Prince George Citizen October 22, 2020 by Prince George Citizen

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UNDERGROUND GOLD MINE PROPOSED FOR WELLS

ARTHUR WILLIAMS

Citizen staff

Billy Barker may be back in business. Last month, Barkerville Gold Mines Ltd. applied to the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office for approval to build a new underground gold mine in the District of Wells. The proposed mine would employ roughly 250 people during the two-year construction period and 460 people during the 16-year life of the mine, Barkerville Gold Mines vice-president Chris Pharness

said during a presentation to the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George board.

“Our goal is to hire as many local people as we can,” Pharness said. “We’re preparing to do a lot of training.”

People with work experience in the forestry section are a natural fit to transition into mining, he added.

Currently, the company employs many underground miners from Saskatchewan at its operations, Pharness said, but they hope to take advantage of government

training funding to train people from Wells, Quesnel and Prince George to work at the proposed Cariboo Gold Project mine. The majority of the employees at the mine will work on a two-weeks-in, two-weeks-out schedule, and live in a planned 200-person camp on site when working.

The proposed mine site is just southwest of the Wells townsite, between Wells and Jack of Clubs lake – roughly eight kilometres from the Barkerville Historic Town.

Frizzell new FCM president

Prince George city councilor Garth Frizzell is the newly-elected president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM).

The FCM is the national voice of municipal government and it includes 2,050 municipalities in the nation from the largest city in Canada to the smallest, Frizzell said.

“Right now, each of those municipalities is dealing with the affects of the pandemic and feel that in everything from budgeting, to the amplification of problems like housing and the opioid crisis,” Frizzell said. “It’s a real year-long series of challenges that’s been compressed into the last six months and while the federal government and some of the provincial and territorial governments have already come forward with support we’re not sure how long it’s going to last and what kind of impact it’s going to have.”

Frizzell interest in the FCM was peaked as he was looking to make an impact during his time as a newly-elected city councillor in 2008. When he went down to the annual conference during his first year as a city councillor and heard about what the FCM did, he knew the direction he wanted to take.

“I saw all these municipal people coming together from all over and talking about issues and it was a big eye opener,” Frizzell said.

This map, submitted by Baskerville Gold Mines, shows the proposed location of the Cariboo Gold Project mine site.

CHRISTINE HINZMANN

Citizen staff

PROJECT ESTIMATED TO COST $306 MILLION

from page A1

The Cariboo Gold Project is expected to be a “low-environmental impact” project, Pharness said.

The mine site has already been disturbed by a historic gold mine and the waste rock will be stored at the existing Bonanza Ledge Mine, located four kilometres away. Pharness said the company is looking to relocate and preserve a mine head building dating from the 1930s on the site.

The company plans to upgrade the existing Quesnel River (QR) Mill and haul the ore 115 km from the mine to the mill, located 20 km northwest of Likely. The project will use existing roads, he added, including a section of Highway 26, Nyland Lake Road, Quesnel Hydraulic Road and 2700 Road.

“With the QR Mill, there is an existing tailings storage facility,” he said.

The existing tailings facility is a tailings pond, he said, similar to the one used at the Mount Polley mine that failed dramatically in August 2014, spilling contaminated water into Polley Lake and Hazeltine Creek.

When they upgrade the mill, they plan to upgrade the tailings storage facility to a “dry-stack” facility, he said.

The water will be treated and drained from the tailings pond.

“We take the water out of the tailings, then make clay-like bricks and stack it,” Pharness said. “The idea is you’re not maintaining dams with water behind them.”

The tailings bricks are covered with a clay cap and soil, then replanted, creating a landform similar to a natural hill, he explained.

A 69-km-long high-voltage transmission line linking the mine to the Barlow Substa-

House arrest for attack

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A Prince George man narrowly avoided further jail time for kicking an RCMP officer hard enough to dislocate his knee.

Jonathan Edgar Hill, 37, was sentenced to 11 months of house arrest through a conditional sentence order after pleading guilty to assaulting a peace officer causing bodily harm.

Crown counsel had been seeking three to six months but Provincial Court Judge Michael Brecknell decided on a longer term. The incident occurred on Feb. 23 when police were called to a home in the city after a drunken Hill refused to leave. While in cells at the detachment, Hill began “kicking wildly” the court heard, and connected with the officer’s knee, “popping” the knee cap, fracturing the femur and damaging a tendon in the process.

Hill possesses “what can only be described as a difficult and unenviable criminal record,” totalling 47 convictions dating back to 2007. They include 12 for assault, one for assault causing bodily harm and one for assaulting a peace officer.

And Brecknell noted that Hill committed the act while serving probation for the count of assault causing bodily harm and shortly after he had spent three months going through a substance abuse program at Baldy Hughes.

But since then, Hill has taken steps to turn his life around, the court was told.

Upon securing bail at the end of June, four-and-a-half months after the arrest, Hill spent two weeks at a healing centre in Kitwanga. Then, for the first time since 2004, he secured steady work in Prince George and has drawn a good review his employer.

And he has refrained from consuming any alcohol, the court was told.

COVID testing centre moves

Northern Health’s Prince George COVID-19 testing centre has relocated within Parkwood Shopping Centre.

Previously, COVID-19 testing had been done at the Prince George Urgent and Primary Care Centre, located at 143 Parkwood Place (143-1600 15th Ave.) Now, testing will be done at 175 Parkwood Place (175-1600 15th Ave.)

The location, near the Cineplex movie

theatre, will allow for appointment-based testing seven days per week, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Northern Health asks individuals booked for COVID-19 tests to wait outside and wait for a call to come inside when it is there turn for testing.

Anyone who develops symptoms of COVID-19 should immediately self-isolate, and call the Northern Health COVID-19 hotline at 1-844-645-7811 or their family doctor.

tion, near Quesnel, is proposed to power the mine operations.

The project is estimated to cost $306 million and Barkerville Gold Mines hopes to receive regulatory approval in 2021 and begin construction in 2022, with mine operations to begin in 2024 and run until 2040. Once the deposit is exhausted, there will be a two-year reclamation period to close the mine.

“The geologists think there could be more than 16 years there,” Pharness said.

Once work begins underground, they’ll be better able to determine the extent of the gold deposits on the site, he said.

“I’m sure it’s pretty exciting for the District of Wells and Cariboo Regional District,” regional district chairperson Art Kaehn said. “I’m sure the benefits will ripple out our way.”

The company has been engaging and

plans to continue to work with the community and local Indigenous groups, Pharness said.

On Thursday, the company signed an agreement with the Lhtako Dene Nation for the life of the project.

“The Cariboo Gold Project is located within the territory (the Lhtako Dene Nation) have traditionally used and occupied,” Lhtako Dene Chief Cliff Lebrun said in a press release. “The protection of the land, water, resources and our way of life has guided our negotiating team. This agreement confirms our relationship with (Barkerville Gold Mines), to ensure we will work together to provide meaningful training, employment and business opportunities for (Lhtako Dene) people.”

The deal also includes provisions for the First Nation to participate in the economic opportunities created by the project.

VOLUNTEER FOR THE CITY OF PRINCE GEORGE

Make a difference in your community!

The City is seeking the exper tise of residents interested in ser ving on the Prince George Public Librar y Board.

The Board meets monthly and is responsible for providing librar y ser vices and programs in Prince George. Their wor k includes the creation of policies, establishing goals and objectives of the librar y, and advocating for the librar y in the greater community

The City is accepting applications to ﬁll the following positions:

• Five (5) vacancies for a two-year ter m ending November 30, 2022.

Involvement with council committees, commissions, and boards provides residents the oppor tunity to contribute to the growth and development of our municipality and to provide input on impor tant civic issues.

All applicants to the Prince George Public Librar y Board are required to undergo a Criminal Records Check. Infor mation on the Librar y Board, application for ms and details on the application process and Criminal Record Checks are available on the City’s website or may be picked up from the Legislative Ser vices Division, 5th Floor City Hall.

Deadline for Applications: 5:00 p.m. Friday, October 30, 2020

Applications may be completed and submitted online (https://www.princegeorge.ca/ committees), delivered to the Legislative Ser vices Division, 5th Floor City Hall, at the address below, emailed to citycler k@princegeorge.ca, or faxed to (250) 561-0183.

For any questions or to have an application for m mailed to you, please contact the Legislative Ser vices Division at (250) 561-7655 or citycler k@princegeorge.ca.

Tel. (250) 561-7600 • Fax (250) 612-5605 • 1100 Patricia Boulevard, Prince George, BC V2L 3V9 311@princegeorge.ca

Visit princegeorge.ca for information about City services and operations. You can even subscribe to receive information directly to your inbox. Visit news.princegeorge.ca/subscribe to select the categories that matter to you.

PRINCE

MARK NIELSEN

Citizen staff

New Studio 2880 exhibit features watercolours

CHRISTINE HINZMANN

Citizen staff

Wendy Framst is a local watercolour artist and teacher who is the first artist to be showcased in the newly renovated gallery at Studio 2880.

The exhibit showcases work she has done during online classes she has conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Online classes are a new way to get us out there painting together,” Framst said.

The pieces on display are less complex that her usual work, she added, because they are designed for students.

She offers three courses including a

beginners’ water colour that offered a wide variety of subject matter to peak everyone’s interest, such as birdhouse bookmarks, playful goldfish, a sailboat and autumn leaves and mountains.

“Pretty much what’s all around me is potential subject matter,” Framst said.

During the course, Framst shares where her inspiration has come from and what techniques she’s used to create the piece.

The exhibit goes until Dec. 15.

Studio 2880 is open Tuesday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Everyone is welcome to visit, with limits of seven people at a time in the studio.

Here is an example of a watercolour floral created by local artist Wendy

Search narrows for new Roll-A-Dome operators

TED CLARKE Citizen staff

The future of the Roll-A-Dome is still under a pandemic fog but the building’s ownership group remains committed to finding a new management group to keep it open as an affordable recreation facility. At least two groups have made offers to take over the lease of the iconic venue, which has served the city for 68 years. Jon Lafontaine, whose three-year lease expired in August, decided not to renew his contract to operate the Roll-A-Dome,

which raised questions about what the 12 shareholders want to do with the aging structure, which sits on a valuable piece of property near the intersection of Highways 16 and 97.

“The people that are interested in leasing it are still crunching some numbers together and it’s a tough time now with the COVID - how do you sign a lease especially with the near future you’re going to build,” said shareholder Tony Ciolfitto.

Ciolfitto confirmed there are two potential leaseholders who have indicated

their interest. He said one of those groups would significantly change what part of the building would be used for if they come to terms on a lease.

Several of the remaining shareholders, including Ciolfitto, have reached retirement age and are considering options to get back the money they invested when they purchased the ‘Dome. They have had a few inquiries from potential buyers.

The board of five directors will be having their annual general meeting, tentatively set for Nov. 17, starting at 7 p.m.

FORESTRY SPENDS BIG LOCALLY, STUDY FINDS

Citizen staff

Area forest companies spent $718 million in goods and services from Prince George suppliers last year, according to a new study from the BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI).

That makes Prince George second in the province, only bested by Vancouver with $978 million.

COFI member companies purchased $7 billion worth of goods and services from almost 9,900 BC-based companies and Indigenous suppliers last year, the report states.

The spending reached 340 communities and 120 Indigenous Nations and affiliated organizations in the province.

Prince George topped the list with 970 forestry suppliers in its municipality followed by Vancouver with 560.

There were 120 First Nations who benefited from the forest industry last year in the amount of $250 million.

First Nations in the northern region who are involved in the forest industry include Lheidli T’enneh, Gitxsan, Kwadacha, Saik’uz, and Tsay Keh Dene.

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Framst whose work is showcased at Studio 2880 until Dec. 15.

New book explores the Fraser

CHRISTINE HINZMANN

Citizen staff

Carol Blacklaws wrote the book on The Fraser, River of Life and Legend.

Husband Rick Blacklaws took the photos that accompany Carol’s words.

The couple will be at a signing at Books & Co. on Nov. 6 from 1 to 3 p.m.

The appearance will be COVID-friendly with social distancing in place and the Blacklaws will wear masks and gloves.

The recently released book’s information was gathered throughout three decades of navigating the ebb and flow of the Fraser.

The Blacklaws have kept returning to the waters year after year and the book is a combination of memoir and journal, with emphasis on photos.

When Prince George residents read the

TRAFFIC PICKING UP AT AIRPORT

This is one of the many pictures seen in the recently published book called The Fraser, River of Life and Legend by Carol and Rick Blacklaws.

chapter on The Cariboo that begins on page 33, Carol mentions the “smell of money” that “settled like a head cold.”

Readers need to remember that trip was in 1990 and since then area pulp mills have spent more than $150 million through a federal government green subsidy program to significantly reduce the amount of particulate that goes into the air.

Carol said she was inspired to write the

Citizen staff

Prince George Airport traffic has taken a significant hit during the coronavirus pandemic.

Down 73 per cent from last September the airport saw 10,902 passengers come through its doors while last year it saw 40,697 people.

book to dispel the negative feelings people have about the Fraser River in the Lower Mainland.

“When a traffic report would come on it was all about what Fraser bridge or tunnel you were stuck on,” Carol said. “So me, knowing the river and our family knowing the river, I felt I had to create a positive awareness of the beauty of the river so that was my incentive.”

“Slowly but surely we are seeing traffic increase at YXS,” Gordon Duke, president and CEO of the Prince George Airport Authority (PGAA), said.

Pacific Coastal Airlines is once again offering non-stop service to Victoria three times a week.

Air Canada now offers an additional flight

Average house price tops $409K

Single-family homes in Prince George have sold for $409,082 on average so far this year, according to third-quarter numbers from the B.C. Northern Real Estate Board. That’s up $39,553 or 10.7 per cent from the same point last year and was more than enough to offset the decline in sales. As of Sept. 30, the number of sales stood at 661, down by 59, or 8.2 per cent.

Activity - or sales multiplied by average price - worked out to $270.4 million, up $4.3 million from the third quarter of 2019.

Looking at properties of all types, 1,015 worth $376.4 million changed hands, compared with 1,110 properties worth $386.1 million.

to Vancouver on certain days.

Central Mountain Air added service to and from Kelowna on Fridays.

The airport authority reminds all passengers that masks are mandatory at YXS and only employees and passengers with a valid ticket, unless a traveller requires assistance, are permitted inside the terminal.

Citizen staff

Plastics ban not a worry: West Coast Olefins CEO

MARK NIELSEN

Local Journalism Initiative Repoerter

A looming ban on some single-use plastics should not have an impact on the viability of a petrochemical operation proposed for the Prince George area, say its chief proponent.

“I don’t see this having a major impact on our project,” West Coast Olefins president and CEO Ken James said in an email to the Citizen. “This is not a high margin product and the advantage of a new facility is that we can design for durable products that certainly have an important role in the economy.”

Plastic straws, stir sticks, cutlery, sixpack rings, carry-out bags and Styrofam plates and takeout containers won’t be allowed to be sold in Canada once the ban

takes effect, likely by the end of 2021. Meanwhile, West Coast Olefins is continuing to look for a home for the complex.

The company initially had a 300-acre site in the BCR Industrial Site in its sights, but after public concerns about air quality were raised the company announced in June it will look locate north of the city instead.

Two spots near Summit Lake and two near Bear Lake have been raised as possibilities.

James remained tightlipped regarding the search.

“We are in some sensitive negotiations with respect to our project so not much I can say at this time,” he said. “We are advancing the project and hope to make a formal announcement before Christmas.”

Former resident holding free talk on Canada-China trade

Citizen staff

A new branch of the Canadian International Council has been established in Prince George and the group is hosting a talk by Phil Calvert called Canada-China Trade in a Shifting Global Environment on Friday. Calvert will explore short-term and

long-term challenges, global influences and what approaches Canada should consider. He grew up in Prince George and spent 34 years in Canada’s foreign service, with three postings in Beijing.

The talk will go from noon to 1:30 p.m. To sign up for this free online event, visit chinacanadatrade.eventbrite.com

22, 2020

Dobson grateful for great career

Wayne Dobson retired after a successful 36-year career with the Jim Pattison Broadcasting Group. Here is his story in a nutshell.

Wayne was born in Toronto in 1950. He was raised by kind and amiable parents who were excellent role models; he picked up those same qualities. His mother worked as the unit secretary for the Canadian Cancer Society for over 30 years and everyone who knew her loved her. His father worked as a funeral director and with National Cash Register in Toronto. Wayne emulates his father’s leadership qualities with a calm voice and great listening, counseling and communication skills. Without even knowing it, he learned to be thorough and paid attention to details thanks to his role models. He learned

SENIORS’ SCENE

KATHY NADALIN

his business management skills in college along with a degree.

He worked at various jobs since he was 14 years old and still had time to volunteer at his church.

During his high school years, he was on the student council and was selected to be the valedictorian of his class.

After high school, he attended Humber College in Toronto from 1970-1974 and studied for a career in radio broadcasting and management. He was rated as an outstanding student and has awards to prove it.

Upon graduation, he received a call from CHQM-FM in Vancouver, requesting him to fly to Vancouver for a job interview. By this time, he already had job offers in Toronto but the pull of an expense paid trip to Vancouver seemed too good to pass up. To make a long story short, while he was there for the interview, he was invited to attend the B.C. Association of Broadcasters convention where he happened to meet Gordon Leighton, the general manager of CKPG in Prince George. Leighton invited him to Prince George to check out a job offer with the Jim Pattison Broadcasting Group.

Wayne was impressed, signed a one-year contract and started in the fall of 1974 as a sales representative. Before long, he moved up to sales management for 12 years before retiring after 36 years of service.

Correction Notice

In the circular beginning Friday,October 9th, 2020 Pencil Boxes by Creatology™ on the gatefold printed with the incorrect pricing and should not be on sale. The correct price is 2.99 each and Everyday Value.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

He said, “That was the best 36-year ride of my life. We had our ups and downs but it was a great career. We survived two recessions in the 80s which wasn’t easy but we did it. We had fun every day; we did stupid and crazy things but we got the job done with dignity.

“In our job at the radio station we always knew about everything that was going on in the community. I made friendships with my clients and within the community. I am proud to say that I never used a friendship to land an advertising sale.

“CKPG always offered courses to continue our learning of new changes coming to the industry. I have to thank them for that because they made it easier for us to keep up with all the latest advancements and there were many over the years.

“CKPG remains the training grounds for news broadcasters and journalist. They take the time to discuss how to go about writing stories, how to look good in front of a camera – basically it is really acting and theatre training – plus make-up and wardrobe training and how to deliver the news. CKPG has launched the careers of many successful broadcast journalists over the years.”

Wayne was always willing to do volunteer work in his community. He is a 30-year member of the downtown Rotary club where he served as a director and received the Paul Harris Fellowship Award.

He is a 30 year volunteer with the YMCA

that included 12 years as chairman of the board.

He shares his professional entertainment skills as a drummer and for the past 25 years he has been playing with the worship team at the St. Giles Presbyterian Church.

He hosted many telethons at Vanier Hall and raised a ton of money for the community.

In 1983, Wayne got married and had three children: Bailey, Garrett and Tanner. When the couple separated in 1996, Wayne continued to raise the children. Together, they enjoyed sports and lots of fishing at their cabin at Norman Lake - his haven for the past 36 years. He is currently the president of the Norman Lake Community Association.

In 1994, he started teaching marketing at the College of New Caledonia and later added classes in consumer behaviour.

In 2014, he applied and successfully became a marriage commissioner with the intention of doing the perfect wedding for his clients and making sure they were comfortable and happy on their big day.

Since then, he has married over 250 couples.

In conclusion, Wayne said, “Prince George is significant and important to me because the people make a difference here. If you ever have second thoughts of leaving Prince George – think again – your social network is here, your friends are here and if you are lucky your family is here as well.”

WAYNE DOBSON

PG-MACKENZIE PROFILE

WHERE TO VOTE

If you received an Elections BC Where to Vote card in the mail, it will have your closest voting place listed. All polling places are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday.

In Prince George, voting places are available at Beaverly Elementary School, Christ Our Saviour Church Hall, D.P. Todd Secondary School, Edgewood Elementary School, Foothills Elementary School, Hart Highlands Elementary School, Heather Park Elementary School, the Kinsmen Club of Prince George, Miworth Community Hall, Pinewood Elementary School, Prince George Family Worship Centre and Quinson Elementary School.

Other voting places are located at the Bear Lake Commission office in Bear Lake, Mackenzie Secondary School, McLeod Lake Community Hall, Ness Lake Community Hall, Nukko Lake Community Hall and Salmon Valley Community Hall.

WHAT YOU NEED

Elections BC officials will need to see a piece of valid ID that shows your name and home address. For more information on the ID requirements, go online to elections. bc.ca/voting/voter-id/.

Voters should also bring their Elections BC Where to Vote card, their own pen or pencil to mark the ballot (if you wish) and a face mask. Elections BC is encouraging –but not requiring – voters to wear a mask at the voting place, and voters will not be asked to remove them to vote.

MIKE MORRIS, LIBERAL Morris went into politics in 2013, after a 32-year career in the RCMP. He’s served two terms as MLA for Prince George-Mackenzie – one in government as the solicitor general, and one in the opposition.

If reelected, Morris said one of his top priorities will be promoting the economic recovery o the region.

“The reason I’m running is I want to make sure we have a strong, diversified economy in Prince George,” he said. “You need an economic plan that will restart this province and get people back to work.”

The Liberal economic plan calls for a temporary elimination of the PST to cut costs for taxpayers and business, combined with a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure plan to get people working and invest in the long-term recovery of B.C., he said. The plan would look at investing in projects like hospitals, schools and roads.

JOAN ATKINSON, NDP

Joan Atkinson is new to provincial politics but has been involved in local politics in the District of Mackenzie for more than a decade. She was was acclaimed mayor of the hard-hit forestry town in 2018, after serving on the district council since 2007.

The NDP’s focus in this election is helping people get through the COVID-19 pandemic. The party has pledged to look at rent freezes, cut ICBC insurance rates and to expand the $10 per day childcare program, she said.

“It will help parents who can’t afford to go back to work because of childcare costs,” she said. “(And) I think the announcement that there is going to be a new medical school in B.C. will go a long way to addressing the doctor shortage.”

CATHARINE KENDALL, GREEN

Kendall has spent her career working in community development in Prince George, and hopes to take a similar, bottom-up approach if elected.

She owns Magenta Mare Consulting, a community develop consulting firm, and is executive director and co-founder of the Connaught Youth Centre Society.

At the Connaught Youth Centre, her work has focused on providing supports for vulnerable children and families. As a director of We Can BC for 10 years, she’s campaigned against violence against women.

She’s been vice-president of the Eaglet Lake Farmers’ Institute for the past 12 years, serves as a director of Local Food Prince George, and helped create the West Help Co-op with other local help growers.

“I’m a mother of six children, and I really do have a dire concern for their future,” she said.

DEE KRANZ, CHRISTIAN HERITAGE

Kranz is one of five Christian Heritage candidates in the province.

Kranz is a former registered nurse and retired Prince George business owner.

She said she’s not a politician, but she decided to run for office because she’s been troubled by what she’s been seeing happening in the province.

Kranz said she believes the COVID-19 pandemic is being used as a cover to erode citizen’s rights.

“I worked during all the previous, supposed, epidemics. My idea of a pandemic is you have hospitals overflowing, people dying,” Kranz said. “The numbers are not bearing out, the hospitals are empty. But Premier Horgan is still calling for emergency measures. What is really going on here?”

RAYMOND RODGERS, LIBERTARIAN

Rodgers couldn’t be reached for an interview.

“After seeing the division mainstream parties not only create but thrive on, I saw that someone needed to stand up and show the province there is a path forward that includes all people not just the wealthy and those whom influence a party with the most fiscal donations,” Rodgers’ bio on the B.C. Libertarian website said.

PG-VALEMOUNT PROFILE

WHERE TO VOTE

If you received an Elections BC Where to Vote card in the mail, it will have your closest voting place listed. All polling places are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday.

In Prince George, voting places are available at Blackburn Community Centre, Columbus Community Centre, First Baptist Church, Harwin Elementary School, Pineview Elementary School, the Prince George Conference and Civic Centre, Prince George Secondary School, Southridge Elementary School, Van Bien Elementary School, Vanway Elementary School and Westwood Elementary School.

Other voting places are located at Buckhorn Elementary School, Dome Creek Community Centre, Dunster Community Hall, Elks Hall in McBride, Ferndale/Tabor Fire Hall, Hixon Elementary School, Sinclair Mills Community Hall, Valemount Community Hall and Willow River Community Hall.

WHAT YOU NEED

Elections BC officials will need to see a piece of valid ID that shows your name and home address. For more information on the ID requirements, go online to elections. bc.ca/voting/voter-id/.

Voters should also bring their Elections BC Where to Vote card, their own pen or pencil to mark the ballot (if you wish) and a face mask. Elections BC is encouraging – but not requiring – voters to wear a mask at the voting place, and voters will not be asked to remove them to vote.

SHIRLEY BOND, LIBERAL

With the retirement of her long-serving Liberal colleague Linda Reid, Bond will be one of the most experienced MLAs in the legislature if she is re-elected Saturday.

The majority’s of Bond’s career has been spent in government, and she’s held a wide range of cabinet positions including deputy premier, minister of health services, minister of justice, minister of education, minister of transportation and infrastructure, minister of advanced education and minister of jobs, tourism and skills training.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of healthcare services like never befre. In an interview earlier this month, Bond said training and retaining health care professionals in the north is a top priority.

While it was the NDP which announced a new surgical tower for the University Hospital of Northern B.C., “I want to make sure that project moves forward,” she said.

If managing the COVID-19 pandemic were Premier John Horgan’s top priority, British Columbians wouldn’t be going to the polls until October of 2021 – the province’s next designated election date, under fixed-date election legislation.

LAURA PARENT, NDP Parent may be young, but she’s not new to politics.

The 21-year-old UNBC political science student has been involved in the NDP for three years, and worked on the campaigns of NDP candidates Natalie Fletcher and Bobby Deepak during the 2017 provincial election.

She said was inspired to run for office by Madeline Lalonde, a young woman who ran against Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson in

Vancouver-Quilchena in 2017.

Campaigning during a pandemic has been a challenge, but Parent said she and her team have been learning as they go.

“It’s definitely a different set of challenges,” she said. “I’ve made a lot of phone calls. A big part of it is social media.”

It’s not just been challenging connecting with voters, but also with the volunteers who work behind the scenes, she said.

People have been supportive of her, and of the job the NDP are doing in government, Parent said.

“The new surgical tower at the University Hospital of Northern B.C. is a big hit,” she said.

People have also praised $1,000 rebate to support families struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.

Parent said she heard some push back about the call for an election before the legislated date at first, but as time has gone on people seem more comfortable with it.

“We have a democratic right to have a say on how we move out of the pandemic,” she said. “I guess I would say, ‘get out and vote.’ Make sure you have your say.”

MACKENZIE KERR,

GREEN

Parent isn’t the only UNBC student in the race in Prince George-Valemount. Kerr, a 23-year-old forestry student, is making her second bid for office. Kerr previously ran for the federal Green Party in 2019, taking 9.1 per cent of the vote in the Cariboo-Prince George riding.

In an interview earlier this month, Kerr said she thinks the riding is ready for a new candidate with new ideas.

“I believe we need young people in the legislature... to make sure young people and the future are being considered,” Kerr said. “The opportunities are endless right now. We need the political will to move us in the right direction, and not just stick with the status quo.”

Kerr’s background growing up on a farm and being involved in forestry has given her a passion for promoting local agriculture and sustainable forestry.

If elected, as Green Party MLA she would always be free to vote for what is best for her constituents, not the party line, she added.

The 37-year-old single dad works in the logging industry and became interested in politics after leaving the military in 2008, his Libertarian Party bio says.

“I found the economic opportunity in the region to be greatly diminished and the response from all levels of government to be less than satisfactory,” Robson’s bio said.

SEAN ROBSON, LIBERTARIAN Robson was not available for an interview.

DREADFUL CAMPAIGN NEARLY OVER

Everything was going so well for John Horgan on Tuesday night.

During the televised leaders debate, he was confidently swatting away the criticisms and jabs from the robotic Andrew Wilkinson, the leader of the B.C. Liberals. The poised B.C. Greens leader Sonia Fursteneau was getting in some nice shots but she wasn’t landing tough combinations to unbalance Horgan, allowing him to roll with the punches.

Horgan’s undoing came from a question he should have handled easily, especially because Wilkinson got to go first, leaving Horgan bonus time to consider his response.

Moderator Shachi Kurl, who earned universal praise for keeping the leaders in line, asked a broad but well-worded question about white privilege that specifically asked for their personal understanding of the issue.

Like every answer he delivered, Wilkinson’s point was decent but not stellar, delivered with little emotion or even enthusiasm.

He simply stated that he’s come a long way from his younger days when he had little knowledge of or exposure to people of colour but learned a lot during his medical career (he mentioned he’s a doctor numerous times) and continues to educate himself.

And then Horgan.

A white person claiming they don’t see colour and then identifying their person of colour friends is so blind to their white privilege lens that they can’t see the contradiction slapping them in the face. If you don’t see colour, how do you know your buddies you played lacrosse with as a boy were Indigenous?

After that, Horgan started rambling so bad that Kurl had to ask him to actually answer the question.

To Horgan’s credit, he apologized quickly and articulately in the media scrum after the debate and again on Wednesday morning but the damage was done.

Oh, the apologies.

Maybe it would have been easier if Wilkinson and Horgan had just opened their various campaigns by saying sorry in advance for the gaffes to come.

Over in Stikine to the west, Nathan Cullen’s campaign has been a runaway train jumping off the rails and slamming into a dumpster fire.

First, he accepted the nomination to replace Doug Donaldson knowing full well the B.C. NDP’s equity policy doesn’t permit a white male to replace another white male as the party’s candidate. Then, it turned out Annita McPhee, a former president of the Tahltan Central Government, sought the nomination but was turned down by

Horgan in favour of Cullen.

After that came the news Cullen, while doing government consulting work, billed his booze purchases to go with his meals, a technical no-no.

Last, he got caught on audio joking that Haida hereditary chief Roy Jones Jr., who is running for the B.C. Liberals in North Coast, is unpopular in his own community and mocked his nickname “Kinkles.”

Of course he apologized but the Gitxsan Government put out a letter to Horgan, calling on him to fire Cullen (the Haida Nation accepted Cullen’s apology).

Meanwhile, Wilkinson had to gas his Chilliwack-Kent candidate Laurie Throness for comparing free contraception to eugenics, the disgraced practice of selectively breeding humans for desirable qualities and weeding out less desirable qualities through sterilization.

That’s on top of having to apologize for North Vancouver-Seymour candidate Jane Thornthwaite for her sexist jokes at a roast about NDP MLA Bowinn Ma.

And he’s had to defend New Westminster’s Lorraine Brett for comments on transgender issues and Langley East’s Margaret Kunst for opposing a rainbow crosswalk.

In the end, however, all these gaffes and the leadership debate changed nothing. Fursteneau did nothing to change the im-

Inside the memory black hole

Hello!

Anyone home?

My perception is that people often think these words when they are dealing with me.

Perhaps I’m wrong.

I recently was at one of my favourite take out places, standing in line outside. There were markers clearly identifying customers to stand six feet apart. A man in front of me barked “Back up! Stand six feet away from me!” I was so rattled I was lost for words. What I wanted to tell him was that I was standing on a marker and following safety protocols. Instead I started stuttering and felt like a fool.

Brain injury has significantly affected my ability to think on my feet and advocate for myself.

I received a call from a specialist’s office to arrange an appointment. The woman was talking very quickly and had a strong accent. I couldn’t understand her and kept asking her to repeat herself. I forgot to ask

her to slow down her speech. She then started speaking quite loudly which did not help my retention at all. My ears began ringing and my head was pounding. The outcome was that I told her I would have to call her back. I didn’t recall one word she said.

Brain injury survivors have our good days and not so good days. Sometimes we understand what people are telling us. Other times, it feels like we are being spoken to in a different language - accent or not. Our brains’ ability to filter and process information has been damaged. We can also struggle with hearing. All ingredients combined can create a frustrating and

upsetting experience. My peers and I have broken into tears and have had to exit situations where we have felt judged, ridiculed and dismissed.

Stress management is a constant challenge for brain injured survivors. It doesn’t take much to stress us out. Our anxiety levels are generally high mainly due to processing difficulties and feelings of low confidence and self esteem. Throw in additional stress and we find ourselves temporarily suspended in a different dimension, unable to connect with our present environment.

Poor short and long- term memory are common symptoms with survivors. I know I miss out on a lot of information because of deficits in short-term memory. People in my circle know that I will often forget conversations we’ve had. In my career as a social worker, I was privy to a lot of confidential information. Information that I will take to my grave.

Now, private information people share with me end up in the black hole. If the

pression that she is a well-meaning, caring person who wants to power the province with good intentions, rather than actual jobs and development.

Horgan did nothing to change the impression he’s a charismatic Joe who easily falls back into cockiness and bluster under pressure.

Wilkinson did nothing to change the impression that he’s super book smart and a decent enough fellow but, like many doctors, lacks a warm bedside manner.

That benefits Horgan in the end because he just needed to keep the impression people already have of him while making sure people’s impression of Wilkinson and Fursteneau stayed the same, too. He knows B.C. voters are historically attracted to charismatic leaders and he knows he’s more charismatic than the other two leaders.

It appears likely Horgan’s gamble will pay off and voters will reward him with the majority government he desperately craves.

Oh, the irony will be rich if, once the mail-in ballots are counted, nothing changes at all and the legislature remains at exactly the same seat count as it was before, with Horgan having to cozy up to Fursteneau to hold up his administration.

It’s certainly what he deserves.

— Editor-in-chief Neil Godbout

content is not necessary for me to retain, my brain will delete it immediately. I can appear or sound like I’m listening and I truly am. But the words and memory of it frequently disappear and cannot be retrieved.

Watching movies with me can be frustrating. I won’t remember watching them. My poor husband is forever rolling his eyes because I will ask him to watch a particular movie with me and he will say “We just watched this last week!” I’ll respond “ We did? Are you sure? Can we watch it again?”

I appreciate his patience and tolerance because I know I can be quite annoying. It took me two weeks to write this article. There are two reasons. First off, I forgot the topic I wanted to write about, tried to remember what it was, got stressed out and forgot about the deadline.

Hello!

Anyone home?

Okay I’ll come back later. If I remember.

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PRINCE GEORGE

CRISPR takes the chemistry prize

Working for nearly a decade in the mid-1800s and growing over 5,000 pea plants, Gregor Mendel was able to come up with a basic understanding of heredity: characteristics are unitary. They are discrete (i.e. purple vs white; tall vs dwarf) with nothing in between. Further, genetic characteristics have alternate forms with each inherited from one of the two parents. We now call these alleles, with one dominant which is reflected in the characteristics of the plant. And different characteristics or traits occur independently.

With a basic understanding of genetic inheritance, biologists turned to investigating the nature of the gene – the simplest unit of inheritability. Although it was originally thought the blueprints for life must be written in proteins, by the late 1940s and early 1950s scientists became convinced DNA was coded with the genes. Then, in 1953, Francis Crick and James Watson discovered the double helix. Over

RELATIVITY

TODD WHITCOMBE

the next decade chemists subsequently cracked DNA’s code and biochemistry was born. The central dogma of biology emerged – from DNA we get RNA and from RNA we get protein.

In 2002, Emmanuelle Charpentier started working at the University of Vienna where her research group focused on a bacteria, Streptococcus pyogenes, which infects millions of people every year. While it usually manifests as easily treatable infections such as tonsillitis and impetigo, it can also turn into flesh eating bacteria under the right circumstances. Charpentier was interested in how its genes were regulated as a way to deal with the organism.

In the meantime, Jennifer Doudna was leading a research group at the University of California-Berkeley, studying RNA and specifically RNA interference. For many

years, researchers believed they understood the functional role of RNA but in 2006 they discovered small RNA molecules that help regulate gene activity in cells.

And around the same time, microbiologists had discovered repetitive DNA sequences in the genetic material of bacteria and archaea which are remarkably well conserved. The sequences appear over and over again between stretches of unique DNA – like sliding a piece of paper or multiple pieces of paper between the pages of a book.

They called these repeating sequences “clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats” or CRISPR, for short. And the interesting thing is the non-repeating unique sequences – the pages – seem to match the genetic code of various viruses. They hypothesized these unique sequences represented the bacterial immune system where small strands of viral DNA encoded into the genome as a memory device. And the mechanism involved appeared to be similar to RNA interference.

When Charpentier’s research group mapped the CRISPR system in S. pyogenes,

Pandemic hitting business hard

Over the past few months, I have been talking to more people than usual from around the globe in my quest to determine the changing impacts of the pandemic on small business. I believe that there are several unintended impacts that businesses are facing that nobody is really talking about but will affect us all as consumers.

Lack of product: Early in the pandemic ,we heard of factories that closed to protect their workers from disease. Most of these factories have long since reopened. However, if you are planning to buy your favorite game or toy for someone this Christmas, you might be in for some empty shelves. Unfortunately for many retailers, there is a lack of products to choose from. Not only was the supply chain disrupted with factory closures, the shipping of products from Asia has been severely hampered as a result of the fact that there are few available ships to carry regular everyday products to fill the shelves of your favorite stores. Suppliers are explaining to retailers across all sectors that shipping

BUSINESS COACH

DAVE FULLER

of their products is disrupted due to the amount of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) required to fight the pandemic.

Higher costs: Not only are you going to have trouble finding parts for your car, Christmas gifts or your favorite clothing made in a sweat shop, the cost of these goods is going to be higher. In many cases, if suppliers have access to products, the shipping costs have increased substantially. Also, because there has been a shortage due to factory closures, demand is high. Your local restaurant faces the same challenge. There is a lack of available space in most restaurants due to new government requirements and in order to make ends meet many have had to raise their prices. The law of economics is that higher demand and lower supply equates higher prices. The government may be telling you

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Libs failed workers

MLAs Shirley Bond and Mike Morris are criticizing Premier John Horgan about not paying enough attention to their ridings. Talk about being twofaced.

The first thing the BC Liberals did back in 2001was tear up every signed government contract, then they gutted the Labour Relations Board making it near impossible to organize for union representation delivering better wages, a union pension plan and an extended health and welfare coverage.

Your Liberal government also failed to get the LNG construction started. It only took the NDP a few months in power to get the LNG build started by offering tax breaks. So instead of $40 billion, they will pay about $36 billion in taxes over its operational years. A lot of money we would have lost with your failure to get a $40 billion construction project started , missing out on tens of millions of man-hours to complete this project. You and your Liberal government failed the people of B.C. by not offering the incentives the LNG companies needed for moving forward on such a big

they already knew it required a single protein Cas9 to cleave viral DNA but they discovered an additional factor called trans-activating crispr RNA. And this lead to a meeting with Doudna in which the two research groups began collaborating. With a little effort, they were able to show CRISPR/Cas9 worked in a test tube by slicing up DNA very precisely. And with a little more tweaking, they had come up with a pair of molecular scissors which would allow them to cut out and replace any piece of DNA.

Essentially, CRISPR/Cas9 allows scientists to remove specific portions of a genome with atomic precision. It takes advantage of the mechanism already found in bacteria but modified into a powerful tool for genetic research. And possibly for medicine as it could be used to eliminate faulty genes and genetic damage thereby curing genetic-based diseases.

For their groundbreaking research and vision, Charpentier and Doudna were awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the development of a method for genome editing.

that inflation is not increasing but your pocketbook will be telling you otherwise.

Labour: Higher prices are not only dictated by supply and demand, they are also being affected by labour costs and a lack of labour. There are a couple of factors affecting labour that will be costing you directly as a consumer. Firstly, government subsidies to workers during the pandemic have disrupted this supply. There are many businesses that need employees. However, in many cases they can’t find people willing to work for starting wages because these people have are happy to collect government subsidies and unemployment insurance payments. Additionally, in government or bureaucratic organizations where people have chosen to work from home, many feel that it is now their right to work remotely.

Research has shown that work from home results in lower productivity, higher costs and technological risks, due to the fact that remote workers often feel marginalized and less loyal. In 2017, IBM recalled many remote workers after 20 quarters of losses, citing lower productivity as one of the reasons.

business gamble .

For all 16 years of your Liberal government rule, all mega taxpayer projects were given to the Christian Labour Association of Alberta. They would bring their own trades people from Alberta, leaving our B.C. trades people out of work.

For more than a decade and a half, your government can be described as taking food off the table of people that reside here with either a mortgage or rent to pay.

And let’s not forget that as soon as your Liberal government got elected, you took all funding from the Industry Training

Mainstreet closures: While the stock market has rebounded, many small businesses are struggling to keep their doors open. Work from home, combined with fear has affected foot traffic in many locations. This has resulted in lower than expected sales. A report by the Info Credit Group this year found that a 10 per cent drop in sales will result in 70 per cent of businesses being unprofitable and 81 per cent of businesses will have a net loss if sales are down by 25 per cent. Businesses in many locations are quietly closing their doors without fan fare because they can’t make ends meet.

While most businesses have not been directly affected by sick employees, they have been affected by the pandemic and the restrictive measures put in place by health officials. The lingering and substantial effects including higher debt and higher taxes will take years for many to overcome.

- Dave Fuller MBA, is an award-winning professional business coach and the author of the book Profit Yourself Health. Impacted by the pandemic? I would love to hear email dave@pivotleader.com

Authority (ITA) for trades training in B.C., leaving training for a new generation of young apprentices on the shoulders of private companies to do the necessary training needed.

You and your Liberal colleagues are in the opposition now for many good reasons, but especially because you failed B.C. trades people by starving them out of work for so many years.

Need I say more about what a failure you and your Liberal government were to the citizens of our province?

Miles Thomas, Prince George

Figure skaters hit with less icetime

TED CLARKE

Citizen staff

Lara Lacharite has been watching her 13-year-old daughter Isabelle dig her blades into arena ice with the Prince George Figure Skating Club for the last six years, but that’s no longer allowed.

The stands are empty at skating practices and will stay that way until the threat of the pandemic subsides. It is forbidden for parents to remain at the rink. They can only be there as long as it takes the skaters to put on and take off their skates and then they have to leave. That’s the harsh reality of the COVID world.

“That’s probably the biggest concern of parents, that they would like to go in and watch,” said Lara Lacharite. “It’s great to watch them, but I’m just happy they’re on the ice.”

Prince George arenas were shut in midMarch, when the pandemic began, and remained that way until August 17, when the city re-opened the three Kin Centre rinks after parents and skaters pressured city council to approve funding to open the rinks for user groups.

That day can’t come soon enough for Rory Allen. The director of skating for the Northern BC Centre for Skating says all his group sessions are maxed out with waiting lists. Even when the two other rinks open the city will still be without a sixth ice surface because council has elected to keep the Eksentre closed indefinitely to save money.

“There’s a common misconception that because there’s half of the arenas open that everyone’s getting half the ice they had last year but that’s very far from the truth,” said Allen. “Every user group has

what they call switches in between each group going out on the ice, and every time a group changes everybody gets off and they clean for 15 minutes.”

Provincial health office guidelines require rink attendants to clean and spray disinfectant for 15 minutes between each group session, which eats into the time available for skating. Skaters are not allowed to linger in the rink and that means warm-up stretches and exercises have to be done away from the rink, which Allen says could increase the risk of injuries. Change rooms just opened up a couple weeks ago but each room is limited to just eight skaters at one time.

Despite all the turmoil and the challenges coaches are going through trying to deliver the programs, Allen says his skaters have not lost their enthusiasm for skating. The numbers in his club remain

D-MAN LANDS WITH KINGS

Like everybody else in this raging pandemic world, Tanner Main is concerned about his health and staying safe from the virus that’s been killing people for nearly a year.

When he left his Wenatchee Wild teammates last March after the season was cancelled and returned to his home in Welland, Ont., Main did not think getting back to Washington state where the Wild play to resume his B.C. Hockey League career would be the ordeal it now is.

But the virus has kept the Canada-United States border closed and rather than risk jeopardizing his college hockey future, he asked to be traded. Fortunately for the Spruce Kings, Prince George ranked high on the 20-year-old defenceman’s list.

On Sept. 28, the Kings announced they’d acquired Main’s rights in a trade from the Wild for future considerations and he reported to training camp shortly after that. He’s spent just a couple weeks in Prince

George but Main likes the team’s prospects for success this coming season and is convinced he will thrive in his new surroundings with the Spruce Kings.

“I didn’t know a whole lot about it but ever since I got here it’s been everything I could ask for,” said Main.

“The billets are awesome, the team is looking real good and the coaches are awesome, so it’s been a good start so far.

I knew it was pretty far north in B.C. and we came here once last year for an away game. The team went all the way to (Fred Page) Cup two seasons ago and it’s a winning organization. The coaches know how to win and it’s good to come into that going into my last year.”

He signed a college commitment just before the COVID outbreak in March and will attend Bentley University after he finishes his junior career with the Spruce Kings.

He’ll be joining his former Wild teammate Drew Bavaro, a rookie forward this season at Bentley. Former Spruce Kings forward Lucas Vanroboys also plays for the

Waltham, Mass.-based Falcons.

Main emerged as one of the key cogs on the Wild defence in his rookie BCHL season last year, after two seasons in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League

healthy, with between 350 and 400 registered skaters.

The Prince George club now has about 100 registered skaters this fall, compared to the 380 it had last year. The club’s CanSkate learn-to-skate programs have been cut back and now instead of 65 CanSkate skaters there are just eight, with plans to increase to 22 in November.

“We have one kid in our groups that’s three years old - we’re strictly hands-off in the rink but she’s able to stand up own her own,” said PGFSC head coach Jennifer Auston. “Most of our participants (in CanSkate and figure skating) are in the four-10 age category. I will say the kids are learning a little independence. Some kids who fall down and get hurt, they want to go have a hug from mom. Now they have to selfsooth, they’re adapting. Everyone seems to be adjusted well.”

with St. Catharines. Heading into his fourth junior season, Main carries a reputation as a dependable puckhandler with above-average skating ability and with his junior experience he ranks high on the Kings’ depth chart and will be looked upon as a stabilizing influence on the blueline.

“We’re really excited to have Tanner in our program, I really liked his game last year when we played Wenatchee at the beginning of the year and later in the year and he got better,” said Kings head coach Alex Evin. “He stood out to me. He’s got a very good offensive side to his game, he’s a very mobile defenceman.”

The Merritt Centennials will be in Prince George to face the Kings on Sunday at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena, two days after the teams meet in Merritt.

No fans will be allowed in BCHL buildings during the preseason to reduce the risk of spreading COVID but there is a way to see the games. All eight Spruce Kings exhibition games will be webcast on Hockey TV.

Cariboo Cougars have champion stuff: GM

TED CLARKE Citizen staff

When he looks at this year’s Cariboo Cougars roster general manager Trevor Sprague can’t help but smile.

“Every year we want to go to a national championship and we have a team again that can do that,” said Sprague. “This might be the best lineup we’ve ever had. The Telus Cup (two seasons ago when the Cougars were the tournament hosts) was a good team but this team has the potential to be better than that team.”

The major midget Cats now have 11 returning players, but could lose a handful of their top players who are committed to Western Hockey League teams. That includes forwards Fischer O’Brien (Prince George Cougars), Nico Myatovic (Seattle Thunderbirds), Hayden Smith (Saskatoon Blades), and defenceman Owen Palfreyman (Calgary Hitmen).

Forward Scott Cousins, who finished third in the B.C. U-16 Triple-A Hockey League scoring race with 28 goals and 57 points in 28 games playing for Cariboo, could also end up playing junior hockey this year, either with the Kelowna Rockets or in the BCHL with the Spruce Kings. The BCHL has already started its exhibition season, while WHL season gets underway on Dec. 4, with those teams convening their training camps next month.

Even without that group of major junior prospects, there’s still plenty of firepower.

Carter Yarish finished second in team scoring with 23 goals and 49 points in 40 games and he and Jaydon Merritt, coming off a 10-goal, 22-point season, will getting their share of icetime, as will midget veterans Kellan Brienan (9-11-20 in 2019-20) and Landon Ingham (10-3-13). Brady McIsaac (24-19-43), Decker Mujcin (15-24-39) and Linden Makow (23-24-37) all lit it up with

the minor midget Cats and were key in their run to the regular season crown last year. Also moving up from the U-16 team are forwards Chase Pacheco and Max Sanford, and defencemen Jace Norman, Matyas Mocilac, and Jordan Lagreca.

Adam Bourgeois of Fort St. John joins the Cariboo Cats after piling up 19 points in 21 games for the Okanagan Rockets U-16 triple-A squad. Zachary Leslie and Pryce Peats are the returning defencemen.

“We’re looking to be really strong this year, it looks good on paper and so far our exhibition games went well for us, but there’s still lots of work to do,” said Cougars head coach Tyler Brough.

Power forward Caden Brown of Fort St. John, a first-round bantam draft pick of the Prince George Cougars picked 17th overall in May, will be playing for the U-18 Cougars after two seasons at Delta Hockey Academy. Brown turned 15 in March and

he blends in well with the older players, standing five-foot-10, and weighting 185-pounds. He’s the only 15-year-old on the team, after being granted special status by BC Hockey to play with the U-18 Cougars this season. Brown scored a goal and had two assists in a pair of exhibition game wins over the Thompson Blazers Oct. 2.

Three goalies are now in camp and the team is hoping to avoid a repeat the revolving-door netminder troubles they encountered last year. Cariboo used six goalies in a 40-game season and a had a handful of backups who had never played at the major midget level.

Kenny Gerow took over in the second half of the season to replace Jordan Fairlie, who had to have knee surgery, and he’s in a battle for playing time with Dawson Smith and Tysen Smith, who had 14-1 record and 2.96 goals-against average in 16 games with the U-16s.

TED CLARKE Citizen staff

TANNER MAIN

COOPER ENJOYING HIS STANLEY CUP WIN

TED CLARKE

Citizen staff

Jon Cooper is a pretty famous guy right now.

He joined the elite fraternity of head coaches who have won the Stanley Cup three weeks ago in Edmonton when the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Dallas Stars 2-0 in Game 6 of the NHL final, becoming the first B.C.-born head coach ever to win hockey’s most coveted prize.

The Bolts’ second-ever championship win ended 65 days of pandemic isolation in the NHL bubble for the team and touched off a celebration that included a boat parade for the team in Tampa Bay. Wherever they went with that cup, the reaction was the same – jubilant adulation.

“It’s been a whirlwind, a lot of fun,” said Cooper, a 53-year-old Prince George native.

“You work so hard to win the Stanley Cup but you don’t prepare for what happens after because you don’t know. It happened so fast, we won, we celebrated and we were on a plane the next morning and all of sudden you get to embrace your family and then it was just two weeks of euphoria.”

Unfortunately for the people of Prince George, with the Canada-U.S. border still closed, the cup won’t be likely be coming home with Cooper. The pandemic has halted the tradition of players and coaches having their day with Stanley in their hometowns, at least temporarily.

“Brett Connolly beat me to win a Stanley Cup (in 2018) and I was glad Brett brought the cup to Prince George, he’s an awesome kid and I coached him,” said Cooper. “I thought, I’ll be the first guy to do it (after Turner Stevenson) but Brett was able to do it and I was super-happy about that because I won’t be able to bring it to Prince George.”

There is a bonus in store for the Lightning because the trophy will be returning to Tampa later this fall with all their names engraved.

“I think since the ‘40s, nobody’s got to see their name on the cup because it goes all summer with the players and gets engraved in September, so unless you win it again or you go to the Hockey Hall of Fame, you’ll get to see your name on it,” said Cooper.

“It’s supposedly getting engraved now and then it’s going to come back to us, so we’re all going to get to see our names on it, which is extremely rare.”

Cooper, who started his professional hockey life as a player agent, has won championships at virtually every level he’s coached. His coaching career began in 1999 when he was still a practicing lawyer

in Lansing, Mich., after a local judge asked him to coach his son’s high school team, Lansing Catholic Central. Two years later, after moving his law practice to Detroit, he took the Metro Jets to the Silver Cup U.S. national junior B title. Cooper then jumped to the NAHL with the junior St. Louis Bandits and they won back-to-back Robertson Cups in 2008 and 2009. A Clark Cup title followed in 2010 with the Green Bay Gamblers in the USHL, the top junior league in the U.S., and in 2012 he captured a Calder Cup AHL championship with the Norfolk Admirals, the Lightning’s top farm team.

As sweet as those championship runs were, none compare to winning the Stanley Cup and the joy that came with hoisting the trophy over his head, surrounded by his team in an empty Rogers Place.

“It doesn’t get any better than this, it’s an incredible feeling,” he said.

Cooper used his phone to Facetime his family and share the moment on the ice and returned to Tampa with the team the next day. The airport firetrucks sprayed a cascade of water over the plane as it arrived and Cooper climbed down onto the tarmac and hugged his wife and three kids for the first time in three months. Their isolation period began with training camp in early July.

“That was an entirely different feeling all in itself, where you’re feeling your kids crying in joy in your arms,” he said. “That was a whole new wave of emotion seeing

your family for the first time, an amazing feeling and I’ll never forget that.”

“She gave me that right after we lost to Columbus and it gives you something to hold on to,” said Cooper. “Hope’s a powerful emotion and it’s like, ‘somebody else did it, why not us?’ In the end, it’s very similar. The sports are different but the magnitude of the loss was probably similar and that was a motivation for me the most.

“I brought it up with the team in training camp and I brought it up with the team again in the second training camp after the pause. Then to have a player ask for it afterwards was pretty cool.”

Cooper just finished his seventh full season for the Bolts and has two years remaining on his contract. With 577 regular season games under his belt, Cooper has a 347-180-50 record and .645 winning percentage, second only to Scotty Bowman’s .657 percentage for coaches with more than 500 games. Bowman and Copper are the only coaches to post 60 regular season wins in a season.

This season, the Lightning went 43-21-6 to finish eight points behind the first-overall Boston Bruins. Tampa came out of the seeding round-robin ranked second in the East, then posted series wins over Columbus (4-1), Boston (4-1) and New York Islanders (4-2) before moving on the final.

“We had a good feeling of how we needed to play to win, and part of that was bringing in some of the players we did, but it was mindset that it was OK to win games

SUBMITTED PHOTOS

Prince George’s Jon Cooper got his moment to hold the Stanley Cup on the ice at Rogers Place in Edmonton, above, and sip champagne from it, left, after his Tampa Bay Lightning claimed the championship.

2-1, it didn’t have to be 6-1, and that was big,” said Cooper.

“The players took it on the chin last year and I can’t be happier for those guys because they deserve it. They’ve gone through so much heartache. We were talked about as the team that can’t get it done, well we got it done and it wasn’t without failures along the way.”

Cooper is a friend of former Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Ronde Barber, who won the Super Bowl in 2002, and while the Stanley Cup was being passed around at one of the parties he let Cooper know one of the reasons he’s become a hockey fan.

“He told me, ‘The Super Bowl was unbelievable but, hockey got it right when it comes to trophies. It’s an awesome one.’”

This is shaping up to be an exceptional year for pro sports in Tampa. The Lightning are NHL champions, the Rays are in the World Series and who knows what could happen with the Tom Brady and the Buccaneers, who knocked off the previously unbeaten Green Bay Packers 38-10 Sunday to improve to 4-3.

Tampa will host the Super Bowl on Feb. 7 and Cooper was asked if his championship pedigree will guarantee him a seat or two for the big game at Raymond James Stadium.

“I don’t think Jon Cooper gets the Super Bowl tickets, but I think the Stanley Cup gets them,” laughed Cooper. “The Stanley Cup is like walking around with Mick Jagger. It gets whatever it wants.”

Candy Cruise offers safe Halloween

Citizen staff

Parents looking for a pandemic-safe Halloween option for their children can take part in the Prince George Candy Cruise.

The event will feature multiple drive-thru booths located at 10 hub locations around town.

“This event was born out of what I feel is a necessity. We know door to door trick or treating won’t and shouldn’t look the same as usual this year,” organizer Dave Horton said in a press release. “The goal of this event is nothing more than getting candy into kid’s hands in the safest way possible and to create great and unique memories on Halloween in a year that has been nothing but normal.”

Each hub location will have a minimum of four decorated booths created and staffed by partner organizations, who will be handing out treats through vehicle

windows while following public health guidance on safety.

The hubs will be located at Canadian Tire, PG Rock and Gravel, Second Cup Coffee at Parkwood Mall, Hart Shopping Centre, CN Centre, Halloween Alley at Brookwood Plaza, College of New Caledonia, Northern Lights Estate Winery, Blackburn Community Centre and Interior Warehousing.

“We are asking for Prince George to show up in droves – so pile your family in the car and come through all 10 of our hub locations spread out throughout the city,” Horton said. “Let me be clear, we are prepared for thousands of families to come out. Currently,we have over $40,000 worth of candy set to be doled out, and we expect that dollar figure to climb as more organizations come on board and more donations come in.”

Horton said the organizers are asking

residents to make a donation to support the event, rather than purchasing Halloween candy to give away this year. Any donations left over after the event will be divided between Big Brothers Big Sisters Northern B.C., Ness Lake Bible Camp and the Prince George Child Development Centre.

“We have hard costs like insurance, signage, PPE, and other safety materials, but then we are also trying to make the event as accessible as possible for local organizations,” Horton said.

“For example, if a local business wants to come onboard, but has been hit hard due to COVID and can’t afford to purchase the candy necessary to be a vendor, we want to be able to utilize donations to help the organization be a part of this great event!”

For more information or to make a donation, go online to www.candycruise.ca

CN Centre walking registration now open

Citizen staff

Advance registration for indoor walking at CN Centre is available online.

On Oct. 5, city council voted to reopen the CN Centre concourse for indoor walking, and the ice surface for limited use. CN Centre was one of the civic facilities closed in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to information released by the city, walking will be offered Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in 90-minute blocks. The concourse will be closed for cleaning between blocks.

The service will remain free, but users will be required to register in advance and no drop-ins will be allowed.

Registration will be available two days in advance, and up to an hour before each session.

To register, go online to www.princegeorge.ca/register or dial 311 to call the city service centre.

For more information, go online to www. princegeorge.ca/walking.

PANDEMIC GROUNDS SAFE RIDE SERVICE

Citizen staff

Operation Red Nose Prince George will not provide its safe ride service during the holiday season this year.

Operation Red Nose is a national program and because of the current coronavirus pandemic, organizers have decided rides home could not be completed safely for those accessing the service or the volunteers providing it.

In November, Operation Red Nose Prince George will reveal the details of its 2020 awareness campaign, which will exclude the safe ride service this year.

For the last 20 years, the Prince George-Nechako Rotary Club has provided the Operation Red Nose safe ride service along with its partners, sponsors and dedicated volunteers.

Each year, the safe ride service helped raise about $27,000 in donations, which all goes to fund local youth or amateur sports projects.

The organization hopes to bring the service back in 2021.

SC OPES &P

PUZZLE NO.788

HOW TO PLAY:

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1through 9only once.

Each3x3 box is outlined with adarkerline. You already have afew numbers to get you started. Remember: you must not repeatthe numbers 1through 9inthe same line, column or 3x3 box.

CL ASSIF IEDS

In loving memory

Michael Moore

19 Jun 194925 Oct 2017

Mike,

Memories will always keep you near.

I talk to you every day. Missing you.

Love you always, Helen In Memoriam

Muriel and Don Wheatley

October 19, 2007

October 27, 2013

Remembering two beautiful souls who have left beautiful memories. A beautiful soul is never forgotten.

Always and forever Your family

Jan 30 1938 - Oct 4 2020

It is with saddened hearts we announce the passing of Bob from pancreatic cancer.

He was a great husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and friend to many.

He said life was a gift and lived it to the fullest!

Bob is sadly missed by his surviving wife Clara Klick and all his family and friends.

Your life was a blessing to us.

REMEMBRANCES

Rita

Oct. 24, 1966 –Oct. 15, 2020

Suzanne Rita went to be with the lord on Thursday Oct 15, 2020 at the age of 53. Much too soon she left this world of ours, she left this world a better place. Survived by her loving husband, William; son, Patrick; daughter, Keely; sisters Vivian (Bob), Dianne; brothers Julien, Lyle, and Roger; Treena Ironside; Thomas (Cheryl) Ironside; many other family and friends. Predeceased by her parents Eugene and Rolande Forseille. A memorial service will be held in the spring of 2021. Donations may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society.

September 18th, 1998 - October 4th, 2020

It is with deepest sorrow that we announce the passing of Ryan James MacPhee, age 22, due to a tragic car accident on October 4th, 2020. He will be greatly missed and remembered by his loving parents, James and Monica, his sister Melissa (Jeff), his maternal grandfather Allen and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. He now reunites with his late paternal grandparents, Bob and Betty, his maternal grandmother Diane and his paternal uncle Ed.

Whether by a river or on top of a mountain, Ryan had a passion for exploring the incredible things our planet has to offer. He could often be found wandering through the forest around our home as a young child and his adoration for nature continued to grow as he did.

Along with his quiet and inquisitive personality, Ryan always found ways to help others. He sponsored two children from Save the Children and didn’t tell anyone this unless you directly asked him because he felt kindness in the world was better done than said. In lieu of flowers we ask that donations be made to Save the Children, the Prince George SPCA, or the Northern Lights Wildlife Society.

A celebration of life will be held at a future date when it is safe to do so with family and friends. Ryan was a huge light in our lives and there will always be a void in our hearts missing the special bond we each had and the memories we will forever hold. He was wise beyond his years and taught us more than he could ever know.

“Those we love don’t go away; they walk beside us every day.”

Robert (Bob) Klick

Suzanne

Ironside

Ryan James MacPhee

Margaret Dunn 1927-2020

In loving memory of Margaret Dunn August 1927 - Sept 2020.

It is with heavy hearts, we announce the passing of our beloved mother, mother in law, grandmother, aunt and dear friend. Margaret passed away peacefully at the age of 93 with her family by her side at the Simon Fraser Lodge in Prince George, BC. She is survived by her loving children Edna, Emily, Susan (Tony), Barbara (Claude), David, Debra (Joel) and many grand children, great grandchildren, nieces and nephews and many dear friends. Predeceased by her husband John and children Jimmy, Jane and Patsy. Margaret was born in Nairobi, Kenya and immigrated to Canada in 1991 to join her daughter Barbara and son in law Claude and their family. She was fortunate after she immigrated to be able travel on occasion to see her family overseas. Margaret enjoyed reading, knitting, babysitting and going to church. Friends and family enjoyed her wonderful cooking and in particular the worlds best Samosa’s. She was a sweet and humble lady and left a huge impact with whoever she came across. All that knew her continue to sing her praises and even call her mom or grandma.

You live in our hearts forever and now may you be free to walk and dance with the angels. God bless your beautiful soul, we miss you so much and love you always!

A private mass has taken place and Margaret is now resting in peace at the Prince George Cemetery. The family asks in lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Margaret’s name to the BC Arthritis Society https://impact.arthritis.ca/site/Donation2?df_id=1620& mfc_pref=T&1620.donation=form1&s_locale=en_CA

PATRICIA CUMMINS

2x83.0

PGC002072

Motiuk,CaryP. November18,1961-October3,2020

CaryPhillipMotiuk,fondlyknowntomanyasMo,passed awayinICUatUHNBChospitalonOctober3rdat58 yearsold.

CarywasborninVanderhoofBConNovember18,1961, toPeterandIsabelleMotiuk.HemovedtoPrinceGeorge laterin1961,attendingHarwinandDuchessPark schools.Helovedsportsincludingdownhillskiing, hockey,softballandbroomball.Healsolovedthe outdoors,spendingmanysummerscamping,fishingand hiking.HeworkedinPrinceGeorgeandtheareaasa CaterpillarOperatorandJourneymanCarpetLayer.Cary wasknowntobeaguywithabigheartandsmile,always thereforfriendsandfamily.

HeisprecededindeathbyhisparentsPeterWilliam MotiukandMaryIsabelleMotiuk(neeBoudreau),many aunts,uncles,cousinsandhisfurrycompanionsRioand Tucker.Heissurvivedbyhisformerpartner,Cyndy Smith;sister,PatCummins(KeithShort);nieces,Carolyn Manhas(Karm),MelanieCummins,andChantalShort; nephew,RyanShort;aswellasgreat-nephews,aunts, uncles,cousins,extendedfamily,andfriends.

TherewillbenomemorialheldatthistimeduetoCovid19.Carywouldwantfamilyandfriendstotalk,laugh,hug andenjoymemoriesspecialtothem.Hisasheswillbe sprinkledatalatertime.Specialthankstothesurgeons, doctorsandnursesinICUatUHNBCHospitalforyour caringandcompassion.

Inlieuofflowers,pleaseconsideradonationtothelocal SPCAinmemoryofthedogshelovedsomuch.

Toys/Games/Puzzles

Personal Messages

ANYONE with a drinking problem? Alcoholics Anonymous, www.bcyukonaa.org 250-564-7550

If Eddie Timmins who used to attend PGSS in 1988 with Robert Lelliot reads this, please call Robert at 250-614-1824 Notices / Nominations

IMMEDIATE CASH

Immediate cash for unwanted gold & silver coins. Guaranteed to meet or beat any reasonable offer. Also will buy Rolex watches - any condition. Call Mike for appointment 250-612-1808 Privacy assured. Expert local buyer

INTERSECT YOUTH & FAMILY SERVICES

Will hold its Annual General Meeting on Wednesday November 4th, 2020.

The AGM is open to the general public and will be held via ZOOM.

Date: Wednesday November 4th, 2020 Time: 12:00pm (via ZOOM)

If you would like an official invitation contact us via email at info@intersect.bc.ca or call 250.562.6639

If you are interested in becoming a Board of Director or Society Member please contact us as we are always looking for new members.

For more information please visit our website https://www.intersect.bc.ca /events.php

/ Nominations

To receive a Zoom invitation call the office at 250-564-9794 or email info@ahspg.ca

“COME PARTICIPATE AND GUIDE OUR FUTURE”

Enquiries

to expand revenues in a growing economy. Transition support available for the right buyer.

Pest Control

BAT HOUSES for sale, holds 300 bats, mesh inside of 4 tier bat house. Also have bird feeders & houses available. 250-563-0917

Sand & Gravel

EASTWAY SAND & GRAVELgravels ideal for driveways and building sites. Also, lower cost Glacier till for sub bases and backfills, also sandy loam available. (250) 562-5940

Sandy loam & fill material ON SALE. Take advantage of the discount and stock up for next spring. Call EASTWAY SAND & GRAVEL (250) 562-5940

Sawmills

SAWMILL, 48” head rig, hand set, completely rebuilt, $8000 obo plus parts. 250-441-3242

Services

PRESS - CLASSIFIEDS R0011837561

3.00x105.0-4C PG16 / 615595

princegeorgecitizen.adperfect.com cls@pgcitizen.ca

RIDLEY TERMINALS INC.

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Ridley Terminals Inc. is currently seeking the following positions for their marine bulk handling terminal, located on the north coast of BC, approximately 16 km from the City of Prince Rupert. Committed to a safe and healthy workplace, Ridley Terminals Inc.provides an excellent working environment for individuals who have a high degree of initiative.

Heavy Duty Mechanic

Permanent Full-Time

The successful candidate must have an Inter-Provincial ticket (Tradesman Qualifications with l/P standards) with experience in an industrial environment. Demonstrated evidence of troubleshooting experience in mechanical, hydraulics, electronics and pneumatics. Experience with Caterpillar equipment an asset.

Journeyman Millwright

Permanent Full-Time

The successful candidate must have an Inter-Provincial ticket (Tradesman Qualifications with I/P standards). Minimum 5 years experience on an industrial site as a journeyman would be considered an asset. Troubleshooting experience in mechanical, hydraulics and pneumatics would be considered an asset. Candidates should have good welding and cutting skills as well as troubleshooting experience.

These positions offer a very competitive salary and benefits package. Tradesmen currently working a four day on, four day off schedule.

Ridley Terminals Inc. provides an excellent working environment. The ability to work with a team to achieve results is essential. Applicants should also have an excellent health, safety and environmental record. For a complete job description go to: www.rti.ca.

Qualified candidates are invited to mail their resumes by October 24th, 2020 to:

Ridley Terminals Inc.

P. O. Bag 800 0, Prince Rupert, BC V8J 4H3

Attention: H.R. Manager

Or by e-mail to: jobs@rti.ca

Ridley Terminals Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. Individuals of Aboriginal descent are strongly encouraged to apply. We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only candidates to be interviewed will be contacted.

R0011833082

3.00x133.0-4C

PG11 / PG000031

we’re HIrING

Join our dynamic sales Team

If you are interested in helping businesses grow and enjoy talking to customers, we’d like to meet you!

Multi-Media Marketing Executive

Key duTies and responsibiliTies

• Communicating with clients to understand their needs and explain product value.

• Building relationships with clients, based on trust and respect.

• Collaborating with internal departments to facilitate client need fulfillment.

• Maintaining updated knowledge of company products and services.

• Resolving complaints and preventing additional issues by improving processes.

• Identifying industry trends.

• Acting as a client advocate with a focus on improving the buyer experience.

• Ability to clearly articulate the benefits of print and digital marketing strategies.

• Successfully deliver compelling presentations.

• Ability to secure and grow business.

• Contribute to the success and growth of the sales team.

• Understand and keep current on best practices as it relates to digital marketing and advertising.

• Understand the current and competitive landscape and be able to appropriately position our services relative to competitors.

• Achieve monthly, quarterly and annual targets.

educaTion, QualificaTions and sKills

• Outstanding relationship building.

• Exceptional verbal and written communication.

• Adaptability and strong problem solving.

• Ability to build rapport and collaborate with clients and others within the company

• Understanding of consumer behaviors and industry trends.

• Extensive, accurate product knowledge

• Effective time management.

• Detail oriented and ability to multi-task.

• Ability to work in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.

• Diplomacy; effective listening and public speaking skills.

• Personable, understanding, objective, fair and honest.

• A background in print advertising, website development, SEO, SEM, social media, video and/or brand identity, Google AdWords, analytics certification would be an asset.

• Bachelor’s degree in sales, communications, or related field would be an asset.

Please forward your interest to njohnson@pgcitizen.ca

Nancy Johnson, Director of Advertising by 5pm on September 25th No calls please, only those shortlisted will be contacted

We thank all applicants but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Employment Opportunity Chief Finance Officer (CFO)

AiMHi, Prince George Association for Community Living has an opening for a Chief Finance Officer. AiMHi is a large, progressive community living agency that currently has approximately 480 employees spread over 50+ programs. Additional information regarding our agency can be found on our website www.aimhi.ca

Reporting to the Executive Director, the CFO is accountable for managing the full spectrum of financial and accounting functions of the agency. We are looking for a dynamic individual who has social service accounting experience (including governmental contracts), a higher than normal attention to detail, strong communication skills, excellent people skills, good computer skills, and who works well in a quality team environment.

The successful applicant will have a recognized professional accounting designation (e.g. CPA, CGA) and three years intermediate/senior accounting experience; Progressively more accountable accounting experience analyzing and preparing complex financial statements, notes or schedules; Policy/Procedure manual interpretation, development or update experience; Experience in financial report preparation - preferably with consolidation of multiple complex entities - routine and ad hoc; Experience providing direction and advice to our Management Team on a variety of financial and accounting management issues; Experience in the development of techniques and applications for recording and reporting financial information; an advanced ability to design and work with complex spreadsheet applications; Experience with Adagio accounting software is desirable.

We offer an excellent salary and comprehensive benefits along with an excellent team based working environment.

If you are interested in this position, please forward, via email, your letter of application and a copy of your current resume to:

Email: aimhi@aimhi.ca

Tires

studded tires on 5 hole Jeep rims $400.00 (250) 564-6784 ask for George Four studded 215/65R16 98Q MS Altimax Arctic Radial tires, w/ rims $500.00 obo (250)596-1000

Parts Trucks

Chrome tailgate, fits 3/4 ton GMC, cover top fits GMC 6 1/2 ft box, chrome rails. Shop vac250-963-6898

Vans

2015 3/4 Savana Cargo van V8 Automatic 179,900 km, remote start, power locks, security alarm, tow pack, power converter (250)981-0055 $4800.00

2019 one tonne Express Extended carbo van. 175,500 kms, V8 automatic, full tow pack (250)981-0055 $5700.00

V.I.M. Wheelchair conversion van. Side entry power ramp, removable front seats, loaded 2003 Grand Caravan Sport, 139,000 miles. $15,500. Will accept trades 250-981-0055 or 236-423-2297

Apartments / Condos-For

Tips to makearoom look larger

Iwas recently asked how someonecan makea

Use light colors and clever contrasts.

It is agenerally known fact thatlight colors makearoomlook bigger.Light and bright walls aremorereﬂective, making aspace feel open and airy,whichhelps maximize the effect created by natural light. Foranoptimum effect, select softtones of off-white, blue and green. Trypainting your wall trim and moldingsina lighter color than your walls. By doing so, the walls will appear farther back, making yourliving room seem bigger

Lighting is akey element in opening up aspace.

Allowing natural light inside the room makes it look larger.Ifyou do not have alot of natural light, you can add some creativeeffects using lighting ﬁxtures.If you have access to natural light, bringing it into your home through large windows will instantly connect the room with the outdoors. Use sheer window coverings, or pull them back completely, to allow more light in. If the view is bad, put plants or ﬂowers near the windows and use lamps to brightenthe space.

De-clutter

Keep your room tidy and organized. There’snothing thatmakes asmall space feel cramped morethan having too much stuff. With things neatly arranged and out of sight, the space thatisinview will feel orderlyand open. Acluttered room equals asmaller room.Don’t cover your walls with alot of pictures. One large painting worksbetter than agroup of small paintings.

Mirrors

Mirrors can makeyour room look larger.Use afocal point and angle your mirrors towardittogive the illusion of depth. Mirrors also reﬂect both natural and artiﬁcial light to makearoom brighter during the day and night.

Multi-functional furniture

Sometimesfurniturecan takeupalot of space. To avoid that, use multi-functional furniture, such as achest thatcan be used as acoffee table,a sofa bed or abed with drawers for storage underneath. Use an expandable dining table,folding tables and nesting tables, which can be tucked away when you don’t need them. Place larger pieces of furnitureagainst the walls to maximize the open space.Scale your furnituretoﬁtthe size of theroom, anddon’t block pathways. If furnitureand accessoriesblock the view into aroom, it will look cramped. By moving furnitureout and away from walkways, you’ll open up the spaceand makeitfeel larger

Pace Realty’sMaintenance Team can help you with your yardand other home maintenance &renovation jobs. Call 250-562-6671 or email us at maintenance@pacerealty.ca today for afree, no hassle quote.

Mary-Jean (MJ) Jacobson loves to talk real estate! She is passionate about helping clients increase the value of the assets. She is aProfessional Property Manager,StrataManager,RealEstate Sales Agent and Licensed Managing Broker.She writes aseries of articles blogs and whitepapers about the real estate and property management industry at ASK MJ.

Donna

PPIP: a financing option for buying and

repairing your fixer-upper

It’s the right home, in the right neighbourhood, at a steal of a price. But to make it an ideal place to live, you’ll need to invest in some heavy-duty renos. If you’re like most new homeowners, getting the cash together to make it happen may present a challenge. Fortunately, the Purchase Plus Improvements Program (PPIP) provides a financing option that can help you both purchase and fix up your new home.

FIVE STEPS TO MAKE IT HAPPEN

The PPIP allows homebuyers to roll costs of their home and associated value-adding renovations into one lump sum. This makes it easy to reimburse the loan with a single monthly payment. Most lenders provide easy access to PIPP loans, even to buyers who only make a 5% down payment. Those interested in applying should prepare for the following:

1. Making a conditional offer to purchase on the desired home stipulating that the offer is contingent upon your approval for the renovation mortgage program.

2. Getting quotes from contractors to determine costs of renovations. You’ll need to share the corresponding documentation with your lenders to be eligible for funding.

3. The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) will approve up to

Should you buy a fixer-upper?

Buying a rundown house and renovating it is one way to get a home of your own at a great price. But before you take the leap, there are a few things you need to look at.

THE TYPE OF REPAIRS NEEDED

Cosmetic repairs are easy to tackle and typically inexpensive, but two types of necessary renovations should give house hunters serious pause: structural and foundational. Issues in these two areas are costly and difficult (sometimes impossible) to overcome. For everything else (electrical, plumbing, roofing, etc.), you’ll need to weigh the costs and amount of work involved to make a decision.

RENOVATION COSTS

Even if you’re prepared to do the repair work yourself, there’ll be expenses for equipment and materials. Those less handy will also need to budget for manpower. Expenses can add up quickly, and a true bargain isn’t always easy to come by. Evaluate costs carefully to determine the true price tag of a home that needs

repairs.

WHAT YOU’RE WILLING TO SACRIFICE

In addition to the time and money that renovations demand, purchasing a home in need of repairs can mean living in lessthan-ideal conditions — noise, dust, only one bathroom, etc. — both prior to and during the work. In addition, living in a construction zone can place a huge amount of strain on relationships. Carefully consider what you are and aren’t willing to live with, even it would only be for the short term.

Two types of renovation mortgages to

help purchase and fix a new home

Want to buy a fixer-upper but don’t have the funds to cover both a down payment and renovation work? Hang in there! One of these loan products could help you make your homeownership dreams a reality.

FHA 203(K) LOANS

95% of the “as-improved” value. They will only do so on renos that truly increase the market value of the dwelling.

4. The lender will send an inspector to your home to ensure the listed improvements are adequately rendered.

5. The inspector will send a report back to the lender. If all is deemed a-okay, the lender will release the funding.

PREMIUMS

As beneficial as the PPIP can be, it does come at a price. Those who require funding up to 65% of the purchase price, plus improvement value, can expect to pay a 0.5% premium. Those who need even more funding (up to 95%) will pay a 2.75% premium.

While there are other financing options that would allow you to both buy and renovate your home (such as a second mortgage or a personal line of credit), the PPIP provides an ideal and easy route to homeownership for many.

Federal Housing Administration (FHA) 203(k) loans are a good option for those with limited cash for a down payment but who still wish to fix up their newly purchased home. Rather than either getting a second mortgage, opening a line of credit or pursuing other potentially costly borrowing options, buyers can roll their repair costs right into their mortgage.

Only a 3.5% down payment is required to get approved for this type of mortgage, making it a feasible financing option for many. Even buyers with a low credit score are frequently approved for this type of loan product. However, the program is only available to those who intend to become owner-occupants.

The full amount that can be borrowed for the home and repairs will depend on county guidelines where the property is located. In addition, the particular types of renovations that can be made are restricted. Firstly, there’s a price cap of $35,000. Secondly, the renos must increase the value of the home and cannot involve luxury items such as pools or tennis courts. Thirdly, upon completion of the repairs, buyers must be able to prove that everything was done up to code. Finally, all repairs must be completed within six months of the home’s purchase.

HOMESTYLE LOANS

These loans offer many of the same be-

nefits mentioned above but require a 5% minimum down payment. To get the best loan rates, however, borrowers should have a credit score above 740 and be willing to make a 10% down payment. This will ensure buyers pay the lowest possible insurance premium, which works out to much less than the mortgage insurance premiums attached to FHA loans.

Beyond their lower interest rates, HomeStyle renovation loans have a number of other advantages. For starters, the oversight required for the project is less stringent, as only two inspections are mandatory: one before the work starts and another once it’s complete. The luxury renovations that are disallowed with FHA loans are permitted with HomeStyle loans. In addition, these loans are open to both owner-occupants and investors.

WHICH ONE SHOULD YOU CHOOSE?

The right renovation mortgage for any particular buyer will depend on their unique financial situation. Both options should be investigated to determine which program carries the most benefits for the buyers involved.

Not your ordinarytownhome! Spacious, light &bright, open concept floorplan featuring ahuge family kitchen; eating area with access to the deck & views out to trees in Westgate Park; cozy LR with gas FP;laundry on the main; master suite with 3pce ensuite &WIcloset; plus the functional great room over the garage. Fully finished daylight basement with arec room, 2bdrms & 4pce bath. It has the perfect end unit location &aseparate RV parking spot. See MLSR2466060 to view the video. $376,000

Home inspection: a crucial step in the purchase process

You can see plain as day that the fixer-upper you have your eye on is in need of some major roof repairs. Should you save a few hundred bucks and skip the home inspection? The only intelligent answer: not on your life!

IT’S WHAT YOU CAN’T SEE

The home inspection will bring to light any issues with the property that are out of sight. While not every problem that turns up will be a deal breaker, some of them might. What if the house has a termite problem or cracks in the foundation? Such issues should probably send you running the other way. But even the smaller problems are worth knowing about, as they’ll allow

Check the zoning

you more bargaining power when negotiating a price for the home.

WHAT’S COVERED?

While outbuildings, pools and cosmetic features aren’t generally reviewed during the home inspection, the essentials will be analyzed. This includes:

• The lot the house rests on

• Exterior walls

• The foundation

• Roof and roof components

• The electrical system

• The plumbing

• Insulation

• Heating and cooling systems

• The basement, garage and attic

The home inspection isn’t a perfect shield against every unexpected problem, but it does give buyers a good sense of what they can expect. Your house is probably the biggest purchase you’ll make in your lifetime; please, protect your financial future and hire a home inspector. It’s the best way to safeguard your investment.

Before you get too caught up in your imagined remodel, it’s best to investigate the applicable zoning laws. Some municipalities strictly dictate what you can and can’t do to a home. Historic neighbourhoods in particular may require homeowners to maintain certain features or styles. Building an addition could also be subject to restrictions. Check your municipality’s website or call their office to find out what rules apply to the property you want buy.

In the world of real estate, few things are guaranteed, and the speed at which homes are sold isn’t one of them. However, the following can greatly improve your chances of quickly vending a fixer-upper.

AN AMAZING PRICE

Home repairs can be expensive and time consuming. Potential buyers need to feel like they’re getting an incredible deal in order to justify the cost and effort involved. A low listing price will call them out of the woodwork and entice them to make an offer.

A HANDFUL OF FABULOUS FEATURES

Positioning a home to sell is all about highlighting its best assets. This holds doubly true for real estate that is in less-than-pristine condition. A fantastic neighbourhood or a great lot is a good start, but it’s also wise to come up with some perks about the home itself. Maybe the house has hardwood flooring hidden under its current carpeting, or perhaps it gets tons of natural light. The unique features that made your house a home are precisely what will sell it.

3. FORTHRIGHTNESS ABOUT FLAWS

No sense in skirting the major issues: it’s best to be entirely upfront about the repairs needed. All will be revealed during the home inspection anyway. Deception or dishonesty will only scare off potential buyers.

Selling a fixer-upper quickly is all about presenting a realistic picture of what repairs are required and highlighting the perks and potential of the home in the most compelling manner possible.

JohN hart peace riVer

Seven tips for planning a memorable

GOOD NEIGHBOURLINESS

One week before your housewarming party, advise your new neighbours that there might be more noise and traffic than usual in the area — they’ll appreciate the courtesy.

housewarming party

Are you a proud new homeowner? Congratulations! Acquiring a new home is a huge milestone worth celebrating. Here are some tips to help you plan the official inauguration of your new humble abode:

1. Send invitations at least two weeks in advance and ask your guests to RSVP several days before the event to give you time to get ready.

2. Clean your house from top to bottom, as you will be giving frequent tours of the property. Never underestimate your guests’ curiosity!

3. Have enough tables and chairs to

accommodate all your visitors. If needed, ask your friends and family to lend you their folding tables or chairs.

4. Decorate your new home (inside and out) with garlands, candles, flowers, balloons, etc. to make it more inviting.

5. Prepare a delicious buffet of appetizers, snacks, crudité platters, drinks, etc.

6. Confine your pets (if applicable) in a well-ventilated room, or bring them to an animal boarding facility, before your guests arrive.

7. Liven the event with games, music, raffles, quizzes or contests.

Introducing five innovative building materials

The construction industry continues to use a variety of classic materials — such as concrete, wood, brick and plaster — to build the sturdy structures that populate our communities. However, scientists are working hard to develop more efficient, eco-friendly solutions for building the houses and buildings of tomorrow. Here are five innovative materials that have some serious potential:

1. Durable, lightweight bricks composed of cement and recycled paper

2. Heat-sensitive cladding made with polymer gel that liquefies and solidifies according to ambient temperatures

3. “Self-healing” bricks embedded with bacteria that excrete calcium carbonate to fill cracks and holes

4. Translucent acoustic and thermal insulation panels made from non-toxic silica aerogel

5. Gypsum board capable of absorbing volatile organic compounds (VOC) for cleaner air

Three cheers for progress!

Are you familiar with aged metal décor?

Aged and rusted metal accessories represent a growing trend in the interior design world. This natural, faded look adds an authentic touch to industrial, modern, retro and contemporary interiors alike.

Would you like to embellish your home with a few old-fashioned pieces? To master this particular style that will undeniably give your home added character, visit your local home décor boutiques to find beautiful furniture, wallpaper or accessories with an oxidized finish. Between candlesticks, mirrors, vases and chairs, your options are truly endless!

Four things to consider when shopping for bar stools

In the market for bar-style seating for your kitchen’s island or peninsula? With so many different models available on the market, making the right choice can prove quite difficult. To find the perfect stools for your specific needs, consider the following criteria.

1. THE HEIGHT

To avoid having to lug your bar stools back to the store because they’re either too high or too low, make sure to have the exact measurements (height, width and depth) of your counter or table on hand. Knowing the size and configuration of your space will make choosing the right height a lot easier. Don’t forget to leave some wiggle room — approximately 25 centimetres — between the counter and the stool.

2. THE SEAT

Do you prefer bar stools with or without a backrest?

As you consider your options, keep in mind their intended use. If you have children and anticipate using your bar stools on a daily basis, seats with a backrest are undeniably more comfortable. On the other hand, seats without a backrest can easily slide under the counter or table and are thus less cumbersome — a positive feature if you have limited space.

3. THE BASE

Bar stools generally fall into one of two categories: stools with four legs or stools with one central leg. The first option is very popular as it provides excellent stability; however, you can generally adjust the height of the latter, which makes it equally practical and stylish.

4. THE STYLE

Opt for bar stools that complement your existing décor. If your interior is cozy and rustic, choose stools made of wood or other organic materials. On the other hand, if your home’s design is modern and minimalist, opt for bold, colourful plastic seats. Finally, prioritize brushed steel and synthetic fibres for a more industrial look, and artificial leather or quilted fabric for a more sophisticated appeal.