Prince George Citizen February 18, 2021

MUSICALLY INCLINED Conductor Michael Hall led the Prince George Symphony Orchestra Sunday afternoon as they played Richard Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll and Nonet Op 139 by Josef Rheinberger.

Beloved radio announcer Benny dies at 58

TED CLARKE

When you’re the morning voice of a radio station it helps to have a sunny disposition to chase all the clouds away.

Mike Bennie had that quality in abundance.

Right from the day he joined the staff at CKPG 550 AM in 1985, Benny had a way of charming his listeners and he was a master of putting Prince George people into a good mood when they tuned in to start

their work day. His quick wit, sharp sense of timing and caring nature came through loud and clear over the airwaves and for 35 years he was one of the city’s most popular and beloved radio personalities

Air pollution emissions down

ARTHUR WILLIAMS

The Prince George airshed has seen significant reductions in industrial air pollution, but levels of fine particulate matter still exceed provincial health standards in 10 city neighbourhoods.

UNBC researcher Peter Jackson presented the results of an air quality emissions and modelling study to city council last week. The study, which looked at data from 2014 to 2016, found industrial emissions of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) had dropped by 40 per cent since the last study in 2005. Industrial sulphur dioxide emissions had also decreased by 24 per cent over the same period.

“The emissions is what goes into the air, but what we care about is the air we breathe,” Jackson said. “Industry has been spending a lot of money and putting in a lot of effort to reduce emissions.”

However, Jackson said, industrial sources continue to be the single-largest sources of fine particulate matter in the city, followed by residential heating – meaning wood stoves

“Natural gas contributes very little in terms of particulate matter,” he said. “In some neighbourhoods, like North Hart, that (wood burning appliances) are the dominate source.”

While industrial emissions are fairly steady throughout the year, wood burning can be a major source of air pollution in the winter months, he said.

The B.C Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy calls fine

See BENNY on page 4 See PROVINCIAL on page 4

CITIZEN PHOTO BY JAMES DOYLE/LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE

WHAT:

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS AND CITY COUNCIL CONSIDERATION OF APPLICATIONS

Public Hearings and City Council considerations of applications regarding:

•Proposed amendment to “City of Prince George Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 8383, 2011”

•Proposed amendments to “City of Prince George Zoning BylawNo. 7850, 2007”

•Cannabis Licence Application No. CN000018

WHEN: Monday, February22, 2021

WHERE:

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

PROPOSALS:

1. “City of Prince George Official Community Plan BylawNo. 8383, 2011, Amendment BylawNo. 9115, 2020” AND “City of Prince George Zoning BylawNo. 7850, 2007, Amendment BylawNo. 9116, 2020”

Applicant: L&M Engineering Ltd. for Kidd Real Estate Holdings Ltd., Inc. No. BC821509

Subject Property: 4114 Balsum Road

Time: 7:00 p.m.

The applications propose to amend the Official Community Plan and rezone the subject property located at 4114 Balsum Road to facilitate afuture six-lot subdivision consisting of amix of single-detached and two-unit housing

1.1 Official Community Plan (OCP) Amendment BylawNo. 9115, 2020

BylawNo. 9115, 2020 proposes to amend “City of Prince George Official Community Plan BylawNo. 8383, 2011” as follows:

a) That “Schedule B-6: Future Land Use”, be amended by re-designating Lot A, District Lot 4047, Cariboo District, Plan 23955 from Parksand Open Space to Neighbourhood Residential, as shown on Appendix “A”toBylawNo. 9115, 2020.

1.2 Zoning Amendment BylawNo. 9116, 2020

BylawNo. 9116, 2020 proposes to amend “City of Prince George Zoning Bylaw No. 7850, 2007” as follows:

a) That Lot A, District Lot 4047, Cariboo District, Plan 23955, be rezoned from P1: Parksand Recreation to RT1: Two-Unit Residential and RS2: Single Residential, as shown on Appendix “A”toBylawNo. 9116, 2020.

The proposed Bylaws apply to the property legally described Lot A, District Lot 4047, Cariboo District, Plan 23955 as shown outlined in bold black on Location Map #1 below

Location Map #1 4114 Balsum Road

2. “City of Prince George Zoning BylawNo. 7850, 2007, Amendment Bylaw No. 9164, 2020”

Applicant: Joe Postnikoff for Volling Holdings Ltd., Inc. No. 122893

Subject Properties: 6499-6437 HartHighway

Time: 7:00 p.m.

BylawNo. 9164, 2020 proposes to rezone the subject properties from C2: Regional Commercial to C2c: Regional Commercial, as shown on Appendix “A”toBylaw No. 9164, 2020.

The purpose of this application is to facilitate the sale of retail cannabis in an existing building on the subject properties, or other uses, pursuant to the proposed C2c: Regional Commercial zoning designation(s).

The proposed Bylawapplies to the properties legally described as Lot 1, District Lot 4047, Cariboo District, Plan 15861, as shown outlined in bold black on Location Map #2 below

2.1 Cannabis Licence Application No. CN000018

Applicant: Joe Postnikoff for Grasshopper Retail Inc.

Subject Property: 6473 HartHighway

Time: 7:00 p.m.

The applicant has applied to the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch for aCannabis Licence for anon-medical retail cannabis store, located within aportion of an existing building on the subject property.The applicant has successfully completed the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch financial integrity check and security screening for a non-medical cannabis retail store.

The proposed hoursofservice are: MondaytoSunday: 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

The Cannabis Licence Application applies to the property legally described as Lot 1, District Lot 4047, Cariboo District, Plan 15861, as shown outlined in bold black on Location Map #2 below

In addition, the applicant has applied to amend “City of Prince George Zoning Bylaw No. 7850, 2007” to rezone the subject property from C2: Regional Commercial to C2c: Regional Commercial. The C2c: Regional Commercial zone would permit “Retail Cannabis” as aprincipal use.

City Council considered first two readings of “City of Prince George Zoning Bylaw No. 7850, 2007, Amendment BylawNo. 9164, 2020” at their meeting held on February8,2021. Cannabis Licence Application No. CN000018 will be considered concurrently with proposed BylawNo. 9164, 2020 on February22, 2021. It is recommended that City Council’ssupportofthe Cannabis Licence Application be subject to the adoption of proposed BylawNo. 9164, 2020.

Notice of City Council’sdecision will be forwarded to the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch for their reviewand final determination on this application.

Location Map #2

6499-6437 HartHighway

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS AND CITY COUNCIL CONSIDERATION OF APPLICATIONS

3. “City of Prince George Zoning BylawNo. 7850, 2007, Amendment BylawNo. 9182, 2021”

Applicant: City of Prince George

Time: 6:00 p.m.

BylawNo. 9182, 2021 proposes to amend the “City of Prince George Zoning BylawNo. 7850, 2007” as follows:

a. That anew Section “15.21 –Z21: Integrated Health and Housing” be added to “Section 15 –Site Specific Zone”, to facilitate asite specific zone for health services and housing uses within the City of Prince George.

The purpose of the application is to facilitate adevelopment site that integrates housing and health service uses on the properties located at 805 /855 1st Avenue and 190 Ontario Street.

4. “City of Prince George Zoning BylawNo. 7850, 2007, Amendment BylawNo. 9138, 2020”

Applicant: M’akola Development Services for Trustees of the Congregation of Trinity United Church, In Trust

Subject Properties: 606, 614, 622 Zelkwas Avenue

Time: 6:00 p.m.

BylawNo. 9138, 2020 proposes to amend the “City of Prince George Zoning BylawNo. 7850, 2007” as follows:

a. that the subject properties be rezoned from P2: Minor Institutional to RM3: Multiple Residential, as shown on Appendix “A”toBylawNo. 9138, 2020; and

b. that Section 10.11.2 –“Principal Uses”: “RM3: Multiple Residential” be amended by inserting the words “Housing Supportive only on Lots 1-3, District Lot 937, Cariboo District, Plan 18167.”

The purpose of this application is to facilitate anon-profit, supportive and second stage housing development on the subject properties, or other uses, pursuant to the proposed RM3: Multiple Residential zoning designation(s).

The proposed Bylawapplies to the properties legally described as Lots 1-3, District Lot 937, Cariboo District, Plan 18167, as shown outlined in bold black on the Location Map #3 below

Location Map #3 606, 614, 622 Zelkwas Avenue

HOWCAN IPROVIDE COMMENT?

Residents are invited to provide comment in writing or by telephone.

In accordance with ordersofthe Provincial Health Officer related to gatherings and events, membersofthe public are not permitted to attend City Council meetings and Public Hearings. These meetings are live streamed on the City’swebsite www.princegeorge.ca and the recordings are archived for viewing at anytime.

Pursuant to section 464(2) of the Local Government Act,City Council has waived the requirements for aPublic Hearing to be held respecting proposed Zoning Amendment Bylaw

No. 9182, 2021 during the Regular Council Meeting held Monday, February8,2021.

Pursuant to Section 464(2) of the Local Government Act,City Council has waived the requirements for aPublic Hearing to be held respecting proposed Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 9138, 2020 during the Regular Council Meeting held Monday, August 17, 2020.

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, February16, 2021.Submissions received after the noted deadline and before 3:00 p.m. Monday, February22, 2021,will be provided to Council on the dayofthe 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.

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

•“City of Prince George Official Community Plan BylawNo. 8383, 2011, Amendment Bylaw No. 9115, 2020”;

•“City of Prince George Zoning BylawNo. 7850, 2007, Amendment BylawNo. 9116, 2020”;

•Cannabis Licence Application No. CN000018;

•“City of Prince George Zoning BylawNo. 7850, 2007, Amendment BylawNo. 9164, 2020”;

•“City of Prince George Zoning BylawNo. 7850, 2007, Amendment BylawNo. 9182, 2021”; and

•“City of Prince George Zoning BylawNo. 7850, 2007, Amendment BylawNo. 9138, 2020”.

Submissions by Telephone

In an efforttoprovide the public with options to speak to Council on Public Hearing applications and in accordance with the current Ministerial Order,the City now offers participation remotely via telephone during Public Hearings.

Residents can pre-register to speak to the proposed Bylaw(s) live via telephone. Preregistration will be open from 8:30 a.m., Thursday, February18, 2021 to Monday, February22, 2021 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.

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

•“City of Prince George Official Community Plan BylawNo. 8383, 2011, Amendment Bylaw No. 9115, 2020”;

•“City of Prince George Zoning BylawNo. 7850, 2007, Amendment BylawNo. 9116, 2020”;

•Cannabis Licence Application No. CN000018;

•“City of Prince George Zoning BylawNo. 7850, 2007, Amendment BylawNo. 9164, 2020”; 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 February10, 2021.These documents mayalso be reviewedatthe Development Services office on the 2nd Floor of City Hall on February10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 22, 2021, between the hoursof8:30 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.

Forquestions related to Public Hearing participation and procedures, please contact the Legislative Services Division by telephone (250)561-7793 or by email to cityclerk@princegeorge.ca.

Benny known for punny jokes

from page 1

“He was fun to be around and he was consistent, he always seemed to be in a good mood,” said Doug Jones, whose good friend and career co-worker Benny died Thursday.

“He was funny, topical, local and he had the consistency we all strive for. He was quick and thinking ahead of the curve all the time. Not only was he funny, he had a great worldly sense of what’s important and what’s not important. He had all the ingredients and he was the same on the air as he was off the air.”

Benny grew up in Thompson, Man., and started out working in radio in his home-

town, then at CKCK in Regina and in Kitimat before he came to Prince George. He had the afternoon shift for about a year at CKPG before he took over the morning slot from Jones, who arrived about six months before Benny

“We never got a chance to do a show together, which I think would have been so much fun,” said Jones, now the morning show host for 99.3 FM The Drive. Benny always had a joke of the day and he compiled some of his best ‘Mike-isms’ in his book World’s Punniest Joke Book.

“My favourite,” said Jones, “and it wasn’t in the book so I got him to write it in, was ‘What is King Kong’s favourite food?’ The answer, ‘A gorilla cheese sandwich.’”

Benny was diagnosed with lung cancer in the fall of 2019 and he died Thursday morning at Prince George Rotary Hospice House He was 58 An avid fly fisherman who loved to take his canoe to Ferguson Lake, Benny loved computers and was a creative web designer in his spare time. Jones said he had no formal training in broadcasting before he got into radio in his Thompson hometown.

Benny was the first host of Quiz Me, CKPG TV’s knowledge game show for kids and he also hosted Spruce Capital Rocks, a half-hour show in the ‘90s that was built around music videos.

“Although his humour was always special, he was so talented as an on-air per-

PROVINCIAL STANDARDS EXCEEDED

from page 1

particulate matter (PM 2.5) “one of the most important outdoor air pollutants in B.C. from a human health perspective.”

The province’s air quality objective for PM 2.5 is no more than eight micrograms per cubic metre on a annual average basis, and no more than 25 micrograms per cubic metre in a single 24-hour period.

“(It) is recognized that these levels are not necessarily protective of human health given scientifically-based evidence that there is no lower threshold limit for PM 2.5

effects on human mortality and morbidity,”

a provincial study conducted in 2006 said.

“In fact, the Federal-Provincial Working Group on Air Quality Objectives and Guidelines (WGAQOG) has determined that the target which would substantially reduce the risks to human health for PM 2.5 is 7.5 (micrograms per cubic metre of air).”

The UNBC model predicts that annual average fine particulate matter levels exceeded the provincial standard in 10 out of 23 neighbourhoods in the city

The central, northeast and southeast

areas of the bowl; north and central Hart; north, south and central BCR area; some parts of downtown; and area around the College of New Caledonia were all predicted to exceed the provincial annual air quality objectives. Six of the 10 were also projected to exceed the less-stringent national standard of 8.8 micrograms per cubic metre of air

The Cranbrook Hill, North Nechako, Central Nechako, Northwood, Chief Lake, south Hart, northwest and southwest bowl, some sections of downtown, southwest,

son, radio or TV,” said Barry, now the news director at CFJC in Kamloops. “As talented as he was on-air, he was twice as skilled as a person. He was humble, thoughtful, wise. Every time you finished talking to him you felt better about your situation, and he made everybody better around him. When you had a chance to be on air with him you knew you were going to sound good, because he made you sound good He was pretty incredible.”

Benny leaves behind his wife Laurel and their four children – daughters Claire and Katherine and sons Colin and Alex. The family requests that in lieu of flowers any donations in Benny’s honour be made to B.C. Cancer Society or P.G. Hospice House.

Westgate, College Heights and airport areas were all predicted to be below the provincial standard.

The study was conducted by Jackson and graduate student Brayden Nilsen. The city, Prince George Air Improvement Roundtable and Northern Health helped fund the the study, with technical support from the provincial and federal governments. The study looked at the 2014 to 2016 period because there was relatively low levels of wildfire smoke to skew the results, Jackson said.

Overworked nurses cracking under the strain of pandemic

TED CLARKE

Intensive care nursing staff at UHNBC are struggling to keep up with the workload at the hospital and are cracking under the pressure, according to a letter an ICU nurse sent to the head of the province’s nursing union.

Staff shortages exacerbated by the pandemic are putting the lives of critically-ill patients at risk and nurses, some now working overtime shifts to cover otherwise unfilled shifts, are feeling the strain

“They’re stretched too thin and many of these nurses have been working enormous amounts of overtime,” said Christine Sorensen, president of the BC Nurses Union.

“We do know if nurses do not get the rest they need to recover from the physical impact of their work in the highly-stressful environment that they’re in, this can impact their physical health as well as (cause) moral injury.

“Certainly if we have outbreaks in facilities we have to look at whether we’re placing people at risk. We are doing everything possible to keep people healthy and safe but things happen when people are exhausted.”

The intensive care unit at UHNBC was doubled from 10 beds to 20 to prepare for the pandemic and a 10-bed high-acuity care infectious disease unit was added to the hospital, but Sorensen says no additional critical care staff were hired to handle the increased workload. Nurses typically work four 12-hour shifts in a work week but Sorensen said some are coming in to fill shifts on their usual four days off and they aren’t getting any days off.

“The usual ICU baseline staff of eight registered nurses who work to cover that 10-bed ICU are now asked to stretch and cover potentially up to 30 beds, depending on how many infectious disease high-acuity patents are admitted into this extra space,” said Sorensen, who works in Kamloops as a public health nurse.

“Instead of 10 ICU beds, they’re really running 20 ICU beds with the same number of nursing staff. That group that makes up that rotation are now being asked to manage 20 beds, so you’ve doubled their capacity and if nurses are off-shift to rest and recover but what’s happening is they’re being called in because all these beds are full.”

The shortage of nurses in the Northern Health region is nothing new. BC Auditor-General Carol Bellringer, in her February 2018 audit, reported that in the previous year Northern Health was short 121 full-time registered nurses – close to 15 per cent of its 790 registered nurse positions - and needed 5.9 full-time nurse practitioners to meet its quota.

The worst of the pandemic locally was the Jubilee Lodge outbreak at UHNBC, which was finally declared over on Thursday, nearly two months after it began Seventeen residents of the long-term care facility died of COVID-19 infections and the outbreak caused 48 patients and 14 staff to become infected.

“This is a site where nurses are understaffed, not having access to person

protective equipment, struggling with the numbers of people who are exposed and infected with COVID – that has been an emotional roller-coaster at Jubilee as so many people became infected,” said Sorensen.

“The numbers of deaths has been so incredibly high and the nurses who work there develop very close relationships with these residents and they see them as extensions of their own families and they’ve cared for them often for a long time. So when one of them passes away to takes an emotional toll on the nurse, partly because these residents have been isolated from their family for so long. The distress the nurses are facing is considerable.”

More than 1,200 nurses have been infected since the start of the pandemic last March. And nurses remain fearful of facility outbreaks. Compounding that fear, Sorensen says there have been issues with nurses accessing N-95 masks and she says the province won’t reveal how many of those masks have been distributed to hospitals.

The province has continued to push its Surgical Renewal Commitment, a plan announced in May to get hospitals to resume near-normal surgery schedules after the onset of the pandemic postponed non-essential surgeries for nearly two months. Shortages of operating room nurses is causing overworked nurses in that stream to burn out and Sorensen suggested a solution would be to postpone non-essential surgeries until later in the spring, when the pandemic is more likely to ease.

“These nurses have been struggling in the north for a very long time and over the last 10 months they’ve been supporting the surgical renewal plan and are really not seeing a break from either the plan or the pressure to move as many surgeries through as the government is asking for,” said Sorensen.

“Now there’s an increasing need to prepare for some very sick patients who have COVID, as well as all of those who are coming in from all over the Northern Health area. Your outbreak numbers are increasing quite quickly and that only adds pressure to an acute healthcare system that’s already struggling under incredible workloads.”

Sorensen said there’s no immediate help on the way Most private agency nurses are already working in the publicly-funded healthcare system. She said the BCNU will continue to pressure Health Minister Adrian Dix to improve working conditions in hospitals to help retain nursing staff during the pandemic.

The union will try to convince the province to do what it takes to increase the number of seats in nursing schools and step up its international recruitment efforts while making it easier for internationally-educated nurses to come to the province to work.

“We need to look at putting in mental health supports for nurses and alleviate the non-nursing work that they’re doing, such as clerical work, housekeeping work,” said Sorensen.

ROLL-A-DOME’S FUTURE LOCKED IN WITH LEASE

TED CLARKE

Now that he has a three-year lease to manage and operate the Roll-A-Dome, knowing the venerable 69-year-old building is not going to be sold and leveled by some developer hoping to turn a profit, Jordan Yu’s plan is starting to unfold.

After years of speculation and worry that it might end up crumbling under a wrecker’s ball, which spurred community groups to rally to the rescue with their Save the Dome campaigns, Yu is doing what it takes to make the Roll-A-Dome the permanent home of many of the city’s sports, arts and recreation programs.

It doesn’t look like much from the outside and aside from a coat of paint the RollA-Dome resembles an aging warehouse that has seen better days. But it’s what goes on inside the building that counts. The new lease has prompted a collective sigh of relief from user groups who would have no other place to go if it closed permanently

“The Roll-A-Dome has been part of the PG community for generations and we want to keep it going as a community centre,” said Yu “So many great memories and times for people have been spent in it. People really love the place. You can just tell how special this place is for a lot of different people and we’re hell bent on keeping it that way for everyone.”

Yu only has to talk to some of the folks he sees coming by the Dome for drop-in

roller skating on weekend afternoons to remind him what the facility means to the community

”It’s like, ‘’I’m so glad you guys did this and thank you, I’ve been coming here since I was a child,’” said Yu.

The pandemic has shut down most of the Dome’s leagues and restrictions on activities and gatherings have also stopped most drop-in users from accessing the building. The interrupted revenue stream and the fact former operator Jon Lafontaine did not renew his lease last September raised speculation the building would be sold to a developer

The nine shareholders who bought the building in 2006 to preserve it as a community recreation centre did receive at least one offer but were reluctant to sell it, knowing a sale would likely seal the Roll-ADome’s fate.

“Ever since the last lease ran out there was talk about shutting it down but that was never going to be the case,” said shareholder Al Work, the face of the RollA-Dome for decades. “We were going to make sure we would get somebody in there to keep it going We turned down quite a lucrative offer from someone wanting to buy it They said they were wanting to keep it recreational but we had our doubts it was going to be fully that way, so we went with the lessees because they’re planning on keeping it going the way it always has been.”

Yu’s proven track record as owner/

operator of Northern Bounce Basketball Academy, which has been based at the Dome for three years, and the fact his business partners live in the city helped convince the ownership group to offer them the lease.

“We’re happy with the deal, I think it’s going in the right direction,” said shareholder Tony Ciolfitto. “I know they’re committed people and they’re Prince George people and they made a solid offer

“We’ve had offers from other people that might be tied to the apartments going up around there We’re all getting a little older and maybe it is a good time to sell. But we had the feeling if we did do a deal with those people I don’t think the Roll-ADome would have been around in a couple years.”

The pandemic is showing no signs of going away any time soon and Yu says his group is prepared to continue absorb the losses that come with keeping the building open until they can resume normal operations.

Built in 1952, the Roll-A-Dome is located on Recreation Place. The 30,000 square-foot facility has two indoor arenas/ gymnasiums used for roller skating, roller derby, skateboarding, soccer, ball hockey, lacrosse, rugby, baseball, boxing, freestyle skiing, BMX riding, cross-fit workouts, airsoft shooting and dog training The indoor space will continue to be used for trade shows, antiques fairs, garage sales, firefighter testing and special occasions. The

Dome also houses a used bookstore

An original part of the Prince George Golf and Curling Club, the Roll-A-Dome was a 10-sheet curling rink until 1979 when Work moved his roller skating rink from Red Rock to become the original lease-holder.

Lafontaine laid much of the groundwork when he developed his business plan three years ago and Yu said he will continue working with the same user groups to pick up where they left off once the threat of the pandemic is gone For many of those groups, the Roll-A-Dome is the cheapest available venue for their activities, which adds to its appeal.

Yu and his silent partners are going to invest in improvements to the Dome, just as he did three years ago when he laid down hardwood over a concrete floor to convert an arena into a gymnasium for Northern Bounce. The academy currently has more than 200 kids learning the skills of the game on weekdays, before and after school, and on weekends.

Some of the space adjacent to the two gyms will be turned into a community daycare centre for working families. The plan is to convert the second floor of the main gym into a permanent restaurant/viewing area for spectators.

The Roll-A-Dome is close to the Prince George Playhouse and one of the long-term goals is to team up with the Playhouse to bring fine arts and music programs to the Dome. The main gym could also be used to host concerts for local entertainers.

Brandnewpropertymeetslocalneedforqualityrentalapartments

“PrinceGeorgecontinues to grow and is ahub fornorthern B.C., so we sawthe potential in investing in this community This provedtrue with the success of ourfirstbuilding, O’Grady Heights,”Broadstreetmarketing and communications manager,Chris Thompson, says.“We alwaysstriveto find locations thatare convenientfor tenants and areclose to allthe amenities, and Fourwinds Crossing is so centralthat residents won’tevenneed acar to getaround.”

Thenew apartmentbuilding is locatedonRecplaceDrive, just ashort walk to Pine Centre Mall

“Thereare manydifferentfloor plans, depending on what people arelooking for,”Thompson says.

Fourwinds Crossing offers1,2,and 3-bedroom, pet-friendly, spacious suites forrent, featuring in-suitelaundry,full-size appliances and even large walk-inclosets in some suites.

Additionalamenitiesincludeadogrun,aconvenientdogwash station and acommunitygarden forthe family.Parking spaces arealso available forrent.

“Wehope people takeadvantageofthe opportunity to grow fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers in the community garden,” Thompson says

Residents of Fourwinds also have convenientaccess to on-sitemanagementand maintenance, as well as its 24/7 clientservices team available online.

“Tenants can reach us at any time.Weare proud to directly employour clientservices team, who is based out of our

home office in B.C.Tenants areneverwithout someone to talk to if theyhaveanissue with their home,”Thompson says

Creating aclient-focused rental experience is one of Broadstreet’sguiding principles.

“Fourwinds offersareasonably pricedmix of modernapartments,but at theend of the daywherewestand out is our greatservice. That’s one of the keytenets of Broadstreet Properties,”Thompson says.“Alittle bit of customer service can go along way. We’re focused on our tenants, and we makesure we’reasaccessible as possible.”

underserved fora long time, and we areexcited to be part of this growing community.”

BroadstreetPropertiesisaB.C.-basedbusinessthat has been in operation forover35years. As afamily-owned andoperatedorganization,it holds itsfamilyvaluesclosetoits business practices.

Broadstreetworks hand-in-hand with Seymour Pacific Developments to develop, build, ownand manageover11,000 apartmentand townhome units across Centraland Western Canada. Thetwo companies work to accomplish ashared goal: to create value fortenants, employees and the communities theyserve.

Together,the twocompanies strivetocreatethe best rental communities from dirt to door

“Good, quality rental accommodation is neededall overthe country,and we see demand in every market,especially B.C.,” Thompson says.“PrinceGeorge’srental market has been

Forthose interested in learning more about apartments at Fourwinds Crossing, thereisacomprehensivevirtual tour on the building’swebsite, as well as photosand floorplans. Broadstreetplans to opena showsuiteinthe futureonceit’s safertodoso.

“Weknownot everyone is keen on checking out showsuites in person rightnow,which is whywe’ve builtagreat website to make it accessible foreveryone no matter theircomfort level,”Thompson says

Forvirtual tours, moreinformation and to applyto Fourwinds Crossing now, visit: www.broadstreet.ca/properties/fourwinds-crossing

Notified of COVID exposure too late

Ted CLARKE

A man whose 10-year-old daughter came into close contact with another person at their Prince George school who later tested positive for COVID-19 is wondering why it took 11 days to receive that confirmation from the public health authority.

Nathan Thomson got a call from Northern Health last Sunday and was told his daughter was exposed to the infected person on Jan. 26 and that his daughter would have to serve the remaining three days of a 14-day quarantine period.

Thomson wonders why it took so long for the health authority’s contact tracing system to do its job and confirm the positive close exposure, knowing his daughter attended classes at Heritage Elementary School for nearly two weeks after the determined date of exposure.

The girl’s mother received an email from School District 57 on Jan. 27, which warned she was potentially exposed to the virus at Heritage and that any further instructions would come from Northern Health.

“The most risky part of the quarantine period is over,” said Thomson. “How is this going to prevent the spread of COVID when she’s been running around for 11 out of the 14 days. I’m completely appalled how ineffective that is. They just about missed the entire two-week period here.

“We’ve done our best to follow the procedures and minimize risk throughout and we’ll continue to carry on doing that, of

course, but I fear that this was definitely a situation that if she did have it at any point here, it’s too little, too late. Everybody she’s been in contact with for that 10 or 11 days needs to be notified and notify their people if they’re concerned about it but it shouldn’t have come to this.”

Thomson says while the general public is being asked by governments to strictly follow health protocols and observe restrictions on public gatherings that have closed businesses or resulted in staff reductions, he sees the delays in his daughter’s case as an example of the health authority failing to do its job to protect people.

“A couple of days after that email, we should have known yes or no if you’re good or you’re not,” Thomson said. “That (phone call) took so long, we figured we were in the clear. Now we find out, we have a problem here.

“So while the government threatens citizens with outrageous fines for breeching travel policies, they allow the potential spread of the virus through incompetence and inefficiency.”

But according to Northern Health spokesperson Eryn Collins, the public health authority acted as quickly as possible and followed all its established protocols to reduce the risk of transmission in the Heritage school case.

In the event a student, teacher or member of the school community tests positive for COVID, Northern Health will first initiate contact tracing to find out how the

student was infected and who their close contacts were. Those identified close contacts who might be at increased risk are notified and asked to self-isolate and watch for symptoms. Only public health staff can determine who the infected person’s close contacts. Learning groups, friends or other connections might be ruled out in the investigation as close contacts. The health authority will remain in contact with the school and school district to communicate any new developments until the case is resolved. All those procedures were followed in the Heritage case, said Collins, but there is a turnaround time involved in each case which delays when close contacts can be told they have been exposed

“Even assuming the person got tested the same day they felt symptomatic and got the test results within 48 hours and was contacted by Northern Health on the third day to do the contact tracing, four to five days would be the minimum for us to determine who those close contacts were,” said Collins.

“(Thomson) is making an assumption that it took Northern Health 11 days to do something. The January 26th date was the date Northern Health was able to confirm this individual, who has tested positive, was in the school setting. We also go back two days before a person’s symptom onset to capture any potential for them to infectious before their symptoms really got started.

“That doesn’t mean we’ve known about it since January 26th. That may have been two days before they became symptomatic, it may have been five days before they actually got tested and it may have been nine days before they got their test results

and got in touch with Northern Health. Northern Health didn’t wait 11 days to notify anybody.”

Notifications of a possible exposure sent by the school district to parents do not mean the student receiving the letter has come into close contact with the infected person and unless the family receives a letter or phone call from Northern Health, that student should continue to attend school classes If notification of a possible exposure is received, parents are asked to monitor their children for COVID-19 symptoms, using the online self-assessment tool at https://bc.thrive.health.

Northern Health posts school exposures on its website which remain listed until one month after the last exposure date. Collins said there have not been no outbreaks (clusters of COVID-19 cases) in any school in the Northern Health region since the pandemic began last March

Northern Health now has more than 100 staff involved in contact tracing. Shifts are covered every day and they’ve been kept busy lately

“We make every effort to complete the process as quickly as possible because we want to make sure that anyone who is truly most at risk from an exposure to a confirmed case is informed and can take appropriate action,” said Collins.

“The rates of COVID activity we have been seeing in the North during the second wave mean that everyone, whether or not they’re a known close contact of a confirmed COVID case, is at similar risk. Potential contacts with cases can occur in a variety of settings and we really do need everyone to be following the public advice and orders, closely monitoring.”

Verdict upgraded to first-degree murder in 2015 shooting

MARK NIELSEN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The B.C. Court of Appeal has raised a conviction for a man involved in a drug-related shooting death outside of Prince George to first-degree murder.

The outcome, issued last week, means Darren Cayley Daniel Sundman will have to serve 25 years before he is eligible to apply for parole, up from the 16 years he originally faced upon sentencing in July 2018 for the January 2015 murder of Jordan Taylor McLeod.

McLeod was just 24 years old when he was shot to death after he jumped out of a moving pickup truck just as it had turned onto Upper Fraser Road from Highway 16 to escape his assailants

The trial judge found Sundman and co-accused Sebastian Martin guilty of murder, but concluded that neither of them could be convicted of first-degree murder because, at the time of the shooting, McLeod’s confinement had come to an end.

Crown prosecution appealed the verdicts arguing that the judge erred in law by requiring proof that the confinement and murder occurred simultaneously

A three-judge BCCA panel agreed with Crown in the case of Sundman

“On the facts he found the judge erred in law in concluding McLeod was not confined at the time of the shooting. In addition, he erred in law by assigning legal significance to the brief gap in time between when McLeod jumped from the vehicle and the shooting,” the judges said in a summary of their 180-page ruling.

They dismissed the appeal of Martin’s conviction, concluding he had not been a party to the confinement The judges also dismissed an appeal lodged on behalf of Sundman in which counsel argued the trial judge misapprehended evidence relating to intoxication and that a delay in issuing written reasons on certain pre-trial ruling gave rise to a miscarriage of justice.

The trial judge found Sundman shot McLeod three times before Martin fired twice, killing McLeod almost instantly.

From there, they put McLeod in the back of the truck and drove to the Kaykay Forest Service Road west of the city and dumped his body McLeod’s body was found about a month later while, after some initial apprehension, a key witness to the episode cooperated with police.Sundman’s brother, Kurtis Riley Sundman, was sentenced in July 2018 to a further seven years seven months and 15 days for manslaughter

DOWNTOWN HIT BY RASH OF BREAK-INS

MARK NIELSEN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Prince George RCMP are on the lookout for suspects following a rash of break and enters targeting downtown businesses over two days last week.

The first occurred on Mon., Feb. 8 around 4 a.m. when police were called to an alarm at a 1200-block 4th Avenue business.

They arrived to find the glass front door smashed out and three laptop computers, worth $1,500 each, missing while a dog and handler were unable to pick up a track due to the snow and extreme cold.

At 8 a.m., they were called to a report of several break ins at a building in the 200 block of Victoria Street but were also able to get an image from a surveillance camera showing someone entering the building at 3:45 a.m.

The suspect is described as a Caucasian male wearing a White Sox pro-fit hat, Mechanix gloves, blue jeans and unique shoes and carrying a multi-tool on his hip.

Items stolen include $10,000 in vintage coins, some high-end rookie hockey cards, multiple laptops, an iPad and several hundred dollars in old currency

“Some of these items are very specific and not widely in circulation. If anyone notices items like these for sale on electronic sale sites, they should contact the Prince George RCMP with the seller’s information

and include a screen shot of the listing,” said Cst. Jennifer Cooper

Police also believe the man is responsible for an attempt to break into an ATM machine at 500 block Victoria Street business. RCMP were called to that incident at 2 p.m.

Police also have a description for an incident on Tues., Feb. 9 when an unknown amount of money was taken from a business in the 1800 block of Victoria Street.

The suspect is described as a Caucasian male wearing a black jacket, black hoodie, blue jeans and unique shoes and carrying a yellow and black backpack. Images show him entering the building at about 3 a.m., when he crawled through an insecure ground level window then used the elevator to gain entry to the businesses.

RCMP are asking businesses in the area to check their surveillance for suspicious activity between 2-6 a.m. on Mon., Feb. 8 and Tues., Feb. 9.

“The Prince George RCMP would like to remind everyone to remain vigilant and to take that one last look around before you leave your vehicle or your business for the day,” said Prince George RCMP Staff Sgt Chris Riddle “Make sure you have not left anything out in your car, including spare change or clothing, and make sure all of your doors and windows are secure. People like this make it their business to find what we have forgotten, so take the extra minute to secure your belongings ”

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New COVID variant identified in B.C.

Citizen staff

A third variant of the COVID-19 virus has been identified in B.C.

Provincial health officer Dr Bonny Henry said the new variant – B1 525 - is associated with travel to or from Nigeria. So far just one case has been found in B.C. and that person had returned from a trip to the country on the west-central coast of Africa.

“We aren’t entirely clear yet whether this variant also has increased transmissibility or causes more severe illness, but our lab team is working with their counterparts in Canada and internationally to get a better understanding of what this can mean,” Henry said.

“The emergence of these variants of course makes us all concerned here in B.C. They’ve shown in many place around the world that the do confer an advantage in that these viruses tend to spread more quickly and now (there is) more evidence that they might cause more severe illness.”

As of last week in B.C. 46 confirmed cases of variant strains of the virus had been identified, including 29 cases of the

B1.1.7 variant originally found in the United Kingdom and 17 of the B 1.351 variant associated with South Africa.

The B C. Centre for Disease Control has been conducting a point prevalence assessment study which screened every positive COVID case between Jan. 30 and Feb. 5 with a genetic marker to determine how many cases have the variant. Of the 3,099 confirmed positive cases just three (0.1 per cent) had the variant.

“This is reassuring, it tells us that we don’t have high levels of transmission in our communities but we still need to be cautious and continue to monitor,” said Henry.

Heading into last weekend the province has given out 162,982 first doses of vaccine and 17,562 second doses.

Henry said the vaccines are working and senior residents of care homes are proving how effective the immunization program has been in slowing transmission rates and outbreaks, despite supply issues. The province expects to take delivery of 55,000 new doses of the Pfizer vaccine this week.

“As we know in the past couple weeks we’ve had very limited vaccine supply but thankfully starting next week deliveries of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will start to resume at much higher levels and we expect to have a significant bump in supply in the coming weeks,” said Henry. “This will allow us to fully resume our provincewide immunization program, focusing as we have been in Phase 1 on those who are highest risk of severe illness and death, and frontline health-care workers.

“Very soon we’ll be able to expand into the community groups, particularly our seniors and elders. We’ve also seen a notable decrease in transmission and outbreaks in long-term care and assisted living facilities as immunization has rolled out. This is clear evidence of the effectiveness of the vaccine and extremely encouraging news and I know a relief to everybody who has family member in care homes.”

Manitoba premier Brian Pallister announced Thursday that province’s intent to buy two million doses of an vaccine made in Alberta by Providence Therapeu-

tics. When asked if B.C. would consider a similar purchase of domestic vaccine, Health Minister Adrian Dix said Friday that is a possibility

“Certainly we’re interested in anything in the long run that would create stronger domestic capacity and I know Dr. Henry and I will be meeting with the company as well on that question to take a look at that,” said Dix. “But right now we’re focusing on the immunization of 4.3 million British Columbians, which is our priority this week.”

Both outbreaks at University Hospital of Northern B.C in Prince George have ended. The outbreak was Thursday at Jubilee Lodge long-term care facility which started on Dec. 12 was declared over on Thursday, after 48 patients and 14 staff became infected. Seventeen residents died as a result of that outbreak. On Wednesday Northern Health medical officers declared an end to the outbreak at UHNBC’s internal medicine unit. That began Jan. 29, resulting in the infections of 21 patients and 12 staff members and nine deaths.

City to offer break on late utility payments

ARTHUR WILLIAMS

Starting in 2022, the city will change how it imposes penalties for late utility bill payments.

Last year, council approved eliminating the 10 per cent late fee for late utility bill payments. On Monday, city council approved a new system for 2022 that would see interest imposed on late payments, equal to the prime lending rate, plus three per cent.

Under the old system, the penalty for late payment was the same, whether the person was a day late or six months late, director of finance Kris Dalio said.

“I think it’s a much more equitable and fair system,” Dalio said.

Any outstanding utility payments will continue to be added to the resident’s property tax bill at the end of the year, he added. The interest rate imposed by the city is the same one mandated by provincial legislation for unpaid property taxes

Unless prime lending rates were to skyrocket, Coun. Cori Ramsay said, most residents who pay their utility bills late will end up paying significantly less than the 10 per cent flat penalty.

The cost of changing the city’s systems over was expected to be between $10,000

and $20,000, with interest payments expected to be under $150,000 per year. In 2019, the city collected $392,778 in late penalties on utility bills.

While the city is free to set its own penalties on utility bills, it is required by provincial legislation to impose 10 per cent penalties on late property tax payments at some point during the calendar year

“We have no control over that. July 2 is the default deadline in the Community Charter,” Dalio said.

Council approved returning to its normal practice of imposing a five per cent late fee on unpaid property taxes on the first

Friday of July (July 2 this year) and the second five per cent penalty on the second Friday of September (Sept. 1o this year).

In 2020, council delayed the second five per cent penalty to Oct. 1, to align with extended deadlines for business properties mandated by the B.C. government

The city’s normal deadlines allow any final details to be prepared, before the annual tax sale at 10 a.m. on Sept. 27 in 2021, Dalio said

The B.C Local Government Act requires the city to hold the tax sale on that date, for any property for which property taxes have been outstanding for two years.

Civil forfeiture targets deny wrongdoing

MARK NIELSEN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A Prince George man and woman are denying a claim by the B.C. Civil Forfeiture Office that their two homes are the proceeds and instruments of unlawful activity.

Tyler Aaron James Gelowitz and Randi Alisia Lynn Temoin have each filed responses to a notice of claim from the CFO. While Gelowitz’s simply states he denies the allegations the CFO has set out, Temoin’s goes into more detail.

In particular, she says the homes were obtained through legitimately-earned

income and through the sale of previously legitimately-owned properties, and from settlements of both family and insurance claims.

She also says the $26,430 in cash found by police in one of the homes was from the sale of a car as well as legal and legitimate employment. Temoin says the same regarding a satellite phone seized by police and denies any knowledge of a cellphone or a money counter also seized.

Gelowitz continues to face five counts of trafficking in a controlled substance, along with one count each of possessing a controlled substance and possessing a loaded,

restricted firearm without authorization.

The counts stem from an Aug. 1, 2019 arrest when Prince George RCMP’s street crew unit executed search warrants on five homes, including two named in the CFO’s notice at 2805 Parent Road and 6843 Fairmont Crescent.

During the searches, police seized 1.3 kilograms of cocaine, 0.5 kg of methamphetamine, 200 grams of fentanyl and 28 grams of gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB). In addition, police seized a total of nine firearms, including two pistols, a silencer and $129,000 in cash.

According to B.C. Assessment, the Par-

ent Road home is valued at $442,000 and the Fairmont Crescent home at $332,000.

The CFO is also seeking $36,995 in cash seized by RCMP on the day of Gelowitz’s arrest, as well as a satellite phone, a cellphone and a money counter.

Although she faces no criminal charges, Temoin is also named in the notice of claim as a co-owner of the two homes.

An arraignment hearing on the criminal charges against Gelowitz has been put over to early March.

None of the allegations in either the criminal matter or in the civil matter have yet been tested in court.

CITIZEN

BY JAMES DOYLE /LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE

Brock Bailey gets ready to feed the ducks at Cottonwood Island Park as he and

PWB helps feed the ducks

Pacific Western Brewery has set aside 3,000 pounds of grain to feed the ducks at Cottonwood Island Park over the winter.

Longtime Ducks Unlimited members Brock Bailey and Paul Cailleaux, who have been providing feed to waterfowl in the area for the past five winters, will get access to the stores, the brewery said in a statement issued Wednesday

“We will be storing the grain with our regular stock and taking what they need from it on an ongoing basis until natural food sources start to return for the ducks again,” PWB brewmaster Kelly Olson said.

Olson approached Bailey and Cailleaux with the idea after hearing about their dedication to the cause.

“I heard what they were doing to help ensure the local ducks could survive our

tough winters and thought it would be pretty great if PWB could step up to support them,” Olson said. “One of our core company values is giving back, and we always have a significant supply of malted barley on hand here at the Brewery as it’s one of our key ingredients for making beer, so I reached out to Brock to see how we could help.”

Bailey welcomed the contribution

“We are very grateful for PWB’s willingness to support our work of feeding the ducks,” Bailey said. “The grains they are giving us certainly won’t cover 100 per cent of what we need, but it will ensure that we are not left stranded without a regular supply to have the birds fed and taken care of.”

Donations from the public to the effort are still welcome. They can be dropped off at Spruce Capital Feeds, 1694 Quinn St

British company to buy Pinnacle Pellet

British energy company Drax has agreed to acquire Pinnacle Pinnacle Pellet for $385 million.

Drax owns the world’s largest sustainable biomass power station, located in the United Kingdom, as well as wood pellet mills in the southern United States.

The purchase of Pinnacle’s 11 sites will increase the count to 17 pellet plants and development projects. Drax will also gain a terminal in Prince Rupert.

Pinnacle is the second largest producer of industrial wood pellets in the world and has offices in Prince George and Vancouver It operates nine production facilities in Western Canada and one in Alabama, with one additional facility under construction in Alabama and more in development.

“Drax and Pinnacle share a common focus on delivering good quality low-cost biomass which we both believe is critical to global decarbonisation,” Pinnacle CEO Duncan Davies said in a statement. “The combination will create a global leader in sustainable biomass with the vision, technical expertise and financial strength to help meet the growing demand for renewable energy products, which is exciting for our employees and customers.”

Shareholders are to receive $11.30 per share - a 13 per cent premium on the closing price as of Feb. 5. Drax will also take on Pinnacle’s net debt of $356 million.

The transaction remains subject to shareholder and regulatory approval but is expected to be completed in the second or third quarter of 2021.

CITY WELCOMING GRANT APPLICATIONS

Local groups can now apply for help from the City to get their projects and events up and running.

The myPG community grant program typically provides $2,500 to $8,000 but can be as little as $900 for activities and projects aimed at boosting community pride, safety, social connections, physical activity, arts and culture and equity and inclusion.

Further information can be found at through the City’s website, www.princegeorge.ca or by emailing communityrecreation@princegeorge.ca

The deadline for applications is March 15.

Citizen staff

PHOTO

Paul Cailleaux do every day during the frigid winter months.

Map shows extent of industrial activity in B.C.

Conservation North has released a map showing the cumulative impact industrial activity has had on the province’s forest.

It depicts roughly three-quarters of the province covered in a swath of red while an accompanying map shows how little old growth is left. It is the product of a project dubbed Seeing Red

Conservation North outreach coordinator Jenn Matthews said in a statement the group “wanted to show what has actually happened in those forests that most of us can’t see.”

The maps were issued at a time when, according to the group, forests that have never been disturbed by industry are threatened by both industrial logging and a burgeoning bioenergy industry.

The group contends the forests that still stand should remain untouched in the name of curtailing climate change and subscribe to the claim that they do a better job of sequestering carbon than planted forest and offer great benefits in terms of biodiversity.

“The scientific research does not agree; primary forests are in fact carbon assets whose greatest climate value is realized

when they are left standing,” Conservation North director Michelle Connolly said in the statement.

The maps were issued the same week that British-based Drax, which owns the largest biomass power station in the United Kingdom, said it has reached a deal to buy Pinnacle Pellet, which operates four pellet plants in the Central Interior.

The maps are available online at the Conservation North website, conservationnorth.org

On Sunday afternoon the Prince George Symphony Orchestra performed for an audience for the first time since November but like so many other things in a COVID world, the audience was not in front of them but instead viewing the show virtually. It was the first of three scheduled livestream shows for the symphony and this one was entitled Picturing Spring in Winter

PGSO goes virtual

CITIZEN PHOTOS BY JAMES DOYLE/LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE

LOVE IN A DANGEROUS TIME

Celebrated Valentine’s Day this past weekend by spending Saturday night with my lovely wife at a local hotel, away from the grown teenagers and the home that has been more office than home for nearly a year now.

We are still madly in love with each other, despite having to spend our working days in fairly close quarters, especially this winter As a result, there have been a growing number of roommate days, where we spend our free time after work alone, watching TV, reading, crafting and going for walks. She is exhausted by my reality TV viewing (news, sports and documentaries) and her reality TV viewing (90 Day Fiancé, Below Deck, The Incredible Dr. Pol) encourages me to do the laundry, iron shirts and scrub the bathroom.

It’s only been in recent years that I’ve become a fan of Valentine’s Day. I don’t care about its origins or its commercialization. I only care that it is another day on the calendar - along with birthdays, anniversary, Christmas, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day - to put life on pause to show some extra love.

My relationship with love itself has

NIGHT SHIFT

NEIL GODBOUT

evolved through my adult life and there have been so many lessons, both sweet and bitter

The result has been embracing love in different forms, rather than putting romantic love on a pedestal and diminishing other forms of love.

These days, I don’t just tell my spouse and my kids how much I love them.

I now tell my parents I love them, something that simply wasn’t on the menu from my teenaged years all the way to middle age. I am blessed to have two healthy living parents still married to one another Not telling them I love them seems downright rude and unappreciative.

I also tell my dear friends I love them. In all but one case, they said it first because I was shy but once they opened the door, I just waltzed right in.

And when this COVID thing is all over, there will be much hugging, some of it inappropriate and uncomfortable but it will

come from that loving place in my heart.

As I was writing this, reporter Christine Hinzmann informed me in an email “you know I luv ya like a boss!”

I’ll take it.

Even if I think her “luv” is actually gratitude that my recent doctor’s appointment was of minor concern, I won’t be away on illness and – most importantly - she won’t have to do my job in my absence (other than next week while I’m off on vacation).

Christine and I have worked together for many years. She has seen me at my best and my worst, as I have with her Being in the trenches together – even in a manager/ employee relationship - with people for a long time builds trust and respect, core elements of love.

So yes, I love Christine and my reporting team. They have been outstanding for years and especially in the last 12 months. Despite all of us taking 20 per cent wage cuts since the end of last March to keep our doors open when ad revenues crashed, they have excelled in their four-day work weeks. Our website traffic is up 40 per cent from last year and I love getting the regular calls and emails from grateful readers about our recent work.

I even love the calls and emails from an-

noyed readers, complaining about everything from spelling mistakes to what we’re covering, how we’re covering and why we’re not covering other things. Those calls mean they’re reading our work and they care so much about it that they took time out of their day to tell me about it

So, yes, I love my job and the 36 years I have devoted to this career

Maybe it’s COVID, maybe it’s getting another year older, maybe it’s Valentine’s Day and the longer days and the bright sunshine this week but I find myself in a lovely and loving mood.

Sadly, a statement like that sounds sickeningly sweet. Positive love that isn’t our own is uncomfortable at best, repulsive at worst and completely elusive to proper expression through words that doesn’t trivialize it (although there have been excellent attempts by our finest poets).

The downside of love and all of the feelings and consequences that come with it are far more fertile ground for study and discussion. Put another way, Joy Division’s Love Will Tear Us Apart is a much better and more interesting song than Captain and Tennille’s Love Will Keep Us Together

But that’s just what I love.

You do you and love it.

Brain injury huge issue for inmates

A2013 study revealed that 90 per cent of inmates at the Regional Correctional Centre in Prince George identified having a brain injury.

These inmates spent many years experiencing problems at home, school and in the community. They were labeled by the system with all kinds of diagnosed conditions, stemming from their inappropriate and anti-social behaviours. The worst part was they did not understand why they were the way they were.

Unfortunately, the focus was on the outcome, not the cause There are a disproportionate number of brain-injured folks who end up in the criminal justice system

The 2013 study conducted at our local prison was a partnership between the Brain Injured Group (BIG) and the University of Northern B.C The findings of the research pointed strongly towards a need to develop a specialized program to help brain injured inmates understand and overcome barriers associated with their disability

BOGGLED

DIANE NAKAMURA

Christine Smith is a case manager at BIG and oversees one of their programs called CIBIS (Corrections Integrated Brain Injury Services). CIBIS began as a pilot project in 2015. The eight-week program was developed by BIG to provide brain injury education and coping tools to inmates and Corrections staff.

CIBIS proved to be a huge success. In 2017, BIG was presented with a community service award for this innovative program. As the needs grew, the program expanded to include weekly one-on-one individual support in custody and in the community And CBIS assisted in case planning for inmates after they were released.

CIBIS has had remarkable results. Dave is one of the success stories. In the spring of 2017, Dave was charged for theft and breach of his probation order Dave was

homeless, active in addiction and endured many years of trauma living on the streets. He was caught up in a vicious cycle of addictions, homelessness and crime.

Dave attended CIBIS, at first with skepticism that it would be a waste of time He quickly realized how much he was learning applied to him. Dave worked incredibly hard to embrace the content of the program and overcome the barriers that got him into trouble. He also became an advocate for his peers.

During the summer of 2017, CIBIS assisted in planning Dave’s release and follow up in the community. He would access BIG, at first once a week, then in time, Dave was at the office every day. BIG was his safe place because staff was well-versed in brain injury affecting the ability to remember appointments, complete paperwork and follow through with tasks. Instead of getting into trouble, BIG maintained patience and consistency with Dave, while helping him maneuver through the maze.

Through BIG’s supported employment program, Dave landed his first job in 10 years Although this was a temporary job,

MAILING ADDRESS

Dave achieved success with it and was proud of himself.

Dave passed away suddenly a year later. In the year he spent out of jail, he had accomplished more during that time than he ever had. Most importantly, this was the longest he had stayed out of jail in his entire adult life.

During my career as a social worker and counsellor, I worked with hundreds of criminalized youth and adults. Many of them were treated poorly by the system that was supposed to help them. Lack of awareness, education and understanding of past trauma and brain injury resulted in a never-ending stream of folks falling between the cracks.

However, I also know of many who went through the school of hard knocks and are now contributing members of society. Somewhere along the line, people believed in them.

Organizations such as BIG in partnership with the corrections system provide windows of opportunity for at-risk, vulnerable folks to turn their lives around.

Where there is support, there is hope

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Stay true to a principled life

Irecently showed Steven Spielberg’s classic film about the Holocaust, Schindler’s List, to a group of students. Watching German soldiers terrorizing and murdering Jewish people, I thought to myself that on some level they had to have known that what they were doing was wrong. Yet they seemed to be unaffected. Were they impacted at all? Didn’t they have any awareness of the sort of legacy they were leaving?

The answers to these questions have come primarily from their descendants. Amon Goeth was the psychotic concentration camp commander in Schindler’s List. He had a wife and two children in Vienna. At the camp, he had a mistress named Ruth Irene Kalder. Goeth and Kalder had a daughter named Monika Hertwig. Goeth was hanged for war crimes in 1946. Kalder committed suicide in 1983. Hertwig went on to meet with survivors of her father’s tyranny, featured in the 2006

LESSONS IN LEARNING

GERRY CHIDIAC

documentary Inheritance. Hertwig’s daughter, Jennifer Teege, who is black, published My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me in 2015.

More recently, Arnold Schwarzenegger, born in Austria in 1947, spoke candidly about the legacy of his father’s generation. His father would come home drunk once or twice a week and terrorize his family. Many other men in his village did the same thing to their families. None of them were Amon Goeth, but they were broken men, unable to face the guilt of what they had been a part of.

Hertwig, Teege and Schwarzenegger understand the crimes of their fathers and grandfathers. They know why genocide occurred and they know how to prevent it We need to listen.

The Nazis understood the power of a

Lessons learned

This last year has seen a plethora of statements along the lines of “No one could have predicted this” or “Who could have seen this coming?”

Such sentiments have been offered by politicians, pundits, health professionals, and even our neighbours. They are usually uttered as a sign of quiet resignation in much the same way we talk about the weather: “Real cold this week.”

“Yeah, who could have seen that happening?”

But even discounting the proverbial doom sayers, those believing in the end of days, and Hollywood blockbusters, the inevitability of many of the events of the past year have been predicted and even planned for by governments, think tanks, and academics.

For example, that a virus or bacteria would arise leading to a global pandemic has been an almost certainty for anyone studying the issue in the past 30 years. This is why responsible governments developed pandemic plans. And why those responsible for the pandemic plans knew their plans would not survive the first onslaught. Reality is always much more complex than plans and predictions.

In Canada, our failure to develop a “home-grown” pharmaceutical industry is coming back to haunt us We are now de-

pendent upon other countries for vaccines. And those other countries have their own demands from their own citizens who need the vaccine just as much as we do.

On the other hand, in terms of immunizing our population, Canada isn’t doing too badly Sure, we might not be immunizing at the rate of the UK or US - and no one can match what is happening in Israel - but we are way ahead of many other countries around the world. Some countries have yet to receive a single vaccine dose!

But the political spectacle which has taken place south of the border ever since the Donald lost the election is perhaps a more interesting case. In 1962, John F Kennedy said “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.” And the events of the past few months south of the border echo this sentiment.

In his book “Aftershock”, Robert Reich observes “The underlying problem emerged around 1980, when the American middle class started being hit by the double whammy of global competition and labor-replacing technologies.

lie that was repeated and repeated and repeated.

The flames of anti-Semitism, prevalent throughout the world at the time, were fanned by lies, propaganda and fear The result was enthusiastic participation in violence and murder, leading many to overwhelming guilt.

In the mid-20th century, people were surprised that Europe, a centre of culture and enlightenment, descended into genocide and chaos. The Holocaust did not happen because people had no culture, it happened because people compromised their principles.

Principles are ideals like respect, love, honesty and truth. The obvious antithesis to a lie is the truth.

Truth becomes a scarce commodity, however, when our goal is to draw attention to our media platforms and generate clicks. Fake news draws a lot of attention when it appeals to our irrational fear and anger. The truth is our media providers are being horribly irresponsible by disseminating this information. If we consumers need to fact check what they are publishing, it

means that they are not doing their jobs. Imagine what the Nazis would have done if they had access to today’s social media platforms. In an effort to appeal to these platforms, even mainstream media outlets have drifted toward extremism. The truth is there are good people in every group and there is good and bad in each person. No one has a complete understanding of all of the mysteries of the universe, thus respect for diversity of opinion is vital Honest and informed dialogue leads to a better understanding of the truth Respect for diversity is thus the antithesis of extremism.

Hopefully, we are entering an era where the truth matters, where we understand its priceless value in preserving our democracy As an educator, my most important task is to pursue truth with my students. As a columnist, I need to remember that walking toward truth with my readers is far more important than getting clicks. Perhaps we have lost our focus in recent years.

It is important to remember that no one ever regrets leaving a legacy of truth.

“But rather than strengthening safety nets, empowering labor unions, improving education and job training, and taking other measures to better adapt the American work force, the nation turned in the opposite direction.

“Instead of implementing a new set of policies that would enable the middle class to flourish under these very different circumstances, political leaders - reflecting the prevailing faith in an omnipotent all knowing free market - embraced deregulation and privatization, attacked and diminished labor unions, cut taxes on the wealthy, and shredded social safety nets

“The manifest result was stagnant wages for most Americans, increasing job insecurity, and steadily widening inequality. The benefits of economic growth accrued to a smaller and smaller group.”

I apologize for the length of that quote but it is backed up by measures of income inequality which now see the top 1% taking in 25% of the total national income. And a similar shift can be seen in Canada, although not quite so pronounced due to the fundamental political differences between the two countries.

Reich goes on to point out as the social contract has been broken, it will lead to a revolution.

Trump didn’t create the conditions which lead to the storming of the Capi-

Census workers wanted for northern B.C.

tol on January 6th but he did recognize the economic stagnation of middle class America and took advantage of it. And yes, Reich predicted the rise of a demagogue who would take advantage of loss of public trust in the system.

What lesson can we learn from this?

The first is by studying history, economics, social psychology, and human nature, it is possible to predict how people, on mass, will behave to some extent. The second is replacing the Donald doesn’t really address the underlying issues south of the border And finally, we need to be wary in Canada of a similar rise in demagogues.

We have traveled a long way down the same road as the United States. But we still have time to turn from their path. As we work our way out of the pandemic, we need to be investing in education and job training, strengthening our social safety nets, and ensuring there is a place for every Canadian in our economy We need to rethink CEO’s who earn on January 1st the same wages their employees earn in an entire year

We need to consider how we protect ourselves against this pandemic which will continue for years as the virus mutates. And how to protect ourselves against the next pandemic.

We don’t want to be saying “Who could have seen this coming?” any more.

dents by phone and conduct physically-distanced in-person interviews, when required,” it says in a statement.

For more information and to apply now, visit the Census jobs page (census. gc.ca/jobs-emplois-eng.htm) of the census website.

Good grief, not good government

It was 2006, and I was in Bolivia, on my first adventure into the “developing world.” Among other things, I discovered modern buildings can exist next to crumbling slums, and tile flooring is considered a “poor man’s floor,” and only the rich can afford carpeting. The city of Santa Cruz is quite modern. But then, we took a hired bus into rural Bolivia.

As the city melted away, the smooth concrete road implied a few hours of nice driving. We were travelling what the locals called “Trans Kone,” Bolivia’s cross-country highway I was warned by our Canadian expat family that the nice road surface only went a short way

The concrete stopped about an hour out of the city Then, on what could only be called a “beaten path,” we slowed to about 20km/hr We swerved from one side of the path to the other to avoid the deep,

THINKING ALOUD TRUDY KLASSEN

wide, dry holes. The interior of our hired van filled with thick dust, and we choked when we tried to take a full breath. I could not imagine what it would have been like if it rained!

Our hosts informed us that the Bolivian Ministry of Transportation had just put out a third tender to properly build this cross-country highway The first two times, the money disappeared, but no highway was built. They were third-time lucky, and the highway is now complete. So, the impoverished people of Bolivia got to pay three times for a highway needed to improve their lives.

This is the type of thing that we Canadians like to feel superior about “Our systems work, we have good governance, and

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Speak up now

Dear Prince George citizens, what is happening to our fair city? We are supposed to be living in a democratic society governed for the people, by the people, but it appears we are being governed by people whose only interest is in power itself.

In the age of instant communication, we the taxpayers are being told that the mayor and city council who were elected to represent the people of Prince George, knew nothing about a project $22 million over budget. It appears the city manager (Kathleen Soltis) and her assistant (Ian Wells) did not bother to tell the mayor and

council (their bosses) about the overrun as they felt they had the intelligence and power to approve it on their own, despite the fact that they themselves were not elected officials.

This is not even the only outrageous expenditure they approved. When the mayor and council learned of this, in my mind, it should have meant instant removal of Soltis and Wells, with questions to come later Oh well, only the taxpayer, rather than the perpetrators, will suffer the consequences.

How fortunate for the mayor and council that they can use provincial funds to cover this deficit, rather than make the choice to raise our taxes to pay back the cost

don’t have corruption like in developing countries,” we proudly declare. But good government is a fragile thing.

Good government is at risk when the primary purpose of serving the public is forgotten. When that is happens, and a legacy-building mindset takes over, (more on that some other time) we ignore the signs of things going wrong. This is the breeding ground for full-blown scandals, like we currently have in Prince George.

City Council did not heed the warning signs over the years as project after project went over budget.

Instead of doing the responsible thing and paying closer attention to and asking for more information from senior management, our multi-term Councillors gave them ever more power Finally, the parkade;

To put the scandal in perspective, in BC this week, the Provincial Health Authority CEO resigned after a $7 million dollar mistake in a budget of $3.7 Billion. Here in the small city of Prince George, Council spent

$22 Million over-budget on a $12 million parkade, within an overall capital budget of $30 Million.

City Council’s Mission statement is: “To provide high-quality services and good governance for the City of Prince George within available resources.” Will Prince George residents get that?

Watching the last two City Council meetings wasn’t encouraging. In the Budget meeting, line after line was approved unanimously, then the Mayor reminded everyone that by approving everything, the budget would require a 3% rate hike. Councillor Sampson piped up, “Weren’t we supposed to get three different scenarios to vote on?”

A version of “No” came from the Finance Chair Frizzell and Senior Management. Seemingly, suddenly, eager to be responsible, Councillors made a spectacular effort to reduce the budget by debating a $5,000 line item.

I left then, to watch a movie; more entertaining, less discouraging.

overrun and suffer the consequences of an angry public.

But my question, people of Prince George, is where are your voices and questions about the decisions council is making? Get involved, people! Speak up! It is your future, if not your children’s.

“Say nothing, do nothing, be nothing.” –Elbert Hubbard.

D. McFarlane Prince George

Explain, please

Just would like Todd Doherty to explain who pays the cost of his Christmas wishes that he sends out yearly Who pays for

updates of what he is doing for his riding with pictures of him patting his own back and his advertising that he just sent out with him wanting a response that goes to his Ottawa riding office or Prince George office?

All these are printed by someone at some cost and just wondering if he pays personally or his riding or taxpayers as there are a lot of people in the area that could be helped with the money that has been spent over the years and ongoing being spent

Just want Todd to explain.

Dick Martin Prince George

Community Foundation virtual fundraiser features local entertainers

CHRISTINE HINZMANN

During the Prince George Community Foundation’s 25th anniversary there will be a celebration of a different kind to keep everyone safe during the pandemic.

The fundraiser will be held virtually on Feb. 28 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on a variety of platforms.

The show offers viewers a taste of Prince George talent in an effort to raise at least $50,000

Originally, the fundraising goal was set at $25,000 and Jim and Noreen Rustad will generously match donations up to $25,000 to inspire others to donate as well.

During the event’s broadcast, viewers can enjoy the talents of the band Studio 720, musician Rick Stavely, the stand-up comedy of Mike McGuire and view the artwork of Emily Holmes. Stavely hasn’t let the pandemic stop his

creativity and he has continued to record music and develop his talents.

“I’m working in studio with my brother Gary Stavely behind the wheel as producer and editor and some top Canadian writers and first class musicians from around the world,” he said. “During the pandemic, it’s been going great. I’m learning a lot and getting a bigger fan base because of all the online stuff that I’m doing.”

He’s found a very supportive online community of like-minded musicians that continue to lift him up

“Everybody’s working together and there’s room out there for every voice,” Stavely said “I’m learning a lot.”

Participating in a fundraiser for local causes is nothing new for Stavely, who always provided live entertainment at the Prince George Relay For Life. Most recently, Stavely was on the list of entertainers at the Northern BC United Way Virtual

Christmas Party fundraiser

Stavely recently released three songs including Hag on the Jukebox, A Lot Like Me and I’ve Got Nothing and a soon-tobe-released song, which debuts during the Community Foundation’s event called Right Where We Belong.

“Just to be part of this show is huge for me,” Stavely said. “The Community Foundation does so much in keeping our community strong in a time when the pandemic is showing its ugly face.”

The show will be on CKPG-TV, www PGCF.ca and the Prince George Community Foundation’s Facebook Live page Founded in 1995, the Prince George Community Foundation facilitates philanthropy by partnering with donors to build permanent endowment funds that support community projects. Start the fundraising early by donating now through the Community Foundation’s website at www.pgcf.ca.

HANDOUT PHOTO

Rick Stavely

Warr takes on Iceman battle

TED CLARKE

Organizers of the Prince George Iceman let it be known back in September the 34th annual multisport endurance race was not going to happen.

The pandemic has kept sporting events mothballed for almost a year now and there was no way such a mammoth undertaking was going to happen to pull off an event that regularly attracts more than 600 participants

There is no race this year but didn’t stop Mike Warr On Wednesday morning the 77-year-old retired school teacher did his own race, with only a ticking clock to try to beat.

He started at the Prince George Aquatic Centre for an 800-metre swim, then once he’d dried himself off he got a friend to drive him to Otway Nordic Centre, the usual start of the Iceman, to complete the eight-kilometre cross-country ski segment.

Once he had done with that he laced on his sneakers for a 10-km run to the outdoor ice oval at Exhibition Park. After

five kilometres of skating he got back into his running shoes for a five km run through a nearby residential area on the traditional Iceman path back to the Aquatic Centre, where his race ended.

Warr had to do the swim segment first due to the limited availability of the pool due to pandemic restrictions which allow no more than 50 swimmers in at a time

Mornings are open to senior-aged swimmers but the afternoon is open to any body and those afternoon sessions are popular and more difficult to book, and that forced Warr to change his Iceman order

Warr had planned to run his Iceman the week before, a few days in advance of the traditional time of year for the race, but the weather was just too cold to race and Warr wasn’t willing to risk damaging his lungs for his latest Iceman challenge.

He still trained in the cold, but it was especially tough slogging on the Otway trails, where the crystallized abrasive snow felt like sand under his skis.

He’s completed the race twice before as

a solo competitor, most recently two years ago, when he was 75.

“My times don’t seem to be getting any better,” said Warr, who taught at Blackburn Junior Secondary School

“I’m banking on 3:30 (three hours 30 minutes) or 3:40, depending on how things go,” he said before his race.

Warr has competed several times in the Iceman on the grandmaster men’s team Quo Vadas, with Dick Voneugen and company, and they always seemed to find their way to the medal podium. When the race was canceled he decided it was not going to stop him from putting in the training.

“It‘s something to occupy me during the wintertime and I’ve been prepping for it from about November, December, January, ” said Warr. “It keeps me working and active.”

Warr ran his first marathon in 1996 in Victoria and while that was a late start in life he said it probably helped him from getting injured from the cumulative effect of all that running and the wear and tear

100 miles is a long skate

TED CLARKE

How long would it take to ice skate from Prince George to Fort St. James?

Scott Fast knows the answer. He covered that 160-kilometre distance in less than eight hours on his speed skates.

That’s 100 miles in the Imperial system, and it took 400 laps around the outdoor ice oval at Exhibition Park to get that far. He started at 10:29 a.m. and the skies that day (Jan. 24) were overcast and it wasn’t that cold (-8 C), but it started snowing at about 2 p.m., and never stopped.

“It was snowing hard and it was windy too and by the time I got to the last hour there was three inches on the ice,” said Fast “When I got to 80 kilometres, halfway there, it started snowing and I was like, ‘I just need to finish this, I don’t care what the weather’s like.’

“I was supposed to have friends come

out and do it with me but the weather was so bad in the back half of it I told them not to bother That three inches of snow made it quite a slog at the end. My goal was eight hours and I was really happy I could do it in less than eight hours in those conditions.”

The 41-year-old Fast had an audio book on his headphones and listened to the novel throughout his seven-hour 44-minute trip to keep his mind occupied He averaged 21 kilometres per hour

“A hundred was fairly easy and I knew if I got to 120 I could finish it,” he said “The problem is you’re always going left so the (iliotibial) band on your left leg gets so sore I couldn’t even do crossovers at the end.”

Fast, a former Caledonia Nordic Ski Club caretaker who used to live in the club’s trail-side cabin at Otway Nordic Centre, would normally be competing in

long-distance cross-country ski races but COVID has cancelled all of those events. He and his friend Cam McNamara, a threetime solo champion of the Prince George Iceman, skated 100 km on Dec 28 at the oval and Fast was convinced after completing that challenge he wanted to attempt a much longer test. He and McNamara skate at the oval at least three times per week and do at least 25 km (100 laps) each session

Fast is a maintenance worker for the city, driving the Zamboni in the arenas during the winter and looking after sports fields in the summer He took lessons from Prince George Blizzard Speed Skating Club coach Carol Dennison and Prince George Hall of Fame whitewater paddler/distance speed skater Lyle Dickieson two years ago and got hooked on the sport.

”(He learned) the basic D pattern and that’s what I focused on a lot, getting your

Former Cats captain scores in pro debut

TED CLARKE

It didn’t take Josh Maser long to net his first goal as a professional hockey player.

And he did it in typical Maser fashion, creating havoc in front of the net, just long enough to deflect a point shot from Iowa Wild defenceman Ian McCoshen in past Stars goalie Tomas Sholl. It stood as the game-winning goal for the Wild in what ended up a 4-1 American Hockey League victory of the Texas Stars Saturday night in front of 3,108 spectators at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa Maser, a 21-year-old from Houston, was playing his first game since the Prince

George Cougars’ season ended last March. He captained the Cougars in his final season of junior eligibility and signed as a free agent this summer with Iowa, the top farm team of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild.

Maser didn’t know he was playing Saturday until only a few hours before the game, when he was penciled into the lineup to replace an injured Wild player.

“It was just about a year ago since I played last and it was bit weird,” said Maser. “When coach (Tim Army) told me I was playing I was a bit nervous but there’s guys on the team who helped me out with the systems and what I had to do to make sure I was ready to go and it was awesome.

on his body

The 2019 Iceman Warr competed in was almost cancelled because of the cold. The race time temperature was hovering around -20C but he manage to finish it.

“I’m sure Shane (Hoehn) was breathing on the thermometer trying to get it up (to the -18 C cutoff temperature),” said Warr “As it was we only skied 5K because it was so cold and we had to have a mass start because it was getting late.”

Swimming is Warr’s weakest event but at least with him starting Iceman at the pool he wasn’t worried about leg cramps from all that running when he jumped into the water on Wednesday.

“I’m slow, I know the Barracudas kids can do it in nine minutes and it takes me 32 or more,” he said.

“Last time I did it I didn’t cramp up until about the 14th lap. I just had to keep in the pool and keep my legs going and try not to sink.”

leg up and kicking it,” said Fast “It’s a D shape where one skate is on the ground and the other is parallel right behind you, so I just focused on D-pattern skating the whole way to save energy It’s the most efficient and the fastest technique.”

After going 100 miles Fast was feeling quite sore and couldn’t bend down to fill his dog’s food dish for two days, but he had his weekend off work to recover. Fast is planning to enter a 108-km trail run in Kimberley this summer and is already thinking about his next long-distance skate, but it probably won’t be in Canada.

“One of my goals is to go either to the Netherlands or to Norway because they have some 100K and 200K lake races and I’d like to do one of those someday,” Fast said. “That was kind of my motivation for doing this, to see if I could do that. Maybe if COVID restrictions lift I’ll do that next year or the year after.”

“We were tied 1-1 in the second period and I just wanted to get to the net and do what I can to help us get a win. I love going to the net to get to those rebounds. Ian McCoshen’s shot got through everyone and I was just kind of standing there and directed it off my body. It wasn’t a pretty one, but most of my goals aren’t pretty.”

Maser’s goal, 16:38 into the second period, gave the Wild a 2-1 lead over the Stars and they added two more goals in the third period to cinch their first win of the AHL season He had two shots on goal and was picked as the game’s first star.

Two former WHL stars – defenceman Calen Addison (Lethbridge Hurricanes)

and forward Adam Beckman (Spokane Chiefs) – are now Maser’s Wild teammates. Former Cougar defenceman Max Martin is a rookie with Texas this season but did not play.

The rink in Des Moines has a capacity of 16,100 but during the pandemic crowds sizes will be capped at 4,500. Maser said the Wild and Stars are among the few AHL teams whose states are allowing fan attendance

“Even though there wasn’t a whole lot of people there it was an awesome feeling hearing the crowd,” said Maser “We have some really passionate fans here so that’s always a bonus.”

Fitness, nutrition important to aging well

CHRISTINE HINZMANN

When it comes to healthy aging, fitness and nutrition are the two most important components.

Going into retirement with the means to stay active and healthy enough to do the things you love is the priority.

There’s nothing more frustrating than having the means and the time to do what you’d like only find out you can’t swing that golf club or get down on the floor to play with that grandbaby Never mind getting back up off the floor when you’re done or doing everything you want to do with confidence as you travel when the pandemic is finally over

Even gardening can be a challenge if you’re not stable enough Modern conveniences make life easy but are they making it too easy?

There are shortcuts and aids for things that once kept us at least a little bit active and limber. Something as a simple as a shoulder check before changing lanes while driving or turning to check what’s behind you before you back out of a parking space offered some stretching of that aging body Crouching down to access the vegetable crisper that used to be on the bottom shelf of the fridge or having to get out of that low chair were good things to do.

Tracie Albisser, a kinesiology instructor at the College of New Caledonia and co-owner of Active Health Solutions, says

those things used to offer a bit of fitness.

“Move more often in more directions, period,” is Albisser’s best advice. It can lead to big trouble when people don’t move their bodies enough.

“It’s a creeping decline so insidious people don’t even notice it,” she added.

“Just start moving more than you are now. Don’t be afraid to start small and don’t think that just because you can’t do something you used to be able to do that it’s gone forever Start slowly and work your way back up to where you need to be. Don’t accept things as they are.”

Falling is also an issue and Albisser advises people to do a step up exercise because we tend to shuffle our feet as we age and that can lead to falls.

Albisser makes sure she spends a lot of time on the floor because getting up from it can be a challenge for some.

“I’m a big fan of uneven ground, too,” Albisser said. “We live on structured floors and that’s another reason we have no balance.”

Albisser said she’s a big fan of being barefoot as much as possible. There’s a trend of foot problems in older people that Albisser sees quite often.

“For most of it is because we’ve over-structured our shoes and the intrinsic muscles in our feet don’t work well enough any more to hold our feet into the arch they are supposed to function in,” she ex-

plained. “People can get rid of their plantar fasciitis just by walking around with bare feet but older people don’t take their shoes off anymore because it hurts.”

People just don’t get enough exercise in the right way, she added.

Ann Holmes, also a kinesiology instructor at the College of New Caledonia and is co-owner of Active Health Solutions, said nutrition goes hand-in-hand with fitness

“I think people over think it,” Holmes said

She warned not to buy into the hype of the latest fad diet. Those could work in the short term.

“But they’re often not sustainable,” Holmes said. “People are looking for that magical something.”

But we all know what to do, she added

“It’s the simple things, it’s about establishing healthy habits,” Holmes said. “You have to make sure you’re eating widely, not demonizing one food group or one macro nutrient - like no carbs, or no fat or no this or no that. Really it’s figuring out even a handful of things that you like to cook that are easy that sustain you. We all need whole foods that are really basic.”

Planning your meals will make it easier to avoid bad choices.

“Cook once, eat twice,” Holmes suggested to simplify meal times “And eat more vegetables.”

If most of your plate is overtaken by vegetables that’s even better, she added

As people age they can experience hormonal and metabolic changes and weight gain can occur.

“Don’t be discouraged,” Holmes said. “It’s just about getting into good habits and figuring out what you like to cook that’s healthy.”

She warns to not get bogged down with trying to eat just the right amount of protein or eliminating carbs all together.

“It’s not sustainable,” Holmes said. “Anyone can lose a few pounds if they go on a diet for 30 days but eventually life slaps you in the head and you will go back to your default setting.”

Her advice is to lean towards mostly plant-based foods and bring those vegetables back onto your plate.

Holmes said she finds many people are fiber deficient these days

“As we get older our digestive systems get tired and lazy,” she added “That will bring issues like acid reflux, constipation and those issues can spiral as we get older but again - more veggies helps everything.”

HANDOUT PHOTO

Tracie Albisser and Ann Holmes, local kinesiogists and co-owners of Active Health Solutions, offer advice on fitness and nutrition as we age.

Historical fiction meets fantasy

CHRISTINE HINZMANN

She’s always been fascinated by the Knights Templar.

The group of soldiers in a military Catholic order seemed so noble as they protected pilgrims from marauders as they made the trek to the Holy Land as early as the year 1099.

Aline Holloway turned that interest into an historical fiction fantasy novel for young adults that has been published by Burnstown Publishing in Ontario.

The first book of the planned trilogy is called Knight Terrors: A Michael St. Claire Adventure about a 16-year-old Canadian boy who goes on vacation in England only to time travel to the year 1308 where he helps a group of Knights Templar to escape to Scotland before they are imprisoned when they were deemed undesirables by the ruling king of that time.

Holloway started her substitute teaching career as soon as she graduated high school in Kitimat and did that for years before earning her teaching degree

Because she grew up with French being her first language, she often taught French and English in French immersion In 1990, she and her husband moved to Vanderhoof and in the first year

she taught deaf and hearing-impaired elementary school children before she moved to the Nechako Valley Secondary School.

After that, she shifted to the EBus Academy, an online school

Holloway is now enjoying semi-retirement and after she took a writing course, when she and her husband temporarily moved to Newfoundland, she realized that writing came naturally

The tale that’s in her first published book started out as a short story assignment for the writing class.

When husband Don read it, he told Holloway it needed to be a book

Some eight years later - two of those years spent on research - the book was done and Holloway knows it won’t take that long to write the next one, she laughed

“I wanted to get a handle on who they (Knights Templar) really were,” Holloway said about her extensive research. “They came from humble beginnings and became one of the richest and most powerful entities in the world at the time and it was quite interesting to follow that progression.”

She’s not ordinarily drawn to the fantasy genre but she knew it would merge nicely with historical fiction to appeal to

•Drop-in fitness classesare free with membership

•Complimentary Parking Permit (uptothree hours)

•Suspend (temporary hold) your membership up to three months

the young adult reader, she added.

“So far it’s been mostly adults who have read my book and I’ve had really positive feedback from them,” Holloway said.

Many were drawn to the historical fiction because it’s less daunting than the tomes written by historians.

So offering a bit of fantasy alongside the lessons in history has been appealing to her readers, she said.

“The concept for writing for young people is show don’t tell,” Holloway said.

The next book is already in the works and should be completed in 18 months, she added.

Each book is linked to the Knights Templar with Michael St. Claire continuing his adventures in the next book when he runs into Robert the Bruce in 1314 in Scotland

The last in the trilogy will take place on Oak Island where it is rumoured that Knights Templar treasure is buried

After the series is complete, Holloway will look into writing a book about her own mother’s life as a Metis woman living in Ontario.

To get a copy of the current book reach out to Holloway by emailing aldon01@telus.net or visit burnstownpublishing.com.

HANDOUT PHOTO

Vanderhoof author Aline Holloway has her first book out now

&P UZ

ACROSS

1. Hooting bird 4. Forest-floor plant

8. Plays arole

12.Named before marriage 13. Scheme 14. Oxford or pump, e.g. 15. Timeless state

17. Covert suggestion 18. Aware of 19. Pounds 20. Microwave, e.g.

23. South American animals

25. Purpose 26. Brick house

Flawed

Blush

In the lead 36. “____ Got to Be Me” 37. Most unusual 39. Went in haste

Door hardware

Capture

Author Read

Aptly

Butterfly catchers 50. “____ the Night”

Potato bud

19. Baseballer Ruth 20. Klutz

21. Transportation term 22. Ostrichlike animal 24. Master 26. Pirates’ affirmatives 28. Biggest 29. “How do I love ____?”

31. Partyfood 32. Christmas

33. Comic Sparks 35. Harmonize

37. Become ready to pick

38. Singer Baker

39. Saratoga Springs, e.g.

40. Kong

42. Religious ceremony

43. Nature’s building block

45. Female relative

46. Franklin, to friends

47. Soap ingredient

48. Evergreen plant

Modern DOWN 1. of a kind (unique)

Not dry 3. Mr. Marvin 4. “Huckleberry ____” 5. Amend copy

Related again 7. No 8. Chagrined 9. Beijing’s site 10. Pincers 11. Establishes 16. Ely or Howard

Small fly 53. Appear to be

PUZZLE NO. 805

HOW TO PLAY:

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every3x3 box contains the numbers1 through9 only once

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

CROSSWORD PUZZLE ANSWERS USE AMERICAN SPELLING

PUZZLE NO.

CL ASSIF IEDS

June 12, 1943 - January 26, 2021

If you had the opportunity to know her And if you were given a chance to see What my Mom was all about And how Nature set her free

She honoured God in all her struggles He gave her strength to endure Silent struggles over pieces taken from her Still assuring God’s love was pure

My Mom was always honest Never afraid to speak her mind She had found nature’s endless glory And could never leave it behind

The few that could understand my mother’s truth Were gifted with such knowledge to behold Fly fishing, hunting, gardening and such Conversations never grew old

Her unconditional love for Michael and I Unimaginable from another’s point of view The deepest and purest love for our dad A solid family through and through

She began as a head nurse in Germany Struggling through childhood during war She then gave up her achievements Coming to Canada to find so much more

Her grandson, Joshua, was the joy of her life

Time spent in nature to teach and learn

She had much respect, her Character so real Even after her health took a turn

Now there’s a fog that clouds our minds

She suffered so much, despite our care and love

The chains now broke, she holds God’s hand To smile and watch from above!

You are so missed!!

Predeceased by loving husband Hans and sister Heidi. Survived by sons Michael and Alex, grandson Joshua and great grandchildren, niece Silvia, nephews Eric and Andy and brother in law Joe.

Thank you Silvia for all you gave to mom through everything!

Thank you to all of Mom’s dear friends for their support in this difficult time.

REMEMBRANCES

February 15, 1991January 8, 2021

Taylor passed on with his mother at his side January 8, 2021, to begin his everlasting journey.

Left to cherish the memories of him are his mother Charmaine Makelke, father Garth Hughson, brothers Matt (Kristen, Ben), Chris (Parker), Josh; sisters Crystal (Brent, Destiny), Erin (Brendan, McKenzie, William), grandmother Beth Hughson, Taylor’s earth Angel grandma Marg Makelke, numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and all the special people that came into his life.

Taylor was a gentle soul that saw the world in a unique way, he taught us that there are many ways of seeing and living life with a little twist here and there. He will be patiently waiting to greet one and all with a wave and “Have a good day”.

Donations can be made to B.C Transplant by signing a organ donor card.

October 10, 1934February 8, 2021

It is with profound sadness and heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our husband, dad, grandpa, great grandpa and uncle.

Joe leaves to mourn his passing, his loving wife of 62 years, Cecile, sons Marc, Marvin (Janet Eagles) and daughter Laurie Jo Annis (Marcel).

Six grandchildren Jenaie Friesen (Dennis), Chantelle Collier, Rachelle Graham (Jordan), Shay Mortenson (Chantelle Lamb), Brandon Mortenson, Amanda Eagles (Stephen Inwood). Nine great grandchildren, Kayla Mortenson, Darcy and Oliver Friesen, Christopher and Tyson Collier, Brooklynn, Kayden, Brodie and Charlie Graham.

Joe is predeceased by his parents Peter and Cora, 5 brothers and 3 sisters.

Celebration of life to follow at a later date.

There’s this place in me where your fingerprint rests, your voice still lingers, and your laughter softly echoes. It’s a place where a part of you will forever be a part of me.

Your Last Shirt Has No Pockets

Antje Neumann

Taylor Garth Hughson

Joey Orland Garfield MORTENSON

Kw iatkowski, Willie Novemb er 21,1934 –

“Our

Willie Kwiatkowski, wasreceivedintothe loving arms of hisLord andSavioron Januar y30, 2021 at theage of 86.

He willbegreatly missed by hisbeloved wife of 65 years, Ida, children Gord (Barb), grandchildren Craig,Kayla andRyan, 7great grandchildren; daughter Marion,grandsonsSheldon, Brandon (Bobbi), 1great grandson,sisterHilda, brother(s) Heinz (Ruth), Eric (Violet), sister Doris(Harr y);cousin Ginter (Judy) as well as numerous nieces, nephews, extendedfamily memberslivinginCanadaand Germany, along with numerous friends

hisloveofmusic, Willie taught himself to play thetrumpet,accordionand theharmonica. Hisdesiretoplayhymns providedhim andhis musical friends theopportunity to performat local churches.Heregularlyprovidedhis tithing to numerous charitableorganizations,including hisfavorite, evangelist BillyGraham. In 1996, he took theunprecedentcharitableopportunity to go to Braziland helpbuild ahouse forhomeless children.

“Jesus

Predeceasedbyhis parents, Anna andRudolf Kwiatkowski, he wasthe thirdof five children born andraisedinPrinceGeorge on afarm near TaborLake, or better knownasSix Mile Lake.After completingpublic school, Willie, age15, wasemployedinthe sawmillindustry in thePrinceGeorge area.Atthe ageof21, he starteda32-yearcareerasa Correctional Officer with theDepartmentofthe Attorney General of British Columbia Correctional Service.In addition to hisemployment, Willie wasanactive member of theRCMP Auxiliar yPolice.On September17, 1984, he became adistinguished recipientofthe Governor General’sCorrections Exemplar ySer viceMedal.Without missinga dayofemployment, he retiredfrom hiscareer in December1987 at theyoung ageof53. In the yearsthatfollowed, it wasnot uncommon to have former inmates tell family membersthat Willie wasa“good guy”

During aradio broadcast called “ TheOld FashionRevival Hour”, at theage of 17, Willie acceptedJesus Christ as hispersonalLord andSavior. Shortlythereafter,asmemberof theHager Memorial Baptist Church,hewas baptizedinthe NechakoRiver.Willie wasa Godly manbyputting “Christ first”(Matthew 6:33) as thestandardthatheemulatedtomeet in hiseverydaylife(Matthew5:48) –his honesty wascommendable with theutmostbelief in the constant PowerofPrayer.

Until itsclosureduringthe mid1990s, Willie wasanactivememberatthe Bethel Baptist Church.Hethenbecame aregularmember at theFortGeorge BaptistChurch. With his faithful attendance in both churches,heser ved as an usher, treasurer, andchurchtrustee. With

Willie wasamemberofthe ChristianMotorcycle Association with alifelongpassionfor owning andridingmanyHarleyDavidsonmotorcycles, includingannualparticipation in alocal toy run. (hislong-time ‘73 Shovel, NOT forsale). Watchinghis old‘55 Chev race on thePGARA Speedwayovaltrack, stockcar racingbecame afavoritefamilypastime, even until hisrecent passing.

Willie lovedoutdoor associated activities such as hunting, trapping,tanning hides, camping, snowshoeing,cross-countr yskiing, black powder guntargetpractising, firearms target practising, blasting, goldpanning,canoeing, lake fishingand ice fishing. He wasa member of theBCTrapper’s Association.Hebuilt a Trapper’slog cabinonTabor Mountain, which canbefound on local city maps forall thepublic to enjoy. Entrepreneurship also became part of hisretirementbyestablishinga one-manmini mill operation, by haulingfallen treeswithhis Jeep,creatingvalue finishedproducts which were sold to local companies.

HisfavoriteBritish Columbia andAlberta vacationspots involvedcamping at Woods Lake,spendingtimeathot springsand trips to theRocky Mountains. At age80, he took a spectacularvacationtriptoCuba.

Formanyyears,Willie volunteered endless hoursperformingnumerousduties (i.e.security) andproject work (i.e.installationofa zipline, buildingofa logcabin) for Ness Lake BibleCamp andWilderness Camp.Two beautiful benches were unveiled at hisTribute andAppreciation Celebrationevent;one appreciation bench together with hiswife, wasdesignedand builtby Mike Lambertand is locatedatthe camp’s front entrance; thesecondappreciationbench was designedand builtbyJohnRogersand is located lakeside

An amazingtwo-day Tributeand Appreciation Celebration of Life,honouring Willie washeld on July 22 andJuly23, 2017. Yes, WILLIE, along with many of hisclosest friends and family membersfrom Canada, United States andMexico were all in attendance.A special gospel tribute at Treasure Cove Show Lounge, with performing renowned artist SteveElliott “Elvis”, with aspectacular classiccar show at PichéEstate, andthe displayofWillie’s personal memorabiliahonouring hislifewereamong the ultimate highlights. ACDtitled“Believe” of his personal music hadbeenrecorded andreleased Allnet proceedsprovidedanopportunity for underprivileged children to attend Ness Lake BibleCamp. Specialthankstoall whoattended Willie’s Tributeand AppreciationCelebration of Life.Yourgenerousdonations forthe CD “Believe”and thebeautiful benchesare very much appreciated. Thankyou to ever yone who helped make this eventpossible. We willnever forget your kindness

We wouldalsoliketothank all thenursingstaff anddoctorsatthe University of Northern British Columbia Hospital fortheir attentive care.We are forever indebted to ourincredibleprivate care aides, numerous friends, family andour Pastors.Aver yspecialappreciationtoNorthern Health’s Ms. JulieOdynakand heroutstanding team of care aides for their unwavering support in theday-to-day care.Lastly, thefamilywould like to thankDr. Khan,Dr. Carter,Dr. Waller, Dr.Payne,Dr. Ozcanfor their compassion and professionalism with aspecial thankyou to Dr Applebee for providingWillie quality of lifewith hissupportand care.Weare eternallygrateful for family Allanand Gladys Thorpfor their dailysupport to ours.A specialthank youto John Schroeder,who providedthe day-to-day assistance andthe necessary overall guidance in managingWillie’s health care andpersonal affairs

We love youuntil we meet again.

HOFMANN, Gerhard (Gerry) Karl

October 19, 1947Munchberg, Germany

February 4, 2021Calgary, Alberta

Gerry Hofmann, beloved husband of Marion Hofmann (nee Hunter), of Calgary, AB, passed away peacefully and suddenly on Thursday, February 4, 2021 at the age of 73 years.

Gerry was born in Munchberg, Germany, on October 19, 1947. He immigrated to Canada in 1952, with his parents and grew up in Richmond Hill, ON.

Gerry had a lifelong love of travel, history and geography, and saw much of the world. It was during these travels that he saw and subsequently followed Marion’s bum (as he always told us) into a life of joy and never-ending wonder. They married in 1975, and began a life blessed by the magic of laughing together every day. The greatest joys in his life came with his kids, Sara, Anna and Erik; and he became the family storyteller, bread baker, wonder maker, truthsayer, nature guide and most loved father of all time.

Gerry’s degree in Geography led to his dream job at Geotech in Prince George, B.C.; combining the need to earn a living with his love for nature and rocks, yes, rocks. It was while working for Geotech that Gerry famously discovered the obscure Nimpo Bird and Caribou monkeys, and developed many unique ways of scaring off bears. Marion and Gerry spent over twenty years in Prince George, before moving to Calgary, AB, to be with their grandchildren, William, Benjamin, and Ella (Anna and Mike) and Sebastian and Stella (Sara and Shane).

Capturing his essence on paper is almost impossible. Gerry had a kind, and gentle nature, and was much loved by friends, co-workers, and pretty much anyone who met him. His sense of humor and fascinating perspectives will carry us all with him into the multiverse, laughing. He was blessed with many good friends who will miss his entertaining stories. And, if anyone needs a comic book or a hockey card let us know.

Besides his loving wife Marion, Gerry is survived by his daughters, Sara (Shane Doherty), and Anna (Mike Grobowsky); and son Erik. He is also survived by his brother and sister-in-law Craig and Laura Hunter and their children in North Vancouver. Gerry was predeceased by his parents, Irmgard and Ernst Hofmann.

If you have a good anecdote, and who doesn’t, the family would be greatly comforted if you would share it with all of us. When we can get together again, there will be a Celebration of Gerry’s wonderful life. Condolences, memories and photos may be shared and viewed on Gerry’s obituary at www.McInnisandHolloway.com. If friends so desire, memorial tributes may be made directly to Diabetes Canada, 220, 6223 - 2nd Street S.E., Calgary, AB T2H 1J5 Telephone: (403) 266-0620, ext. 1112, www.diabetes.ca.

In living memory of Gerry Hofmann, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McINNIS & HOLLOWAY FUNERAL HOMES, Crowfoot, 82 CROWFOOT CIRCLE NW, CALGARY, AB T3G 2T3, Telephone: 403-241-0044.

Joyce Doris Hanik (nee Arnold)

Joyce Doris Hanik (nee Arnold) passed peacefully into the arms of Jesus on February 12, 2021. She will be remembered lovingly and missed greatly by Walter, her husband of 55 years; Heather and Andrew, her daughter and son-in-law; and Winnie, her granddog who will especially miss the treats that Grandma snuck her under the table.

Joyce loved her family, friends, and Lord deeply. She was passionate about children and touched many lives during her career as an elementary school teacher in both Vernon and Prince George.

While we cannot gather to celebrate her life at this time, Joyce spoke often of wanting a celebration filled with hope and life to mark her passing. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to the Canadian Bible Society.

Jacques

Louis

“Louie”Marie Dureau

October 09, 1931February 03, 2021

It is with heavy heart the family of Louie Dureau announces his passing on February 03, 2021 at Simon Fraser Lodge.

Dad was predeceased by his parents Albert and Amerilda; brothers Albert, Henri, Laurent and Raymond; sister Eunice and granddaughter Kassi. Left to mourn his loss are his brother Father Bonnie; sisters Rita and Yevette; son Peter Dureau (Debra); daughters Kathleen MacAulay (Keith), Rhoda Legard (Jessie), Marion Jewett (Kevin) and Bonnie Wookey (Leonard); grandchildren Kelesy, Charlene, Scott, Colin, Kara, Liam, Carter, Emily, Ellen and Rachel and great grandsons Nash, James and Jaxson. Louie will be missed by his many friends and extended family.

Louie moved to Prince George in 1959 to work as an office equipment repairman for I. B. Guest. Once he had a house rented, he moved his young family up from Burnaby, British Columbia-his wife Margaret, son Peter and daughter Kathleen. Daughters Rhoda, Marion and Bonnie were born here in Prince George.

Louie owned office equipment and print shop business and worked many job over the years but he is most remembered as a hotel maintenance man and as the town locksmith/master safe cracker.

His biggest joy was working on his collection of farm tractors and Grandfather clocks.

Interment in Burnaby will take place this summer. Condolences may be offered at www.LakewoodFH.com

Shirley Margaret Smith

1933-2021

Sadly, Shirley Margaret Smith (m: Carson) born in Walkerton, Ontario passed away Feb 4, 2021 at the age of 87. Pre-deceased by father Pte. George Raymond Smith, loving mother Mildred Eva (Lawrence) Smith and our father William Andrew Carson.

She is survived by her 5 children: Bryan, Bradley (Jo), Margaret (Dennis), Brenda Lee, Barbara Anne (Jim) as well as 9 grandchildren, 14 greatgrandchildren and one great-great grandchild.

Memorial service for family will be held at a later date. Final resting place after cremation will be Prince George Memorial Park Cemetery in B.C.

Please visit: http://www.hendersonsabbotsfordfunerals.com/

January 9, 1935February 1, 2021

It is with great sadness, in his 86th year, that we say “goodbye” to our dear husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather and friend. He leaves behind his wife of 64 years

Mary Hamblin, son Paul (Darlene) Hamblin, daughter Judy (Greg) Andrews, daughter Heather (Darrel) Schultz, and son Robert Hamblin and 8 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren, sister Esther Creuzot, sister Ethel Davies and sister-in-law

Joan Hamblin.

Wayne served in the Armed Forces for 20 years as a Chef and was able to travel the world and was even able to serve the Queen Mother on one of his flights. He moved the family to Prince George where he operated his own Catering company until he retired. He had a real gift of presenting a wonderful meal.

He had a passion for fishing especially with his sons, camping with family and friends and working in his yard. He had a great sense of humor and he was always a great tease especially with children.

Wayne/Dad’s favourite song (In The Garden)Wayne/Dad has gone to the garden alone, he is going to see God. He has fought the good fight, he has finished the race, he has kept the faith. It is time for rest, it is time for God to tell him he is his own.

I’d stay in the garden with Him

‘Tho the night around me falling

But He bids me go; through the voice of woe

His voice to me is calling

And He walks with me

And he talks with me

And he tells me I am his own

And the joy we share as we tarry there

None other has ever known

In Lieu of Flowers please donate to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

Orville Wayne Hamblin

Toys/Games/Puzzles

In Loving Memory -

Romeo Arlington VanSluytman

1946-2021

Romeo VanSluytman was born in Guyana on September 19, 1946 to Vernon and Mabel VanSluytman. He was a welder who worked for Canfor. He passed away peacefully on February 6, 2021 in Edmonton after a valiant fight with Lewy Body Dementia and Parkinsons. Romeo is survived by his three children Darren, Karen (Amanda) and Rory, grandson Jesse, former wife Sylvina and companion Beverly. He is also survived by siblings Diane, Leona, Edward, Terry, Barbara, Michael and Patrick and countless family and friends. He will be deeply missed.

The funeral was held on Wednesday, February 17 and can be viewed via this link:

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Kitchen cabinets that aren’t white

For years, many kitchen renovations have focused on white cabinets. While popular, this choice can be uninspiring and often difficult to keep clean. Here are three ideas for your kitchen cabinets that will stand the test of time but have a bit more personality than white alone.

1. BLONDE WOOD

Naturally pale wood combines the fresh, airy feel of white cabinets with the warm, homey feel of a cottage kitchen. Think light-coloured Nordic influences rather than the dark, lacquered stains from decades past.

2. GREY

Grey cabinets are great for kitchens because they’re neutral but add the kind of

visual interest that you can’t get with white. No matter your style, there’s a grey that will work for your kitchen. Go for an almost-white tone for an unexpected twist or try a charcoal hue for a more dramatic, elegant look.

3. TWO-TONE

There’s no rule that says all cabinets have to be same. Double down on the grey trend by painting the lowers charcoal and the uppers a pale grey to make your ceilings look higher. Or experiment with colour by pairing a bold-hued island with natural wood cabinets.

Choosing one of these stylish options will add character to your kitchen in a way that white cabinets alone can’t.

GO FOR GOLD.

How to think about colour like an interior designer

Did you know that design professionals use the colour wheel when deciding how to decorate a space? Here are some colourtheory basics to help you think like a designer when adding colour to your home.

THE COLOUR WHEEL

The standard colour wheel contains 12 colours: three primary colours, three secondary colours and six tertiary colours. Primary colours (red, yellow and blue) combine to form secondary colours (orange, violet and green). Tertiary colours are derived from combinations of primary and secondary colours.

Variations on these base colours are created by using different shades, tints and tones. Tinting means adding white to make a colour lighter while shading involves adding black to make it darker. Tone refers to mixing a colour with a

combination of white and black.

HOW DESIGNERS USE THE COLOUR WHEEL WHEN DECORATING

Designers use these principles to figure out different ways to use colour in a space. Here are three common colour schemes.

•Monochromatic: based on one colour in various shades, tones and tints.

•Complementary: complementary colours (orange and blue, red and green, yellow and purple) are directly across from each other on the colour wheel. In a complementary scheme, one colour serves as the dominant hue and the other as an accent.

•Analogous: based on three colours found next to each other on the colour wheel. It’s more subtle than using complemen-

tary colours but more colourful than a monochromatic interior.

Designers also consider colour temperature. In general, warm colours,

which contain more red and yellow, are thought of as more vibrant and cosy while cool colours, which have more blue and violet in them, are seen as calm and relaxing.

You’ve probably heard the terms interior designer and interior decorator used interchangeably. However, they actually describe two different but similar professions.

Interior designers complete two- or four-year degree programs that involve studying subjects like colour theory, architecture, computer-aided design and spatial planning.

They work with architects and contractors to plan and renovate spaces and can be involved in every step of the remodelling process, from drawing up floor plans to adding the final touches.

How to organize your bedroom for better sleep Interior designer vs.

interior decorator

Interior decorators focus on esthetics. They help transform spaces that are already built by making recommendations about paint colours, furniture styles, lighting and accessories. They’re not required to complete professional training (though many decorators do), and they usually work directly with businesses and homeowners.

Should I hire a designer or a decorator?

If you need help with designs during a renovation, it’s best to go with an interior designer. They’ll help you create a space that serves your specific needs and aligns with your particular tastes. However, if you’re mainly looking to update the appearance of a space, a decorator can help you achieve a whole new look by rearranging and redecorating.

In the end, what matters most is not the job title, but the skills of the designer or decorator in question. Choose a company or professional with a reputation for high-quality designs and expertise in the type of work you’re looking for.

If you have trouble winding down at night, your bedroom may be part of the problem. Here are four tips on how to organize your bedroom to achieve optimal sleep.

1. Invest in your bed. Don’t skimp when it comes to the quality of your mattress your comfort directly affects the quality of your sleep. If your mattress is over seven years old, shows signs of wear or simply doesn’t feel comfortable, it’s time to invest in a new one. You should also select quality bedding; choose sheets with high thread counts

made from materials like Egyptian cotton or satin.

2. Pay attention to lighting. Darkness is vital for allowing your body to go into sleep mode. Make sure your curtains and blinds adequately block out natural light (buy blackout curtains if necessary) and choose light bulbs with lower wattages.

3. Get rid of clutter. A cluttered bedroom can create anxiousness so it’s therefore best to keep your room well organized and accessories to a minimum. Don’t forget that your bed should be the focal point of the room.

4. Limit electronics. Electronic screens emit a blue light that can keep you awake. Avoid placing a TV in your bedroom and consider charging your phone in a closed drawer when trying to sleep.

One final tip: if you regularly struggle with sleep, think about getting an air purifier for your bedroom. Not only do they make it easier to breathe, but they also create white noise that blocks out disruptive sounds.

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Five tips for surviving a home renovation

Home renovation projects are almost always stressful, but with a little preparation, you’ll survive. Here are five tips for getting through your home renovation with your sanity intact.

1. Plan everything: make a timeline, buy all the materials you’ll need and line up all the contractors before starting.

2. Flexibility is key: projects almost always take longer and cost more than

expected, and there’s always a chance that something won’t go according to plan.

3. Be ready for dust: it will get everywhere. Remove verything from the room, cover furniture and electronics and clean every day.

4. Splurge on a dream item: whether it’s a professional gas range in the kitchen or the perfect soaker tub for your bathroom, a splurge like this is great motivation for getting through the renovation

5. Make a construction free zone: you’ll need a place to relax that’s free of dirt and dust, especially if you live with children or pets. If you’re without a kitchen for a while, include a bar fridge and microwave

When all else fails, try to get out of the house for a weekend to take your mind off of what’s happening at home.

Everything about the kitchen sink

To find the perfect sink for your kitchen, you need to determine what type of sink you want, what kind of material it should be made of and the size and configuration that will best meet your needs. Here’s what to consider regarding each of these key points.

TYPE

There are two basic types of sink: topmount, which sits on top of your counter and undermount, which rests underneath.

If you long for a country kitchen, choose a rustic farmhouse sink, which has a front wall that extends slightly past the cabinets.

MATERIAL

Most sinks are made of stainless steel but there are other options available. For example, farmhouse sinks are fabricated from cast iron and there are integrated sinks that are made of the same material as your countertop (granite, quartz, soapstone,. SIZE AND CONFIGU-

RATION

Depending on the size of your kitchen, you can choose either a single or double bowl sink. Alternatively, you can install a single bowl that’s the size of a double.

By taking these things into consideration, along with your cooking habits, kitchen style and budget, you’re sure to find the perfect sink for your kitchen.

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Three top reasons to convert to a bidet toilet

Bidets are widely used in many countries, but they’re almost impossible to find in North America. That may be changing now that Japanese-style bidet toilet seats are gaining in popularity.

1. They’re environmentally friendly. A bidet toilet seat with an air-drying feature eliminates any need for toilet paper, which can save millions of trees.

Here are three reasons to install a bidet toilet seat in your bathroom:

2. They’re more hygienic. Cleaning yourself with water is more effective than wiping with toilet paper and can help stop the spread of bacteria.

3. They reduce plumbing issues. Using less toilet paper means there’s a decreased chance of clogging the toilet.

If you’re interested in having a bidet toilet seat in your home, there are many options available to you, from inexpensive nozzles that attach to a normal seat to high-end, heated seats with controls for the temperature and flow of water and even a dryer.

One thing’s for sure, once you’ve used one a few times, you’ll never want to go back to a regular toilet.

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The three types of lighting you should have in your home

Most design experts agree that the key to good lighting is having multiple layers of light that complement each other and fulfill different roles in the space. In general, homes require three basic types of lighting:

1. Ambient lighting. A room’s main source of lighting, often provided by chandeliers, pendant lighting or ceiling-mount lights. This layer sets the overall tone of the room, but it should only be the starting point of your lighting design.

2. Task lighting. A type of lighting that illuminates areas where you need extra brightness for performing specific tasks, such as reading, cooking or working at a computer. For instance, you could install a hanging light fixture over the kitchen sink or install a lamp next to your preferred reading chair.

3. Accent lighting. Lighting used to highlight unique architectural features or certain objects, such as paintings, sculptures, decorative accessories or antique collectibles. Accent lighting should be concealed as much as possible since its purpose is to illuminate without being too obvious.

Using different types of lighting in each room allows you to change the intensity of the light according to how you’re using the space at the time and keeps you from relying on a single overhead light that may be too bright or create a lot of shadows.

the

Paddlewheel

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in the past five years with newer hot water tank. This large lot with two sheds makes for a great outside space.

Enhance your privacy with mirrored window films

Many solutions are available to protect your privacy at home or at the cottage: planting hedges and trees, installing fences and hanging curtains, blinds or shades are some things you can do. If you’d like to secure your privacy without spending a fortune, read on to discover the many benefits of reflective window films.

SEE WITHOUT BEING SEEN

When installed on doors or windows, adhesive or electrostatic reflective films allow those inside your home to see outside without being seen. This optical effect is only possible during the day, however. When the sun goes down and the light is stronger inside than it is outside, you’ll have to close your blinds or curtains to remain out of sight and safe from prying eyes.

PROTECTION FROM THE SUN

Mirrored privacy films are also valued for their remarkable UVA, UVB and infrared filtration properties. They can effectively safeguard your furniture, curtains, rugs and walls from discolouration. Moreover, unlike classic one-way mirrors, films let a sufficient amount of light through. If your house has lots of windows you can benefit from mirrored window films even more, because they greatly reduce heating and air conditioning costs.

MAINTENANCE TIPS

Mirror window films are easy to clean using just water and soap. Never use abrasives or alcohol-based cleaning products: these could compromise the effectiveness and appearance of the film.

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