Prince George Citizen April 2, 2020

Hearts of PG goes global

Christine hinZMAnn Citizen staff

Hearts of PG was supposed to be a way to distract a local stay-at-home mom’s two children as they made their way through this new thing called social distancing in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Bailey Grose said she hoped to could get her neighbours on board to post hearts in their windows so her kids could go hunting for them when they went for their get-outof-the-house walks.

She posted her request on Facebook on March 18 and things got a whole lot bigger just a few days later.

Grose was quick to say only go for walks with people you are already self-isolating with because staying safe is important. “This was just to connect with people at a time when we physically can’t be connected right now,” Grose said. “Social distancing is difficult and this is a new term that literally didn’t exist a couple of months ago - or maybe even a couple of weeks ago - so i just liked the idea that while we’re social distancing everyone can

feel connected. i think when you can get the feeling that you’re doing something positive it can ease a lot of anxiety and stress. i know a lot of parents are looking for things to do at home right now.”

Grose said she has received a lot of positive messages from mothers saying their children are eager to get up in the morning to create more hearts for their windows.

“i’ve gotten videos of kids walking around finding the hearts and that’s really all i wanted,” Grose said. “i just wanted people to feel connected during this social distancing time.”

So as the world changed and her youngest, who is four years old, would cry because she misses her friends and the craft table at preschool, Grose came up with this Hearts of PG movement.

“To say i’m surprised might not be an accurate word - blown away,” Grose said.

“So part of me is not surprised because Prince George notoriously always steps up to the plate for things like this.”

everyone is always so supportive in Prince George, she added, citing the wild-

fire evacuees response as an example.

“it was literally posted last week as i was having a bit of anxiety - i have two kids at home and i posted it just as way to kind of distract us, thinking if a couple of people put some hearts up it would be really cool,” she said. “So i am surprised how quickly it took off and then i was shocked at how global it went.”

Many people from around the world have reached out to Grose, posting hearts from France, Belgium, the United

Kingdom, the United States and the far and near parts of canada. People have reached out to ask if they could carry the movement further and #AWorldofHearts has 197,000 members in the group while #AWorldofHearts2020 has 41,000.

Grose thinks it’s awesome she’s referred to as “to that lady in Prince George” who started the grassroots project.

“i’m always excited when someone is talking about Prince George in this amazing light,” Grose said. “So whenever i hear “this lady from Prince George” i think ‘yeah, go Prince George!’”

Grose, always mindful of what prompted Hearts of Prince George in the first place, has shown her children the pictures of the hearts and then has mapped it out so they can learn where the hearts are being displayed.

“i’ve encouraged people to start their own hashtag so instead of #HeartsofPG it’s #HeartsofTerrace, Kamloops and they all have their own pages,” Grose said.

“And it’s amazing.”

Bailey Grose

citizen Photos by James Doyle

WindoW family portraits citizen photographer James Doyle visited two families sunday and, with their permission, took pictures of them through their windows as they self-isolated. left, from left, sophie houghton, 10, cindy bissonette, isabelle houghton, 12, and meghan buehler play cards at the dining room table on sunday afternoon while staying home during the coViD-19 outbreak. right, the horton Family enjoys a snack on sunday afternoon while celebrating the one-year anniversary of the adoption of their two youngest children.

NoN-urgeNt CaNCer tests susPeNded

Ted Clarke Citizen staff

BC Cancer is temporarily suspending many of its cancer screening services across the province to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

Screening tests for breast and colon cancer are the most affected during the pandemic and that prompted a bulletin from BC Cancer on its website last week.

Shutting down or reducing those screening services will take some of the pressure off the health care system to allow essential health care staff to be re-trained so they can focus on urgent and emergent care until the threat of the virus subsides.

BC Cancer, which operates the BC Cancer Centre for the North in Prince George, has postponed all breast cancer screenings. Anybody with prior appointments will have been notified and put on a wait list. Appointments will be re-booked in priority order once the service is restored. Reminder notices for screening have also been suspended.

Those who have already had a screening mammogram and are awaiting results will still receive those results, which will be sent to the patient’s family doctor. If new symptoms are noticed, patients are requested to contact their doctor to discuss an alternate test.

Many colonoscopy procedures have also been suspended due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

That includes screening colonoscopies for people not showing any symptoms but have a family history of colon cancer, as

well as follow-up colonoscopies for people with abnormal fecal immunochemical test (FIT) results.

Diagnostic testing is still being conducted for people experiencing symptoms such as blood in stool, abdominal pain, change in bowel habits or unexplained weight loss.

Anybody with any of those symptoms is advised to contact your health care provider to determine the cause. A non-urgent FIT test is not appropriate in those cases. FIT kits to collect stool samples are not being distributed by the testing laboratories because, even if an abnormal result is detected, patients will not be booked for a follow-up colonoscopy until non-emergent service resumes.

To encourage social distancing, patients should not be bringing FIT kits to the labs, nor should they go to their doctor to request a FIT test until the COVID-19 threat subsides.

People who have already picked up a FIT kit and have used it to collect a stool sample should not dispose of it in the household garbage but should return it to the lab once non-urgent, non-emergent services are restored. If you have already picked up the test kit and have not used it, wait until full services are in place again before collecting the sample. While health officials are uncertain when the suspension of tests will be lifted, the changes will be in effect at least until the end of May.

For more information call 1-877-7026566 or got to the BC Cancer website at bccancer.bc.ca.

Northwood, Isle Pierre hit by Canfor closures

arThur WIllIaMS Citizen staff

Canfor and Canfor Pulp has curtailed production at Northwood Pulp Mill, Isle Pierre Sawmill, Plateau Sawmill in Vanderhoof and Houston Sawmill in Houston.

The company said a planned spring maintenance shutdown at Northwood will be postponed until later in the year, and the mill will shutdown for three weeks.

“Northwood will be fully curtailed from April 25 to May 17. Approximate 470 employees will be impacted,” Canfor and Canfor Pulp director of corporate communications Michelle Ward said in an email.

“This is the only pulp curtailment currently planned. There is the potential for further adjustments to operating plans. Canfor Pulp is closely monitoring potential staffing shortages, customer demand and volatility in the financial markets.”

The curtailment at Northwood is expected to cut production of 35,000

The Isle Pierre, Plateau and Houston sawmills will be curtailed from March 30 to April 17 as part of a Canada-wide reduction of 70 million board feet of production.

The curtailment is expected to impact 90 employees at Isle Pierre, 300 workers at Plateau and another 300 in Houston.

The company is also curtailing production at sawmills in Radium Hot Springs and Elko, B.C. from March 30 to April 10, impacting a total of 340 employees.

Canfor Pulp has also slashed $15 million from its capital spending program for the year, and Canfor has cut $20 million in planned capital spending at its Canadian and U.S. operations. Ward declined to comment on any local impact on those spending cuts.

The company is reducing lumber production in the U.S. by 50 million board feet and in Europe by 17 million board feet.

West Fraser curtails operations

Lumber producer West Fraser has curtailed production due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Effective Monday, all of its B.C. sawmills are shut down for a week while plywood production at the company’s Alberta Plywood and Slave Lake Veneer facilities has been temporarily suspended until at

least April 6.

The moves are being made in response to the restrictions on movement, travel, work and trade, which the company said is creating uncertainty in the demand for forest products.

The sawmill shutdown will account for 24 million board feet of production while that for the plywood plants will add up to 6.5 million square feet per week.

tonnes of northern bleached softwood kraft pulp.

Citizen staff

P.G. couPle unable to return from Peru

Christine hinzmann Citizen staff

A local artist and his partner have traveled the world since last October. That came to a sudden halt recently and now Joseph Cunningham and Melissa Bermudez are stuck in Peru under conditions Cunningham considers similar to martial law.

Trying to get a flight back to Canada is like winning the lottery, Cunningham said through a series of Facebook messages to the Citizen.

Airlines email a code to those who made the request to get a flight out of a country with a travel ban set - for now- until April 14.

Cunningham got his code at 1:50 p.m. Thursday. After about 10 miniutes and providing payment information at the final click of the mouse Cunningham was told the flight no longer existed. It was sold out. Talking to people through social media that includes about 80 people seeking a way home, he said about 10 people got tickets for the flight that was booked on Thursday.

Communication with the Canadian government about this matter is through emails.

“I’m glad some Canadians made it home,” Cunningham said. “And I just hope others among us will be able to return home in what may be the greatest depression to have ever happened, given the global community and global economic situation we live in.”

He is grateful not to be going through this ordeal alone.

Cunningham met Bermudez in Prince

Joseph CunninghAm And melissA Bermudez

George. They went to the College of New Caledonia together for a time before realizing the education they both seek is one of global knowledge. Bermudez has dual citizenship for Canada and Colombia.

Cunningham said they’ve been together for four years.

It was a year ago that Cunningham said a dream inspired him to find his way to Mexico to start a grand travel adventure.

Cunningham asked Bermudez if she’d like to go with him.

“Fortunately for me she did,” Cuningham said. “I felt as though I needed to learn and grow and this was what my subconscious was telling me. Melissa and I were in Mexico and Colombia and traveled through both countries from Oaxaca to Playa del Carmen and Mexico City.

They then traveled extensively in Colombia, finally making their way to Peru and are now in Cusco.

“Right now we are waiting for our flights from the government,” Cunningham said. “I would like to inform people that taxpayers

dollars are not paying for our repatriation flights. It’s out of our pockets. The government of Canada has not announced anymore flights to repatriate Canadians and Peru is under what is like martial law.”

This is what he posted on his blog site most recently:

“We have rules set by Peruvian government:

1. We have a 8 PM to 5 AM curfew.

2. All land, sea and air borders are closed.

3. All non-essentials will not be sold, like alcohol, clothes and goods.

4. One person from each household is permitted to leave the house only to go to pharmacies or supermarkets.

5. Must walk 1 meter away from others.

6. Can only leave the house if you have a mask. (We tried to get a mask since day 1 and they were all sold out)

And probably other restrictions that we don’t even know.

During this time we have stayed home, watched streets dogs wondering where people once roamed, watch police pass by, and the odd local or tourist rushing through the streets to get food and/ or essential supplies. We have left a few times to get groceries and are constantly bombarded by police asking us where we

are going, what we are doing, who are we and to rush home.

“It’s Meli’s birthday on April 15 and we’re hoping to be home by then to at least see family through the window,” Cunningham said.

“Prince George has family for us and during troubling times we will want to go and be close to them.”

Cunningham said during better times travel is always the priority.

“Melissa and I are entrepreneurs and I’m an artist,” he said. “That being said we have more opportunity the more we move around. Prince George holds a place for us in our hearts along with family and will be where we want to stay as times are troubling.”

Cunningham said the travel blog he writes is done to show people how small the world is and to find similarities.

In their effort to get back to Canada, Cunningham and Bermudez have emailed local MPs to prompt them to take action, Cunningham said.

“But it’s limited resources,” he added.

“There have been announcements they will not be able to get everyone home. I hope this brings people peace of mind knowing they have family and each other in what can be very troubling times.”

UNBC prof stuck in New Zealand

Editor’s Note: Citizen columnist and UNBC chemistry Todd Whitcombe is currently on sabbatical in New Zealand. He sent this dispatch to The Citizen (along with his regular science column, which is on page 12) from Nelson, a city of about 50,000 people, on Friday afternoon (Saturday morning in New Zealand).

So, my South Island tour came to a crashing end. I am presently in Nelson (south island, New Zealand not B.C. south). I probably won’t be able to get back to Canada until May. No going out for the next four weeks. My flights back to Canada have all been cancelled. Essential travel inside the country only. I am getting the feeling taking a sabbatical was a bad idea!? Conditions are very good for me. I was traveling the south island and was in Westport the day before the lock down. The hotel there was quite willing to put me up for the duration. Instead, I pushed through to Nelson (larger city with better resources) and moved into the hotel I had already booked. The owner and I have talked and he is planning on working to a weekly rate, which is quite reasonable. Not having the room serviced daily but I

do have a kitchenette with a range, fridge, microwave, and sink with dishes, pots, and pans. There are half a dozen suites occupied. On the whole, it is a pretty good situation.

New Zealand has yet to report a death from COVID-19, although that will likely not last. It has a population of about 4.7 million (comparable to B.C.) and only 368 cases (confirmed or suspected). Only one case is in the ICU (and unfortunately that is in the Nelson Hospital!) so we seem to have things “under control”. Of course, everyone is waiting for the other shoe to drop and cases to explode. The number of community cases is very low - under 10. The vast majority are directly traceable to travel (either people who came home sick, were infected en route, or have passed it to those family and friends contacted upon returning).

But so far, things are fine. Kiwis seem determined to pull together and respond in a sensible, friendly fashion. And I should be able to wait out the lockdown - and beyond if necessary.

On the other hand, I would really like to find a way to get home!

SnowbirdS return early; now Self-iSolating

Christine hinzmann Citizen staff

Snowbirds returning from Palm Springs, Calif. said they felt safe in their gated community, took precautions while traveling and are now self-isolating back home in Prince George.

“We usually stay to ourselves anyway so self-isolating isn’t that difficult,” Leona Wilkinson said during a phone call from her home in Prince George.

Leona and Gary Wilkinson have been going to the same resort for 10 years.

“You know everyone within the compound and most of us are Canadians,” Leona said.

They got there on Jan. 15 and intended to stay until April 1 but when they heard about the coronavirus threat they thought it better to return home sooner rather than later.

They returned on March 18.

The Wilkinsons are self-proclaimed news junkies and started each morning at the resort by tuning into the radio for Canadian reports and then continued to listen

in throughout the day, Leona said.

“In the resort there’s about 100 trailers and because about 90 per cent are Canadians - we’re snowbirds - there’s lots of gossip that goes around - are they going

to close the borders and did you hear that so-and-so is sick and should we be going home?” Leona said.

Gary said they left before it got too crazy.

“When one of us gets a sniffle or something, us Canadians want to come home because Canada is our safe haven,” Leona said.

“So as long as we’re healthy and fine and have our happy hour we’re good and don’t want to go home.”

They left before there were any COVID19 cases reported in their community.

They heard there were some around Los Angeles but in the Palm Springs area there were only three cases reported around the time they left.

“It was calm where we were near Palm Springs,” Leona said. “I don’t think we quite realized what the pandemic was going to be but we did want to come home. We have kids so our children are grown adults who were saying ‘come on mom and dad, get your bums home now’.”

There were no challenges crossing the

border, Leona said.

They weren’t asked any questions at all.

“They just gave us a pamphlet saying when you go home self-isolate, don’t go out,” Leona said. “But no, the border was not a challenge. We were afraid because we heard rumours they might close the borders and that we might be stuck down in the states and that’s another reason we decided to come home earlier.”

They returned to their home in Prince George to find a house full of groceries, thanks to their firefighter son.

The hardest part was trying to explain why grandma hugs were not forthcoming after such a long absence.

“My other son who lives right next door was out and about and was keeping his distance with my three-year-old grandson holding his arms out waiting for a hug,” Leona said.

“I couldn’t touch him so that’s hard. And we also have two little granddaughters who live about 10 blocks away we can’t go near either.”

ICBC offers remote licence renewals, payment deferrals

The Insurance Corp. of British Columbia (ICBC) is granting temporary driver’s licence extensions and insurance payment deferrals for up to 90 days.

The measures will allow B.C. residents to maintain self-isolation and social-distancing, will protect ICBC employees and could

also ease immediate cash flow concerns. ICBC customers can now defer their monthly auto insurance payments for up to 90 days with no penalty. The measure triples ICBC’s previous one-time 30-day deferral policy, and is intended to support British Columbians facing financial hardship as the spread of COVID-19 shutters businesses and spurs layoffs.

The deferral will be available to ICBC customers are already on monthly Autoplan payments for up to 90 days.

B.C. drivers can also temporarily extend their licence by phone up to six weeks before it expires. Extensions will be granted for licence renewals, licence reinstatements and lost licence replacements. Drivers will be mailed a 90-day tem-

porary licence. ICBC says it will monitor the ongoing situation to see whether an additional extension is needed.

All driver knowledge tests for motorcycles and passenger vehicles have been suspended indefinitely, and ICBC is working on how to deliver remote knowledge tests. Commercial tests are continuing except when translation services are required.

GAry And LeonA WiLkinson

Chamber heartened by business plan

Arthur WilliAms Citizen staff

The Prince George Chamber of Commerce welcomed news that the federal government is planning to increase the subsidy for worker wages during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a 75 per cent wage subsidy for businesses large and small, non-profits and charities will be eligible. Employers will have to show their revenues have fallen by at least 30 per cent due to the outbreak to be eligible.

Trudeau announced the government’s intention to increase the subsidy program on Friday. Previously the program offered only 10 per cent of wages paid. In addition, the government is working with banks to provide small businesses loans of up to $40,000 interest-free for a year, with up to $10,000 waived for repayment.

“Overall, today’s announcement from government was very positive,” chamber CEO Todd Corrigall said in an email on Friday.

“The 75 per cent wage subsidy will provide tremendous relief to (small and

medium businesses) and the additional loan opportunity of $40k with zero interest should provide some stability in uncertain times.”

The wages the subsidy covers will be capped at $847 a week, Trudeau said. More details about the program, including measures to ensure companies aren’t cheating the system and what the program is expected to cost taxpayers, will be announced this week, he added.

Trudeau asked companies that get the subsidy to rehire workers laid off over the last two weeks and ensure that all the money through the program goes to employees.

The 75 per cent wage subsidy would be a significant increase over the 10 per cent wage subsidy program previously offered by the government to businesses, nonprofit organizations and charities, which critics said wasn’t enough to make a significant difference.

The previous program was valid for wages paid between March 18 and June 20, and up to a maximum of $1,375 per employee and $25,000 per employer.

Only private companies with taxable

capital assets of $15 million or less were eligible under the former rules.

The funding was provided in the form a remittance of federal or provincial income tax.

Corrigall the subsidy is a step in the right direction, but the government will need to be responsive as the pandemic situation continues to change.

The chamber of commerce is working on a survey that it hopes to launch this week to get some idea of how local businesses are coping with the crisis.

“(As) part of the larger Chamber network, the BC Chamber survey, garnering more than 8,000 responses province wide, indicated that a significant number of businesses would be considering layoffs,” Corrigall said in his email.

“We are encouraging the (businesses) to use #SupportPG on social media so our team can continue building the listing of open business and the mitigation strategies they are using to stay open and provide safe products and services to the community.”

The B.C. Chamber of Commerce survey, released on March 18, showed 64 per cent

Gun shop booming in midst of outbreak

ted ClArke Citizen staff

Not everybody is feeling the economic pinch of the COVID-19 outbreak just yet.

of respondent companies expected to reduce their staff by half or more – and 25 per cent expected to lay off their entire staff. Nine in 10 businesses reported being impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, and 83 per cent reported a drop in revenue, business or deal flow.

Information released by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business on Monday suggests one in five small and medium-sized businesses currently remain open during the pandemic, and two in five are worried about having to permanently close.

The CFIB suggests one-quarter of its members don’t think they can cover some of their fixed costs, such as rent and leases, for April.

There are many grants, loans and financing options available for local businesses, Corrigall said, and the chamber has complied a list of resources for business owners on its website.

“It’s important that we support our local businesses now more than ever,” Corrigall said. “The recovery of our local economy is contingent on its survival today.”

— With files from The Canadian Press

“It’s been a lot busier than normal and our sales have tripled since everybody’s gone home,” said Premack, who opened the store last June. “We sell firearms and

Business has been booming at K.K.S. Tactical Supplies, a gun and ammunition store in the Nicholson Centre. They’ve had a steady stream of customers lately and store owner Cassy Premack expects that to continue as people react to the falling Canadian dollar and get ready for the spring hunting and fishing seasons.

ammunition, so it’s been pretty busy, and we also do hunting tags and fishing licences and that starts up again April 1.

“All of our semi-automatic restricted weapons sold almost immediately within the first week (of the COVID-19 pandemic). Everybody is looking for a gun or ammunition and part of it is the dollar crashing, so the cost of ammunition is going up in the next two weeks. Most of our products are imported from the United States, so when our dollar is worth so much less than theirs, the cost of goods in Canada goes up.”

The store’s distributors in Canada called Premack a week ago and told her their importing costs were about to jump between five and 25 per cent.

There are some items they usually order that can’t find anywhere.

Twelve-gauge target load shells used for skeet shooting and for defence against grizzly bear attacks have been hard to get and several brands of hunting rifle cartridges like .303 British and .270 Winchester are in short supply.

“We’ve been trying to order more ammunition but it’s also an election year in the States and for whatever reason they all panic and buy ammo,” said Premack.

“It happens every four years, every election year. Now, with it being COVID-19 crisis and an election year and the dollar crashing there’s a big fear there not going to be ammunition come September for hunting season.”

The store also sells airsoft equipment and sponsors local airsoft team shooting events, which are all canceled due to

COVID-19.

In January, Prime Minister Trudeau announced a plan to ban military-style assault weapons and the government is also considering a partial handgun ban, which has driven up sales in guns shops across the country.

“There’s a lot of distrust of the government and a lot of people are worried about an emergency act and the prime minister having full control,” said Premack. “ He’s been so blatantly against firearm ownership in Canada, so there’s some fear.” Premack and her husband Dave are the only employees of the store and they don’t qualify for most federal government incentives to help small businesses ride out the COVID-19 crisis.

“As much as the government has done for employees they haven’t done very much for store owners,” she said. “We might qualify for $500 a month through their COVID emergency fund but that won’t cover our lease payment, so we’re just trying to stay open as long as we can.

“We sell hunting tags and fishing licences and that’s a food source. Depending on how look at it, anything that supports fishing and agriculture, they said, is an essential service. As we go forward there will be more layoffs (in the community) and less disposable income and our income will start to go down from there. We’re new, we just opened in June so we’re not sitting on a lot of capital, we’re sitting on a lot of product, and if we can’t make it through we’ll have to close the doors.”

Ski lodge clients test positive

Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff

The owner and employees of a ski lodge in the Robson Valley are selfisolating after learning two of their clients tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Crescent Spur Heli-Skiing owner Mark Aubrey and nine others are laying low and practicing self distancing at the lodge while another 10 or so are staying in their homes elsewhere around B.C. and Alberta. Aubrey said they took the step upon being told one client tested positive upon returning home to California. A second client from the same state also tested positive a couple days later.

The two were on a trip originally planned to last six days starting March 14 but it was cut short after three days because of warnings that flights in and out of the country were to be put on hold. By the morning of

March 17, all the guests had left the lodge, about 165 kilometres east of the city and had flown home through Prince George and Vancouver airports.

At that time, none of the guests or staff had shown any symptoms, Aubrey said. Aubrey said he had previously refused two clients from Spain because of the high likelihood they may have contracted the virus. And prior to the trip, the other clients were asked if they had been to any high risk countries in the previous 14 days. None said they had, Aubrey said.

Once the last of the guests had left, staff also got in touch with everyone who had been at the lodge in the previous three weeks to ask them to report any symptoms.

“A couple days later we started getting reports of people showing symptoms consistent with the virus and then on (Sunday) March 22nd, we received news that some-

one had tested positive,” Aubrey said. Even before then, Aubrey said it had been suggested to staff they self-isolate. Once they got the news, everyone took the step, he said.

“At that time, we realized there had been somebody possibly in the incubation period when they were at the lodge so we said everyone should self-isolate,” Aubrey said.

One of the staff had shown symptoms significant enough to get testing. None live in Prince George and the one who was tested lives in Jasper, where he is selfisolating.

“He’s feeling much better, he’s just waiting for the test results,” Aubrey said.

On Tuesday, shortly before he was contacted by the Citizen, Aubrey received news that a second client, also from California and on the same March 14 trip, tested positive.

YMCA offering full-time child-care options

The YMCA of Northern B.C. is expanding its child care options in the city during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The YMCA said it will continue to provide care at its YMCA Early Years Child Care locations from 7:45 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, and will expand its before and after-school care programs to offer full-day care on April 1.

“Since the pandemic began, the YMCA has been committed to continuing to provide child care as an essential service to families across northern B.C.” YMCA of

Northern B.C. CEO Amanda Alexander said in a press release. “With the help of the Province of B.C.’s temporary emergency child care funding, the YMCA will be able to continue to provide child care services, expand our program hours and meet the childcare needs of families who (do) essential work in essential services.”

B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has encouraged parents to keep children home if they can. Parents who choose to keep their children at home will not lose their spot at any YMCA childcare programs, Alexander said.

“Many of the YMCA’s programs are not at capacity right now as many families are following the advice of public health,” she said. “We are opening up child care spots where they are available to any parent or caregiver who needs child care during the pandemic.”

Fees for the YMCA Essential Child Care program will remain the same as typical child-care programs. Families who have lost income because of the pandemic can reach out to the Affordable Child Care Benefit Program for possible financial support.

Since March 13, the YMCA has required

In all, there were 19 clients on the trip, none of whom are from Prince George. Three live in B.C. and the rest were a mixture of Americans and British.

Staff who remain at the lodge are in good spirits.

“We’ve got a big property here, there are no restrictions on being outside,” Aubrey said. “We’re preparing meals for each other, movies, we’re practicing social distancing amongst each other, people, so far, are coping well, spirits are high.

“These guys have spent the whole winter together, many of them for several winters and they’re friends and supportive and nobody is showing any psychological problems...everyone gets it.”

Because of the virus, the lodge’s ski season, originally set at 13 weeks, has been cut short by three.

“It’s a very significant impact economically,” Aubrey said.

parents to keep children home from child care if they have shown any symptoms associated with COVID-19 including fever, sore throat, difficulty breathing, etc. Parents are required to complete a health declaration form each morning at drop off and children are being tested for fever before they are allowed to enter the centres. Public access to the child-care locations has been limited by requiring parents and caregivers to sign their children in and out at the main entrance, and enhanced hand washing and cleaning is being done throughout the day.

Citizen staff

Alta. teacher shares online learning challenges

Ted Clarke Citizen staff

As a Grade 3 teacher, Bob Ellis admits he’s no tech-savvy genius when it comes to utilizing online teaching tools and connecting with his students using virtual classrooms.

Like all teachers in Canada who woke up to a new reality when the COVID-19 crisis wiped out face-to-face instruction and closed schools, Ellis has been forced to adopt entirely new methods to present his lessons to students and there’s no playbook because it’s never been done before on such a mass scale.

Ellis works at Turner Valley School south of Calgary and is in his third week of online teaching. Alberta schools were closed on March 16 and it’s been left up to each individual teacher to find what works best for students who face the real possibility they might not be going back to their classrooms for the rest of the school year.

In B.C. schools, the coronavirus shutdown happened during the first week of spring break when the province announced March 17 it was closing all kindergarten-Grade 12 schools, a move that affects 550,000 students, including nearly 13,000 in the Prince George school district. After from the two-week break, B.C.’s nearly 45,000 grade school teachers are back on the job, working either from home or at school.

Just as Ellis did, they will be expected to get in touch with all their students by phone and/or email by the end of the week to unveil their teaching plans and follow the provincial mandate to provide continuous learning.

“I work from school and it’s busy,” said

Ellis. “I’m not teaching 20 kids at the same time, it’s kind of like crisis management, you’re dealing with one at a time. It’s a scramble.”

To better simulate what normally goes on in school, Ellis has started using Google Classroom, a free web-based program developed for schools which allows teachers and students to share files. It gives teachers the ability to send out assignments which the students can fill out online, then send back for grading. To get the kids integrated into what for them is also a new platform, he recorded a 22-minute introductory video using his guitar and singing voice to grab their attention.

Using Google Meet, Ellis can create a virtual classroom that allows students to join in and participate in live interactive lectures.

While it does have its limitations (the audio mic allows only one voice at one time), students can get into a queue which allows them to have their voices heard when it’s their turn to speak.

“With Google Meet you can get up to 200 people involved and you all come up in little bubbles,” said Ellis. “The Toronto Symphony Orchestra performed a beautiful concerto last week and all of them were at home, all on Google Meet.

“Last week I did one at a time and that was OK and on Friday I called in two students and that was lovely. They can see each other and see me and they can hear each other. It will be a good medium when I’m introducing a new concept to the kids. (This) week I’m introducing how to work a times table chart.”

Ellis admits each teacher is at a different stage of familiarity with online teaching

tools and some who teach older students have a better grasp because they’ve been making use of them since the school year began. Like the teachers, students had no warning about the school closures and the Foothills School District where Ellis teaches set up a plan for each student to come to school that week with a parent or guardian, arriving on designated days based on the first initial of their surnames to pick up their personal school supplies.

Ellis attaches the week’s textbook reading and handout assignments in weekly emails to parents on Mondays which each student has to complete by the end of the week.

Depending on the age of students, that might require some help from the parents. For teens used to working with computers, it’s mostly been a smooth adjustment. The challenge for some families is there might be four school-aged kids trying to use one computer and the parents also need that computer to work from home. In a case like that, or if the family has no way to print off the assignments, Ellis knows which students need their learning plan printed out for them and makes them available for pickup on Mondays at the school.

Because the coronavirus can live on surfaces for as long as three days, teachers are not allowed to hand out printed material for students to receive the same day. Student assignments dropped off at the school on Fridays are placed into lock boxes which are sealed until after each weekend.

Ellis sent parents a suggested schedule which emulates his school schedule, showing when to have breaks for play time, meals and phys-ed. He scheduled an hour of numeracy/math and an hour of language/literacy each day, which is double the provincial minimum. He also advised his students to spend an hour on social studies and an hour on science twice a week on alternating days. He provided a breakdown by subject of how much time

should be spent on each activity for parents to use as a gauge.

Ellis works at the school but that choice is left up to the teachers. They’ve been told to stay home and self-isolate for 14 days if they have any cold or flu-like symptoms. By last week, half the teachers in his school of 300 students were working from home.

Ellis worries about special needs students with mental, emotional and social deficiencies who won’t be receiving the support of educational assistants, child care workers, tutors and other teaching specialists available to them in the schools.

“What do we do for these kids who fall between the cracks at school?” he said.

“Now that they’re not at school they’re really going to fall through the cracks, and I don’t know what we can do about it.” Ellis says his students are for the most part saddened that all their school work now happens at home and because of the virus they are being kept separate from their classmates. They can’t go to playgrounds, their sports and recreation activities have been postponed or canceled and their school, the hub of their social lives, is now off-limits.

“Most of the kids in my class are just devastated, I have parents telling me their kids are crying, the vast majority in Grade 3 would much rather be in school,” he said.

“What the kids miss the most is playing together, singing songs, chasing each other in the playground, eating lunch together. This is a Band-Aid to do it this way. It won’t ever replace being together in a classroom full of 20 kids. The social factor of education can never be replaced by online schooling.

“This will help us and it’s good to be prepared for it because when we hit another pandemic and we’ll have to do this again. If anything, it will strengthen the school system as a public place where kids gather.”

Local teachers ‘thrilled’ with tentative contract

Ted Clarke Citizen staff

Amidst the chaos of the COVID-19 crisis, which has closed the province’s kindergarten-Grade 12 schools to students indefinitely, a tentative deal has been reached with B.C.’s 45,000 public school teachers.

Months of bargaining ended last Thursday when a collective agreement between the BC Teachers Federation and BC Public School Employers Association was announced.

Terms of the deal were not released while the two sides work out further details but the BCTF executive is recommending ratification.

“We are absolutely thrilled that this news came out yesterday with everything we’ve been dealing with, this was welcome news,” said Joanne Hapke, president of the Prince George District Teacher Association. “The PGDTA is very happy we were able to get a collective agreement, one that’s being recommended by our bargaining team and the executive committee. “

B.C. teachers have been without a contract since June 2019.The new deal falls within the provincial mandate, which caps public sector wage increases at two per cent annually.

“I knew there had been more intense

mediation occurring but you can never assume that means things are good,” said Hapke. “There needed to be a willingness on both sides to get to this point and I’m not sure what happened at those tables but so we’re happy that it actually worked in favour of teachers and the public education system.”

Hapke said the contract offer addresses recruitment and retention issues.

“There‘s been language that is already existing in the agreement on leaves that are good for our members, (and) the salary has been addressed,” she said. “While Terri (BCTF president Mooring) has stated it is higher than anything we’ve achieved in the last few rounds, it’s nothing that’s going to cause concern in the public. We did not break that (public sector) mandate.”

Hapke said the ratification vote will be an online poll.

“The typical ratification process would include meetings and school visits and that’s not happening,” she said. “The BCTF executive committee will create a plan and we’ll go forward with that when they’ve created it. With children not on site at this time there is time to get a plan put in place for a ratification process that works for everyone.”

Downtown tax exemption being phased out

Arthur WilliAms Citizen staff

The clock is ticking for developers looking to take advantage of the city’s downtown Revitalization Tax Exemption (RTE) program, after city council approved a sunset date for the program.

Launched in 2011, the program offers developers a 10-year break on municipal property taxes on new construction and upgrades to properties in the downtown core that meet the criteria. City council amended the bylaw to include a sunset clause of Sept. 30, 2024 after receiving a consultant’s report saying the program had achieved its objective.

“This comprehensive program is among the most competitive in Canada. Revitalization is happening in the area,” city manager of economic development Melissa Barcellos said. “It is an extended sunset date, and that gives developers quite a bit of time to take advantage of it and get

shovels in the ground.”

Since the program’s inception, 23 projects have received the RTE benefit –seven new buildings, 12 renovations, two additions and two facade improvements. Those numbers don’t include public-sector projects like the RCMP detachment or Wood Innovation and Design Centre, or projects like the Park House condominium development that is still under construction.

The combined value of the projects is approximately $48.1 million, Barcellos said. Once the Park House project is complete, that number will jump to approximately $76 million.

“Of course the RTE agreement means the city will not see the benefit of the tax assessments for 10 years,” Barcellos said.

Between 2011 and 2019, the assessed value of properties downtown grew from $292.7 million to $505.6 million – growing an average of nine per cent per year, compared to five per cent per year for the city as whole. Between 2005 and 2011, property

values downtown grew an average of eight per cent per year during a time when property values in the city as a whole grew an average of 12 per cent per year.

While the estimated cost to the city in property tax exemptions is $10.5 million, rising property values downtown has seen the city collect an additional $11 million in property taxes since 2011, Barcellos said.

“The city has seen an immediate return on investment,” she said.

In its report to city council, consultants KR Solutions reported vacancy rates downtown hit an eight-year low in 2018 of 10.55 per cent.

“It is clear that market conditions are improving and confidence is growing in the downtown of Prince George as community, businesses and tourists enjoy living in a part of Prince George that had been progressively deteriorating in prior years with businesses and visitors vacating the area,” KR Solutions wrote in its report. “The RTE program has been successful and proved

effective in supporting development objectives. However the 10-year benefit is costly to the city. The rise in market assessments suggests that a 10-year tax exemption may not be necessary to compensate for risk, although risk is still high particularly for street level retail.”

Mayor Lyn Hall said the program has attracted investment to the downtown and create jobs – both in construction and long-term jobs in places like the Mariott hotel downtown.

“It changed the landscape of our downtown,” Hall said. “The sunset date is two, three years down the road, so it gives us a bit more time.”

The program was about more than bringing in tax revenue, it was a game-changer for the city’s downtown, Coun. Brian Skakun said.

“This was a success. We made the investment, and it got results,” Coun. Garth Frizzell said. “You look out this window and see the results.”

Council approves replacement equipment borrowing

Arthur WilliAms Citizen staff

City council has approved a bylaw to borrow $2.8 million to be used to replace city vehicles and equipment.

The loan, which may be for up to 10 years, required the city to engage in the alternative approval process because the term of the loan is for longer than five years.

However, the city only received 28 signatures from residents opposing the loan, city general manager of administrative services Walter Babicz said.

The threshold of signatures required to trigger a referendum on the issue is 10 per cent of the city’s registered voters, or 5,846 signatures, he said.

The majority of the loan – $2.3 million of the $2.8 million – is for the replacement

of city mobile equipment, with funding for a parks water truck, general maintenance van and janitorial floor scrubbers making up much of the rest.

The borrowing bylaw also includes $35,00 for the purchase of a fire services rescue watercraft and an additional $65,000 for a fire services wildland rescue utility vehicle.

City manager Kathleen Soltis said the

money borrowed under the bylaw has to be used for the purposes laid out in the alternative approval process.

The debt will increase the city’s debt serving costs by $327,000 per year, calculated at three per cent interest.

However, Soltis said the actual borrowing rate will be less than three per cent.

“It’s a very good rate,” she said. “It’s a very good deal.”

LETTERS To The ediTor

UnDRiP Unveiling

I appreciate Trudy Klassen’s closing remarks in her article about UNDRIP, namely that she acknowledges that what she says is grounded on a “basic understanding.” I will try to set her straight.  She rightly points out earlier in her article that UNDRIP is not about the superiority of one culture over another; that would certainly be a strange premise on which to base a widely adopted (if not implemented) international agreement. And I agree that youthful demonstrators have much to learn about what UNDRIP does and does not say. However, to suggest that the agreement basically adds nothing new to the suite of rights already established in Canada’s constitution and Supreme Court decisions is wrong, overlooking both the severe limitations of Canadian law for indigenous rights and the deeper and more meaningful provisions in UNDRIP.

Section 35 of the Constitution was an enormous leap forward, no doubt, as it enshrined the legitimacy of aboriginal and treaty rights, though these were not specified. That specification was left to a host of subsequent court decisions, most of which tended to expand the way that Canada (and its provincial governments) must include First Nations in land and resource decision-making. The case that came to be known as Delgamuukw, brought by Gitksan and Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs made it clear that “there is always a duty to consult” and that in most cases that has to mean something more than (in the court’s wording) “mere consultation.”

But despite the understandably celebratory reaction of many First Nations leaders to Delgamuukw, the court did not break with the longstanding primacy of settler interests over Indigenous ones. Rarely mentioned was that the learned justices of the Supreme Court left a door open to settler government override of Indigenous rights through which a truck could (and has) literally and figuratively drive through. The Supreme Court ruled that those governments could infringe on the rights the First Nations for a dizzying array of purposes: “the development of agriculture, forestry, mining, and hydroelectric power, the general economic development of the interior of British Columbia, protection of the environment or endangered species, the building of infrastructure and the settlement of foreign populations” (paragraph 165 of the decision). Put bluntly, settler interests to do anything would prevail if push came to shove.   It is against this background that UNDRIP is so very different. Ms. Klassen cited UNDRIP Article 5 which certainly doesn’t create much new. But the truly ground-breaking section of UNDRIP is Article 32 (2):  “States shall consult and cooperate in good faith with the indigenous peoples concerned through their own representative institutions in order to obtain their free and informed consent prior to the approval of any project affecting their lands or territories and other resources,

particularly in connection with the development, utilization or exploitation of mineral, water or other resources.”   No loophole there for infringement!  And there are numerous other articles in UNDRIP repeating this requirement for Indigenous “free and informed consent”  for a host of governance matters from education to hazardous waste management. If stuck to (something that neither Canada nor B.C. seem willing to do as opposed to talk about) this would certainly be a massive change, one “new-to-Canada” and likely to avert the kind of bad faith decision-making that Horgan’s government has pursued regarding the Coastal Gas Link pipeline.

Norman Dale, Prince George

COviDiOts abOUnD

The stupidity of some people over this virus is maddening and frustrating. In Canada, our governments provincial and federal are doing a pretty good job of trying to control this thing and the only way that it can be done is through social distancing and masks etc. People are unsure of what’s happening and it’s nice to have leaders here that are informative, supportive and compassionate. We also have very knowledgeable people regarding the virus who have spent a lifetime doing the work they do. We even closed the U.S. border to non-essential traffic (good move).

Enter Donald Trump, the worse virus of all, spreading his lies and pure rude and ignorant rhetoric around the world. Unfortunately for us, the Trump virus can jump borders and cross oceans in one leap. The garbage that comes from this man is beyond belief and sad, being in the position of power that he is.

He has an influence on far too many people and he knows absolutely nothing about viruses, much less anything else. Please, people, listen to science on this matter and do the right thing, not to some idiot that thinks he knows everything. If we do this, we will come out the other end much better off.

God bless you all.

B. Rosin, Prince George OPiniOn

ageD well

I was getting ready to start my wood stove at the lake on March 21 with the Feb. 20 Citizen as fuel when I reread Neil’s opinion piece “How to Arrest Protesters.”

Fast forward four short weeks and oh how Canada (and the world) has changed from protesters to the pandemic. Maybe he has some thoughts on how To arrest isolation and distancing violators.

What do protesters and pandemic have in common? Neil answers that in his opinion piece. He stated “Once that assembly involves the occupation of government offices and the blocking of roads and railways, it infringes upon the rights of others to move freely and it breaks the law.” The same can be said for isolation

and distancing violators not heeding the province’s chief medical health officer’s edict to socially isolate and keep your distance. You are infringing upon the rights of others to move freely and breaking the law. You are putting the public’s health at risk.

Finally, Neil says “If those citizens are still unwilling to legalize their behaviour, they are arrested” and that needs to happen with the pandemic and COVID-19 violators. They also need to be fined, hit them in the wallet hard as they are putting lives in danger and money talks.

As the PM has sternly state recently, just stay home. Thanks, Neil, for your Feb. 20 viewpoint as it is very relevant with today’s issue also. I kept your piece for reference but sorry, I did burn the rest of the paper.

Brent Morgan, Prince George Editor’s note: Besides serving an excellent firestarter, the print edition of The Citizen also works great in your garden and your compost. The newsprint is partially made of recycled paper and the inks are vegetable oil based.

RURal wORRies

While I am not a public health official, having focused my experience and training as a social worker on supporting northern and remote communities, I have concerns for our northern communities given the public conversation not often accounting for the vastly differing demographics of northern B.C..

I hope that BC remembers:

1) To frame confirmed case numbers per capita. While the Northern Health region is the size of France, it has the population of Iceland, or a mid-sized city.

2) Most communities have more limited health care services than I previously imagined, and continue to rely on Prince George as a hub for access to essential services, such as cancer treatments. The virus can then travel back with them to their communities. I previously lived in Burns Lake and had to travel back to Prince George for even an ultrasound. Many communities rely on other communities for access to groceries and essential goods, as well.

3) Staff retention and health care as well as transportation infrastructure are already challenged. This must be concerning for testing and treatment for most northern communities.

4) Many northern First Nations are remote, and in addition to the above vulnerabilities, are additionally made disproportionately more vulnerable to the virus by pre-existing inequities.

Andra Nadeau, Prince George POlitiCal

meDiCine

A recent article in the Edmonton Journal compares the responses to the COVID-19 virus of Canada and Taiwan.

Early in January, Taiwanese officials started taking strict precautionary measures. Soon they were screening all arrivals and placing under manda-

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tory monitored quarantine, those who showed any symptoms. Not abiding by quarantine resulted in a fine equivalent to $10,000.  As a result, Taiwan has a low number of cases, all from persons coming into the country with no community spread from person to person as there has been in Canada. Their schools and businesses are still open.

Toward the middle of January, Canada started advising incoming travelers to voluntarily self-isolate for fourteen days with little more than messages on signs, electronic kiosks and pamphlets in arrival areas.

For the next two months, that was basically the extent of our response because, as Canada’s chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam put it, they were concerned about “racism, discrimination and stigmatizing language.”

We were assured that the health risk to Canadians was low and the government was taking all necessary precautions. It was the middle of March before they suddenly decided to close our borders to all non-Canadians (except for illegal migrants who continued to enter until Quebec protested).

We cannot know how badly the pandemic will affect the health of Canadians, but we do know that the resultant economic shutdown cannot be allowed to continue much longer without horrendous consequences. In the U.S., President Donald Trump has mused that he would love to see things return to normal by Easter (wouldn’t we all!) and they are considering gradually restarting certain segments of the economy. There are many areas that are basically untouched by the virus which should be able to operate safely if precautions are taken.

As well those who have recovered should be free to work, again with precautions. For this he has been roundly condemned by Democrats and the media.

However far-left Democrat Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo has suggested the same ideas, almost word for word, for which he received warm praise from the same sources.

New York has a drastic rate of infections, half of all cases in the US.  At the end of January, Trump had banned travel from China and called for social distancing, for which he was called racist, xenophobic and bigoted by the Democrats and media.

The chief health officer for New York said he was fear mongering with false information and called on citizens to ignore him. The New York City mayor also urged people to gather in large groups in defiance. This could explain why they have such a high rate of infection.

One would hope that at a time of crisis like this, people would abandon political correctness and political games, but sadly that seems not to be the case. Art Betke Prince George

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How COVID-19 affects the brain injured

This is indeed an extremely challenging time on our planet. The grave uncertainty and fear around where the COVID-19 will take us is affecting everyone. Prior to the pandemic outbreak, braininjured survivors were already burdened with many day-to-day struggles. Suffering from anxiety and depression that is braininjury related. Not having enough energy in a day to complete necessary tasks. Inability to cook because of poor memory and sequencing issues. Dealing with financial stress because of lost employment. Not understanding important letters or phone calls due to cognitive deficits. Experiencing conflicts with family members and friends who don’t understand the limitations survivors have. Possessing low self-esteem and confidence because of the significant life changes after brain injury. Not feeling normal or accepted by their personal network and the community.

Out of necessity, we have all been directed to practise social distancing. I take this pandemic very seriously and have been diligently following the advice of credible media sources and medical

BOGGLED

DIANE NAKAMURA

professionals. I have chosen to be on lockdown. I only leave the house to go to the grocery store, pharmacy and gas station. I don’t visit people’s houses and I don’t allow people in my house... including family.

I’ve been criticized for this but I am not allowing negativity to affect me. Being pro-active in managing my health so I’m not a risk to myself and others is a nonnegotiable decision. I have a grandson who will be born in six weeks and I will not let my conduct place his life in jeopardy.

Since being on lockdown, I have reached out to some of my peers and staff at BIG (Brain Injured Group). There are many of my peers who are suffering from the social isolation because they were isolated enough before the pandemic. Depression and anxiety have reached heightened levels. Because services have been reduced,

survivors are not only struggling with less support, but also not having the company and camaraderie of their peers.

BIG continues to provide essential services such as face-to-face appointments (adhering to social distancing guidelines), phone support, delivering food to members and assisting in crisis situations. I have talked to folks who state they are very lonely and feel they are deteriorating emotionally because of isolation. Some of them are ill (not with COVID-19) and this is making their circumstances worse.

Prior to my brain injury, I was a very social person so I would have gone stir crazy during this pandemic crisis. This may sound strange but I don’t feel any different about my life compared to what it was pre-pandemic. I have become somewhat of a recluse because of extreme fatigue, sensitivity to light and noise and difficulties with short-term memory and executive functioning. Some of my braininjured peers report experiencing the same reaction as me.

Collectively, we have had to put our creative thinking caps on to come up with ways to maintain relationships with people

Inspiration in the midst of chaos

At times of great uncertainty, I used to say, “Just walk another 10 feet and you’ll know more.”

How I wish that were true now. It’s more like 200 feet or more in this unprecedented time in world history. The information overload of the COVID19 pandemic is overwhelming and scary. The continuous statistics and reports pouring in from too many sources of the worldwide suffering and death is difficult to ignore. Operating within a global context has clearly become a dangerous threat to the world over.

Humanity’s common and invisible enemy has changed the landscape daily, taking away regular life, family gatherings, events, socializing, restauranting, business opportunities, fundraisers, projects, travel plans, dreams, the freedom to just go out and so it goes.

I have this strange feeling that life as we knew it just a week or two ago will never be the same. I am already different and oddly, much more present.

Teachers

Iand keep everyone safe. I encourage family and friends of brain-injured folks to reach out via phone, Facebook, Face Time, texting and emails.

Of course this is not the same as personal contact, but connection is so important during these tough times. Ask if they need anything from the grocery store, pharmacy etc. and drop it off at their doorstep. I recently posted on Facebook that I had run out of disinfectant wipes and couldn’t find them in any store. A wonderful friend dropped off a container of Lysol wipes at my front door. This gesture of kindness goes a long way. I felt like a kid on Christmas day!

To preserve my sanity, I am on a media blackout for the time being. I’m sure if I need to know something of significance, someone will let me know. I don’t feel like I’m in denial. It’s about maintaining good mental health and keeping my positive spirits up. People find different ways of coping with the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic. Whatever our coping strategies are, it’s vital to keep connected with our loved ones.

Stay plugged in and safe.

LATITUDE

LINDA REMPEL

Our economy is in a downward spiral, yet I can’t help but consider that the capitalistic treadmill is not necessarily exercise that promotes good health. At times, free enterprise seems like an endless pursuit of production and profit with no pre-determined end.

Always more to feed that voracious appetite that wrongly holds hostage our self-worth and maybe even our true purpose on Earth.

What is it about western culture that we readily accept this idea that wealth equates to happiness and a person’s intrinsic value, that money, achievement and fame are more important than culture, art, inclusion and connectedness?

My blood boiled when I read a tweet by

the worst of humanity proposing that the economy and commerce must continue regardless of the expense of human life in the wake of COVID-19 and to sacrifice the old and the weak. This deplorable position is not a virus, but a terrible sickness just the same.

My elderly mother resides in an assisted living facility that has been in lockdown for several weeks. My heart breaks at the thought of her confined to her room for days on end with few activities, no visitors, eating meals on her own.

All winter she has been looking so forward to spring and getting outside. Over the weekend, the sun finally arrived and the facility suddenly decided to allow some movement. My mother’s alert and determined friend who struggles with painful mobility issues made the long slow heroic journey down the hall to alert the troops, just so my mother and others could feel the warmth of the sun outside for fifteen minutes.

Even in the midst of this pandemic,

don’t have to be perfect

was half-listening to listening to some old songs the other day and my ears perked up at Delta Dawn, sung by Tanya Tucker, and it took me on a trip down memory lane. My Grade 4 teacher wasn’t the greatest teacher. His style was worksheets for math. For Language Arts, students wrote paragraphs about whatever we wanted and, if memory serves me correctly, the only instruction he ever gave was a comment or two. I think students took turns reading to the class for reading and art was a mixed bag, which I will get to later. Mr. C’s passion was physical education. The boys all loved him and so did the athletic girls. He ran like a gazelle. Touch football was still a thing and it was obvious that every once in a while when he had the ball, he would slow down enough for the rambunctious farmboys to catch him and slowly bring him down. Farm boys those days, especially Mennonite boys, didn’t get

THINKING ALOUD

TRUDY KLASSEN

many opportunities to play sports, but he still made it fun for them. Mr. C brought his Commodore 64 computer to class and we got to play Pong on it, so we were the envy of the entire school.

His worst teaching skill was art. Art was supposed to happen twice a week, but I think we often had sports instead (actually, we often had sports instead for other subjects too, now that I think about it.). Some days we would simply draw. No instruction, just a piece of paper, a pencil, possibly some pencil crayons and that would be it. He would sit at his desk and we at ours. I have artistic talent, but I found it dreary;

I was the precocious student who would gobble up any and every piece of knowledge and resented the lack of teaching.

On other art days, we would sing. Art period was an hour, so for that hour, Mr. C would sit at his desk in the back of the room, after announcing that it was a singing day. So, for the next hour, students would negotiate with each other, goad each other on, straggle to the front of the class and sing. Singing in pairs, alone, or in groups. If someone sang a new song, we would try to learn it and sing it next week, better than they had.

We rarely had all the right words, since most of the kids had to sneak opportunities to listen to the radio to write down the lyrics, as radio was “forbotten” for the Mennonite kids. We sang wildy inappropriate songs like I Met a Little Girl in Knoxville by Charlie Louvin and songs about adultery like Jolene by Dolly Parton. Puff the Magic Dragon was probably the most

there is inspiration all around. We are fortunate that Prince George has many strong leaders who have provided valuable information and guidance. It is incredible to know that first responders and essential workers, all workers and volunteers for that matter, bravely face this crisis locally and beyond. Prince George is a spirited community that has complied with the challenge to practice social distancing and isolating with The Hearts of PG. I love how many wonderful citizens rally around UHNBC nightly in a car parade to encourage and honor those inside with honks and cheers. The same is willingly given to those celebrating birthdays. Small businesses are soldiering on, many giving generously to the cause. Teachers, students and parents alike are facing a very new normal. People are truly working together, supporting and protecting one another.

Acceptance.

Kindness. Gratitude.

innocent song of our repertoire, along with Yellow Submarine. Maybe he had his desk at the back of the classroom to hide his smothered laughter?

Thirty or forty years later, I still remember so much of that year and that poorly taught class. But maybe I learned more than I thought. We learned to take initiative, to work together, to discover things we didn’t know, to be brave (the one rule for singing days was everyone had to sing,) to innovate, improvise. It’s a good memory. I think now of this first week of school closures and I know that there will be lots of trial and error as families, students, teachers and administration try to figure out a workable solution to no in-class instruction. So, parents, take a deep breath and relax. It will be fine. It may be bumpy and frustrating, but your children will be learning, even though it won’t be “normal.” My art class wasn’t normal, but I learned lots. It will be okay.

Looking south to Antarctica

As I stood at Slope Point, the southernmost point on the South Island of New Zealand, and looked out at the ocean, it was with the realization there was nothing between me and Antarctica except for a lot of water.

Slope Point is only 46.66 degrees south. In the northern hemisphere, the equivalent point would be somewhere around Mount Rainier, south of Seattle. A lot of land lies between that point and the Arctic. The Southern Ocean surrounds Antarctica. As a consequence, it is isolated in many ways.

Christchurch is home to the International Antarctic Centre, a staging post for traveling to the continent. It features a public science centre which houses a recovery facility for little blue penguins, a chance to ride in a Hagglund, and a storm room which takes people to -18 C (Considered ‘very cold’ by people south of the equator!). It also serves as the administrative centre for a number of research stations. What is really evident from a trip to the centre is how much is not known about the

RELATIVITY

TODD WHITCOMBE

Antarctic. And standing at Slope Point, it is evident just how much of an effect the continent has on Earth’s climate. A recent special issue of Science highlighted many of the issues.

It was only 200 years ago an expedition led by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev encountered the Fimbul Ice Shelf and discovered mainland Antarctica. It quickly became apparent the continent is dominated by ice. Not totally covered in ice – there are dry desert valleys – but with enough ice to raise sea level by 58 metres if it were to all melt.

A rise in sea levels of that magnitude would see much of the world’s present continental coastlines submerged – Vancouver would become ‘Venice-of-theNorth’ while Victoria would disappear beneath the waves forming a few offshore

islands. Much of New Zealand is below 60 metres above present sea levels. The coastal plains of the South Island would be inundated with cities such as Christchurch and Dunedin being drowned. It is not only the little islands of Polynesia which would be affected by the rise in sea level.

The Antarctic is melting. The good news is it will take a century before all the ice is gone. The bad news is the rate at which the continent is losing mass is accelerating. Some portions are close to the tipping point. The outlet glaciers or ice streams are sliding across the underlying topology at rates up to 4 km/year.

The whole system has three major components: grounded slow-moving ice creeping along at rates of about 1 m/year, the fast-moving outlet glaciers or ice streams and the floating ice shelves. Where the ice shelves float, they are already contributing to the present sea levels. (Melting an ice cube in a glass of water doesn’t change the level of the water.)

But the grounding lines for the ice shelves are shifting inland meaning more ice is being off-loaded from the continental

Following the four agreements

It is always good to rediscover an excellent book, especially in these times.

I recently borrowed The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz from my local library to have an audiobook to listen to when going for daily walks with my dog. What a treasure!

Ruiz draws from his Indigenous heritage, teaching the ancient wisdom of the Toltec, and the Four Agreements are as simple as they are profound.

The first is “Be Impeccable with Your Word.” Our words flow from our thoughts and they can be life giving or they can be destructive. Consider the deadly impact of the words spoken by Adolf Hitler. We need to be particularly mindful of the words we are telling ourselves. Being impeccable means to be without sin, and Ruiz sees sin as “anything you do which goes against yourself.” If our thoughts and words tear us down and keep us from being our best selves, we are not being

Iwas stopped on a small goat trail high up near the peak of Mount Fitzwilliam in the summer of 1996 following my buddy Terry Brock and for a moment I was frozen. I could neither go forwards and I knew that I couldn’t go backwards. Looking down the mountain, I quickly understood that one mistake in my footing would result in a tumble that would take me a thousand feet down the rocks to certain injury or perhaps worse. I was scared and I couldn’t move.

We have all been there, frozen by indecision about the best way forward when challenged by precipitous choices. I had a client who was frozen last week, unsure of what he should do in his business. The moment I walked into his establishment, I knew something was up. The employees were tense and he looked upset.

As we walked to his office, he voiced concerns about the changes that were happening and how his staff was taking it. He had made some notes about what he thought he might do but told me that he

LESSONS IN LEARNING

GERRY CHIDIAC

impeccable. If we gossip and tear others down, we are not being impeccable.

Each of us is a gift to the world, each of us is deserving of love and respect. When we honour ourselves and our neighbours in our words, we are keeping the first agreement and this is one of the most significant keys to living a happy and meaningful life.

The second agreement is “Don’t Take Anything Personally.” This really flows out of the first agreement and it means we need to recognize that the hurtful things others say about us are not about us at all. They are a reflection of the internal workings of the speaker.

What Ruiz is talking about is essentially projection. The way we see others has to

BUSINESS COACH

DAVE FULLER

had just been staring at the options for hours, not sure of what to do next. He was overwhelmed by his own inaction and ability to make a decision.

What is facing most businesses today is something that leaders in our western world have not faced for decades. Only in times of war have businesses been forced to close for extended periods of time, and we haven’t seen war really affect the western world since the Second World War. Not only has the supply chain dried up for many businesses, so have their customers. People are not coming into businesses and their sales teams are not permitted out. The challenge for many people is overwhelming and many leaders are frozen by indecision about what to do next.

land mass and further increasing the flow of ice in the outlet steams. Further, we have already seen the break-up of a number of the large sheets with the release of ‘icebergs’ the size of European countries. What is readily apparent is the land mass is not contiguous with the ice covering it. Deep radar transects and coastal surveys are revealing a land of mountains, valley, rifts, and even deeply submerged lakes. The highest points can be found over the Gamburtsev Mountains while the deepest is located 3500 m below sea level under the Denman Glacier. Once the glacier melts, it will be a fjord of true magnificent depth and portions.

What is also apparent is the Antarctic is rich in resources. Over 100 million years ago, the continent was located in a sub-tropical climate, very similar to New Zealand, with a proliferation of plants and animals. There are many undiscovered fossil beds in the rocks of the mountain ranges. And vast reserves of oil and coal under the ground.

Looking south from Slope Point, I can’t help but feel the desire to go and explore.

do with the way we see ourselves. Knowing this, we can hear an insult and ask ourselves, “I wonder why that person would say such a thing. The truth is that it has nothing to do with me.”

Even a compliment is primarily a reflection of the thoughts of the speaker. The key then is to know who we really are and the journey to self-awareness is lifelong and deeply personal.

The third agreement builds off the second - “Don’t Make Assumptions.” We don’t know the whole truth of any situation. We don’t know the thoughts of our neighbours. No two people see the world in the same way, so if we don’t clarify where we are coming from and allow others to do the same, we create a great deal of unnecessary conflict.

We need to replace our assumptions with questions and we need to really listen to one another.

The fourth and final agreement is to “Always Do Your Best.” It is true that I am a gift to the world, but I am not perfect.

I am in a continual state of becoming. If I embrace the first three teachings, I have the confidence and internal motivation to take risks and continually improve. I know I will have my good days and bad days but if I am always doing my best, I am on a trajectory of constant improvement. It is interesting to note how The Four Agreements compliment other great works on character development. If we understand them, for example, we can see how Viktor Frankl was able to find meaning despite enduring the humiliating torture of a Nazi concentration camp, as illustrated in his classic Man’s Search For Meaning. It is also much easier to understand the significance of being a proactive person who is thus able to effectively listen to others, as explained in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

Ruiz’s work is as beautiful as it is insightful. The Four Agreements is not a difficult book, yet it lends itself to multiple readings. It is certainly worth studying as we try to make sense of our challenging times.

When another one of my clients was forced to shut down his business last week, I asked him what he was going to do? He told me that he was contacting his landlord, bankers and suppliers to communicate what he was doing and to ask for extended terms. He was laying off his employees so that they could collect unemployment money as he couldn’t pay them. He also told me that he was going to take this time to re-evaluate and reset his business. He had a plan and moved through the steps to make it a reality.

This was a different approach than my first client took. He didn’t have a plan, and as a result was overwhelmed. He hadn’t considered the best, worst or most probable options and then worked through them like the second client did.

Without a plan, we become frozen. When we try to do things alone, we cannot lift the burden. The burden is heavy right now and most business owners have only dayto day-plans as they feel this is what they are forced to look at. However, by taking a few hours to work through the options for

the longer term of 90 days, businesses and organizations can develop plans that not only spur on action but reduce stress. In order for leaders to shoulder the burden of decisions, they need help. If you haven’t created a culture in your business where you tap into the brains and wisdom of your employees, the time is now. Developing a process of 90-day planning will not only help you get through the current crisis, it will help you position your business for future successes. If you need guidelines on how to create a 90-day plan with your team, please fire me off an email and I will send you my template.

High up on the goat trail, I had to evaluate my options to overcome my fears. Once I started walking again my anxiety of falling subsided. My second client came up with a plan that enabled him to move forward as well and by the time I left his establishment he was smiling and so were his staff. The current times are challenging for many leaders but having a plan and examining your options will reduce your stress and the stress of your employees.

SPORTS

Ted CLARKe Citizen staff

With his National Hockey League season suspended indefinitely, Jansen Harkins is back home in West Vancouver, wondering what to do with all his free time.

The gyms are closed, restaurants are take-out only and there’s no ice time available for the 22-year-old former Prince George Cougar.

Just a few weeks ago, he was having the time of his life playing centre for a Winnipeg Jets team that was showing signs it was bound for a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Jets were in Calgary getting ready to play the Flames on March 14 when the season was put on pause because of COVID-19.

They had won their last four games and had moved into the first wild-card playoff spot. They were ranked fourth in the Central Division, two points behind the Dallas Stars.

Now entering the third week of the

league’s forced hiatus, there’s a real possibility there will be no spring playoffs this season.

“Everything is in limbo, I don’t really know much more than anyone else and that’s the weird part of it,” said Harkins.

“All the speculation about what’s happening is just that, which is kind of strange. No one really knows if we’re coming back or not so it’s kind of hard to be ready for something you don’t know is going to happen. it’s strange times. There’s still a bit of hope until they say otherwise.

“I’m just enjoying spending some time with my family, we haven’t seen each other this year. I’m just making some lemonade out of lemons. Every day is a new challenge to stay busy.”

After two-and-a-half seasons in the American Hockey League with the Manitoba Moose, the former Prince George Cougar pivot was called up to the Jets in December for his first NHL stint and he’s been making the most of it, drawing thirdor fourth-line duty.

In 29 games, he had two goals and five

assists, proving his versatility as a solid two-way forward with above-average playmaking skills.

He drew an assist in his first NHL game Dec. 21 at Minnesota and sniped his first career goal Feb. 6 in St. Louis, beating Blues goalie Jordan Binnington with a top corner shot from the face-off circle in off the post.

His second goal against the L.A. Kings on Feb. 18 was even prettier, a down-onone-knee one-timer on a pass from Patrick Laine.

“I’m just trying to find a role that helps the team out,” he said.

“For me it was just trying to find a spot where I could play my game to the strength of the team and what that had to be in each game is kind of different. I was just trying to be versatile and work hard.

“Most of our games down the stretch have been pretty tight games and that’s fun hockey.

“You see all these other teams playing at their best and you’re really getting a taste of the best hockey in the world. It’s pretty

fun when you can get on a roll and know that you’re playing good hockey.”

Harkins’ three-year entry-level contract with the Jets expires this season and with a current cap hit of $767,500 he’s likely in line for a raise.

Jansen has already eclipsed the career point total of his father Todd, the former Cougars general manager, who had three goals and three assists on 48 NHL games with Calgary and the Hartford Whalers from 1991-94.

“He’s the one who told me that so I don’t think it’s worth rubbing it in,” said Jansen. “He’s still got quite a few games (in an 11-year pro career) so I’ll just try to keep chipping away here.”

Todd and his wife Kristen record all of his games so he has a permanent record of his NHL duty and the Jets website has all his season highlights on queue. That sort of technology didn’t exist when Todd was playing the game.

“I don’t think I’ve seen any of my dad’s goals, there might be some video on the VCR, it’s different times,” said Jansen.

Harkins trying to stay upbeat Cougars win WHL bantam draft lottery

The Prince George Cougars won the Western Hockey League bantam draft lottery last Wednesday morning.

One of the Cougars’ three balls in the draw was picked, moving the Cats up two positions in the first round of the draft. There were a total of 21 balls in the lottery, meaning the Cougars only had a one-inseven chance of winning.

“We’re ecstatic, there’s so many good

The 55+ BC Games in Richmond in September have been canceled due to COVID-19.

Greater Victoria will host the 2021 55+ BC Games from Sept. 14 to 18.

players at the top of this draft class. To move up to second overall and select an elite talent is very gratifying and great for our organization,” Cougars general manager and head coach Mark Lamb said in a press release.

The win means the Cougars have the second overall pick, after the Regina Pats.

In addition, the Cats have two more first-round draft picks at 17th and 22nd overall.

The Swift Current Broncos held the

first position, but traded their first-round draft pick to the Pats. The order for the first round draft will be the Pats, Cougars, Moose Jaw Warriors, Tri-City Americans, Saskatoon Blades (who picked up the Pats’ original first-round pick in a trade) and the Red Deer Rebels. The remaining teams in the league will be allocated picks in inverse order based on their standings in the 20192020 regular season.

Likewise the order in the second and any subsequent draft rounds will be in inverse

order based on regular season standings, meaning the Cougars will pick fourth in the second round.

The bantam draft will be conducted online on April 22, after the live event planned for May 6-7 in Red Deer, Alta. was cancelled over concerns about the COVID19 pandemic.

Players eligible for the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft will be 2005-born players who live in Western Canada and the western U.S. states.

These games are an important part of the B.C. sport system and are the largest annual multi-sport gathering event in the province.

“This was not an easy decision to make,” Cindy Simpson president of the BC Senior

This year’s 55+ BC Games were to host more than 3,500 participants competing in 28 sports from Sept. 15 to 19.

Games Society said.

“There are hundreds of participants, supporters, officials and volunteers needed to host these Games. We need to protect our community and our partners. It was the most prudent decision to make at this time.”

In keeping with current recommenda-

tions from the B.C. provincial health officer, the Canada 55+ Games that were to be held in Kamloops from Aug. 25 to 28 will be postponed until 2021.

According to the statement posted on their website, all athletes eligible to compete at this year’s national competition are invited to compete in 2021.

Citizen staff

Citizen staff

Coastal GasLink reduces workforce

Glacier Media Coastal GasLink says it has reduced its workforce in northern B.C. by two thirds over the last month and that the decline is continuing next week.

There were 1,200 people working on the pipeline project in February, which had been cutback to 400 by March 20. The decrease will continue ahead of the spring thaw and as winter construction is completed, the company said.

“To ensure our construction footprint is safe and secure during the spring thaw, we will continue to employ residents and local contractors to perform critical activities, including environmental monitoring, pipe delivery and stockpile,” the company said in a statement.

“Local contractors will undertake some off right-of-way site preparation and maintenance as the spring thaw does not impact it.”

In northeast B.C., just under 70 per cent of the 670-kilometre Coastal GasLink route had been cleared as of March 19, according to the company website. Progress west of Prince George varied from zero per cent on section seven from south of Houston

to north of Morice Lake, to 38 per cent on section six from south of Burns Lake to south of Houston, to 66 per cent on section eight from north of Morice Lake to Kitimat to 83 per cent on section five from north of Vanderhoof to south of Burns Lake to 98 per cent on section four from north of Prince George to north of Vanderhoof.

With spring breakup around the corner, the company expects a significantly lower workforce to be onsite before resuming clearing and beginning pipe installation this summer.

Smaller crews will be at work along the route and ensuring that workers and nearby communities are safe through its COVID-19 protection measures, said Coastal GasLink.

This includes having workers who are considered non-essential working from home instead. It also is continuing to work with provincial and local authorities on COVID-19 management.

As construction activities change and the size of its teams fluctuate, Coastal GasLink will continue to primarily employ B.C. workers, with 25 per cent of them from Indigenous communities.

Ed John hearing adjourned

Mark NIELSEN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The novel coronavirus pandemic has forced a further adjournment of an arraignment hearing for Indigenous leader Ed John on sex-related charges dating back more than 45 years.

Set for Wednesday, March 25, at the Prince George courthouse, it was adjourned to June 24, B.C. Prosecution Service communications counsel Dan McLaughlin confirmed.

John faces four counts of rape - the term then used for what is now known as sexual assault - alleged to have occurred between March 1 and Sept. 15, 1974 in Prince George, Cluculz Lake and Fraser Lake, and involving one person, whose name is protected by a court-ordered publication ban.

It was the fourth time a hearing on the matter has been postponed since the charges were sworn in. A special prosecutor was appointed in February 2019 to look into the allegations and the charges were

first sworn on Nov. 8, 2019.

McLaughlin said the latest adjournment was made in accordance with the directive of the Chief Judge of the Provincial Court to suspend regular court operations to help contain the pandemic.

The case is subject to a Supreme Court of Canada decision that sets ceiling of 18 months from charge to end of trial for criminal cases going through the provincial court system or 30 months for those heard in Supreme Court or after a preliminary inquiry.

McLaughlin said it would be inappropriate to speculate on whether delays caused by the crisis would count towards those totals. John is a former leader of the First Nations Summit and former B.C. cabinet minister. He is also a hereditary chief of Tl’azt’en Nation in northern B.C. and a lawyer who holds honorary doctor of laws degrees from the University of Northern British Columbia and the University of Victoria.

Family justice centres taking phone calls only

In-person visits to family justice centres, including the one in Prince George, have been suspended due to the novel coronavirus pandemic but help will continue to be provided by telephone, the Ministry of the Attorney General said.

The centre in Prince George can be reached by calling 250-565-4222 or 1-888668-1602.

Clients with appointments already scheduled with family justice counsellors or child support officers will be contacted directly by the local offices to discuss options for how that appointment can proceed.

Likewise, the family justice report service is no longer meeting with families or doing home visits. Parties have been contacted and advised that their meetings

and home visits have been cancelled and will be re-booked when it is considered safe to do so.

In cases where all home visits and interviews have occurred, the FJRS writer will complete the report and send it to both parties, legal counsel and court.

“These measures are being taken as a precaution to support the health and safety of staff, clients, families and the community at large. The situation in BC is changing rapidly,” the statement said. “We will continue to carefully assess the viability of all our service delivery options; and be responsive in our approach to service delivery as things evolve. We recognize the importance of maintaining open communication with stakeholders to support the families we serve; and are available for any questions that you or those you work with may have.”

Citizen staff

transit reduces service, number of riders

Arthur WILLIAMS Citizen staff

The Prince George Transit System has reduced service down to its normal summer levels and is limiting the number of passengers allowed on.

The changes, happening in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, mean the 12 Parkridge, 17 UNBC, 18 Spruceland, 96 Kelly and 97 Kelly routes will be discontinued. The frequency of the 55 Victoria and 15 UNBC/Downtown routes will be reduced as well.

Bus drivers across the province will monitor and limit the number of pas-

sengers aboard buses to allow additional space between riders.

“We have seen a decrease in ridership in communities across the province of 50 to 70 per cent,” BC Transit communications manager Johnathon Dyck said. “It’s also about managing resources. We know this is a very fluid situation, and it’s changing day-to-day.”

Because of the drop in ridership, BC Transit doesn’t believe limiting the number of passengers on buses will result in passengers being turned away. But if it starts happening frequently, service changes will be made to accommodate riders.

With schools and post-secondary institutions closed, moving to the summer service levels was a logical choice, Dyck said. However, he said, BC Transit is focused on making sure people who need transit services to get to work, grocery shopping or to make medical appointments are able to get where they need to go.

BC Transit drivers and staff are dedicated to keeping the buses rolling through the pandemic, Dyck said.

In order to keep drivers and passengers safe, buses are cleaned daily and additional cleaning is being done on high-touch areas like buttons, doors and stanchions.

Passengers who are able are being asked to enter buses through the rear doors, and bus drivers are not collecting fairs on any BC Transit routes.

Passengers with mobility issues will still be allowed to enter the bus through the front door to take advantage of accessibility features like kneeling or ramps, he said. “We’re (also) asking people to be courteous to their fellow customers. Move into an open space on the bus,” Dyck said. “And if they’re sick, do not travel on a bus.”

For bus schedules and route maps, go online to www.bctransit.com/prince-george/ schedules-and-map.

service centre cuts back Frizzell seeking FCM presidency

The province is keeping its Service BC offices open during the COVID-19 crisis but has cut back on the core services and supports it provides to limit the risk of exposure for customers and staff.

That means you can still visit the office to receive help for a BC Services card, driver’s licence, affordable childcare benefit, residential tenancy, Medical Services Plan and forest-worker support programs.

But all other services the province normally fulfills will have to be conducted online.

The list of online services includes: Affordable childcare benefit, B.C. Ambulance Service payments; BC Hydro payments (Community Crisis Fund); BC Online (government services); BC Services card; BC transplant registration; BC vital statistics (birth, marriage and death certificates); BCeID (for online government services); commission for taking affidavits; corporate registry services; court registry services; manufactured home searches, relocation permits and registrations; Medical Services Plan/Health Insurance BC; ICBC/

driver’s licence services; residential tenancy forms and applications; and rural property tax services.

The downtown Prince George office at 1044 - Fifth Avenue is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

To help protect vulnerable citizens, including seniors and people with existing health conditions and compromised immune systems, they will receive priority service during the first hour of business each day and should call the office at 250565-4488 to book an appointment.

People should call rather than visit the office if they are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, including cough, sneezing, shortness of breath or fever. That also applies to people who have a sick family member or who have been around someone who is sick, as well as those who have not completed a 14-day isolation period after traveling abroad.

People with any questions should call the provincial contact centre at 1-800-663-7867 on weekdays from 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

Prince George city councillor Garth Frizzell has put his nomination forward for the presidency of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM).

Last Monday, city council voted to support Frizzell’s nomination. Frizzell has served on the board of directors of the FCM for 10 years and was elected first-vice president in 2019. In 2017, he was elected third-vice-president.

“I really appreciate all the work he has done and will do,” Coun. Murray Krause said. “I certainly support this and our community is better for it.”

Coun. Cori Ramsay said having members of city council on local government advocacy groups like the FCM does have a significant benefit for the city.

The election will be held at the federation’s annual general meeting on June 7.

It is common practice at the FCM that the current sitting first-vicepresident runs unopposed for the position of president in the following year.

Citizen staff

Citizen staff

A life on the land for Colville

CSENIORS’ SCENE

harles (Charlie) Colville, one of four children, was born in 1929 and raised on a homestead settlement about 25 miles out of Biggar, Sask.

When I asked him where he was born Charlie explained, “Back in 1929, as a homesteader and if you were born on a quarter section of land your birth certificate was very different from the normal birth certificates of today. When asked where I was born my answer is that I was born on a quarter section, range 21, township 33, section 16 and west of the third meridian. The few times during my life that I needed to present my birth certificate I had nothing but problems because of this unusual place of birth identification. I am not sure when the government eventually changed that system.”

Prior to 1929, the Dominion Lands Act allowed more than 1.25 million homesteads to be created from 200 million acres of Crown land in western Canada. Federal surveyors created a checkerboard grid system comprised of seven major meridians (the meridian identified the province) and 36-squaremile townships. Each homestead location consisted of five coordinates as follows: part of a section (quarter), section, township, range and meridian. These coordinates not only determined where the

homestead was located, they were used on birth certificates to show the place of birth, instead of the name of a town and province.

Charlie said, “I graduated from Grade 8 and since there was no money to further my education, I went to work on a neighbors farm. All the farmers were poor so I worked for my board and I was given the opportunity to raise a steer in lieu of wages. I raised that steer and I got $115 when I sold it.

“My friend Dick Barber had been in Prince George in 1947 and he said that there was plenty of work there. I was determined to go to Prince George and

get a job that paid a decent wage. I was 19 and I had $115 in my pocket so I invested $20 in a train ticket and we both headed west.

“It was 3 a.m. when the train pulled into Prince George. The train conductor let us sleep on the train because we were at the end of the line. The next day my partner and I found work falling trees for the Belschan and Knute Logging company. We fell trees using a crosscut saw – a saw that I did not know how to use. I learned to use it in a hurry and once I knew how to use it the job wasn’t all that bad - and besides that, the grub was good.

“I worked in the bush from 1948 to 1960. I saved my money and in 1960 I bought a small farm on the Nechako River at the ferry landing at Isle Pierre.

“I had a lucky break when I bought that farm off of Hans Anderson.  He carried the note and I paid him $500 a year for four years and then the land was mine. I had 160 acres of river front land and I was content.

“I ran the Isle Pierre reaction ferry part time for four years and then full time for five years from 1975 to 1980. Together the federal and the provincial governments agreed and made the decision to take out the Isle Pierre ferry in 1981 and allow Alcan to take water from the river. This cut the flow of the water that was needed to float the ferry so they removed it.

“Reaction ferries are large barges mounted on pontoons and connected to overhead cables. Reaction ferries do not need a motor because their wheelhouse reacts to the force of the river’s current which pulled the barge cables back and

forth across the river.

“The Isle Pierre reaction ferry was, at one time, a very important form of transportation into Prince George for the people in the Vanderhoof area and for those living on the north side of the Nechako River.

“Lloyd Bros. Logging had a mill out there and they kept me really busy with all their loads. Our usual number of crossings were between 15 and 20 crossings per day.

“Once they took the ferry out people continued to use the aerial tram. I still had a job for many years checking the Nechako River water levels for the government Water Resources Department. Eventually they started checking the water levels through automation and I lost my job.”

Charlie married Janet Ware. Janet, one of six children, was born and raised in Fort Ware and attended school in the Summit Lake area.

She looked after the farm and the children when Charlie was out working his trap line which is located on the Reid Lake side of the Nechako River.

Charlie and Janet have four children, who in turn gave them seven grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. They ran nearly 100 head of cattle and trapped for a living until they sold the now 300 deeded acres of land in 1990. Charlie kept the trap line (Charlie has been a member of the B.C. Trappers Association since 1970) and the family moved into Prince George.

They have lived in the same house ever since.

ChArlie Colville

KATHY NADALIN

A virAl pAndemic to leArn from

As of March 29, more than one third of U.S. counties have no confirmed cases of COVID-19. Of those counties, 85 per cent are in rural areas, likely because they have less everyday contact with people outside their region. For the most part, they are naturally isolated.

In addition, they have a high median age, large proportion of people over 60, considerably fewer intensive care beds, and lower household incomes which limits their access to health care choices. If those counties do get infected, they will have fewer medical care resources available locally. Therefore, preventative tactics become more important, such as surveying residents to determine the level of contact individuals had with people outside the region, especially those neighbouring counties which have COVID-19 cases. Those who report suspected contact should then be screened for the virus. At the opposite end of the infected spectrum are cruise ships, which house a population served primarily with mechanically ventilated air, much of it recirculated with the minimum required outdoor air added. This adds another dangerous contamination source to a confined population of travellers.

The worst outbreak to date was on the Diamond Princess, which departed from Yokahama, Japan with about 3,700 passengers. Eventually 712 COVID-19 cases were reported on the ship resulting in 11 deaths. At least 26 cruise ships have had a total of over 1,000 COVID-19 cases resulting in 19 deaths to date.

The highest concentration of COVID-19 cases is in densely populated urban areas, many with poor air quality from traffic as well as industry. In locations such as northern Italy, the air quality frequently exceeds the acceptable levels such as that for nitrogen dioxide. The reduction of traffic around the industrial quarantined cities has been noted on recent satellite imaging. Such observations have resulted in numerous researchers speculating whether the compromised respiratory systems of residents have led to increased infections as well as increased deaths.

Many countries rely on seasonally

boosting their farming workforce with migrant workers. Due to the COVID-19 travel restrictions, foreign workers are not able to enter Canada and the U.S., thus endangering the domestic and international food security. Currently seeding and planting season is approaching in parts of Canada. As is so often the case, government representatives say one thing, and then need to clarify what was said within days and sometimes hours. In this case the foreign workers allowed to enter were only from the U.S. So, on Monday, March 30, the statement was “Details around temporary foreign workers and those with student/ worker visas are currently being developed and will be announced shortly.”

The above is a small sampling of hundreds of issues which are related to a single event, a viral pandemic for which most countries and most individuals were not prepared.

We can deal with standard emergency issues such as created by traffic accidents, fires, earthquakes, train derailments, mass shootings, airplane crashes, sinking ships, even wars. Yet, a microscopic virus that is relatively new on the scene is able to create havoc in virtually every country on this planet because, unlike other emer-

Renewal in a time of plague

Having lately alluded to wordly transformation, it seems only fitting to use these last few days of Lent to discuss ecclesial renewal. This will have to take the place of my usual call for ecumenism, as social distancing has made the reconciliation of papists and Protestants unlikely in the short term, at least in a congregational sense. Yet within our respective silos that we are now confined to, divine renovation is clearly necessary. Thus I have a few observations to offer.

Progressive steps towards a traditional Roman Catholic liturgy have been taken over the course of this plague. Before the suspension of public masses, the sign of peace was stopped and the chalice was retained, both of which are optional. Now that the holy sacrifice of the mass is said without choirs or musicians, the entrance and communion antiphons as well as the older tones for chanting the responses have suddenly been rediscovered after decades of neglect.

Furthermore, this virus has silenced the hymns of questionable orthodoxy and chatter in the pews that was always inap-

gency response systems, most countries did not listen to experts who warned us that we needed to be prepared for the next pandemic.

Therefore, when this pandemic is over, we cannot simply sit back and say: “We survived a pandemic.” We must listen to those predictions. We have now seen why. We must each do our part to make sure that those we elect and those we hire to act during the next pandemic are the best, non-political partisan able to do the job they have been selected for in our municipality, province and country. In addition, we must make sure that we take better preventive action to reduce the risk of an onset of a new potent virus compromising human health, whether locally or worldwide.

We have been aware of deteriorating built infrastructure and lack of funding to maintain and repair it in a timely fashion. We must now realize that we have a new emerging issue to add to the list: the deteriorating collapsing preventative and integrated health-societal system infrastructure, both preventative and treatment components.

Finally, remember to stock up on toilet paper.

From university and college courses all the way down to kindergarten and preschool, there is no adequate replacement for face-to-face instruction among a group of peers.

From the trades through high school math and sciences to basic reading and writing concepts from elementary school, learning is a collaborative effort best experienced in a classroom.

This is hardly a revelation to School District 57 teachers and administrators now back to work from spring break this week wondering how they can possibly deliver quality education to their students when schools are closed due to the pandemic. The simple answer is they can’t. Perhaps if they had months and years, instead of days and weeks.

Perhaps if the school district boundar-

RIGHT OF CENTRE NATHAN GIEDE

propriate. Hopefully this reverence continues once mass is public again - perhaps we will even finally agree on when to kneel. Of course those best caricatured by Facebook’s Susan from Parish Council will take umbrage with the points raised here: my only response is if it takes their absence to create a truly solemn, sacred liturgy, what does that say?

Lack of access to the sacraments remains a troubling reality for many Catholics, as our beliefs require faith and works, outward signs of inward grace. We must take solace in what the Church has provided for these times, which are all exceptional means that have been used for other crises. Perhaps that human foible of always wanting what we cannot have will spark a recommitment to fidelity and catechesis. From pope to pauper, each of

us has more to learn.

By birth, I am a dual citizen of Western Christianity. For my brothers and sisters who do not call Rome home, my first recommendation is to make communion more frequent. This is not some papist plot, but rather a recognition both of the trend in some Protestant circles that is seeing a rebirth of weekly communion, as well as the blunt fact that if the crisis goes on much longer, people will have been without it for months - a hard burden for faithful believers to bear.

For an increase in reverence when church resumes, the solution is simplecast out all mugs from the sanctuary. I am fairly certain the congregation will survive without sipping on hot drinks during the worship and preaching. This is a house of God, not a cafe. Also, for those who have a less liturgical celebration, it is advisable to return to a method of teaching that requires believers to open their bibles and read along, which used to be a core tenant of Protestantism.

Thematic sermons and programs have their place, but it is familiarity with the

Closed schools pose huge challenges

NIGHT SHIFT

NEIL GODBOUT

ies didn’t stretch from north of Mackenzie southeast past Valemount.

Perhaps if that rural population outside of Prince George had reliable access to high-speed internet.

Perhaps if every household had not only high-speed internet but a devoted, relatively new computer or a tablet for every school-aged child in the household.

Perhaps if every child had the support from parents and guardians to supplement their online learning.

Even if all these conditions could be met

(and they can’t because problems like poverty, family stability and infrastructure are insurmountable obstacles at present), the quality of education would still be shallow. Schools are more than learning factories. Every interaction between every child, from the playground to the hallway to the classroom, is a teachable moment, where social skills are learned, practiced and refined. Manners, self-control, teamwork, individual effort, responsibility, kindness, forgiveness, resilience and the list goes endlessly on are learned as much or more in school as they are at home.

Schools are the place where children begin to forge a self-identity, a safe setting for them to be an individual outside of the family network. The opportunity for that to happen online is slim to none.

That doesn’t mean educators shouldn’t

Scriptures that will bear the most fruit. Indeed, during this pestilence where pastoral visits are curtailed, it might be wise for those congregations without a catechism to begin discussing what might be put into one - what does it mean to be in this conference? Are we still pacifists? Is communion only a symbol or is it something more? Which particular reformers do we trace our origins to?

A last observation for all of us who call Christ the King: this crisis is an opportunity for us to double-down on corporal acts of mercy. Obviously, the requirements of social distancing are to be observed, but from helping our elders to feeding the homeless, bringing comfort to those in quarantine to the proper burial of those who have died during this plague, there is a role for all of us to play. If we are able to help, we are morally required to do so, regardless of denomination.

In short, all of Western Christianity is in need of renovation. But with our spirits renewed, after this plague has passed, how much better might we be able to run the race of eternal life?

make any effort to remotely connect to students until schools are safe to reopen.

Educators are already well aware of the faults in the current education system that leaves too many kids behind, that prevents one in five kids from graduating in this school district (and that’s an improvement from one in three kids a decade ago). More kids will fall through the cracks with online learning, especially the kids with special needs and learning challenges, especially the ones who showed up to school with an empty stomach and yesterday’s clothes still on their backs.

If the “it takes a village to raise a child” is fully embraced during these challenging times and then followed in the aftermath, the kids could come out better for it. But there’s a lot of challenging work ahead to get anywhere near that point.

REMEMBRANCES

Jun 14, 1930 - Mar 21, 2020

Lyle Charles Wallington of Prince George, BC passed away peacefully on March 21, 2020 with his loving family by his side. Lyle was born to Wilbur and Kate Wallington on June 14, 1930 in Tisdale, Saskatchewan. Lyle was married to his “sweetheart” Irene for sixty-four years. Lyle is survived by his sons, Lenard and Rouella Wallington and family, Stuart Wallington and Jolene Shepherd, his daughters, Caroline and Stan Harvey, Darlene Wallington and Dwayne Lestage. Lyle is also survived by his grandsons Jason Fleiger and Stephane Poirier and his granddaughters Katherine Fleiger and Lonnie Van Koughnett, and Paige Wallington. He is also survived by great granddaughters Hailey, Faith and Paiton Van Koughnett and his great, great granddaughter Paisley Van Koughnett.

A celebration of life will be held and details will be published later. The family wish to thank Dr Carter, Dr Hillhouse, and the staff at Two Rivers Senior Centre and Gateway Complex Care. In lieu of flowers please donate to the Salvation Army.

SCHWEIZER, Rene

November 7, 1952March 25, 2020

It is with great sadness that the family of Rene Schweizer announce that Rene passed away at Rotary Hospice House, Prince George, BC surrounded by his family. Rene was born on November 7, 1952 in Zurich Switzerland to Margaret and Eric Schweizer. He is survived by his wife, Betty, his son, Eric (Nicole), his daughter, Natalie, his brother, Eric (Tish) and his sister, Irene (Tom) as well as several nieces and nephews. His family immigrated to Canada in the early 1960s and settled in Kamloops, BC. Rene’s passions were his family, teaching and the outdoors. He began his teaching career in Prince George at Lakewood Junior and ended it at Kelly Road Secondary. He loved teaching and wanted to develop that same love of learning in his students. Humour was part of how he taught and each new math class over the years was subjected to his motto, “Math is fun. You like Math.” He went on to become Principal of College Heights, but his passion was always for teaching. He also cared about the teaching profession and was on several bargaining committees as well as holding the position of President of the PGDTA for two years. He was a loving husband to Betty and a proud father to Eric and Natalie. He spent countless hours playing with his children when they were youngsters and later taught them life skills to help them in their journey to adulthood. When his kids started playing recreational soccer, he loved coaching them and the rest of their team. Summers were filled with camping and canoeing at Bobtail Lake and camping trips through western Canada and the USA. He always had story or a joke to tell and was a kind man who would help anyone in need. He was so loved and will be missed. The family would like to thank Dr. McLeod and Dr. Saif and the second floor Internal Medicine nurses and staff for their compassionate care. The family would also like to thank the medical team and staff at Rotary Hospice House for their commitment to kind and gentle caring. At his request, there will be no memorial service.

It is with profound sadness that we announce the sudden passing of Allan Wheeler Perry on March 15, 2020 at the age of 84. Left to mourn by Mae, his wife of 59 years, sons Neil ( Roger), Randy ( Brenda ) daughter, Denise ( Glen ) and the two lights of his life granddaughters Samantha ( Brett ) and Chelsea (Ty). Also, left to mourn brother Sam, and numerous in-laws, nephews and nieces, and friends.

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak a celebration of life will be held at a later date at Grace Church in Prince George, BC.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Heart & Stroke Foundation.

February 14, 1931March 21, 2020

It is with great sadness we announce the passing of Terry. Mom passed away peacefully in her sleep. Terry was predeceased by her loving husband Claude, her son Dale, her parents Dan and Elizabeth Joyal and brother Dominic Joyal. She leaves behind her loving daughter Deborah Ritchie, sons Darcy (Marlene), Darryl (Charlyne), grandchildren Joshua, Derek, Steffi and Christopher, great-grandchildren Cole and Aria and sister in-law Irene Duguay. Terry was definitely a social butterfly who loved playing cards with family and friends. She will be greatly missed by everyone she touched.

A huge thank you to all the staff at Wheatland Seniors Lodge for all the love and care you gave Mom.

There will be a celebration of life to be announced at a later date.

March 26, 2020

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of a loving husband, father and opa on March 26th, 2020. Egon Schlick immigrated to Canada in 1973 with his wife, two sons and mother in law, and settled in Prince George immediately, making it their home for 47 years. Before immigrating, Egon was a tool and die maker and later, a member of the German police force. Upon arrival in Prince George he became a millwright for The Pas Lumber Company. Although Egon was very handy in mechanics and a great outdoorsman, he was also very well versed in world history and literature, having many of his own pieces published in both German and Canadian journals. Egon was well known in the community, serving as the Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany and president of the local Rheingold club. In his later years Egon often spent his time with family and took great pride in his grandchildren. His natural gifts for story telling and culinary arts will not be forgotten. He is survived by his wife Marlis, his sons Michael (Debbie), Ingo (Helen) and Marcus (Adele), nine grandchildren and sister Ingeborg. Predeceased by his parents, brother and sister. A celebration of life will take place at a later date.

In loving memory of my husband who passed away April 1, 2019:

As time unfolds another year memories keep you ever near silent thoughts of times together holds memories that will last forever.

Sadly missed by Grace and family

Obituaries

Obituaries

Obituaries

In Memoriam

Lyle Charles Wallington

Allan Wheeler Perry

Lord, Therese (Terry) Marie

Egon Erich Schlick

Richard (Dick) Holmes