polio Police” find the polio germs.

Help the antibodies kill the germs. Draw a line from each antibody to the germ it kills.

Germs can get into your body in many ways. They can enter through your mouth or through your nose or even through a cut in your skin.

Trace your body on a large sheet of paper. Find information in the newspaper about the human body. Paste the articles in the outline where you found the body part mentioned.

Find the words in the puzzle. How many of them can you find on this page?

... continuing to practice something at which you want to succeed.

If I Were a Teacher

How would you set up your classroom? What rules would you have? What subject would you teach?

© 2019 by Vicki Whiting, Editor Jeff Schinkel, Graphics Vol. 35, No. 38

Kyle

Manager of Northern B.C. for Pacific Western Brewing, and Tracy Shaw, Event Manager for CN Centre pose for photo during a cheque presentation on Thursday afternoon at CN Centre. Save On Foods donated $12, 149.40 to the B.C. Children’s Hospital that was raised from their barbeque during the three days of Cariboo Rocks The North.

CAN DO EVENT COMING UP

97/16 STAFF

Every year for the last 22 years, the Can Do committee hosts a fun-filled event for those with disabilities and special needs in Prince George.

“We want to thank those who have disabilities for what they do in the community,” Lorraine Young, Can Do committee member, said. “It’s just to say thank you for doing the best they can and this is the social event where everybody can just get together and enjoy themselves. A lot of people don’t go out much but this is the event they can’t wait to get to and it’s just beautiful to see. You should see how much fun they have. They’re all dancing and there’s a nice dinner. It’s just great.”

This year the event will be held at the Civic Centre on Saturday, Sept. 7.

Over the years attendance varies and as many as 200 people take part in the activities.

Doors open at 3 p.m. when participants can play bingo and listen to music.

Mayor Lyn Hall speaks at 5 p.m. and dinner is at 5:30. The dance follows.

To make this special occasion as accessible as possible, the committee, including Young from the Handy Circle Resource Society, fundraises throughout the year for most of the costs for the event. This year the committee is a bit short and is asking the public’s support. The committee is looking for sponsorship for about 50 people. Each dinner is $20 and Young said they’re looking for businesses or individuals to cover the cost of one dinner or as many as they can.

“We try to give everybody a prize,” Young said. “And that’s the most important thing right there - to make sure that everybody gets something to take home with them.” Young said it’s important for those with special needs to get out there and be part of the community and have fun with there friends and family.

Those with special needs wishing to get a ticket can call Young at 250-613-9403 or call the Handy Circle Resource Society and leave a message at 250-563-1852. To make a donation email waytogocando@gmail.com and the committee can accept etransfers to that email as well.

B.C. CULTURE DAYS EVENTS SET

97/16 STAFF

B.C. Culture Days will be bring a pair of family events to the city from Sept. 27 to 29.

The province-wide celebration of the arts is marking its 10th anniversary this year. “Creative expression is vital for the health and wellness of a community,” B.C. Culture Days manager Nazanin Shoja said in a press release. “With hundreds of engaging and exciting community events taking place across British Columbia, I have no doubt there will be an event that will cater to every taste and interest, while encouraging exploration into new artistic ventures.”

In Prince George, local artist Sebastian Nicholson has organized a public art installation, called The Spores of Joy, to encourage residents to look for the fungus among us.

Nicholson made concrete molds of as-

sorted tree fungi, which were painted by community members during a series of workshops in July and August. The painted molds will be installed in groups in public places around the city.

From Sept. 27 to 29, maps showing the locations of the installations will be available at Two Rivers Gallery or online at www.sebastiannicholson.com.

People who find the art installations are encouraged to share photos on social media using the hashtag #SporesOfJoy.

On Sept. 27, the Prince George Public Library will host an educational scavenger hunt at the Bob Harkins Branch of the library.

Dive into Dewey is a free, drop-in event for children aged five to nine years old to learn about how the Dewey Decimal System works. The event starts at 3 p.m. at the Keith Gordon Room on the main floor.

97/16 photo by James Doyle

From left, Save On Foods store managers Rejean Perrault (Parkwood), Neil Guardiero (College Heights), Brain Gandy (Spruceland),

Sampson,

WE ARE MACKENZIE

Currently, the interests of small communities across the north, like Fort St. James and Mackenzie, and the people that live here, seem to be ignored. Our northern communities are in decline.

What can we do to change this? Perhaps we could get the attention of those living on the other side of Hope if we were as important as the mountain cariboo?

Perhaps if we added another species to the Species at Risk Act?

How about we add a new endangered species – rural and remote Canadians. The pitch could be:

“All across rural and remote B.C., across Canada, rural and remote Canadians are in decline. Rural and Remote Canadians are a diverse group of humans who live peaceably together in the north. Despite being under-represented in the towers of power, they create a disproportionate part of wealth in Canada. This endangered species is vital to our survival because they grow, manage, harvest, and extract, the raw materials and food we need to survive. Losing rural and remote Canadians would mean the loss of human connection with the land.They are the guardians of our natural habitat. Losing rural and remote Canadians will mean a vital piece of the economy, cultuel, heritage and knowledge of Canada would be lost. We need to take steps now to avoid this extinction!”

Maybe then we would have their attention?

Perhaps we could even get a sympa-

THINKING ALOUD

TRUDY KLASSEN

thetic Hollywood involved to help us. They have already produced a movie that showcases some of the problems we have. I have teens, so occasionally I watch movies I would never choose. One of them, the sci-fi movie Mortal Engines, has massive cities on wheels travelling about the country, scavenging the vast near-empty wilderness, gobbling up smaller cities for their resources.

What does this resemble? Area mills getting the raw logs from the Mackenzie timber supply? The Lower mainland consuming the north? The east consuming the west of Canada?

Until that happens, we ordinary folk have a choice to make: we can complain about the inequity, we can increase the divide between rural and big-urban Canada by becoming angry or we can begin to tear down those walls. But first, we need to tear down the walls we ourselves build in our own communities.

My husband and I lived in Mackenzie but we moved to Prince George because, as loggers, we just didn’t fit into a mill town. When Mount Milligan ,ine was built, there was lots of complaining about the mining trucks wrecking the forestry roads. Now my husband hauls logs in the Prince George area and the log haulers are tempted to grumble about the

pipeline crews increasing the traffic. This division is a problem.

When I first heard about the rally in Mackenzie, I thought it was oriented toward union workers. Since I am not a union member, I shrugged and figured it wasn’t for me. I was wrong. You, me, all of us – blue-collar, white collar, union, non-union, farmer, rancher, business owners, self-employed, unemployed, contractor, sub-contractor, logger, mill worker, government employee, health care worker, or teacher – we are all impacted.

If you live in the north, we need to know that we are all in this together. We need to start respecting, defending and fighting for each other, to survive as small communities and cities. If we don’t, the Lower Mainland, and eventually Eastern Canada will swallow us, one gulp at a time.

Then what? Who will live in the North? Who will look out for the vast uninhabited areas of our province? We are the stewards of the land, we who live in the north, regardless of heritage or colour of our skin or profession, we must learn to respect each other, defend each other and work together.

We need to find ways to make rural and remote communities thrive again.

I am no Luddite. I know we need to continually create efficiencies in order to remain competitive. I also know that we have policies and regulations that have not kept pace with our changing technology and economic conditions, that serve no useful purpose and harm small

communities.

Our elected government and bureaucrats, who know how the systems work and are most familiar of how we can change things, need to do what every small business owner does all the time: make adjustments needed by the market and improve efficiencies.

We need Doug Donaldson, Minister of Forests, Lands, and Resource Operations, and all of our elected government and government employees, to fire up their imaginations and gather the courage needed to identify and make changes in policy and regulations so that our small single-industry towns have a chance to thrive in the ever-changing economic and political conditions.

The minister needs to use the knowledge of our area MLAs who are now opposition members, who have experience and knowledge of what this government needs to do to improve the situation, to work together and share what they know for the benefit of all.

We also need our mayors to work together because what is good for Mackenzie is good for Prince George. It is survival of the fittest out there and we need to stand together, united. We need to make the needed changes now, because rural and remote Canadians are in danger of becoming the new species at risk.

The time is now for the people of the north to stand together or else face extinction.

Because the north matters. Because Mackenzie matters.