Prince George Citizen November 19, 2020

PRINCE GEORGE

Curling club home to new skating rink

TED CLARKE

Citizen staff

Prince George has a new indoor rink.

Sweeping changes have been ongoing at the Prince George Golf and Curing Club the past month to convert half of the club’s curling space into a 125-foot long, 55-foot wide rink to be used for hockey, ringette and figure skating.

Mike Peterson has been a curler for 35 of his 45 years and has seen curling

participation decline at the Prince George Golf and Curling Club. As the father of four kids, two of whom now play minor hockey, he recognized there was a need for more indoor ice beyond what the city can provide with its seven civic arenas

He saw the potential for a private rink two years ago when his young son Tavin’s hockey team played in a spring tournament at the Total Ice Training Centre facility in Williams Lake.

“One of my favourite memories as a kid when I was in my early teens was curling with my dad (Bruce) and wearing the matching wool sweaters and I thought if I don’t do something, if we can’t find a way to get the curling numbers up to what they should be for a community this size, we’re going to lose the rink,” said Peterson.

Medical waste found downtown

ARTHUR WILLIAMS Citizen staff

One downtown worker is warning others to be careful when cleaning up trash left lying near their businesses, after she found used medical personal protective equipment – including a bloodstained medical mask – in a heap of other trash.

Shandra Murphy said when she arrived last Friday at the Sixth Avenue business where she works, her employer asked her to clean up a pile of debris left by the dumpster. She put on rubber gloves and started picking up the trash, and only realized she was holding medical waste once she picked it up.

“I was just cleaning it up... (and noticed) there was plastic medical gowns, those caps they wear, masks – one had blood on it,” Murphy said.

She instinctively chucked all the material into the dumpster, then realized she probably should have dropped it immediately when she knew what it was.

She said went inside, removed her coat that had touched the material, carefully disposed of her rubber gloves and washed up immediately Then she phoned the B.C nurse’s hotline and WorkSafeBC to report the incident.

A City of Prince George spokesperson said residents can report discarded needles or other biohazardous materials found on public property by phoning 311.

CITIZEN PHOTO BY JAMES DOYLE/LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE

LOOKING AHEAD Ainslee Meise and horse Okie make their way around a barrel at the Prince George Agriplex on Sunday afternoon while competing in the Prince George Horse Society’s Barrel Jackpot.

WHAT:

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING AND COUNCIL CONSIDERATION OF APPLICATIONS

Council consideration of applications:

•Liquor Licence Application No. LL100172

•Proposed “City of Prince George 155 George Street Road Closure BylawNo. 9141, 2020”

Public Hearing:

•“City of Prince George Zoning BylawNo. 7850, 2007, Amendment BylawNo. 9074, 2019”

WHEN:

Monday, November 23, 2020

WHERE:

Council ChambersofCity Hall, 2nd Floor,1100 Patricia Boulevard, Prince George, BC

PROPOSALS:

1. “City of Prince George 155 George Street Road Closure BylawNo. 9141, 2020”

Applicant: City of Prince George

Time: 6:00 p.m.

Pursuant to Section 40 of the Community Charter,the City of Prince George intends to close an approximate 144.9 square metres (m²) portion of lane as shown on Reference Plan EPP104532, dedicated on Plan 1268, adjacent to the property legally described as Lot 1, Plan PGP44884, District Lot 343, Cariboo District, as shown outlined in bold black on Location Map #1 below

The purpose of the road closure is to enable the sale of the closed road area to the adjacent property owner Regional District of Fraser-FortGeorge. The proposed closure and sale provides the property owner the ability to consolidate the closed road area with their adjacent property

Location Map #1 155 George Street Road Closure

2. Liquor Licence Application No. LL100172

Applicant: Spruceland 10th Avenue Liquor Store Ltd. for F. &I.Investments Ltd., Inc. No. 185071

Subject Property: 1073 Central Street

Time: 7:00 p.m.

The applicant has applied to the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch to move their existing Liquor PrimaryLicence, currently operating at 3240 10th Avenue, to anew location within in an existing building on the subject property

The purpose of this application is to facilitate the liquor retail use at the newlocation on the subject property

The existing Liquor PrimaryLicence wasapproved for liquor service from Sundayto Saturdaybetween the hoursof9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. No changes are proposed to the days or hoursofliquor service.

2.1 “City of Prince George Zoning BylawNo. 7850, 2007, Amendment BylawNo. 9074, 2019”

Applicant: Don Kehler for F. &I.Investments Ltd., Inc. No. 185071

BylawNo. 9074, 2019 proposes to rezone the subject property from C6: Highway Commercial to C6l: Highway Commercial.

The purpose of this application is to facilitate aLiquor Retail use on the subject property,orother uses, pursuant to the proposed C6l: Highway Commercial zoning designation(s).

The proposed Zoning Amendment Bylawand Liquor Licence Application apply to the property legally described as Lot 8, District Lot 936, Cariboo District, Plan 15557, as shown outlined in bold black on Location Map #2 below

Location Map #2 1073 Central Street

HOWCAN IPROVIDE COMMENT?

Residents are invited to provide comment in writing,bytelephone or in person.

Submissions in writing

Residents are encouraged to provide written comments to Council to be included in the Council meeting agenda package and available for public viewing on the City’swebsite.

Forsubmissions to be included on the agenda for Council’sreviewinadvance of the meeting date, theymust be received by the Corporate Officer no later than 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 17, 2020.Submissions received after the noted deadline and before 3:00 p.m. Monday, November 23, 2020,will be provided to Council on the dayof the meeting for their consideration during deliberations on the application.

Submissions maybesent by email to cityclerk@princegeorge.ca, faxed to (250) 561-0183, mailed or delivered to the address noted below

Residents wishing to provide comments to Council on the following Bylaws and applications, maydoso, by submitting written correspondence:

•“City of Prince George Zoning BylawNo. 7850, 2007, Amendment BylawNo. 9074, 2019”;

•Liquor Licence Application No. LL100172; and

•“City of Prince George 155 George Street Road Closure BylawNo. 9141, 2020”.

Please note that written submissions for all applications will formpartofthe Council agenda, become public record and are posted on the City’swebsite. By making awritten submission you are consenting to the disclosure of anypersonal information that you provide.

Submissions by telephone

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING AND COUNCIL CONSIDERATION OF APPLICATIONS

In an efforttoprovide the public with options to speak to Council on aPublic Hearing application(s) and in accordance with Ministerial Order No. M192, the City now offers participation remotely via telephone during Public Hearings.

Telephone submissions mayonly be received during Formal Public Hearings. Residents are invited to participate by telephone for the following application:

• “City of Prince George Zoning BylawNo. 7850, 2007, Amendment BylawNo. 9074, 2019”.

Residents can pre-register to speak to the proposed Bylaw(s) live via telephone. Preregistration will be open from 8:30 a.m., Thursday, November 19, 2020 to Monday, November 23, 2020 at 12:00 p.m. To pre-register to speak to Council via phone, visit our website www.princegeorge.ca/publichearings to complete an online registration formorcall 311. If you miss pre-registering,please watch the online live meeting broadcast as there will be an opportunity for you to call in for alimited period of time.

Submissions in person

Residents who wish to speak in person can do so during the Public Hearing in Council Chambersonthe 2nd Floor of City Hall at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, November 23, 2020

The City of Prince George follows the ordersofthe Provincial Health Officer and guidelines regarding the size of gatherings and physical distancing.Where Public Hearings are required to be held, measures have been put in place to ensure the safety of membersofthe public attending the Public Hearing to provide comments.

City of Prince George open Council meetings are public and maybetelevised, streamed live by webcast, recorded and archived on the City’swebsite for viewing by the public. By attending an open Council meeting or making asubmission at aPublic Hearing you are consenting to the disclosure of anypersonal information that you provide.

Formore detailed information on providing submissions to Council, please visit www princegeorge.ca/publichearings.

Authority

Personal information is collected under the authority of section 26(g) and disclosed under the authority of section 33.1(1) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). Forinformation or questions, contact the City’sFIPPACoordinator at (250) 561-7600 or 1100 Patricia Boulevard, Prince George, BC, V2L 3V9.

NEED MORE INFORMATION?

Acopyofthe proposed Bylaws, applications and anyrelated documents will be available for reviewbythe public on the City’swebsite www.princegeorge.ca under ‘News and Notices’ beginning November 10, 2020.These documents mayalso be reviewedatthe Development Services office on the 2nd Floor of City Hall on November 10, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 23, 2020,between the hoursof 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

WHO CAN ISPEAK TO?

Formore information, please contact Development Services in person, by telephone at (250)561-7611 or by email to devserv@princegeorge.ca.

Formore information related to Road Closures, please contact Real Estate Services, by telephone at (250) 561-7611 or by email to realestate@princegeorge.ca.

Formore information related to the Public Hearing participation and procedures, please contact the Legislative Services Division by telephone (250) 561-7600 or by email to cityclerk@princegeorge.ca.

NOTICE OF INTENTION TO ADOPT PROPOSED “CITY OF PRINCE GEORGE BUSINESS REGULATION AND LICENSING BYLAWNO.

9040, 2020”

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT the Council of the City of Prince George (the “City”) intends to consider “City of Prince George Business Regulation and Licensing Bylaw No. 9040, 2020” at its regular meeting scheduled for Monday, November 23, 2020,at 6:00 p.m. in the Council ChambersatCity Hall, 1100 Patricia Boulevard, Prince George, BC.

The purpose of proposed “City of Prince George Business Regulation and Licensing BylawNo. 9040, 2020” is to update business licence regulations to reflect current business trends, provide clarity of the regulations, and provide consistency with provincial legislation. The notable changes that are proposed include:

•The ability to pro-rate aBusiness Licence fee for newbusinesses applying for a licence. The pro-rated fee would only apply to businesses that renewtheir annual Business Licence by January1ofeach calendar year;

•Offence and penalty updates that will provide the ability to ticket for minor offences and proceed with summaryconviction only for major offences; and

•Business licence categoryupdates to reduce the total number of categories and to provide consistency with the uses defined under “City of Prince George Zoning Bylaw No. 7850, 2007”.

BylawNo. 9040, if adopted, would come into full force and effect January1,2021 and would repeal the existing “City of Prince George Business Regulation and Licensing BylawNo. 7851, 2007” and “City of Prince George Vehicles for Hire BylawNo. 7853, 2007”.

HOWCAN IPROVIDE COMMENT?

Residents are invited to provide comment in writing

Residents are encouraged to provide written comments to Council to be included in the Council meeting agenda package and available for public viewing on the City’swebsite.

Forsubmissions to be included on the agenda for Council’sreviewinadvance of the meeting date, theymust be received by the Corporate Officer no later than 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 17, 2020. Submissions received after the noted deadline and before 3:00 p.m. Monday, November 23, 2020,will be provided to Council on the dayof the meeting for their consideration during deliberations on the application.

Submissions maybesent by email to cityclerk@princegeorge.ca, faxed to (250) 561-0183, mailed or delivered to the address noted below

Please note that written submissions for all applications will formpartofthe Council agenda, become public record and are posted on the City’swebsite. By making awritten submission you are consenting to the disclosure of anypersonal information that you provide.

Authority

Personal information is collected under the authority of section 26(g) and disclosed under the authority of section 33.1(1) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). Forinformation or questions, contact the City’sFIPPACoordinator at (250) 561-7600 or 1100 Patricia Boulevard, Prince George, British Columbia, V2L 3V9.

NEED MORE INFORMATION?

Acopyofthe proposed Bylawand other related documents will be available for review by the public on the City’swebsite www.princegeorge.ca under ‘News and Notices’ beginning November 10, 2020.These documents mayalso be reviewedatthe Development Services office on the 2nd Floor of City Hall on November 10, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 23, 2020, between the hoursof8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

WHO CAN ISPEAK TO?

Formore information on the proposed Bylawplease contact Development Services in person, by telephone at (250)561-7611 or by email to devserv@princegeorge.ca.

This is the second of two (2) publications of this notice.

Dated this 19th dayofNovember,2020.

REQUEST FOR COMMENT

REQUEST FOR COMMENT

OFFICIAL COMMUNITY PLAN BYLAWNO. 8383, 2011 AMENDMENT BYLAWNO. 9154, 2020

Subject Property –9800 Sintich Road and 9912 Sintich Road

The City of Prince George is considering an amendment to the City of Prince George Official Community Plan (OCP) BylawNo. 8383, 2011 by redesignating a0.15 ha portion of 9800 Sintich Road from Rural Resource to Business District, Service Commercial and a0.15 ha portion of 9912 Sintich Road from Business District, Service Commercial to Rural Resource. The application is to facilitate aland transfer between the subject properties and includes a rezoning application (BylawNo. 9155, 2020).

Please visit the CityofPrince George website at www princegeorge.ca for more detailed information. From the homepage of the City of Prince George website click on “Business and Development”; click on “Planning and Development”; click on “Land Use”; and scroll down to “Applications in Progress”.

The City requests written comment from anyperson, organization, or agencies that maybeaffected by this amendment to the OCP.Please forward anywritten submissions by 4pm, November 20, 2020 to the Development Services Division at 1100Patricia Boulevard, PG V2L 3V9, Email: devserv@princegeorge.ca

LEST WE FORGET

Colleen and Jim Fitzpatrick place a poppy on the steps of the cenotaph in front of city hall last Wednesday morning at the Prince George Remembers Remembrance Day ceremony

TC Energy donates $150K to CNC

TC Energy, the company behind the Coastal GasLink pipeline project, has committed $150,000 towards trades training at CNC

The centrepiece is a bursary program with awards ranging from $750 to $1,000 are now in place for students enrolled in trades aligning with the pipeline’s construction and operational needs - heavy

mechanical, welding, metal fabrication, power engineering, professional cook, electrical, and carpentry.

Students can apply for the bursaries at cnc.bc.ca/services/financial-aid.

The funding will also go towards purchasing and upgrading trades equipment at CNC’s five campuses and towards a safety training week in 2021.

MEETING SCHEDULE

City of Prince George 2021 Council Meeting Schedule

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN thatpursuant to section 127 of the Community Charter, Prince George City Council has established the date, time, and place of the regular Council meetings to be held in 2021. The 2021 meeting schedule is available for reviewonthe City’swebsitewww.princegeorge.ca and on the public notice bulletin board located on the 1st Floor of City Hall, 1100 Patricia Boulevard, Prince George,BC, between the hoursof8:30 a.m. –5:00 p.m., Mondaythrough Friday, except statutoryholidays.

Forfurther information, please contact the Legislative Services Division at (250) 561-7655 or cityclerk@princegeorge.ca.

DATED the 19th dayofNovember,2020

Walter Babicz Corporate Officer

City hit by $700K scam

MARK NIELSEN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A “sophisticated computer based fraud” siphoned away some $700,000 the City had intended to pay a contractor, Prince George RCMP said.

RCMP said the city advised police in early September that two payments had been fraudulently redirected and were never received. With the help of financial institutions, investigators recovered most of of one payment, however approximately $375,000 remains lost, RCMP said and added officers are working to track down the culprits

“Our first concern was to determine the extent of the fraud and who was affected,” Cpl. Craig Douglass said. “There are no indications that the City of Prince George was hacked or that personal information was compromised.”

City finance director Kris Dalio said the scam was a form of “social engineering fraud” that began when the contractor was tricked into sharing confidential information that was then used to intercept the payments.

He said the first payment was sent out in late August and the second in early September and one of them was recovered in time.

“The funds from the first payment had been depleted before it was discovered,” Dalio said.

Dalio said he understands the delay in making the incident public was related to the confidentiality of the investigations the police and the banks have had to carry out.

Douglass said “frauds take a lot of time to investigate and we needed to be confident of what we had before going public.”

As for the $375,000 outstanding, Dalio said insurance claims are in place.

“Part of that process will be going back and forth with the contractor,” he said

CITIZEN PHOTO BY JAMES DOYLE/LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE

TREE OF LIGHTS

A crane lifts a 70-foot tree on to the roof of the Coast Hotel on Friday morning. The tree will be the centrepiece of the United Way of Northern B.C.’s Tree of Lights campaign.

CITIZEN PHOTO BY JAMES DOYLE/LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE

us help you with Christmas this year!

This year we would liketoreduce some of the stress of Christmas shoppingfor you. Our staff has put their hearts intoalarge assortment of themed gift baskets thatare easilyready to be placed under the tree or donatedtosomebodywho needs it most.

BEETLE TRAP TREES BEING BURNED

The BC Wildfire Service is piling and burning spruce beetle “trap trees” about 15 kilometres northwest of downtown Prince George.

The work started on Nov. 9 and is scheduled to last until Nov. 27, weather pending.

“Smoke and flames may be visible from Pidherny Road, North Nechako Road, Otway Road, Foothills Boulevard, and parts of the Chief Lake Road and the Hart Highlands area,” BCWS said.

“BC Wildfire Service personnel will be on site to control and monitor the burn piles.”

Trap trees are trees that have been cut down and deliberately left lying on the ground to attract harmful adult spruce beetles in the spring.

The beetles are more likely to infest a trap tree than standing trees, so this technique can help greatly reduce spruce beetle attacks on healthy trees nearby

We also have basketsthatall of the proceeds will go to supporting St.Vincent de Paul.

We look forwardinseeing youthis holidayseason at AveMaria Specialties in the Gateway. HealthyProducts forBody, Mind &Soul.

‘OUR FOCUS IS ON YOUTH DEVELOPMENT’

“I am confident we’ll see curling numbers rise as a result of this because we’re just bringing in that many more people into the building, exposing people to it.”

Club membership during the pandemic has dropped to about 300 curlers, down from last year’s 400, and the 100-year-old club has continued to look at alternatives to stay viable. After much debate, the board of directors agreed to allow Peterson and his business partner Chris Hunter and their company, Northern ICE Sports Ltd., to utilize the building’s ice plant and reduce the curling capacity from eight sheets to four to create space for the rink.

“Before we made the decision we looked at the number of curlers we’ve had in the previous 10 or 15 years to make sure we could accommodate all the leagues we had with the appropriate time using just four sheets,” said PGGCC president Dan Martin.

“Our biggest hindrance after COVID goes away is how we will deal with bonspiels and that will be our biggest challenge moving forward. (The Kelly Cup) had 29 teams last year and we can more than accommodate 29 teams using the same amount of hours as they did in 2019. We’ve had some fallout from the curlers but if people are willing to curl a little later in the evening and start earlier in the day, we can actually make it work.”

Some members have expressed concerns the club will no longer be able to host provincial or national events but Pe-

terson says most of the larger-scale events are now played on arena ice. The cost of building a similar-sized rink from scratch is close to $1.5 million, not including the land The curling rink provided a cost-effective alternative.

The club has applied for a government grant to retrofit the ice plant to allow independent control of ice temperature between the two sides. Curling ice is kept

at a higher temperature , which is less than ideal for skating, and that might be a limiting factor on the new rink’s usage until the system is revamped.

It’s about two-thirds the size of conventional hockey rink and Peterson says it will be ideal for 3-on-3 hockey or ringette, spring hockey leagues, high-performance training and skill development sessions.

Construction began on Oct. 14 and within four days a two-ply wall to divide the curling rink was finished. Rink boards have been built and netting will be installed at the ends to catch wayward pucks. Washrooms and dressing rooms are located in the basement area, with plans to eventually connect to the club’s existing shower facilities Separate entrances will be utilized on the side of the building, which faces the golf course.

Peterson, an environmental biologist, and Hunter, a pharmacist co-owner, have already spent close to $200,000 on the project. They’ve received an outpouring of support from local businesses, including Bragg Construction, The CAT Rental Store, Westcana Electric, All Pro Plumbing & Heating, Admiral Roofing and Wall Systems, Northern Concrete Cutting Ltd., and Conifex Timber, which have donated labour and equipment to the project. Operating costs will be partially offset through advertising on rink boards, walls and on the ice surface

“Our focus is on youth development in any rink sport,” said Peterson. “The most excitement I’ve had watching my son play was on smaller ice surfaces. What it does is it doesn’t allow those kids that are really good skaters to just grab the puck and skate around everybody; there’s not enough room. So the less-skilled players have more opportunity for puck touches, which keeps them excited about the game, and the better players have to play more heads-up, so the skill development is phenomenal.”

CITIZEN STAFF PHOTO

Mike Peterson floods the ice of the 125-foot long, 55-foot wide rink at the Prince George Golf and Curling Club.

Local baker seeking Greatest Baker title

CHRISTINE HINZMANN

Citizen staff

Chelan Howard-Gibbon is in first place in the most recent round of the online Greatest Baker Challenge and she’d like to keep it that way with the support of local residents.

This is the third round and the deadline is Nov 19 at 8 p.m. for people to cast their online vote for the local baker who started in her grandmother’s kitchen.

“I cannot believe it,” Howard-Gibbon said, who was born and raised in Prince George.

“Just a few days ago I was in seventh place and going into the next round in first would be a great advantage because the next round only takes the first place person into the semi-finals and then first only goes to the finals.”

It all started when Howard-Gibbon saw the post on her Instagram and Facebook feed.

“I have a rule that if it comes up on my feed three times I will take a look at it,” she said.

“It was late one night and when I read about it I thought I may as well just go for it.”

Howard-Gibbon got support from her sister Meagan who works for a local production company and had professional photos taken to use to best showcase her baking talents.

“I was taking photos on my phone but it just wasn’t the same,” Howard-Gibbon said.

“So every day I post a different photo so people can see me and my baking.”

Howard-Gibbon thought back to what got her started on her baking adventure.

“When I was little my grandparents used to live right behind us and I would spend a lot of time with my grandma and she taught me how to bake,” Howard-Gibbon said

BY CHRISTOS SAGIORGIS

Chelan Howard-Gibbon is in a Greatest Baker Challenge and is looking for local support in online voting.

“She passed away when I was 13 so that’s kind of when I started baking a little bit more to honour those fond memories I had

of baking with her in her kitchen, rolling out cookies and making muffins.”

Nowadays she gets inspired by family and friends.

“I just like to make people happy,” she said.

“Nothing beats the look on someone’s when they see the cake I’ve made just for them and maybe that’s the first time they’ve ever had a cake made just for them – that’s priceless.”

One of her favourites to make is a triple chocolate cake with a whipped fudge filling.

The competition continues until December10 when the Greatest Baker will be named.

Grand prize is $10,000, a year’s supply of Stuffed Puffs and a feature in Bake from Scratch Magazine.

To keep Howard-Gibbon in first place, vote by visiting https://greatestbaker. com/2020/chelan-howard-gibbon

Waitingroom. Family time.

PHOTO

LOCAL ACTOR ADDS VOICE TO LEGO SERIES

CHRISTINE HINZMANN Citizen staff

A local actor and singer-songwriter unleashes his dark side in LEGO Jurassic World: The Legend of Isla Nublar, a series on Netflix.

William Kuklis is the voice of the classic villain in the dinosaur world, Dennis Nedry, a character who was first brought to the big screen by Wayne Knight in the original Jurassic Park movie that debuted in 1993.

Kuklis is best known in Prince George for his music but in Vancouver his agent knows him best as an actor and brought the voice work to Kuklis last year

“I get the odd voice audition emailed to me,” Kuklis said. “I have a recording studio here so that makes it easy.”

He gets random requests for commerical work but when this one came in, his interest was piqued.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

William Kuklis, a local actor and singer-songwriter, is the voice of classic villain Dennis Nedry in LEGO Jurassic World: The Legend of Isla Nublar

“This was LEGO - I have two kids at home - I can’t not throw an audition out for a LEGO show,” Kuklis said. “So I did and they liked it and so they got me to come and do it.”

Studio Fair goes online

Citizen staff

The Prince George & District Community Arts Council is hosting a different Studio Fair this year

It’s an experience that focuses on the connection visitors can have virtually with the vendors that would have attended this year’s event if it were not for the coronavirus pandemic. In the past Studio Fair was a three-day event held in early November

at the Civic Centre where more than 10,000 people would pour through the doors supporting the local community arts council’s major annual fundraiser.

This year people can connect with the vendors by visiting studiofair.ca.

In the meantime, an in-person shopping experience is available at the arts council’s recently-renovated Artisan Gift Shoppe, located at 2880-15th Ave., which always follows pandemic guidelines while offering

IS THE BOX EMPTY?

Fortunately the voice work took place before the pandemic so he went to Vancouver several times to join the other members of the cast in a big recording studio where they all read the script together

This LEGO series Kuklis said is set in between the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World eras.

And how do the kids feel about you being in a LEGO movie?

“They don’t care,” Kuklis said with a sigh and a laugh

To bring what he needed to the part, Kuklis relied on his extensive acting experience.

“I’ve done a lot of stage acting and some film and I used to work at Barkerville, too,” Kuklis said. “So it’s weird because I haven’t done a lot of voice work So the guys and gals who are doing this stuff - it’s a little intimidating because they’re super pros and they’re amazing. So I’m walking in there for the first time doing it and so they’re cracking these things off and it’s amazing to watch and it was just amazing to be part of it.”

a variety of regional artisans’ works to help fill the gap of the Studio Fair.

“We did the best we could do under the circumstances,” Lisa Redpath, program manager for the Prince George and District Community Arts Council, said.

“Providing connection with the vendors who have supported the arts council for many, many years and who would have ordinarily been at the Studio Fair was still an important part of the event.”

If the artists and artisans can’t be there physically they can certainly be present on line and virtually, she added.

“We’ll probably continue with this work to help promote artisans during COVID and we know it certainly does not replace live events and that’s something this community has always embraced,” Redpath said.

No matter what the event Prince George always comes out to support it, she added

CHRISTINE HINZMANN

City receives $6.1M in relief funding

ARTHUR WILLIAMS

Citizen staff

The City of Prince George’s financial situation going into 2021 is looking a little less dire, thanks to more than $6.1 million in relief money from the federal and provincial governments.

On Nov. 5, the city received confirmation that it is eligible for $6.11 million in grants through the COVID-19 Safe Restart Grant for Local Governments. As of the last financial update provided to city council, the

city is facing a roughly $6.8 million budget shortfall for 2021, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s been a very good day,” Mayor Lyn Hall said. “This will be a big part of our budget deliberations next year.”

Hall said it was good to see the provincial and federal government listened to the concerns raised by local governments and responded with a grant program that allows local leaders to decide where the money is most needed.

PROTESTERS RALLY AGAINST GLYPHOSATE

MARK NIELSEN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A rally against the use of a controversial herbicide on local forests drew about 50 people to the doorstep of the Ministry of Forests office in Prince George on Thursday.

Many carried signs expressing their opposition to spraying glyphosate and calling for alternatives to the chemical used in stands of young spruce, pine and fir to prevent growth of competing broadleaf species, notably aspen and birch.

The rally’s main organizer, James Steidle of Stop the Spray, said forest diversity is being put at risk and is being done in support of an industry that is employing fewer people as sawmills become more automated.

“If you listen to the vast majority of forest scientists, they’re saying we need to diversify our forests immediately,” he said. “We need as many species on the landscape as we can possibly get.”

The event was held as a public comment period for Canfor’s proposed renewal of a five-year pest management plan ended earlier this week. Steidle said it will give Canfor the authority to spray an area stretching from Summit Lake to Ancient Forest-Chun T’oh Whudujut Provincial Park to Hixon.

He said the government reimburses Canfor for the cost of aerial spraying, leaving the

taxpayer on the hook to the tune of about $10 million over five years.

Speakers included Prince George-Mackenzie MLA Mike Morris. A past president of the B.C. Trappers Association and an owner of a registered trapline since the early 1980s, he is working to win support from his B.C Liberal colleagues for a private members bill against the practice.

“Glyphosate is just the beginning and I think we need to have to do a complete reset of how we look at forestry and move perhaps from a volume-based industry to a more ecologically-based industry in the future,” Morris said.

Rally participant Gerd Erasmus said spraying “destroys the economy” for guide outfitters, berry pickers and mushroom pickers, the latter of which “has far more money involved than most people realize.”

Silviculture contractor Dennis Loxton said he has saved the provincial government “millions of dollars” by using sheep to weed out stands of coniferous trees.

A Canfor spokesperson has said the company is significantly reducing its use of herbicide by increasing use of manual brushing and other practices. Steidle welcomed the move but maintained it has been limited in scope

“We’re not going to rely on a company’s word here,” he said. “We need the government to make the regulations and listen to the people.”

Acting city manager Walter Babicz said the funding can be used to cover things like revenue shortfalls due to the pandemic, facility reopening and operating costs, emergency planning and response costs, and other costs linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. The eligible uses for the money are quite broad, he added. Other than the city is required to report annually on what is uses the funding for, there are few other restrictions.

The grant is part of a $2 billion joint

program between the province and federal government to support municipalities, which was announced in September.

Coun. Cori Ramsay said she was meeting with other members of the North Central Local Government Association and the grants were a hot topic of conversation

“Many community around B.C. are struggling right now,” Ramsay said. “It’s going to have a huge impact on our taxpayers.”

City council will debate the budget in meetings scheduled for Jan. 25 and Jan. 27.

Two of the participants in a rally against the spraying of glyphosate on area forests, held last Thursday at the Ministry of Forests office in Prince George.

Council supports pot store applications

ARTHUR WILLIAMS

Citizen staff

City council has lent its support to four separate applications for cannabis retail stores.

Council approved a three year temporary-use permit and supported for Epik Products Inc., and supported the company’s application to the B.C. Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch for a retail cannabis licence. It was the company’s second time before council seeking a temporary-use permit for its proposed shop at 356 George St. Council rejected a previous application on Sept. 14.

Coun. Cori Ramsay was the only member of council to vote against the application the second time, arguing that the city’s policy for cannabis retail stores should be in line with liquor stores, which are typically required to be be at least one kilometre apart, and the city’s bylaws stipulate a distance of at least 1.6 km.

“If these were two liquor stores, it wouldn’t be allowed,” Ramsay said. “It’s really tough to go on a case-by-case basis, and not have some standard. I really want us to be consistent on this.”

Grasshopper Retail Inc. was also before council on Monday, requesting a rezoning

for its location at 421 George St. The company has operated a store at the site since receiving a temporary use permit from the city in April 2019. That temporary-use permit would have expired in 2022.

Rezoning the property to allow cannabis sales means the company will not have to reapply to the city to continue operating at the location.

Acting deputy city manager Ian Wells said the RCMP and city’s bylaw services have had no issues regarding the store.

In a brief presentation to city council, Grasshopper co-owner Sandy Przysieny said the company has now purchased its

building location and employs 15 people. Council also approved rezonings and supported applications for cannabis licences for proposed cannabis stores at 2626 Vance Rd. and 6055 Monterey Rd. Brookwood Properties is proposing to open a cannabis store within Brookwood Plaza Mall on Vance Road, where Costless Liquor and Custom Car & Audio are located. Tabor View Holdings Ltd. is looking to open a cannabis store in a vacant commercial storefront in the same building as the Hart Wholesale Liquor Store on Monterey Road. Council approved both applications unanimously with little discussion.

CITIZEN STAFF PHOTO

BUSH PILOT MEMOIR TAKES FLIGHT

CHRISTINE HINZMANN

Citizen staff

There’s an old saying by E. Hamilton Lee that goes, “There are old pilots and there are bold pilots but there are no old, bold pilots!”

And now there’s a book called No Old, Bold Pilots, a memoir by Svend Serup and Sheila C. Serup.

Svend was a longtime Prince George resident who died in April 2018 and his daughter Sheila helped put the book together to showcase her father’s memoirs.

It was published this year and included

City seeks resident input on recreation

The City of Prince George is conducting a survey to get public input on how it can best support non-profit groups that provide sports and recreation programs in the city. Residents can take part in the city’s online Community Recreation and Well-being survey until Dec. 11.

“The Community Recreation (and) Well-being Survey is part of a comprehensive project to assess if changes to the current model of community support, which has not been reviewed since 1993, are required to help ensure residents can access the recreation and well-being services that are important to them,” said Chris Bone, city senior manager of strategic initiatives and partnerships.

“Information collected will help inform decisions about how the City can best allocate existing human and financial resources to help ensure community organizations receive the kinds of supports they need to remain viable and responsive.”

The city supports many non-profit organizations that provide a wide range of recreational and other services in the city

To take the survey, go online to www princegorge.ca/getinvolved

an honour roll of Cessna 185 pilots who flew their planes throughout northern BC. The list includes Carl Ernie Bodin, Don Flynn, Billy Kordyban, Wilfred Leboe, Dean Shaw, Bob Sindia, Arthur “Short” Tompkins and Erik Withers. The book started because there was a lot of experience Svend had that he wanted to share, Sheila said “I think going through the occupation in Denmark of the Germans and not having the voice to be able to have that freedom my father felt compelled to speak up and share his life and share the journey he was on,” Sheila said. “The opportunities that

Canada gave him, especially what northern BC gave him - the ability to make an amazing life - I think he just wanted to capture it and realized the significance of his career - having started with horse logging to using Swede saws, hand saws to chain saws and the evolution of equipment - I think he just wanted to capture that It’s important to note how float planes opened up northern BC for people to discover how beautiful and wild it is.”

Sheila said Svend’s writing was quite raw and unscripted and when she was putting together the book she tried to link his sto-

ries to the changing history of BC.

“I have a tremendous appreciation for the men and the families who built northern BC,” Sheila said.

“Their lifestyle, their sacrifices and their incredible spirit of adventure and how they overcame all these obstacles - I think the honour roll of Cessna pilots in particularthey all just overcame so much,” she said “They embody the spirit of the people of Northern BC.”

No Old, Bold Pilots, a memoir, is available at Books & Co., 1685 Third Avenue and at the Mackenzie District Museum.

CITIZEN PHOTO BY JAMES DOYLE/LOCAL

ON THE PROWL North Central Bobcats forward Max Sanford looks to take a shot on goal against the North Zone Kings on Saturday afternoon during a game at CN Centre.

UNBC names new VP

The new finance and administration vice president at the University of Northern BC started his new role on Nov. 2.

Rahim Somani spent the last 12 years at the University of Central Asia overseeing finance and operations.

Before that Somani was the interim chief executive officer at Aga Khan Education Service in Pakistan where he had taken on different roles since 1998.

His education includes a bachelor of commerce from the University of Karachi

in 1992, his master of art in education planning, economics and international development from the University College London’s Institute of Education in 2006 and his chartered professional accountant and chartered accountant qualification in BC and Ontario in 2014 and 2018, respectively

“I truly feel fortunate to be a part of UNBC, the university both in and for the north, at this important juncture,” Somani said.

“My family and I are very excited about

our move to beautiful Prince George and be a part of the vibrant and cheerful UNBC community. I firmly believe that the notion of accepting diversity and differences as strengths, working as a coherent team and an integrated community to achieve collective excellence, and nurturing compassion will be pivotal in achieving UNBC’s long-term aspirations. I am looking forward to making my humble contribution to the best of my abilities, in taking UNBC’s ambitious and inspiring vision to transform the

lives of communities through excellence, inclusivity, and compassion.”

During his time at UNBC, Somani will lead strategic financial and operational planning, will be relied upon for expertise, innovation and exceptional collaboration, relationship building, and change management skills.

Somani will be tasked with ensuring the management and service focus of these units supports the academic and research missions of UNBC

JOURNALISM INITIATIVE

TIME TO GET TOUGH ON MASKS

Dr. Bonnie Henry and health minister Adrian Dix have done an excellent job managing the COVID-19 pandemic crisis in B.C. so far but it’s time to stop asking nice and make wearing masks (or face shields) mandatory in all indoor public spaces and all outdoor gatherings where physical distancing is impossible.

Surely the good doctor and the NDP government are aware that many people won’t volunteer to act in the interest of public health.

If they did, there would have been no need to impose fines for not wearing seat belts and no need to pass bylaws banning indoor smoking in public

The mandatory mask policy needs to be

a public health order with enforcement at both the provincial and municipal levels. The province should order municipalities to immediately pass mandatory mask policies, with stiff fines to individuals and businesses for non-enforcement. The province should also provide municipalities with the financial and policy assistance to enforce the bylaw Municipalities should then instruct their local police forces that if they have to be called to deal with a non-compliant person making a big scene in public, members should arrest that person and charge them with reckless endangerment, disturbing the peace, uttering threats, trespassing, refusal to comply with a public health order and any other appropriate legal charge.

Just like when seatbelts were made mandatory and when smoking was banned

from all indoor public spaces, the resistors talked tough but learned to do as they were told and keep their grumbling to themselves. As a result, few people are fined for non-compliance for either infraction any more

And just like seatbelts and public smoking, people will look back in the not-too-distant future and wonder why the government took so long to impose its will and why people complained about such a small ask to keep themselves and others around them safer

Masks aren’t perfect, of course, in the same way that seatbelts don’t guarantee that you won’t be hurt or killed in a car accident but they are simple and easy precautions to prevent worse outcomes.

Unlike wearing seatbelts and not smoking in public, a mandatory mask policy will

Be a decent neighbour

“Those who don’t study history are doomed to repeat it and those who do study history are doomed to scream futilely while locked in the trunk of the car the first group is driving.”

I don’t know who said it, it just came across my Twitter feed as a quote. I laughed because I could feel my feet pushing against the taillights.

I will try to speak to a current issue without resorting to historic examples of how easily things can get out of hand and how easily we can lose our freedoms; I would like to avoid being forever locked in the trunk, if I possibly can.

A few days ago, a local media outlet (not this one) shared an article on their social media feed that gave advice on which number to call to report your neighbours if they are exhibiting poor pandemic be-

THINKING ALOUD TRUDY KLASSEN

havior To give the outlet the benefit of the doubt, I think the intent of the article was to encourage people to use 311 instead of 911 to report neighbours they were spying at from behind the curtains. If the goal was to reduce the number of 911 calls for simple pandemic snitching, why not write an article about how anyone using 911 to report poor pandemic behavior may be charged?

The headline for the follow-up article could be “Busy-Bodies Charged for Clogging Up 911.”

The whole idea of reporting our neigh-

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Trump’s tragic legacy

Re: Nathan Giede column, Oct 29

As usual I have to take out a dictionary to understand the points you try to make; words like logos, ethos, and pathos. Randle McMurphy, crazy uncle Don, officious Aunt Hil got me this time but I did see Jack Nicholson’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest so Nurse Ratched must refer to Hillary Clinton You certainly don’t have the conciseness and clarity of Nobel Laurates

come to an end soon, once a vaccine is readily available as early as next spring Henry and Dix should promote a provincial mandatory mask policy as the better alternative to another lockdown. To keep the schools and the stores and the restaurants and the bars and almost everything else open, let’s all join together and wear masks.

Let’s do this properly (and limit the size and frequency of home gatherings) and we can still live our lives and see our friends and family this Christmas, instead of barricading ourselves in our homes like most of us did in March and April

But no half measures, please, Dr Henry and Minister Dix

Do the right thing and put some muscle behind it.

- Editor-in-chief Neil Godbout

bour for a pandemic infraction is bizarre. Report the same neighbours I might need to ask to let our dog out or in? The neighbours who might break a window to let the pets out when the house is burning? Or the neighbour who pushes the car out of the snowbank? Or the neighbour who ignores overgrown trees that drops leaves on their yard, the crumbling fence, the unkempt lawn? The neighbour who keeps an eye on neighbourhood kids and watches to make sure they are safe when they are home from school without a key and can’t get in their house? Or the neighbour who warns everyone about the creep living up the street? Or the addict neighbour who warns your teen not to trust his illicit drug source?

Dr. Henry may be a super hero, but she has not yet evolved to the point that she can save us from everything. Until that

happens, we need our neighbours. None of us live pure, perfect lives. If any one of us had someone watch us 24/7, there would be all kinds of things to call us out on Instead of pulling back the curtains to spy on our neighbours so that we can report them, let the curtain fall back. Each of us need to do what we think is best in our situation If we can stay well and healthy, we can be prepared to help others when needed The momentary rush of do-gooding is not worth damaging trust between neighbours.

A friend of mine said it very well: “We won’t be snitching on our neighbours! We trust that people are doing their best. We don’t always know the circumstances. I’d prefer to talk to them directly if we had concerns. Reporting your neighbours is a great way to destroy any sense of community left in this bizarre world.”

Albert Camus and Ernest Hemingway but I guess that’s your style.

Speaking of Nobel prizes who nominated Trump for a Peace prize? Putin, Kim Jung Un, or perhaps the Saudi leader who had the Muslim American journalist Jamal Khashoggi assassinated?

Forty-five months of record low employment? This seems to ignore the last six of which had record high EI registrations.

I hope this column was just an election prediction and you seriously didn’t sup-

port Trump’s re-election.

Trump had an Iranian general killed then he said when they retaliated, not one American life was lost in the resulting airplane explosion. Did he apologize to the 67 Canadian students or 100 other or so Europeans?

The Muslim journalist Khashoggi was one American life lost. Didn’t matter to Trump. No action! Saudi’s have oil in abundance Still think America is self-sufficient? Upon release from his self-inflicted COVID

event, Trump worried about a photo-op not his also stricken wife or his exposed security detail, one of whom said “I signed on to take a bullet for the President not a bullet from him.”

The previous Republican President George W. Bush acted just as woefully, shipping off the Bin Laden family while the rest of the U.S. was on lockdown during 911. He also engineered the recession of 2008, which Obama managed to reverse.

See PARANOID STATE on page13

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Our dog friendship runs deep

If you played golf in Prince George this summer or drove down a country road, you likely encountered a fox along the way. These animals inhabit our city making their living by consuming small rodents and other animals. And on the golf courses, getting the occasional hand out from a passing golfer.

That some of the foxes on golf courses are getting quite domesticated is a little worrying but it is a scene which has likely played out several times in human history.

Modern dogs are descended from an ancient ancestor resembling a wolf and the relationship probably began in a similar fashion – with handouts and leftovers.

Sometime between 30,000 and 15,000 years ago, humans and the proto-dog met. The first interactions were likely wary with some of the dogs stealing food or digging through garbage piles for scraps But dogs are cute. And at some point, one of our ancestors chose to deliberately feed a whole pack on a regular basis. Our relationship has continued ever since.

Despite decades of study, scientists still haven’t figured out where domestication began. The most likely scenario is in the Middle East and there is a fair amount of

evidence in favour of this view But in 2019, a study concluded we had domesticated dogs twice – once in Asia and once in Europe or the Near East While that study has been criticized by some scholars, a more recent research report points to signs of domesticated dogs in the Americas as early as 10,000 years ago. However, those canines now appear to have vanished with few genetic traces remaining. Other studies provide evidence of the deliberate breeding of sled dogs in Siberia 9,500 years ago but how the dog got there is still unknown let alone its lineage.

To fill in the blanks in the evolutionary history of the dog, Greger Larson, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Oxford, Pontus Skoglund, a paleogenomicist at the Francis Crick Institute, and archeologist Ron Pinhasi at the University of Vienna teamed up to sift through more than 2,000 sets of ancient dog remains covering the period from 11,000 to 100 years ago

The result was the addition of 27 new an-

cient dog genomes to the existing record of only six ancient dog or wolf genomes. They then linked these ancient dog genomes to 17 humans living in the same places and times as the dogs.

They have been able to show that by 11,000 years ago, dogs had already diverged into five different lineages and had spread worldwide. These lineages gave rise to canines in the Near East, northern Europe, Siberia, New Guinea, and the Americas. Because domestication and genetic diversification take a long time, this fits with the archeological evidence for the oldest definitive dog remains, which are 15,000 to 16,000 years old and come from Germany

Ironically, while the genetic diversity of these early dogs allows the scientists to piece together ancient lineages (Chihuahuas can trace their ancestry back to early American dogs, for example), modern dogs show much less genetic diversification. All European dogs can be traced to a single group of ancient pooches. The modern diversity of dog shapes and sizes arise from bred in traits as opposed to fundamental genetic differences. Yes, a Chihuahua could mate with a Great Dane.

What was surprising from the data is the absence of wolf DNA in modern breeds.

Are leaders born or raised?

Think about the best leader you have ever worked for or associated with. It might be a coach, or a team member. It might be your first boss or your current boss. It could even be a politician. It might even just be your mom. If you stop for a second and consider the qualities that make that person so fantastic as a leader, what would you say those qualities are?

In their book Speed, John Zenger and Joseph Folkman use the research of over one million 360 Degree Surveys to determine the qualities of great leaders and suggest how others could emulate them to make better decisions. 360 Degree Surveys are those where an HR department or outside consultant asks questions related to how a specific organizational leader is doing in their job. What they found is that great leaders have some specific qualities.

The qualities of great leaders include exhibiting a high level of integrity and truthfulness, an ability to motivate and inspire people, while possessing good communication skills. They have the capacity

BUSINESS COACH

DAVE FULLER

to see the big picture, enabling them to make decisions and get results. Undoubtedly the best leader you ever worked with had many of these qualities. But have you ever wondered if that specific leader was born with those qualities or learned them? If we were to consider the conditions that require leadership, would that make any difference to our understanding?

Leaders require a situation that has followers that need direction. This might be a team setting or job environment. It could be a political uprising or it might be an emergency on the side of the road. Often, leadership is thrust upon an individual who willingly or unwillingly raises their hand to make a difference. Some of the best leaders I know were in a situation where someone was required to be in charge and they volunteered when no others would. Taking the position serious-

Most domesticated animals pick up genetic material from their wild cousins through occasional interbreeding. But comparing modern and ancient wolf DNA with ancient dog genomes, there is no apparent gene flow from wolves to dogs although flow appeared to occur in the other direction.

Larson chalks this up to the intimate relationship we have with dogs. If you are a dog and slightly feral or prone to attacking humans because of some wolf in you, you won’t last long People get rid of troublesome animals

But the wolf-dog analysis also suggests dogs evolved only once from an original wolf population. Once the proto-dog had started on the path to domestication, it disappeared from the fossil wolf record. The shift was a one-way street.

Throwing humans into the mix provides evidence dogs moved with some human population, such as Siberian nomads, but not with others, such as farmers occupying what is now modern Germany 7,000 years ago. In the latter case, while the farmers arrived from the Near East, their pets came from Siberia.

Our relationship with the dog is likely the oldest and strongest we have. And for those of us who are dog lovers, it is one for which we are thankful.

page 12

Why any religious group supports Trump is beyond me! Christ said, “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.” I’ll put Hillary in jail or get the attorney- general to charge Biden. Think he’s going to treat himself like he treats them?

Trump’s treatment of scientists like

Anthony Fauci, the U.S.’s top doctor, and the fired FBI director James Comey, show he feels omniscient a quality I thought only God had. Trump’s paranoid state makes anyone who votes against an enemy! A minister once said “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

Trump is the epitome of this.

Trump’s legacy is a divided America, inventing the super-spreader COVID event and an American geriatric genocide. Killing off the elderly may be a bit Hitlerian but

ly, they were able to motivate others and achieve results.

We are often told the great leaders were bold, brash and dictatorial like Winston Churchill or Donald Trump for example But if we consider those who have made the greatest changes in the past century, we might consider Ghandi, Nelson Mandela or even the likes of Mother Teresa. People who might on the outside be kind and caring, introverted and passive, yet who were able to keep people focused on a vision and make the right decisions to get there.

Leadership can be learned. I wasn’t much of a leader all through my early schooling. In fact, growing up I let my younger brother make many of the decisions. I was never a team captain on any teams. Yet when thrown into situations where I needed to direct staff I learned to lead my teams through trial and error Not that my leadership could be considered great by any means, but I had to overcome my shyness, learn to make good decisions without being impulsive, and to figure out how to inspire others to achieve the goals we set out.

Undeniably, it is easier for some people

Trump will probably try to sell it as a way of saving money on social security.

Trump spent his whole 2016 campaign claiming the election was rigged but failed to ask for a re-vote or recount as an honest man might. Now he claims this one is rigged and if he wins he’ll still accept it, no questions asked.

Trump is the exact politician he railed against in 2016, only worse. As for law and order, he should have turned himself in for not openly declaring his tax returns,

to take charge of a situation than others. In developing leaders in our teams we might be looking for certain characteristics, but sometimes when we require a leader it is worth asking who wants to step up. I have been surprised on occasion, yet rarely disappointed when I have been patient enough to coach that aspiring leader to grow the skills necessary to lead. Unfortunately many organizations don’t support these emerging leaders in a meaningful way with the training and mentorship these people need to achieve their full potential. When failure happens, the heads of these organizations blame the inadequate new leader, without reflecting that they themselves need to shoulder some of the blame for their negligence.

Being born with talent, riches or a good name doesn’t make anyone a great leader Leadership skills can be learned by those willing to open their minds to figuring out how to overcome the opportunities or challenges that they are facing Leadership is not for the faint of heart but our society is in need of people who want to stand up and make a difference.

Will you?

inciting violence against the duly elected in Wisconsin, and illegally calling for the AG to charge Biden and others, a clear violation of the separation of the judiciary and the executive branches. With a truly impartial Senate the impeachment may well have succeeded.

Nathan, a good journalist might try to verify the things he reads on Fox not parrot them verbatim.Maybe check CBC or CNN first before writing

Alan Martin, Prince George

Knowledge is a lifesaver

HBOGGLED

DIANE NAKAMURA

aving a brain injury and not understanding the effects it has on your whole body is like being thrown into a deep dark hole and left for dead.

This is why the educational programming at BIG (Brain Injured Group) is so valuable for brain-injured survivors in their journey towards healing and recovering.

There are many symptoms that survivors experience, especially in the first two years after injury. Being exhausted all the time, not having an appetite, having sensitivity to light and noise, not being able to keep a thought in your head, experiencing difficulties with depth perception, feeling like you’re in a constant state of confusion and upset The list goes on and on

If survivors don’t know that these symptoms are normal effects of brain injury, it will make life unbearable and hopeless

Vicki Shepherd is a registered nurse and the program director at BIG. She has been with the organization for over 25 years. She began her work at BIG caring for residents at the organization’s group home. These residents require 24-hour care and supervision due to the severity of their brain injuries.

Vicki eventually moved over to BIG’s office and became a case manager. She found the transition difficult. “I was used to working with severely injured survivors.”

she recalls. “When I started dealing with people with milder injuries, I didn’t know how to help them.”

Vicki and her colleagues recognized they needed to develop an education program 1999 saw the beginning of BIG rolling out their first program called Coping Strategies. Vicki recalls researching books and articles to collect information for their pro-

gram content. As she began hearing stories from survivors about their experiences, with their permission she added this to their evolving programs. As BIG began providing more classes to their members, there were more additions made. In time, the Coping Strategies class was renamed to Rebuilding.

“I learned a lot from Dr Norman Doidge.”

Vicki said. Dr. Doidge is renowned for his research and published work on effects of brain injury.

Then came the creation of more classes such as Introduction To Brain Injury, Connect Learn & Grow, Relationship Group and Women’s Group.

In 2006, Vicki’s husband suffered a brain injury. This took on a whole new turn for Vicki. Having a brain-injured spouse became the inspiration to develop a manual for couples. Last spring, the Rebuilding Relationships After Brain Injury manual was published.

I have attended all of the classes offered at BIG. Now due to COVID these classes are continuing via Zoom. After the first program I took, I felt compelled to take them all.

Because the more I learned about brain injury and the impact it has on all areas of my functioning, the less I felt flawed and defeated. I’ve also enjoyed making friends with folks who I didn’t have to explain myself to. My brain injury destroyed the world I knew and loved Thanks to BIG and my peers, I’ve been able to see a future for myself

Vicki will be retiring at the end of this month. “I’ve been so lucky to work with an incredible team of staff and members.” she told me. “And I admire all of the members who were brave to share their stories.” On behalf of my peers, thank you very much, Vicki, for all of the holes you filled in for us in our efforts to understand and accept our new normal. You are leaving behind big shoes to fill and hundreds if not thousands of survivors and their families who will forever be grateful to you for being our lighthouse throughout many difficult storms.

Quest for truth requires humility

Psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl made many trips to the United States. He appreciated the sense of freedom experienced by Americans, but added, “I recommend that the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast be supplemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast.”

Freedom and responsibility seem to mean different things to different people. To Frankl, the ultimate freedom was for a person to mindfully choose how they would respond, regardless of the circumstance. When we choose freely, however, we are responsible for the consequences of each decision.

This realization may make us very uncomfortable

Those of us who live in democracies have the ability to influence our governments.

We rightly express gratitude toward those who made sacrifices, even giving their lives, so we could have this freedom.

Seeing freedom and liberty as the ability to do whatever we want with no consideration for the consequences of

LESSONS IN LEARNING

GERRY CHIDIAC

our actions, however, trivializes what we have been given by simply making it an excuse to behave irresponsibly It is also a recipe for social chaos.

This is just one of the many deep truths that has become clear during the Covid-19 crisis.

Human beings do not know everything, but we do have an incredible capacity to learn.

This is why directives from scientists are not the same now as they were last spring.

They are giving us the best information possible, trying to err on the side of caution, all the while humbly accepting that they do not have any definitive answers

Their recommendations may change as new evidence emerges, but this is a normal part of the scientific process.

The rest of us can choose whether or not we want to follow the recommendations of experts in virology and epide-

miology, or even if we want to believe them. The harsh reality of this decision, however, is that we then become responsible for the consequences of our actions.

Everything we do has a consequence, sometimes positive, sometimes negative, sometimes neither The challenge is that there is no way that we can know the consequences of every decision.

There are principles, however, which sages through the centuries have realized lead to the best outcomes.

We need to be humble in our quest for truth, admitting what we do not know and being willing to listen to others.

We also need to be respectful, looking not only at what works for us, but what is also best for our neighbours.

It is interesting to note that in order to have this kind of humility and willingness to sacrifice, we need to see the goodness and beauty in ourselves. We need to be confident and secure in order to admit that we could be wrong.

Though it may sound counterintuitive, when we are feeling down, as many of us do in this time of isolation, often the best thing we can do is something kind for our neighbour

The Covid-19 crisis is getting worse all around the world, and the challenges we are facing will continue to exacerbate as those of us living in the northern hemisphere move into our winter season.

We are, however, learning a great deal about this virus as we move forward. It is like we are all part of a global experiment, constantly providing data to our scientists

We are indeed free to accept what health officials are telling us. We are free to comply with the new laws and the societal expectations regarding Covid-19 protocol.

Each choice we make, however, has a consequence, and by making our choices we become responsible for the known consequences.

We know that Covid-19 is a highly contagious virus. We know that it spreads rapidly, particularly when people congregate in closed spaces. We know that it has already killed over one million people worldwide.

Perhaps the most responsible thing we can do is to freely choose to follow the directives of the Chief Health Officer for British Columbia, Dr. Bonnie Henry: “Be Kind. Be calm. Be safe.”

CITIZEN PHOTO BY JAMES DOYLE/LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE

Vicki Shepard is retiring as the Core Service Team Member with the Prince George Brain Injured Group.

CITIZEN PHOTOS BY JAMES DOYLE/LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE

ON STAGE Julia Mackey as Lucy Hopperstaad, above left, and Rob Ziegler as David Kilbride, perform at Theatre Northwest on Friday night during a stage reading of Norm Foster’s On A First Name Basis. Morgan Seager performs at Theatre Northwest on Saturday night, top, during a stage reading of Devon Flynn’s Neurochemicals Make Up Our Lives

City unemployment rate 9.5 per cent in October

The city’s unemployment rate stood at 9.5 per cent in October, according to Statistics Canada estimates.

That’s well up from 5.9 per cent for the same month last year but down from 9.9 per cent recorded in September as the number of people holding down jobs grew by 500 to 48,700 while those seeking work declined by 200 to 5,100 The number of people of working age rose by 500 to 48,700 according to the survey

In October 2019, 49,100 people were

working and 3,100 were seeking work.

With the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic this past spring, unemployment has risen significantly in the city.

The numbers come from Statcan’s monthly labor market survey and are based on a three-month rolling average.

Accuracy of the unemployment rates are plus-or-minus 1.4 percentage points, for October and September 2020 and plus-orminus 0.9 percentage points for October 2019, 68 per cent of the time.

Make masks mandatory, Citizen online poll shows

The last Citizen online poll asked “Do you think Dr. Bonnie Henry should make face masks mandatory in all public spaces?” The most popular answer was “Yes, because of the rising number of cases in the province,” with 50 per cent and 1,070 votes. Another positive came in second with 22 per cent and 479 votes that said “Yes, because we’re all in this together.”

Trailing was “No, because it’s an infringement on my individual rights,” with 16 per

cent and 353 votes and “No, because the number of cases in the Northern Health region is under control,” with 11 per cent and 244 votes

There was a total of 2,146 votes. Remember this is not a scientific poll. The next question readers can answer online is “How much money are you planning to spend on Christmas gifts this year?

To make your vote count visit www.princegeorgecitizen.com

Snow brings skiers, pets to Otway trails

TED CLARKE

Citizen staff

If not for the pandemic, Jennifer Bania and her husband Tom would likely be relaxing on a white sand beach in Costa Rica or Mexico.

But with borders closed, quarantines in place and international travel a bit of a risky venture, the Prince George couple are sticking close to home where they get to enjoy an alternate type of whiteout - making tracks with their cross-country skis on the dog trails at Otway Nordic Centre.

They picked up their granddog Frankie on Sunday morning and gave the two-yearold French bulldog his first-ever chance to accompany them while they got their exercise skiing

“For me it’s a health thing, you enjoy it but it sure keeps your blood pressure down,” said Tom Bania, 69, who skis with his wife four or five times a week when they’re not away on their two-month vacations. “This is our first time out this year. We’ve been hiking the trails and now that there’s snow we can ski.”

Franklin was getting lots of treats and he wasn’t alone. He was among a pack of dogs out with their owners taking advantage of their surroundings. New overnight snow, combined with a 10-centimetre dump earlier in the weekend made for ideal early-season trail conditions and it certainly wasn’t cold, with the temperature hovering near the freezing mark

CITIZEN STAFF PHOTO

Jennifer Bania and her husband Tom share the cross-country ski trails at Otway Nordic Centre with other Caledonia Nordic Ski Club members and an impromptu pack of dogs. It was the first ski of the season for the Prince George couple, who were out Sunday afternoon with their two-year-old French bulldog Frankie.

plans to become a frequent user of the ski trails, having grown up in New Brunswick racing on skis and mountain bikes. Smith’s brother Mike works at UHNBC as an emergency doctor and for several years Jon has been coming north to join him on trips to do backcountry skiing. Jon bought a pair of skis when he was in California but the closest ski area was Lake Tahoe, about a five-hour drive away, on a good day without traffic. For most Prince George people, Otway is 20 minutes away

“I’m slowly getting used to the winter here, this is my first real winter in about 16 years,” said Smith “It’s good to be here, especially with all the chaotic stuff going on down in the States. We were right in the middle of lockdown when I left, it was pretty crazy.

“The snow here is beautiful, awesome glide, great conditions, well-packed. It’s not groomed for classic yet. I hate waxing for classic, I’m a skater.”

Barb Kane prefers the classic technique and she had her dog out for some exercise on the wet sticky snow

“I don’t have the right wax on,” said Kane. “So it was a combination of cross-country skiing and hiking They haven’t groomed it, they just rolled it.”

Sunday was Kane’s third trip to trails in the past week.

Jon Smith moved to Prince George in late May from the San Francisco Bay area and the 42-year-old mechanical engineer

The Caledonia Nordic Ski Club, which maintains Otway, has had a surge of new members this year and has already passed the 2,000 mark, an all-time high with than 200 more season passes sold than all of the 2019-20 season Skiers found last March and April when the COVID outbreak first hit that skiing was one of the few sports that could be done safely, with a low risk of becoming infected by the virus. Club officials say that’s had a carry-over effect, which has swelled membership.

“It’s amazing for this time of year, I know some other people skied in October,” said Kane. “It’s definitely worth getting out here now.”

MAKE SHINGLES VACCINE

FREE, LOCAL SENIOR SAYS

A local senior is advocating for BC residents to receive the shingles vaccination for free, as they do in other provinces.

Patrick Stapleton, 76, reached out to politicians and media outlets to ask the question and he wants answers

“Mr. Premier, please tell me why you are buying drugs for drug addicts while B.C. seniors, such as myself, at 76 years of age have to pay $160 per vaccination (two required - two to six months apart), out of my own pocket?” Stapleton wrote. “There is something seriously wrong with this situation in a society such as ours, while in Ontario, all seniors obtain shingle vaccinations for free.”

In a statement, the Ministry of Health said “there is no publicly-funded immunization program right now but Indigenous

seniors 64 to 69 year old can receive reimbursement for the shingles vaccine Shingrix.”

The province continues to review the situation as new vaccines come on the mark, the statement added.

“There are several factors that are considered before any vaccine is publicly funded, including vaccine safety/efficacy; burden of illness; cost-effectiveness; feasibility of delivery; and, public acceptability,” it said. “The decision is made by public health experts through the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) and the Communicable Disease Policy Advisory Committee. The ministry will then review and incorporate these recommendations with other health system priorities before presenting the information for a minister’s decision.”

CITIZEN STAFF PHOTO

Natalie Warren has organized a petition to oppose the sale of Watrous Park. The city is proposing to sell the park to a developer, who is planning a four-storey, 90-unit seniors assisted-living complex on the site.

Petition opposes Watrous Park sale

ARTHUR WILLIAMS Citizen staff

Watrous Street resident Natalie Warren has organized a petition to try to save her neighbourhood park.

The City of Prince George is considering selling Watrous Park to a developer to facilitate the construction of a four-storey, 90-unit seniors’ assisted-living complex.

The city is soliciting public feedback on the proposal until 5 p.m. on Nov. 20.

Warren said she’s gathered roughly 100 signatures on her petition opposing the sale

“Living right beside the park, my first thought was ‘we’re going to be looking at an apartment, instead of the park and the cutbanks and our lovely view,” she said. “Why Watrous Park? There are so many other potential building sites. There is very few green spaces left (in the neighbourhood).”

If the park is sold, the developer will need to apply for an amendment to the official community plan and then rezone the land.

Warren said there is plenty of sites in the city where seniors housing could be built and be a better fit.

“We’re not against seniors housing,” she said. “We don’t see a four-storey building, that will also be a workplace for people, fitting into the neighbourhood.”

As a 20-year resident of the neighbourhood, Warren said she sees people using the park all the time. Children play at the playground, people walk their dogs their, and the Prince George Lawn Bowling Club has its bowling greens in the park.

“We’ve seen so many younger families moving into the area,” she said. “A local daycare brings the kids there regularly over the summer.”

Prince George Lawn Bowling Club president Dan Gilgan said city informed the club about the proposed sale just before it was announced the public

The club has 35 members and plays four times a week at the park between June and September, in addition to hosting occasional tournaments.

“Would we be happy if the deal didn’t go through – sure,” Gilgan said. “The grass we have at Watrous Park is really good grass.”

If Watrous Park is sold, the city plans to build a new lawn bowling green at one of the other parks in the city, he said. Where the new facility would be and how long it would take to be developed hasn’t been worked out yet, Gilgan said

“It would take at least a year to build a new bowling green. The grass has to grow,” he said “Ideally what would happen is they would start development of the bowling green. in the spring, and we could play at Watrous Park this summer – if we have a normal summer.”

While the club would rather stay in its current location, relocating could have some upsides.

Currently there is no washrooms or running water available at the park, he said. Depending on where the new green was built, club members may have access to public washrooms.

By comparison, the Quesnel lawn bowling club has a facility with a clubhouse, including washrooms and a kitchen.

City spokesperson Micheal Kellett said the proposed project is in the very early stages and no decisions have been made.

“The process is at a very early stage that involves collecting comments about the prospect of such a facility from residents who live in the neighbourhood,” Kellett said in an email. “Should this process move forward, it would also involve an official hearing in front of council that would be open to the public. Should the rezoning get council approval, the city would also explore building a new lawn bowling facility elsewhere in the city Again, this is a very early stage of the development process and nothing is set in stone.”

HORO SC OPES &P UZ ZLES

PUZZLE NO. 792

HOW TO PLAY:

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

Each 3x3 box is outlined withadarker line. You already have afew numberstoget you started Remember: you must not repeat the numbers 1through 9inthe same line, columnor3x3 box.

Flavor

Hammer part

Be next to

DOKOUTVIC

Born 1946 passed away November 5, 2020. I would like to thank Parkside for all their help with him. He was a kind soul and will be missed by many.

Rest in peace my friend, till we meet again. Penny

MARK WESSNER

2x35.8

PGC002076

WESSNER, Walter

August 7, 1934 -November 5, 2020

It is with heavy hearts that we announce on November 5, 2020, Walter Wessner made his transition from his earthly home to his heavenly home. Walter was born on a family farm in Saskatchewan, and later married the love of his life, Betty Rempel. His faith in Jesus was what guided his life and gave him courage. He will forever be missed.

GeorgeAdolphe Dubuc

March7,1950November10,2020

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of George on November 10, 2020 with his sister and niece by his side. He is survived by his sons, Dean Dubuc and Keith Dubuc as well as sisters, brothers, numerous nieces & nephews and many friends. George will always be remembered for his sense of humor and his love for hunting, fishing & camping as well as time spent with family and friends. He will be dearly missed. The family would like to express our sincere gratitude to George’s good friends, Paul & Paula for everything you have done for Georgeandourfamily Noservicewillbeheldatthistime.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Sep8,1928-Oct10,2020

William Findlay Soutar Young, of Prince George, B.C., passed away on Saturday, October 10th, 2020 at the age of 92. Findlay was born to parents William and Gladys on September 8th, 1928 in Glasgow, Scotland. He grew up one of four siblings; Ian, Moyra (Heyerdahl) and Jeanette (McIntyre). In 1955, he married the love of his life, Nancy Adams and the young couple emigrated to Canada in 1957, soon landing in PrinceGeorgewheretheylivedforover60years.

Much of Findlay’s life centered on his passion for the game of golf and helping grow the game in Canada. Proudly inducted into the Prince George Sports Hall of Fame in 1998. Findlay was a top amateur player and dedicated volunteer, serving as president of the Royal Canadian Golf Association (now Golf Canada) in 1993 where he wasalsonamedanhonorarylifegovernor

Findlay is survived by his sisters Jeanette (Macintyre) and Morya (Heyerdahl) and his sons, Crawford (Karin), Colin (Sandra) and Cameron (Karen); and eight grandchildren Ryan, Cassandra, Micaela, Braeden, Rachel, Carter, AbbeyandMacIntyre.

The cremation took place on Oct 20th and due to covid-19 restrictions, friends and family will be notified of an event to celebrate his life in the spring/summer of 2021 at the Prince George Golf Club. A virtual funeral was held on Saturday November 14th, 2020. A link to the service will bepostedin:

‘WFS Young and Friends” Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1583649405156243/

The family is so grateful for the many condolences, but in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to junior golf in Prince George, a cause close to Findlay’s heart. A fundraising link for junior golf will also be posted on the above Facebookpage.

ChristineCooper

Dec28,1942-Nov6,2020

Christine Cooper, nee Ferranti, 77, passed away on Friday,November6,2020inPrinceGeorge,B.C.

Born December 28, 1942 in San Francisco, CA to the late Guido and Dina Ferranti. Christine was raised with her two brothers in Menlo Park, CA where she met and fell in love with her future husband, Robert Cooper, who was attending Menlo College.

Christine and Robert married on April 25, 1964 and settled in Prince George, B.C.tostartR.J.CooperConstruction,whileraisingtwoboys.

She was a passionate sports fan, especially about her beloved San Francisco teams the 49er’s and the Giants. Even going so far as to buy two seats from Candlestick Park that still sit in her home today Her proudest moments were watching her boys play sports. She spent countless hours volunteering for Prince George Minor Lacrosse and Hockey She was an avid golfer and member of the Prince George Golf & Curling Club. She ran the popular Simon Fraser Golf Tournament for many years. A favorite moment was the year she won “low net” and vowed to never let her boys forget it! Recently, Christine loved cheering for the Tampa Bay Lighting Hockey team and was ecstatic she wasabletowatchthemwintheStanleyCupthisyear Christine adored her boys. She travelled all over the United States and Canada to be with them. She drove to L.A. to watch hockey, New York to watch Lacrosseandallpointsinbetween.

Christine was a devout Catholic who spread warmth, great humor and cheer to all. She never forgot a birthday or an anniversary. She loved playing Friday bridge with her girlfriends and volunteering for various charitable causes close to her heart. She adored listening to Frank Sinatra and having a martini, so much so, she named her last dog Martini. Christine was creative, sending Christmas gifts out early with one from “Olive, the Other Reindeer” and urged ustoalwaysremember,“JesusisthereasonfortheSeason!”

What did Chrissy love? She loved having fun, and was the life of the party

Proud of her Italian descent, she never let anyone forget it! WOPS are Tops! She felt she could accomplish anything and said many times, “Can’t means Won’t!” She lived her life on her own terms and died in peace at her home...withoutamaskon.

Shewasaquick-witted,classyandlovingmother,sisterandwifeof56years. She is survived by her husband, Robert; their sons, Jonathan (Jessica) and Christopher (Elaine); as well as five grandchildren who will miss their “GC” very much. Also surviving are her brothers Arthur (Mary Lee) and Richard (Lucy);andherbelovednephews.

In lieu of flowers, donations to The Prince George Community Foundation under “Cooper Family Fund” in her name are welcome. Please follow the link below

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/the-prince-george-communityfoundation/#donate-now-pane

As

FindlayYoung

ForSteveWalker

July5,1960-November17,2018

In hard times I find myself drawing strength from memories. Remember cruising the Hawaiian Islands? Seeing Pearl Harbour, feeling the gentle ocean air and Karaoke under the stars- You guys pulled up stools and sang a ballad The wives sat inawe.

Youwerehere, Butnowyou’regone Andweallkeepmovingon, Likethewind,andthesea, It’sjustthewayithastobe WhenIthinkaboutyouIalwayssmile, AndthenIgobackforawhile (Bob Seger- Glenn Song)

Keep letting me know you are around, and I’ll be alongwhenthetimeisright,waitforme.

LoveWendy

We happily congratulate Adam Flett from Duchess Park Secondary who is the recipient of the Stephen Walker Memorial Bursary for this year. Adam demonstrated in both his application and thank you letter how truly in line his passions and interests are with those belonging to Steve. BestWishesAdam!

Trucks

Teresa Saunders

Dr. Devan Reddy

Richard and Wendy Girard

Douglas Walder

Brian Pearson

Dorothy Reimer

David Flegel

Ron and Annette Parnell

Dave Read

Jan Rose

Dave King

Dorothy Friesen

Gordon Bliss

Barbara Hampe

Chris H.

Linda Wijcik

Susan McCook

Jackie Clements

Roland Green

Sharon & Wayne Armistead

Renovations and Aluminum Wiring

Theelectrical system is one of the most important components in a house because of the potential hazardfaulty wiring creates. Aluminum wiring was used in much of the new home builds in Canada during the 60’suntilthe mid 70’s. Chosen for it’s cost effectiveness compared to copper,one can see houses entirely wired with aluminum and some with acombination aluminum and copper.A study conducted by the Consumer Protection Safety Commission concluded that1in5homes

How to recognize aluminum wiring

Aluminum wireisnot as good of an electrical conductor as copper,soa larger wireisused.For example, aluminumwireNo. 12 has aboutthe same ampacity as copper wireNo. 14.The ampacity is the maximum current thatawirecan safelycarry.The outer covering of the cablewillbemarked aboutevery 12 inches with the word aluminumoranabbreviationsuch as “ALUM” or “AL. Where aluminumwireispresent, specialserviceconnectorsmust be used. Wall switches and receptacles should carrythe marking “CU-AL”. This indicates that theequipment is suitablewith aluminum wiring. This marking would also appear on circuit breakers. Electrical receptacles, wall switchesand fuseboxesdesignedfor use with copper wiring arenot satisfactory foruse withaluminum wiring.

Hazards with aluminum wiring

Twochemical reactions thattakeplace on the surface of purealuminum.The result of both is exactlythe same —the wireheats up and can reach temperatures high enough to ignite nearby combustiblematerials. Thefirst chemical reaction causes corrosion when two dissimilar metals meet –inthis case, between the aluminum wireand the standardbrass outlet terminals. In the second chemical reaction, purealuminum wireoxidizes as soon as its insulation is removed, exposing the wiretoair.Eitherreaction coats the wiresurface with alayer thatincreases resistance to current and generates heat.Also,aluminum wireexpands and contracts at more than copper wire. It tends to “creep” out from under aterminal screw connection. This leads to apoor connection and overheating at the switch, receptacle or terminal.

Warning signs

Extremely warm cover plates, switches or receptacles. Mysteriouslyinoperative switches or receptacles, and smoke.

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.

Why you should buy a hygrometer Energize your home with orange

The humidity level in your house can have a significant effect on your well­being. If there isn’t enough moisture in the air, you may develop dry skin, a scratchy throat and chronic nose bleeds. Excess moisture is also problematic as it can lead to water damage and mould growth.

While condensation on the windows and other issues can be signs that the humidity level in your home is less than ideal, the most reliable way to assess the amount of moisture in the air is to use a hygrometer.

HOW IT WORKS

A hygrometer is an affordable, user­ friendly instrument that measures relative humidity, which is the amount of water vapour in the air expressed as a percentage. Since this device is hand­held, you can easily monitor the humidity level in each room of your home.

Ideally, the humidity level throughout your home should be between 30 and 50 per cent. To avoid inaccurate

results, don’t use the hygrometer near a heat source. If the humidity level in one or several rooms isn’t optimal, here are a few ways to add or remove moisture from the air:

• Install a humidifier or dehumidifier

• Ensure your windows and doors are well­sealed

• Install ceiling exhaust fans

• Open a window

• Avoid air­drying laundry indoors

To purchase a hygrometer, simply visit any hardware or big­box store in your area.

From the soft hues of a sunset to the bright shades of the citrus fruit that bears its name, orange is a playful colour that can add warmth and energy to a room. Here’s some advice on how to incorporate it into your decor.

FIND THE RIGHT PAIRING

Combine orange with blues and greens to give the room a lively tropical vibe. Alternatively, a pastel orange paired with taupe or ecru will provide a calming effect. If you prefer a more monochrome design, blend beiges and browns with subtle orange hues like pumpkin spice.

While you might be tempted to tone down orange with a neutral palette, don’t be afraid to show off your personality with bold choices. Pair it with violet and magenta to create a space reminiscent of India. Alternatively, use it alongside yellow, fuchsia, turquoise and chartreuse as one of several accent colours in a white room.

OPT FOR ACCENT PIECES

In general, orange is a colour best used sparingly. If you want to test out this bold shade, decorate a space with eye­catching orange vases, lamps, pillows, rugs or curtains. If

you want to make a statement, opt for an orange sofa, painted lower cabinets or a wallpapered accent wall.

USE

IT TO BRIGHTEN UP THE ROOM

Orange adds a dynamic, contemporary flair without being as aggressive as red. In fact, this colour is particularly popular in front entrances and gathering places like the living room. You can also use orange to perk up a windowless room or dark space. Simply pair it with white or light wood furniture to maximize its ability to brighten.

To find the perfect orange accents for your home, scout your local shops, farmers markets and antique stores. And if you’re not sure you can pull off orange on your own, consider hiring an interior decorator to help.

Carolynne Burkholder -James

JOHN

HART

PEACE RIVER HIGHWAY CHETWYND

52 unit Days Inn good occupancy and with 50 unit RV park beside the hotel for sale as well. Great location on the highway an attractive investment opportunity with all the economic activity in the Peace. For further information on financials and contact listing realtors. $7,000,000 MLS 184582

100’ x120’ modern airport hanger.Includes office, board room and living quarters. Direct access to runway.More details available. MLS #C8027895

park on 7acres great highway exposure beside the Days Inn. The RV has lots of room for expansion to expand this investment and grow your cash flow with servicing available.For further information contact listing realtors for financials and occupancy an well worth looking at.$1,300,000 MLS 184583

LEASE

1,800 block of 1st Ave. Industrial zoned with RETAIL/OFFICE applications. Highway access. Various locations and sizes available.

757 PRESTON RD.

1.76 Acres in City Limits. Zoned RM1 (Multiple Residential). Price $499,000 MLS #C8033659

Textile wall hangings: decor to liven up your living space

Woven tapestries, macramé, quilts, pompoms and hanging fringes are taking centre stage. Popular in the ’70s, textile wall hangings are once again decorating modern walls. Rugs and shag carpets are also joining the party and giving walls a fresh new look.

Wall hangings can be used in almost any room in your house. Employ stark contrasts, like ivory macramé on a charcoal or

navy wall, to make decor pop. Different sizes and shapes will add visual interest to an other wise drab space.

If you’re looking for a stylish and exotic way to dress up your living room or bedroom, opt for massive mandalas or woven pieces suspended on bamboo dowels. Whether your style is demure or daring, this ’70s design trend will add a modern and fresh look to your home.

4 reasons you should insulate your attic

If the insulation in your attic is sparse, worn out or needs to be replaced, it’s best to take action as soon as possible. Here’s why you shouldn’t delay in starting this essential home repair.

1. TO AVOID PAYING MORE FOR YOUR ENERGY BILLS

Insufficient insulation makes your home less energy efficient, which means you’ll pay more for utilities. Additionally, your HVAC system has to work harder to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature. This shortens its lifespan and leads to more frequent repairs.

2. TO AVOID GETTING COLD

In winter, heat loss caused by inadequate insulation can contribute to the formation of ice dams on your roof. These ice buildups can damage your roof and pose a hazard to people walking nearby.

3. TO AVOID IMPAIRING YOUR HOME AND HEALTH

A poorly insulated attic is more at risk of water leaks, which could lead to mould growth, wood rot and other damage. This can compromise both your health and the structural integrity of your home.

4. TO AVOID PEST INFILTRATIONS

A lack of sealed insulation makes it easier for small creatures to infiltrate your attic, where they might procreate, chew electrical wires and cause other costly damage.

In addition to preventing costly repairs and other problems, keep in mind that you may be eligible for a considerable tax credit if you add insulation to your home. This is because it’s an environmentally friendly repair that can improve the energy efficiency of your home.

ATTIC INSULATION MATERIALS

Before you add insulation to your attic, you’ll need to select a material that suits your needs and budget. Here are a few options and their benefits:

• Cellulose. It’s all-natural, made from recycled materials and offers high thermal resistance.

• Fibreglass. It’s affordable, easy to install and pro -

ASAP

vides excellent thermal performance.

• Hemp. It’s a renewable material that’s easy to install and resistant to rodents and other pests.

• Expanded cork. It’s biodegradable, resistant to water and air leaks and boasts superior thermal and acoustic insulation.

• Mineral wool. It’s durable, offers acoustic insulation and is fire and moisture resistant.

While some types of insulation are easier to install than others, it’s always best to hire a professional to ensure your attic is properly sealed and can protect your home from the elements.

Smart lighting tips to help you save

Potential advertisers to call on

• ELECTRICIAN

• HARDWARE STORE

• GENERAL CONTRACTOR

• RETAILER THAT SELLS PROGRAMMABLE THERMOSTATS

• INSULATION SPECIALIST

• HEATING,VENTILATION AND AIR CONDITIONING SPECIALIST

• DOOR AND WINDOW RETAILER

• GARAGE DOOR COMPANY

• LIGHTING STORE

• APPLIANCE STORE

• FINANCIAL INSTITUTION

• MAYOR

• GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL

• HOT WATER TANK RETAILER/INSTALLER

• SOLAR PANEL RETAILER/INSTALLER

Are you looking for ways to cut down on the amount of power you use at home? If so, here are some tips that will allow you to more efficiently light your home.

USE THE POWER OF REFLECTION

Choose light colours for the walls. White reflects up to 80 per cent of the light in a room, while black only reflects 10 per cent. This means that lighter rooms need less lighting to illuminate them than darker ones.

Another trick is to place your table and standing lamps in corners so that the light reflects off two walls at once.

USE THE BARE MINIMUM

Choose lightbulbs that are just powerful enough for the activities you plan to do in a given area. A needlessly powerful light will waste energy.

Avoid linking more than one light to a single switch and install dimmers to control the intensity of each fixture. It’s also a good idea to equip outside lights with motion detectors or timers.

Finally, turn off every light when going to bed, lea-

How to choose the best Energy Star windows for your home

For many homeowners, heating costs make up the bulk of their annual energy expenses. If you’re hoping to buck this trend and save on your power bill, one way to do so is to equip your home with Energy Star windows.

According to Natural Resources Canada, on average these windows provide homeowners with a reduction of eight per cent on their annual energy bills. Compared to standard windows, high-performance Energy Star rated windows are up to 40 per cent more effective at preventing heat loss.

DETERMINE YOUR ENERGY RATING REQUIREMENTS

Canada is divided into three climate zones, and most of the country falls into zones 2 and 3. To know which zone your property is in, visit energystar.gc.ca and then find out which product is appropriate for that zone.

For instance, windows and doors used in zones 2 and 3 should have an energy rating (ER) score of 29 and 34 respectively. The higher the ER, the more energy efficient a window or door is.

TAKE YOUR NEEDS INTO ACCOUNT

If your home is old or exposed to extreme weather conditions, you may be better off choosing specialized products. For instance, high-solar gain glazing may allow some people to save money on their annual power bill, while others might benefit from high-performance window seals. Make sure to speak to a professional to make the right choice.

Energy efficient windows are pricy but a good investment, if they’re installed properly. In addition, don’t forget that replacing your old windows with Energy Star ones could entitle you to a tax credit.

Starting in 2020, Canada’s Energy Star rating criteria won’t be based on climate zones. Instead, they’ll be identical across the country.

ving a room or heading out.

USE ENERGY EFFICIENT LIGHTBULBS

Compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) and light-emitting diodes (LED) use less energy than standard halogen lights (respectively 75 and 90 per cent less). They also last a lot longer.

When buying bulbs, make sure to look for the best lumen-to-watt ratio. A better ratio means that the bulb will provide more light while using less energy.

Outside, opt for solar-powered lamps. The LED light bulbs on them will run for up to 100,000 hours, but once they burn out, they can’t be replaced.

CHOOSE YOUR FIXTURES WISELY

When selecting light fixtures, remember that transparent and light-coloured lampshades let more light through than dark ones. In addition, pivoting lamps allow you to effectively target the light cast.

CLEAN YOUR LIGHT FIXTURES

A buildup of dust and dirt can dull the intensity of your indoor lighting. To ensure that the maximum amount of light possible gets emitted from each

lamp, keep your fixtures, bulbs and shades clean.

If you follow these tips, you’ll more efficiently light your home and therefore save on your energy bill.

3 bad habits that will amp up your energy bills

Many homeowners are surprised to learn how much energy their electronic devices use. If you’re looking for ways to conserve energy and spend less on your utility bills, here are three habits that you should break immediately.

1. Watching television and movies on gaming consoles. Video game consoles use 30 to 45 per cent more power than televisions. In addition, running one high-definition gaming console requires the equivalent amount of energy as running 10 BluRay devices. You’re better off using your console for nothing but gaming.

2. Leaving your electronics plugged in all the time. This is a common habit, but did you know that many electronic devices use up to 40 per cent of the energy required for their functioning, even when

they’re turned off?

Unplugging your toaster and coffee maker after breakfast and removing chargers from outlets once devices are charged will help you conserve energy.

3. Not thinking through purchases. Laser printers use nearly twice as much power as inkjet versions. Before buying one, ask yourself if the increase in energy consumption over traditional models is worth it.

Similarly, a 55-inch flat-screen TV uses twice as much energy as a 32-inch model. Consider whether the upgrade in size is worth it.

The bottom line is that you should evaluate your needs and make purchasing decisions accordingly.

In sum, to save energy at home you should evaluate what electronics you use and how you use them. Doing so will allow you to save on your utility bills and may even extend the lifespan of your devices.

SETTINGS

Televisions, computers, printers and various other devices may sometimes come equipped with a “sleep,” “power saving” or “standby” feature. You can reduce power usage in your home by engaging this function when the item isn’t in use. In addition, you can change some settings, such as screen brightness, to improve energy efficiency of the device.

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How to install and maintain a central vacuum cleaner

Whether you’re building a new house or looking to upgrade your current home, a central vacuum cleaner is a worthwhile investment. Here’s what you should know about installing and maintaining this type of vacuum.

INSTALLATION

It usually takes about two days to set up a central vacuum system. You’ll need a variety of tools to get the job done, including:

• Metal coat hangers

• A pipe cutter

• A stud finder

• A right-angle drill

• A wire stripper

• A drywall saw

In addition to the main unit, you’ll need to install ducts, fittings, mounting brackets, inlets and several other parts. For best results — and to avoid needing to buy or rent equipment — hire an experienced professional.

MAINTENANCE

A central vacuum cleaner can easily last for 20 years with proper upkeep. As with most vacuums, the canister or bag must be regularly emptied. Completing this simple maintenance task every few months will help prevent clogs and ensure the system functions optimally.

You’ll also need to either routinely replace the disposable filter or rinse the permanent mesh screens under cold water. Keep in mind that even models with a self­cleaning filtration system should be serviced periodically to maximize suction power.

Overall, a central vacuum cleaner is a low­maintenance appliance that will simplify chores and help you keep your home clean.

7 ways to make the most of your basement

Are you thinking about finishing your basement? While this can be an expensive project, you’ll increase both your living space and property value. Plus, you can easily adapt this versatile space to suit your family’s needs over time. Here are seven types of basement conversions.

1.Workshop. Whether you enjoy sewing, woodworking, scrapbooking or wine making, you’ll have the space you need to store all your supplies and tools.

2.Home office. You’ll probably find it easier to concentrate in a room that’s cut off from the rest of the house. Plus, you’re less likely to be disturbed during conference calls.

3.Guest bedroom. This is an ideal way to offer your visitors more privacy. And if there’s enough room to fit in a bathroom, all the better.

4.Cellar. Whether you want to store wine, root vegetables or canned goods, make sure the space is well ventilated and the humidity level is controlled.

5. Personal gym. For this to be a practical option, the ceiling should be high enough to accommodate stretching and jumping jacks.

6. Playroom. Give your kids plenty of space to run around and store their toys without cluttering the main living areas of the house.

7. Laundry room. In addition to freeing up space in the bathroom, you’ll finally have the room you need to fold and iron clothes.

Keep in mind that natural light is limited in a basement. Therefore, you’ll want to opt for an open­concept design or glass doors and partitions if possible.

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Some surprising facts about hi-tech toilets

On average, a person uses a toilet seven times a day, or about 2,500 times a year. Weterners are increasingly familiar with the modern dual-flush, automatic flush or low-flow toilets. However, for several years now, Asian technology has been making this humble natural experience much more sophisticated.

ROBOTIC TOILETS

The Japanese are technological champions, and their innovations have also extended into the realm of toilets. Being confronted with a futuristic Japanese toilet for the first time can definitely cause some confusion for the uninitiated. Take a look at some of these technological improvements:

• Body weight detection

• Heated seat

• Adjustable shower head for cleaning private parts

• A variety of pre-recorded sounds to mask bodily noises

• Music player

• Hot-air dryer

• Odour absorber

• Perfume diffuser

• Automatic raising and lowering of the bowl’s height

• Antibacterial seat

• Self-cleaning bowl

Japanese high-tech toilets are ideal for limiting the spread of viruses and bacteria, as people no longer need to use their hands to wipe themselves. The absence of toilet paper is also a worthy environmental feature. In short, even if they’re still a bit marginal at the moment, you can bet that these high-tech toilets will soon seduce the Canadian marketplace.

Underfloor heating is the ultimate in comfort

In Canada, we all know that it’s no fun having to walk barefoot on a cold floor during your nightly trip to the bathroom. If you dream of being able to walk around your home without having to bother putting on a big pair of slippers, why not have underfloor heating installed?

GUARANTEED COMFORT

Underfloor heating usually works with an electric radiant system. This type of heating has several advantages in terms of comfort and energy savings. When a room is heated with an underfloor system, the ambient temperature is the same from floor to ceiling. In addition, all the heat doesn’t escape when you open the door of the room.

FLOORINGS

For maximum efficiency, choose ceramic tiling or natural stone. These are ideal for storing and redistributing heat. That said, the compatibility of other floorings varies depending on what type it is. So before installing underfloor heating, check with the retailer to

make sure the flooring you’re considering will perform efficiently. Also, keep in mind that the job of connecting the heating system to your electrical circuit should be done by an electrician.

Here are just a few of the benefits of underfloor heating:

• The system is completely invisible.

• It doesn’t require any form of maintenance.

• It’s silent and doesn’t vibrate.

• It doesn’t spread dust or germs.

• It doesn’t dry the air the way other systems do.

• It uses up to 25 per cent less energy than regular electric baseboards.

3 advantages of folding doors

If you want to maximize a small space or let in more natural light, folding doors are sure to be a welcome addition to your home. Here are three great reasons to install this type of door.

1. They help open up a space. Since these doors fold in on themselves when open, they’re an ideal option for small rooms where a standard door would take up too much space.

2. They suit any design style. Folding doors are available in a variety of configurations and can fit openings of different sizes. In addition to choosing the number of panels, you can opt for a door material that complements your home’s overall look.

3. They facilitate outdoor living. Folding doors for your patio that are made of glass can offer easy access to your backyard or deck. In addition, they can give you access to a great view, extend the length of an entire wall and let in an abundance of natural light.

To find folding doors that suit your needs, visit a home improvement store in your area or speak with a local contractor.

Why you need the 60-30-10 rule

If you’re nervous about using colour in your home, try following the 60-30-10 rule. Designers use this concept to create well-balanced rooms. Simply pick three colours and use them in the following proportions:

1. Dominant colour: 60 per cent of your room is wall space and large pieces of furniture. Paint your walls a neutral colour or one that otherwise perfectly suits your space and tastes. Major furniture like the sofa or bed should feature the same hue.

2. Secondary colour: 30 per cent of any space is accent furniture, area rugs and

textiles. Pick a hue that complements your dominant colour and use it for these items.

3. Accent colour: 10 per cent of the room is decor, artwork and smaller items. Here is where you can really play with strong colours, textures and patterns that pop.

When following this rule, keep in mind that you don’t have to use the same shades for your selected colours. For example, you might use navy on your walls, but choose a sky blue for your couch. As long as the shades for each pick fall within the same family, the result will be a pulled together room that’s chic and polished.

Donna Badowski*** Sarah

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