Prince George lawyer Roy Stewart announced his candidacy to be the next mayor of Prince George at an event on Saturday.
Stewart previously served as a School District 57 trustee and board chairperson in the 1980s.
He was a key figure in the Interior University Society and UNBC Foundation, advocated for the construction of the new court house downtown and is currently president of the Prince George Symphony Orchestra.
“As a lawyer in private practice (Stewart) was the solicitor for the City of Prince George for twenty years, until 2001, advising on all legal matters,” a statement issued by Stewart’s campaign said.
“As well, (Stewart) acted as solicitor for the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George, the District of Mackenzie and other local governments. This provides a unique knowledge of how mayor and council can and should take responsibility for the administrative process at city hall.”
Stewart identified his top five priorities as:
• Finding solutions to the issues caused by homelessness.
Roy Stewart, who previously served as the City of Prince George’s solicitor for 20 years, is running for mayor.
• Changing the attitude of the city to investment and development.
• Magnifying the accountability of elected officials, demanding transparency.
• Revising current practices to ensure public spending is controlled to avoid overspending and unnecessary tax hikes.
• Changing the image of the City of Prince George, here, provincially, and in the world.
More mayoral candidates step forward
Two-term councillor running for top job
HANNA PETERSEN Citizen staff
City councillor Terri McConnachie is running to become Prince George’s next mayor.
McConnachie has been a resident of Prince George for over 40 years. She grew up in the Hart area and after graduating from Kelly Road Secondary School (Shas Ti Kelly Road Secondary), she met and married her high school sweetheart, Kevin, and together they have raised three children.
She was the general manager of the Prince George Exhibition (British Columbia Northern Exhibition) for seven years.
She is currently the executive officer for the Canadian Homebuilders’ Association of Northern B.C.
She presently serves as a trustee for the Prince George Public Library, a director for the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George and is a member of the Nechako Rotary Club.
McConnachie has been a Prince George City Councillor since 2014, which she says has required her to draw on her leadership experience to support residents and businesses through the wildfires of recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the challenges that Prince George faces today.
“As a community leader, ensuring that our home remains a top choice to attend school, grow a career, operate a business and raise a family has always been a deeply personal priority,” said McConnachie, adding that she is ready to continue championing this priority, while building on her values of respect and integrity in her mayoral campaign. Voters will hit the polls for the municipal election on Oct. 15.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Terri McConnachie, a two-term city councillor, has announced her candidacy to be Prince George’s next mayor.
TAXSALE OF LANDS
PursuanttoSection 254ofthe CommunityCharterand Section 645 and 647 (1) of the Local GovernmentAct,noticeisherebygiven thatthe CityofPrinceGeorge Annual TaxSale will be held on September 26, 2022 at 10:00am in the Council Chambers at CityHall,1100 Patricia Boulevard, PrinceGeorge,BC. Unless full paymentofthe outstanding delinquenttaxes,plus the necessary interest to date of paymentisreceived prior tothe aforementioned time and date,the following properties shall be offered for sale bypublic auction:
NoticetoProspectivePurchasers:
City reviewing policy in wake of controversy
HANNA PETERSEN Citizen staff
The City of Prince George will now review the process of the mayor writing letters for local businesses, non-profits and elected officials following controversy over the Best Damn Music Festival.
During its Monday night meeting, city council unanimously voted in favour of Coun. Brian Skakun’s motion directing administration to review the process.
This included looking at how the mayor and city administration decide what letters for grants and assistance come before council and what letters are not required to come before council.
Skakun first raised the issue after discovering the Best Damn Music festival was put on with the help of a $157,000 provincial grant through the BC Fairs Festivals and Events Recovery Fund.
The music festival was hosted by Kyle Sampson Productions, owned by Prince George city councillor Kyle Sampson.
In Sept. 2021, Sampson received letters of support from Mayor Lyn Hall and the former city manager of economic development supporting Sampson’s application for the grant.
A total of 13 Prince George groups received grants ranging from $250,000 to
$7,401, totalling $882,795 for the one-time funding to help community events restart following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Skakun put forward the notice of motion calling for the processes to be both fair and fully transparent and to ensure the mayor’s office informs city council about meetings with regard to funding requests.
Skakun said he believes this is a serious matter that deserves attention and that he doesn’t believe the current processes aligns with council code of conduct.
“To be clear, this is not about whether or not the letter grant support should have been provided... or whether the grant contributed positively to our community,” said Skakun.
“In my opinion, if there was even a small debate whether or not these letters of support of the grant could or would be considered a conflict of interest or breach of the council code of conduct, administration in my opinion should have chosen to be proactive rather than reactive.”
He said he was concerned a city councillor had been given letter of support without knowledge of council or the public for a personal business.
Skakun said after doing some more
Sampson running again
Prince George city councillor Kyle Sampson will be seeking a second term on city council.
“Today I announced my candidacy and re-election campaign for a seat on Council here in the City of Prince George,” Sampson wrote on Facebook. “Serving our community over the past (four) years has been my greatest honour, and after much consideration, I am excited to be seeking another term on council where I can bring my common sense, logic-based approach to tackling the issues we are facing.” Sampson said he’s learned a lot from his first four years on council.
research he felt city practices for providing letters for support for grants were flawed and in June he requested a copy of the letters through Freedom of Information requests to the City of Prince George and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport.
“If administration would have spotted this in the first place, we wouldn’t have been here today (and) that would have saved Coun. Sampson and myself from public scrutiny, freed up time to better serve our community with what we were elected to do.”
City manager Walter Babicz then clarified the existing practice for administrative letters of support. He said requests for letters of support that require a council resolution come as an agenda item, organizations may request letters of support during a delegation to council, or requests for letters of support can be received through the economic development division.
“So, the long-standing practice of the city, as we understand it, has been that those requests for letters of support are reviewed and responded to based on the economic benefit considerations for the community.”
He said individuals and organizations seeking local government services are treated equally and the same criteria is used and from an administrative perspective, individuals who are also members of council are not automatically restricted from accessing city services that their neighbours may access.
While the grant in question wasn’t city dollars and the city was not the decision maker, administration viewed Sampson the same as any other applicant.
However, Babicz said he agrees that a formal council policy is in order and would provide value and certainty on council’s preferred process.
Coun. Cori Ramsay noted that because there is not currently a policy in place, there was no conflict as Sampson was following the process.
“Without policy directing this, I think it’s really challenging to make a determination, so I am definitely supporting getting more information on this because I don’t want any of my colleagues to have to be put in this situation,” she added.
Sampson said he followed the steps that were made known to him by the city when asking for support in applying for the provincial grant.
“I can say with conviction that I followed all processes that were shared with me carefully and deliberately,” said Sampson.
He voted against two increases and recommended budget cuts that would have resulted in lower property taxes in the city. He also requested the city look at its inventory of property, and consider selling land no longer needed to generate revenue for the city, he said.
“Now, more than ever, our city needs a logical approach for how we address the needs of our community, and as we seek stability,” he said. “The City of Prince George is in need of leadership that can create a plan towards finding community safety for all members and all areas, especially downtown and in the bowl areas.”
Prince George Transit Service Change
BRIAN SKAKUN
KYLE SAMPSON
School board trustees running for city council
Ron Polillo says he will focus his efforts on the city’s ‘critical challenges’
School District 57 board trustee Ron Polillo has announced that he’s running for Prince George City Council in the Oct. 15 municipal election.
Polillo was elected to the school board in 2018 and has served as vice chair.
As a city councillor, Polillo said in a news release that he will focus his efforts on the “critical challenges that the next city council will need to tackle head on.”
He cited “the overwhelming social issues in the downtown core,” “the massive overruns on capital spending projects,” core infrastructure and making the city more accessible for residents with disabilities as key issues he’d like to address.
“I feel I can provide the passion, the positivity, the leadership and vision needed for the next four years,” he said in a news media release.
Currently the community residential/home sharing manager at AiMHi, Prince George’s Community Living Association, Polillo was a longtime program director and on-air personality for Pattison Media.
His past and present volunteer work in Prince George includes Crimestoppers, the Prince George Italian Club, St. Mary’s Knights of Columbus, the Prince George Soccer Association.
Tim Bennett says he will advocate for collaboration and responsibility
Former School District 57 chairperson and long-serving trustee Tim Bennett is running for a seat on city council.
Bennett is the executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern B.C. and has served as a school board trustee since 2011 – including four years as vice-chairperson and four years as chairperson. While the issues are different, Bennett said the city and school district are similar organizations in their size, budgets and complexity.
“Representing you as a trustee, board chair and on the provincial stage as a director and most recently vice president of the BC School Trustee Association has
been a great honour and a responsibility I have taken very seriously,” Bennett said in a statement issued to the media. “I strongly believe in the power of public education and know that it plays a critical role in our society. As I enter my 12th school year, I have seen almost a generation of students through the system. Just as I have watched these students contemplate their next steps, as they move along different paths and careers, I have made the difficult decision that I, too, am ready to make a change. “
Bennett said he hopes to bring his inclusive style of leadership to city council.
“The way we govern in 2022 is not the way we governed in the past,” Bennett said. “We can build a strong Prince George, but it is going to take everyone
working together. The city can’t do it alone.”
The social issues facing the downtown is one area where the city will need to forge partnerships with other agencies and levels of government to make meaningful change, he said.
Bennett said his top four priorities, if elected, would be: commitment, accountability and accessibility; building a sustainable Prince George for all; creating change together; and families and future generations.
As a father with a young family at home, he said he understand the issues facing families in the city, and wants to ensure
that Prince George is a place where young people can grow up, stay and build a life. That means addressing issues ranging from parents trying to get their kids into swim lessons, up to the city’s lack of a nightlife for students attending UNBC and the College of New Caledonia.
“After looking at the realities and struggles faced by families and other community members over the past few years, I felt it was important to step forward and advocate for a collaborative and responsible way to build a stronger community,” Bennett said. “I love Prince George. I grew up here, and this is home for me, my wife and our four kids. Prince George is changing, and our city must adapt to address the needs of all citizens in 2022 and beyond.”
SD57 holding candidate information sessions
School District 57 will be holding information sessions in Prince George, Mackenzie and McBride for people interested in running for school trustee in the Oct. 15 election.
Sessions will be offered at the School District 57 board office (2100 Ferry Ave. in Prince George) at 7 p.m. on Sept. 6. A session at Mackenzie Secondary School will be held on Aug. 31 at 6 p.m. and a session at McBride Secondary School will be held at 6 p.m. on Sept. 7.
“School board trustees represent the public and advocate for public education in their community. While members of
the board act as representatives of their constituency, their primary job is to participate in policy making and strategic planning in the interests of the district’s students,” a statement issued by the school district said.
“The sessions are designed to provide a brief overview of the board of education and the role that school board trustees play.”
The nomination period for school board trustee candidates runs now to 4 p.m. on Sept. 9. For more information or to download nomination documents, go online to the School District 57 website.
ARTHUR WILLIAMS
RON POLILLO
TIM BENNETT
Krause, Everitt not seeking re-election
ARTHUR WILLIAMS Citizen staff
After 23 years of public service on city council, councillor Murry Krause announced on Thursday that he won’t be running for re-election on Oct. 15.
Krause was first elected from 1996 to 1999, and then again from 2002 to the present. Krause said the decision was difficult, but he has confidence in the new generation of younger people stepping up to serve the community.
“It wasn’t an easy decision. I’ve been agonizing it over for the last year,” Krause said. “There is fresh faces coming up, and hopefully they serve the community well – that’s what it deserves.”
Krause turned 72 this year, which would have made him 76 by the time he finished the next term, he said.
“We don’t get any younger,” he said. “I have lots of energy left, so it’s time.”
Although Krause will be stepping away from city council at the end of September, he won’t be stepping away from the community.
“I’m really interested in engaging in social justice work in the community,” Krause said. “There are lots of exciting art projects coming up I’d like to part of.
I haven’t made a lot of big plans yet, I’m just going to jump off the pier and see what I find.”
In a statement, Krause thanked his friends, family and his partner, Brian, for “being by my side every step of the way for this entire time.”
Krause also thanked his many council colleagues, city staff, Prince George firefighters and RCMP for their service to the city. City council couldn’t accomplish
anything, without their hard work to turn policy into reality, Krause wrote.
“It has been an incredible honour to serve the citizens of Prince George, and I want to thank those that have supported me over the years,” Krause wrote. “My goal has always been to serve the community well, and to make the community a better place for everyone who calls Prince George home.”
Coun. Frank Everitt has announced he will not be seeking re-election during the upcoming municipal elections on Oct. 15.
Everitt has lived and worked in Prince George for nearly 40 years. He became the president of United Steelworkers in 1983 and has also been very active sitting on boards such as Spruce Credit Union, CNC and CNIB.
“As many of you may already know I
will not be seeking re-election for a fourth term. Thank you to the citizens of Prince George for giving me the privilege to be on city council for the past eleven years,” said Everitt in a statement sent to the Citizen.
“Together, with my fellow councillors we have seen record-breaking investment in our city in both residential and commercial building. Our city is certainly living up to its name as the Northern Capital and hub for the north! Families continue to move here for work and affordable housing, in one of the best areas in the province.”
Everitt thanked city staff and council as well as voters who supported him in previous elections.
“Lastly, let me say thank you to my wife Kathy and family for allowing me to pursue my passion within our community.”
Teacher who said he wanted to hurt students will be working in a local classroom this year
ARTHUR WILLIAMS Citizen staff
A teacher who once told students in his care he’d like to hurt students, and that he wanted to use one student to kill and injure other students, will be teaching Grade 6/7 at Heritage Elementary School this fall.
In Heritage Elementary’s June 1 newsletter to parents, outgoing principal Linda Picton encouraged parents to, “Please welcome Josh Laurin who will be joining our staff next year as a grade 6/7 teacher.” Laurin is listed in the school’s staff directory, and is also listed in the staff directory of École Heather Park Elementary as a Grade 5/6 teacher.
In a consent resolution agreement from 2019, B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation Howard Kushner suspended the teaching certificate of Joshua Frederick Roland Laurin for one day for professional misconduct, after an incident on Nov. 6, 2018, while Laurin was a teacher on call working for School District 72 (Campbell River).
Laurin signed the consent agreement in Prince George on Sept. 6, 2019, in which he admitted to the facts laid out in the
consent resolution agreement.
According to the consent resolution agreement, Laurin was supervising a Grade 8 class field trip when he made comments overheard by some students.
“Laurin said that he would like to use one of the students on the field trip to beat two other students to death and to injure a third one. Laurin said he wanted to use one of the students to ‘whack’ two others,” the consent agreement said.
“After the field trip, when the students were back in their classroom, Laurin commented that if he was going to die the following day, he would want to hurt students as he would not then get into any trouble.”
According to the consent resolution agreement, which is published online, Laurin also said he “did not like this job or being around kids,” and that he liked teaching Grade 8 “because he could leave students with worksheets and then leave them to it.”
“Some of the students who heard these comments described them as ‘weird’ and reported feeling shocked by them, although they thought that Laurin was joking,” the consent resolution statement says.
On Nov. 8, 2019, School District 72 issued a letter of discipline to Laurin and suspended him from the teacher-on-call list for three weeks. The district also required Laurin to complete the Justice Institute of B.C.’s Reinforcing Professional Boundaries course, which he did in March 2019.
School District 72 also reported Laurin to the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation, under section 16 of the School Act.
Laurin had been teaching at École College Heights Elementary from September to Nov. 14, 2019, when he was removed from his position.
“Once this matter was brought forward, he was removed from his classroom,” former School District 57 board chairperson Tim Bennett said at the time.
“This matter is currently being looked into and addressed by the district.”
‘I
AM DEEPLY CONCERNED’
A parent of children attending Heritage Elementary this fall said they were surprised and concerned when they learned about Laurin’s conduct in the recent past. The parent spoke to the Citizen on the condition of anonymity.
“This is the individual I am entrusting
to spend as much time with my children as I get to,” the parent said. “Is he a safe adult to be around children? I am deeply concerned surrounding that.”
The parent said they know there is a shortage of qualified teachers, but “I can’t believe this is our best option.”
“If this person is an amazing educator who made a mistake, then why weren’t we front-loaded with that information?” they said.
“What has changed this year to allow him to teach at Heritage, when he wasn’t allowed to teach at École College Heights (in 2019)?”
Parents should have been informed about Laurin’s past, and the steps he and the district have taken to allow him to return to the classroom safely, they added.
DISTRICT RESPONSE
School District 57 superintendent Cindy Heitman declined to comment on the issue, as it is a personnel matter.
Laurin, District chairperson Sharel Warrington, Heritage Parent Advisory Council chairperson Sandra Blackwell and District Parent Advisory Council chairperson Andrea Beckett did not return requests for comment from the Citizen.
City buses returning to school schedule
BC Transit buses in Prince George will return to school service levels on Sept. 6, according to BC Transit.
Additional trips on routes 15 UNBC/ Downtown and 55 Victoria will start in September. Those extra trips are denoted by the “U” and “F” trip notes in the city’s riders’ guide.
In addition, service will resume on the 12 Parkridge, 96 Shas Ti Kelly Road and 97 Shas Ti Kelly Roadroutes to cater to students in Kindergarten to Grade 12. Route
105 Pine Centre/Downtown Express offers an additional alternative for College of New Caledonia students, to supplement the existing routes 88 and 89.
“The first two weeks of school are the busiest for our routes, as students return to class and are figuring out their new schedules,” BC Transit said in a statement on Tuesday
Information about bus routes and schedules can be found online and on the NextRide app.
MARK NIELSEN Citizen staff
targets alleged drug house for seizure
B.C.’s director of civil forfeiture is seeking to seize a home in Mackenzie from its owner, alleging it is an instrument of crime.
In a notice of claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court, the director outlines a lengthy list of allegations related to 221 Crysdale Drive and centred largely on Michael Kenneth Robert Matson.
Since May 2014, RCMP have been dispatched to the property more than 300 times in response to complaints ranging from suspected drug use and trafficking to stolen property to assaults to attempted murder, according to the claim.
In addition, District of Mackenzie’s bylaw officers have attended in response
to parking violations, noise, dangerous dog issues and unsightliness, the director says.
The claim goes on to detail the outcomes of search warrants the RCMP executed on the home in May and October 2018, October 2019 and September 2021 during which an array of illegal drugs - mostly methampthetamine - plus cash and trafficking paraphernalia were seized.
In addition, police officers made a series of arrests nearby of people found in possession of methamphetamine following short visits to the home, according to the filing.
Details on the attempted murder claim were not provided in the claim.
However, in July 2016, three people were arrested and charged with the offence following what Crown
prosecution described as a “drive-by shooting” in which Matson and two other men were targeted, leaving one with a bullet wound to his calf.
Crown prosecutors later stayed the charge against the trio - Kelly Michael Richet, Christopher Ryan Russell, and Miranda Leigh Dingwall - but all three were eventually sentenced to lengthy terms in prison on lesser criminal counts.
According to the claim, Matson’s mother, Maria Angela Matson, became the registered owner of the property this past June.
Prior to that point, she was the “beneficial owner” while another of her sons, Robert Steven Matson and his partner Michelle Anne Margaret Niro, were the “owners of convenience” on behalf of Maria Matson, having financed the
purchase in May 2012.
At all material times, Michael Matson resided with his mother at the address, according to the notice.
Maria Matson “knew or ought to have known” how the property was being used and, in the alternative, was “willfully blind” to the manner in which it was being used, the director says.
Criminal charges against Michael Matson from the October 2018 and 2019 arrests remain before the court. Charges from the September 2021 arrest remain pending.
Allegations made by the director have not yet been tested in court and the defendants have not yet filed a response to the claim.
The director is seeking a court order to have the property forfeited to the provincial government.
SEPTEMBER 24TH, 2022
Saturday Evening Bingo at 6:00pm
Thank you, Murry Krause
In his 23 years on Prince George city council, under four different mayors, there was never any doubt what Murry Krause stood for and who he was representing In a city that routinely elects right-of-centre candidates to provincial and federal office, local voters still threw their support behind an openly gay man who fearlessly championed social issues from a left-of-centre perspective. His announcement that he will not be seeking another four-year term leaves a huge vacancy for the next mayor and city council.
Krause was the head of the committee that formed the Prince George Community Foundation in the 1990s and was the 2000 recipient of the Citizen of the Year Award. A decade later, I was serving on the Citizen of the Year nominations committee with Krause and Michael Kerr, the 2008 Citizen of the Year
The first name I put forward for the 2011 Citizen of the Year was Matthew Church Krause knew that would be a controversial nomination, seeing as how Church was just 24 years old at the time and the honour was widely seen as a lifetime achievement award for philanthropy and community service. Krause backed my nomination of Church, recognizing that Church’s work with the Prince George Library Board, the Prince George Road Runners club, and other groups, as well as his student advocacy while still in high school at Duchess Park and then at UNBC met the Citizen of the Year criteria. (Two years later, Church showed the brain chops that earned him a presidential scholarship to UNBC and acceptance at all seven Canadian medical schools he applied at after graduation by becoming the first-and-only person from Prince George to ever compete on the Jeopardy! game show.)
When I returned to the Citizen in 2012 and started writing critical editorials about Prince George city council decisions, Krause remained as gracious as always He recognized that we each had jobs to do – his as a politician and mine as a journalist reporting and commenting on the decisions of elected officials – but any disagreements had nothing to do with us working together to recognize worthy residents and help the Prince George Community Foundation raise money at its annual Citizen of the Year dinner. Speaking of honours, there’s one more to give to Krause and it should happen late this year or early in 2023, soon after the new mayor and council take office The Freedom of the City is the highest award city council can bestow on a local citizen or group for “exceptional merit and contribution.” Many other long-serving mayors and city councillors, such as Shirley Gratton, Cliff Dezell, Don Bassermann, Colin Kinsley and John Backhouse, have received the Freedom of the City Krause should be next. While his absence on the next city council will be felt, this is also an opportunity for some new faces, with new energy and ideas, to step up. Let’s hope they do so with the same compassion and enthusiasm Krause brought to the table.
Editor-in-chief Neil Godbout
We acknowledge the financial support of the government of Canada.
Nous reconnaissons l’appli financier du gouvernement du Canada.
Why are the rights of kids so blatantly ignored?
School begins in less than a week. Families are getting ready to send their children to school. The fortunate can do this with a sense of joy, but too many with a sense of dread.
Imagine your children attend Heritage Elementary and finding out a few days ago that your school has hired a teacher who not only told students that he would like to beat them, but that he didn’t like his job. That he liked teaching Grade 8 because he could give the students worksheets and walk away.
Then imagine that you are one of the families within a few hundred dollars of bankruptcy. Rising inflation has eaten away any reserve you may have had, and now you are faced with being unable to pay for the school fees and clothing that will put your child on more equal footing with his peers.
I grew up in what most of my readers would say was a backwards society. When I left (at the ripe age of 19) I didn’t expect was that the “outside” world had its own version of backwardness.
We all agree that shuffling a teacher from one school to another is a bad idea. Yet we continue to do it. Why? Does no one have the guts to stop this? Does no one have the guts to say “You need to find other work, because children deserve our best?”
We look at history and judge (rightly) this practice of moving around teachers, yet we are powerless to stop it today. Why? Apparently because the rights of one teacher outweigh the rights of children to a decent school experience
The school district cannot comment on this because it is a personnel matter. The school trustees don’t offer comment. No one is accountable.
Families are simply supposed to trust the system and throw their children into a system designed to protect the adults. This is backwards. Just as backwards as the backwards community I grew up in.
Backwards also is a public school system that is systemically economically discriminatory, or more simply, is designed to be better for rich kids than poor kids.
The current school board has once again approved the schedule of school fees.
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THINKING ALOUD
TRUDY KLASSEN
Deposits are required and are refundable upon return:
• Center for Learning Alternatives (CIDES) textbook deposit $50
• Pre-Calculus 11 and 12 graphing calculator Up to $150
• Grad Costs $100
• Yearbook $40
• External Credit Exam Fee: Advanced Placement $30 first exam, $20 second exam
• Prince George Canadian Sport School –Engage Sport North, $180 monthly
• Student Services, $10
• Cultural Activities $10
• Postage (generously, only one mailing charge per child in one school)
Field Trips: In this description, it actually says: “Students who choose not to participate will be assigned a project or activity that will ensure that the prescribed learning outcomes are met.” Their explanation is basically: blah, blah, blah… we charge fees so that only the richer kids can go on field trips. Poor children shouldn’t think they deserve to go on a field trip.” Is no one aware that children self-select out of these enriching activities because kids don’t want to burden their parents, so the hardship policy is ineffective.)
Valedictory Ceremonies (Finish high school, but if you are poor, you can’t participate in your own graduation ceremonies!)
So who is accountable for these dreadful, backwards policies? It’s the adults in the school board office that have the power to change a school system designed to discriminate against the less well-off families. It’s the adults in administration that have the power to ensure we don’t simply shuffle teachers from one school to the next. Our children deserve better. They deserve a school system that looks out for their interests first
Trudy Klassen is a Prince George writer
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Comedy exposes political hypocrisy
American comedian Sarah Silverman said, “Comedy puts light onto darkness and darkness can’t live where there is light. So that’s why it’s important to talk about things that are taboo, because otherwise they just stay in this dark place, and they become dangerous.”
We have all experienced the moment when we laugh at something and feel embarrassed that we have done so. Some comedy is by nature controversial. Mel Brooks’ classic “The Producers” uses satire to examine the rise and fall of Nazism The work is very poignant and brings us to very uncomfortable places, especially when we find ourselves singing along with the musical number
LESSONS IN LEARNING
GERRY CHIDIAC
“Springtime for Hitler”.
Like any artist, a good comedian exposes hypocrisy and defies unspoken and unjust social mores In this sense, comedy is necessarily subversive. Perhaps this is why the Nazis took such extreme measures to control all forms of art.
The British comedian turned social philosopher Russell Brand often buffoons Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s efforts
to look casual and trustworthy. He does his best Canadian accent as he says, “I’ve rolled up my sleeves and loosened my tie. I’m like a guy, like you’re a guy,” and then points out that Trudeau is putting forward laws to control our civil liberties under the guise of protecting us from “misinformation and disinformation.” We laugh at Brand’s characterization of our Prime Minister while recognizing how dangerous Liberal government legislation could be to the well-being of our democracy.
At other times, comedy is simply offensive, yet even then it exposes uncomfortable truths of our deep-seated misconceptions of one another and the need for social change. Jokes can be blatantly
Do away with the yoke of oppression
After achieving a 95 per cent strike vote in June, the BCGEU has finally begun job action. In our era of unaffordability, institutional capture, and cowardly leadership, abandoning wickets in favor of pickets appears to be the only option left for working folks. As a unionized employee myself, it is my duty to not trespass their line. I am happy to oblige, and indeed I hope more civil servants join in. A strike that shuts down the government might be the only democratic tool we have left. Due to being raised an anabaptist, my view of democracy is rather fundamentalist: ballots and elections do not define a free people.
Rather, their ability to abstain from any scheme, no matter how grand or small, proves whether they are truly free. I do not have liberty if I can be compelled by anyone, particularly the state, to act against my conscience. If readers are unclear on this point, I invite them to visit a library or store, and pick up any book about the 20th century.
Within the workplace, the right to “conscientiously object” compounds.
DRUG PLAN BAD IDEA
In the middle of the opioid crisis which has killed over ten thousand men, women and children already, Public Health is going to do an experiment with provincial and federal government approval. On January 1, 2023, they are going to make all the illegal and obviously deadly drugs legal in beautiful B.C. only (Editor’s note: possessing a small amount for personal use will be decriminalized but possessing more and drug trafficking will still be illegal). This is supposed to help convince the addicts we have now to ask for help that is not available.
To me and you, mom and dad, kids, everyone, your worst nightmares will
GUEST COLUMNIST
NATHAN GIEDE
While it’s true that as a society we have made the woebegotten choice to live as little better than well-clothed serfs with less privileges and rights than our ancestors on every front, cajoled into often manic and meaningless work by people of no greater virtue or insight than ourselves on behalf of elected officials, investors, and commissars entirely dissociated from reality, we still own our labour. Indeed, contrary to COVID propaganda, workers still own their bodies. It is their voluntary compliance that keeps this debt-riddled, listing boat called by ever less relevant place-names afloat. And given how low in red ink the gunnels truly lie, thanks to the nonsensical policies from parties that do not live with the consequences of their ideology, those in steerage class finally have an opportunity to save or scuttle this bark by battening down hatches or abandoning ship.
You’re welcome to call that an extreme
start coming true for some.
Can you imagine next spring when school gets out? By then the drug dealers will have ramped up production to meet the new demands and anyone can buy these deadly drugs as easy as buying a pizza. Delivered in thirty minutes, no I.D. required. Public Health will provide everything you need to do these deadly drugs and instructions on how to do them if it is your first time. Sounds pretty tempting, doesn’t it? It sure looks to me that experts at Public Health wants us to at least try them. The more people involved in their experiment, the better results they will get. This experiment is for four years. They will then add up all the dead men women
view. But instead of jeering at me in the style of our post-political age, I invite anyone in good conscience to defend the social contract as it stands today Select a member of the establishment - from the lukewarm complacent to the diabolically self-righteous - to demonstrably prove that everything is just fine: “oh Giede, you silly alarmist: pull this lever and turn these dials - you’ll see that the popular will still affects change!”
Long ago, conservatives and liberals were actually in harmony on this point. The “think globally, act locally” motto of the left resonated with pundits on the right dismissing the idea of saving the planet - “try saving your school board instead!” And yet, if I tried to save SD 57, by the end of my first week of campaigning, I’d find myself not just disqualified, but without a job and run out of town Those are the reactions of a hardline theocracy, not a liberal democracy.
This is not a debate about odious or outdated concepts of morality, nature, etc, because far less strident positions invite the same reaction from the consensus. COVID made this crystal clear
racist, and when we ignore extreme racism, as the Germans did in the 1930s, we truly are stepping closer to genocide. Perhaps this sort of mindful self-examination is the answer to “cancel culture”. It would be easy to condemn a foreign comedian for criticizing our Prime Minister or to simply spew online hatred toward individuals who tell racist jokes. Yet, what would that accomplish? Both examples shine a bright light on uncomfortable truths that exist in our society and even within ourselves.
Comedy is a powerful force in exposing what is wrong. The next and most difficult step is to find positive solutions and build a better world
Gerry Chidiac is a Prince George writer
and children in the next four years and compare them to the number of deaths we are having this year. This experiment will show them if making all illegal deadly drugs legal was the right thing to do.
Rick Berry, Prince George
BOARD EXPERIENCE NOT AN ASSET
Given the current state of School District 57, I wouldn’t hire one of the school board trustees to run a one-man lawn care business, let alone an operation as large and complex as the city of Prince George.
We must remember that Lyn Hall was chair of the school board when its
with its coercive mandates but the same unquestionable orthodoxy exists at both the city and regional district’s permit office, in the halls of our college, university, and hospital, around your neighborhood the second you contravene the covenant slightly. Trespassers are heretics.
Some might agree with my theme but still assert that all of these bodies have appeal processes to address grievances. I’ll simply say this: I have been both an appellant as well as a witness in these proceedings, from pathetic zoning laws to the untouchable topic of gender. Your presence there means you are guilty, and your defense simply helps them make their predetermined decisions sound less arbitrary. This isn’t open court, it’s a closed inquisition.
But there is a remedy: non-participation. At work, this manifests as job action and the strike, which the BCGEU is currently exemplifying Let us pray more join in solidarity, bringing our overreaching ship of state to a halt.
At this point, we have nothing left to lose but our chains
Nathan Giede is a Prince George writer
problems started and then did a very poor job administrating the city. I would suggest that being a past member of the school district board is a telling reason to not vote for these candidates. Melbourne Brundige, Prince George
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Canfor Leisure Pool opening delayed
ARTHUR WILLIAMS Citizen staff
Prince George residents wanting to try Canada’s first NinjaCross obstacle course will have to wait a month longer than expected.
Construction of the Canfor Leisure Pool is a month behind schedule and is not expected to be complete until October, city director of recreation and events
Andy Beesley wrote in a report to city council.
City staff are expected to be able to take possession of the pool later in October.
“The project is in the final stage of construction at 96 (per cent) complete with $33.4 million spent. The remaining works for completion include pool tank fills, finishes, HVAC and fire system commissioning, systems corrections and run tests, NinjaCross finalization, operator training, landscaping, and staff move in,” Beesley wrote.
“The delay is largely attributed to unanticipated trade defaults and labour shortages which are outside of the project controls. The project is anticipated to remain within this completion schedule provided there are no extenuating circumstances such as system deficiencies identified through the commissioning process or supply chain delays.”
Exterior work and landscaping for the pool is scheduled to be complete in early fall, with the work being coordinated with projects approved in 2021 and 2022 for streetscape improvements to Seventh Avenue and a planned traffic signal at the intersection of Seventh Avenue and Dominion Street, Beesley wrote.
The project is expected to stay within the $39.126 million budget city council approved on May 9, 2022, Beesley
wrote. The original budget for the pool was $35.75 million, plus $500,000 for the addition of the NinjaCross course, which council approved on Feb. 22, 2021.
Of the $2.876 million cost overrun, $1.7 million was attributed to deficient primer which was on the structural steel beams when they were delivered, Beesley wrote. The city is “actively seeking compensation” for the costs linked to the deficient primer, he added.
“Much of the project’s construction has taken place during the pandemic with impacts to the project budget and schedule from market conditions and other factors,” Beesley wrote. “However, the project remains in scope and will feature the first NinjaCross obstacle course in Canada.”
Installation of a new, bronze Terry Fox statue outside the pool is expected to be complete before the 2022 Terry Fox Run.
The Canfor Leisure Pool currently under construction in downtown Prince George.
Forestry action lagging, conservationists say
MARK NIELSEN Citizen staff
A Prince George-based environmental advocacy group says the provincial government is failing to act on recommendations from B.C.’s forest practices watchdog for protecting old growth forest in the Prince George timber supply area.
“It has been two years since the Forest Practices Board concluded that nature was at high-risk in the Prince George TSA because of industrial logging. Why is it taking so long for the B.C. government to act on the Board’s recommendations when these ecosystems are on the brink of collapse?” Conservation North’s director Michelle Connolly said in a statement this week.
In December 2020, the FPB issued findings from an investigation into a complaint that biodiversity values are not being appropriately addressed due to the high levels of mountain pine beetle salvage harvesting in the TSA.
The FPB found loggers were complying with existing regulations but that those regulations needed to be updated to better protect biodiversity. That recommendation has not yet been acted on, nor have old growth stands within the TSA been properly mapped, according to Conservation North.
Current requirements are contained in a “biodiversity order,” a document Conservation North says was negotiated with industry 17 years ago.
“The Order is widely known to have been written to protect logging company access to the amount of old forest they want, where they want it,” said Connolly. “It specifies minimum areas to be retained that are way below what the science says must be protected to avoid
ecological collapse.”
Conservation North also says keeping track of what has been logged and how much old growth remains in the TSA is left to a group of logging companies, as opposed to an independent scientific body or B.C. government staff and views the arrangement as a “serious conflict of interest that needs to be rectified if there is to be any hope of protecting nature in our region.”
In an emailed response, B.C. Forests Minister Katrine Conroy said work is underway on a spatial approach to implementing the landscape biodiversity order “which will include identifying biodiversity areas and protecting them.”
“We are taking bold action to better protect our oldest and rarest forests,” Conroy added.
“Since November, our government has prevented logging in nearly 1.7 million hectares of old growth working in partnership with First Nations - an area equal to more than 4,100 Stanley Parks.
“Approximately 80 per cent of the priority at-risk old growth identified by the Old Growth Technical Advisory Panel is not threatened by logging because it is already permanently protected, covered by deferrals, or uneconomic to harvest.”
Conroy also made noted biodiversity management areas established in the Stuart Nechako Forest District through a process with the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council.
“Harvesting within these areas is largely paused to assess and confirm that these areas will achieve goals for biodiversity, old growth, and species at risk,” Conroy said. “We are working together with our partners to ensure that future generations will be able to enjoy the benefits that BC’s forests provide to people and communities.”
Victim Services receives donation for new vehicle
Being a victim of crime can be a traumatic and life-changing experience.
But when crime happens, the two staff and 15 dedicated volunteers of the Prince George RCMP Victim Services Unit are available to help victims through the days and weeks that follow.
“The RCMP Victim Services unit has graciously received a $50,000 grant for the purchase of a new Victim Services vehicle from a local organization that wishes to remain anonymous until they have issued a media release, sometime following council’s approval,” city director of public safety Adam Davey wrote in a report to city council.
The unit’s current vehicle, which was also donated, is 16 years old and the unit is looking to replace it with a more reliable vehicle, Davey wrote.
The $50,000 donation will cover the cost of purchasing a new vehicle for the unit.
“The unit uses their vehicle as a mobile office, providing shelter and transportation for victims, witnesses and families while attending on scene,” he added.
“The RCMP Victim Services Unit would like to thank the local donor for its support towards purchasing a much-needed replacement Victim Services vehicle. Upon council’s approval, the vehicle will be purchased for the unit and be added to the city’s fleet inventory by the beginning of September.”
Asay memorial game set for Sept. 24
TED CLARKE Citizen staff
Amanda Asay’s knowledge of the game of baseball made her an on-field expert like no other on her team.
Her teammates on Canada’s national women’s team would gravitate to her for a quick huddle on the diamond to sort out where to position themselves on a defensive shift that gave them the best chance to adjust to a hitter and putting out a baserunner.
Blessed with a sharp analytical mind that paved her way to a doctorate in her professional career in forestry management, Asay’s never-ending curiosity to learn the strategies of the game and desire to improve as an athlete helped make Canada a perennial World Cup
medal threat for the 17 years she with the team (2005-21) and led her to individual honors as an international all-star and team MVP.
Asay’s life ended in tragedy on Jan. 7 when the 33-year-old Prince George native died in a skiing accident near her home in Nelson. On Saturday, Sept. 24 at 1 p.m. at City Field (formerly known as Citizen Field), the Prince George Senior Men’s Baseball League is hosting a game as a tribute to Amanda Asay.
Game organizer Paul Wilson is trying to line up a team of female players and is inviting Asay’s friends, either on the national women’s team or during the six years she played fastball as a teenager for the Prince George Thunderbirds. If there are enough players to form a team, they would play an all-star team
selected from the five-team Prince George men’s league. Asay played several years in the league during summer breaks when local games did not conflict with her national team commitments.
Asay was a multisport athlete who played hockey and softball at Brown University in Rhode Island from 2006-09, and later starred for the UBC Thunderbirds hockey team, was working for the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resources and Rural Development in Nelson at the time of her death.
Six years older than any of her national teammates, Asay was being groomed to take over as head coach of the national women’s team
“I always say to people, as amazing as an athlete she was, she was an even better person just to be around,” said
Wilson. “She was one of the best women’s baseball players in the world and if she was a male playing in the major leagues she’d be worth about $300 million.
“I learned so much just talking to her. She was very good at coaching it and explaining it well to other people.”
Wilson says there’s a push to fast-track Asay’s entry into the Prince George Sports Hall of Fame and the baseball community is talking about naming the ball diamond at City Field as a tribute to her.
He said there will be opportunities for people to donate to local charities in Asay’s name.
The Prince George Youth Baseball Association is planning a girls’ baseball clinic for Sunday, Sept. 25, the day after the Asay game. More details will be released later.
Local man cleared of gun, ammo charges
A Prince George man well known to the police and courts no longer stands accused of possessing a large-calibre handgun and 50-rounds of ammunition to go with it.
Eric Vern West was found not guilty Tuesday of counts related to the discovery by Prince George RCMP following a drug-related pullover on June 17, 2019.
Police noticed the barrel of the gun protruding from underneath the back seat where West had been sitting and then uncovered a bag containing not only the ammunition but a wallet containing his identification.
However, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Ron Tindale found there was reasonable doubt that West was in “constructive possession” of the items.
During a trial on the matter, West testified that he had been staying at the house of a known drug dealer when he and some others got word that RCMP were about to execute a search warrant on the home.
(Located at 1103 Chilako Ave., the house was destroyed in an Oct. 12, 2019 fire. What was left of the home, which had
been owned by Harjinder Berar, was later cleared on order by the city) They quickly packed some belongings and made their escape.
West said he did not know how his wallet ended up in the bag. As well, analysis of DNA found on the items was inconclusive.
West was found guilty of simple possession of cocaine and heroin-fentanyl and will likely be sentenced to time served on the counts.
However, his troubles are not over yet. West still faces sentencing from a bout of gang-related gunplay in the 200 block of Bellos Street in the Highglen area in October 2020, for which he has pleaded guilty to four counts, including unlawful discharge of a firearm and dangerous driving.
In February, co-accused Bradley Andre Ouelette was sentenced to eight years in prison and Kenneth Ricardo Munroe to five-and-a-half years. Less credit for time served prior to sentencing, Ouelette had six-and-a-half years left to serve and Munro had slightly less that three-anda-half year to go at the times of their sentencings.
A date for sentencing on the matters is to be fixed in September.
MARK NIELSEN Citizen staff
Ness Lake resident frustrated
department not sent to 911 call
ARTHUR WILLIAMS Citizen staff
Ness Lake resident Laurie Muise was at home around noon on July 21, after volunteering with the BC Summer Games, when she heard her daughter screaming downstairs.
Her daughter’s 17-year-old friend was lying on the floor of Muise’s basement, having a grand mal seizure. Muise, a former Ness Lake Fire Volunteer Fire Department member, knew what to do.
“I told (my daughter) to call 911 right away. She called, then handed me the phone. I asked right away for them to dispatch the fire department,” she said.
“The ambulance took about half an hour, from town. But our fire department could have been here in five minutes.”
With road construction and the extra traffic because of the BC Summer Games events being held at Ness Lake, Muise said she was concerned it could be a long time for the ambulance to arrive.
Muise said she had a family member who suffered from seizures and was familiar with what they look like. But the teenager had no history of seizures and as it ended, she was confused, disoriented and kept saying her arm hurt, Muise said.
It turned out later that the seizure had been so intense, the girl had dislocated her shoulder, but at the time they didn’t know what had caused the seizure or the pain.
“Near the end of the phone call, she came out of the seizure,” she said. “I called them back 10-15 minutes later, because she was complaining about her arm hurting, and I thought she might be having a stroke. I asked them where the fire department was, but they said they couldn’t come.”
The girl’s mother arrived before the ambulance. When the paramedics arrived, they told her there was a risk her daughter could have a second seizure and the ambulance might need to take off at high speed to get her to the hospital, Muise said.
“That ambulance didn’t even have the medication she would need,” Muise said.
‘I CAN’T SEE HOW THEY COULD MAKE THAT CALL’
A friend in the Ness Lake fire department later told Muise they’d never gotten the call out to attend the incident. The Citizen could not independently confirm that.
“I’m pissed off, because I requested it, and then I phoned them back and requested it again,” Muise said. “Because she’d never had (a seizure) before, they should have come.”
Ness Lake Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief Percy Dergez declined to comment and referred the Citizen to the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George.
“For privacy reasons, we are not able to go into details of the specific call, but
Teen waited half hour for ambulance when help was minutes away
we can share that when a 9-1-1 call is dispatched to BC Ambulance Service, it is the sole decision of BC Ambulance Service to determine if they require additional First Responder support for the call,” regional district spokesperson Renee McCloskey said in an email. “If they decide they do not require additional First Responder support, no additional agencies are dispatched.”
Regional District of Fraser-Fort George director Warren Wilson, who represents the Ness Lake area, said he is concerned that BC Ambulance made the decision not to notify the Ness Lake fire department.
“The person remained on the ground for a long time… before the ambulance got there,” Wilson said. “For BC Ambulance to make the decision to not bring the volunteer fire department was a significant call. I can’t see how they could make that call, when they really didn’t know (the girl’s condition.)”
The ambulance took about half an hour, from town. But our fire department could have been here in five minutes.”
reassure the patient and their family that BCEHS works hard to respond to all emergency calls with the appropriate resources based on the severity of a patient’s condition,” the BCEHS statement said. “BCEHS is looking into the circumstances of this call and our early information is that fire first responder notification was not initiated. This could be for a number of reasons, every patient’s condition is different. We will work with the Patient Care Quality Office to reach out to the patient’s family to answer any concerns or questions they have.”
BC Ambulace works with professional and volunteer fire departments, who are able to provide basic first aid and emergency health services while paramedics are en route to a medical emergency.
BC AMBULANCE RESPONSE
In an emailed statement, the B.C. Emergency Health Services (BCEHS), which operates the BC Ambulance Service, said emergency dispatchers use the internationally-recognized Medical Priority Dispatch System and Clinical Response Model to prioritize first responder resources.
“Having a loved one suffer a medical emergency is stressful and we want to
“BCEHS responds to the most critically ill and injured patients first, by prioritizing the response based on the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS), a system used around the world,” the BCEHS statement said. “ In this system, patients reported to have life-threatening symptoms including cardiac arrest, chest pain, breathing difficulties, and severe bleeding or unconsciousness are prioritized.”
A colour-code system, with purple being the most urgent and blue the least urgent, is used to prioritize calls for emergency medical help, the statement said. Cases that are immediately life
threatening (for example, cardiac arrest) are categorized as purple; immediately life-threatening or time-critical calls (for example, chest pain) are categorized as red; urgent or potentially serious, but not immediately life-threatening calls (for example, abdominal pain) are categorized as orange; non-urgent calls (such as a sprained ankle) are categorized as yellow; and non-urgent calls which can be handled by telephone triage and advice are classed as blue.
“BCEHS automatically notifies firefighter first responders when calls are coded red or purple under the (Clinical Response Model), where minutes or seconds in response time can be a matter of life or death,” the ECEHS statement said. “Although BCEHS may also notify volunteer firefighter departments of certain orange and yellow calls depending on the circumstances, first responder partner agencies determine what types of calls they have the resources to respond to. It is essential that all emergency services are used where and when they are needed the most to ensure the best use of all emergency resources to care for patients.”
PATIENT ON THE MEND
Muise said her daughter’s friend did recover, although she will need to follow up with doctors to determine the cause of the seizure. The incident has inspired her daughter and her friends.
“I asked them what they’d have done if it had happened while they were out on the lake. The answer was, ‘go to the first house, and call 911, don’t try to get back home,’” Muise said. “My daughter and her friends are all going to take first aid.”
A teenager spent roughly half an hour lying on the floor, following a seizure, waiting for an ambulance to arrive in Ness Lake. The Ness Lake Volunteer Fire Department hall was only five minutes away.
Local donors step up for Ukrainian refugees
TED CLARKE Citizen staff
Forty-five seconds.
That’s all it took to fill a request for an iPad tablet posted on Facebook by the Prince George For Ukraine Initiative.
Mary and Don Antoshko, whose home in the Hart on Nixon Crescent has become a cluttered clearing house of donated goods to help Ukrainian families fleeing the war in their homeland, were stunned at the rapid response when somebody saw their post and volunteered to buy the brand-new tablet computer.
It was to replace an older iPad the family of a disabled seven-year-old boy relied upon to entertain and communicate with their non-verbal son. In less than a minute, the Antoshkos realized the generosity of a Prince George resident has been stirred. Word about the smashed tablet spread in the community and before long MEDIchair NorthBC donated an attachment to fasten the new computer to the boy’s wheelchair.
“The support we get from the people of Prince George is absolutely phenomenal, we’re just overwhelmed” said Mary Antoshko. “The boy was in one of those umbrella strollers since February and when he got here in May and had no muscle tone whatsoever, but they will work with him at the Child Development Centre with whatever physiotherapy he’ll need.”
The Antoshkos took over the Prince George Yalenka Ukrainian Society’s humanitarian branch when Peter and Dianne Buhan moved to Kelowna and for many years they’ve co-ordinated donations to charities in the Ukraine. They were just about to send eight boxes of school supplies when the Russians invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.
The Antoshkos joined forces with the Share Hope Refugee Sponsorship Committee, which previously helped families from Iraq and Syria get settled in Prince George. They offered to take on the task of co-ordinating donations of clothing, furniture and household goods to take some of the burden off Ukrainian families who are arriving in the city with whatever belongings they can fit in one suitcase.
The basement level of their home is a maze of shelves loaded with furniture, clothing, bedding, kitchen items, toys, books, bikes and just about everything needed to set up an apartment or house. Virtually all the floor space in the lower half of the house, their carport and Mary’s upstairs sewing room are jampacked with items donated to the cause.
“You know that TV show, Hoarders, we’re way past that,” joked Don.
Thankfully, they’ve found an expert willing to volunteer to keep the flow of goods in and out of their home a smooth-running operation. Liliia Miroshnyk arrived in Prince George on May 24 with her husband Oleksii and their three daughters from Merefa, Ukraine, a suburb
of Kharkiv, where many of the Russian missile and bombing attacks have been targeted since the war began.
Until the war began, the 36-year-old Liliia managed a thrift store run by a charity in Merefa and she is now utilizing her retail skills to create an online database to catalog all the goods donated to the Antoshkos. On Wednesdays, Liliia and her twin 13-year-old daughters Masha and Dasha spend hours at the house photographing each item and they post the photos using the Telegram app. That allows the other Ukrainians refugees in Prince George to see what’s available and they are encouraged to make lists of what they want. The items are then placed in boxes, put into a trailer, and delivered to the Yalenka Community Hall for the people to pick up.
Don Antoshko, a retired Prince George firefighter, has family roots in the Ukraine and he and his wife Mary have been active members of the Yalenka Ukrainian Cultural Society for 25 years. In 2008, they spent nearly a month touring all over Ukraine, a country of 44 million in an area the size of Alberta. Ukraine ranks as the poorest country in Europe, with a per capita gross national income of $3,540 US in 2020.
“They were 30 years behind other countries in 2008,” said Mary. “But the people just embraced us when we were there.”
There are now 13 Ukrainian families and 60 individuals already in Prince George, with more war refugees on the way later this week. As the war drags on, there’s no end in sight to the danger facing the people still in Ukraine and the Antoshkos plan to stay involved as long as their help is needed.
“I know it’s not going to be forever; they’re not going to need a lot of ongoing support,” said Mary. “These families get a job within the first week or two, they find
ways of dealing with things, they’ve very independent people.
“I don’t think there will be a lot of people going back to the Ukraine because a lot of people right now have nothing to come home to.”
Last Wednesday marked the 31st anniversary of the Ukraine’s independence from the Soviet Union and it was emotional day for Liliia and her family. She left behind her mother and 86-year old grandmother, who were unable to follow the Miroshnyks to Romania due to her grandmother’s medical conditions. They’ve been living the past six months in an apartment in Merefa, under constant threat of more bombing attacks. The windows of her grandmother’s home were blown out by previous explosions and are covered with plywood.
“They don’t want to replace the glass because they don’t know if it will be blown out again,” said Liliia. “Plywood is reliable.”
The Share Hope committee has established a network of professional support which includes a retired pediatrician (Marie Hay), English skills teacher (Olga McLeod) and trauma counselling (Charis Counselling Services). Volunteers are assisting in finding jobs (David Fuller), accommodations and housing (Eva Gillis) and a family doctor/dentist of vision specialist (Hay). The group also has a fundraising/donations chair (Dick Mynen).
Share Hope helped connect some of the Ukrainian newcomers with Ness Lake Bible Camp and the UNBC Timberwolves kids soccer/basketball and through the Prince George Catholic Diocese eight families had the exclusive use of the church’s facilities at Camp Maurice. The Yalenka Dance Group is offering free memberships for them and the Prince George Track and Field Club has also waived its fees.
Right now, there are 27 school-aged children among the 60 people from Ukraine who have come to P.G. this year, but those numbers are expected to more than double between now and the start of the school year after Labour Day. Most of the Ukrainians who have just come to the city are from regions where winters are mild, comparable to that of Kelowna or Kamloops, and they fear what’s in store for them in a Prince George winter.
“Families are scared about the incoming winter, so they’re already asking about winter stuff,” said Mary. “The Knights of Columbus donated 35 brandnew kids’ winter coats. Kids want to do the Canadian thing and play hockey and we were asked last week about hockey equipment but we don’t have any.”
They’re also short of beds, pillows, lamps, desks and desk chairs. The Bon Voyage Inn is remodelling its rooms and is donating chairs, nightstands headboards and dressers, but it just replaced its beds and bedding last year.
The Mennonite Cultural Centre has stepped up in a big way to find apartments at reduced rates for the new arrivals. Federal government settlement funds provide a one-time payment of $3,000 for each adult and $1,500 per child. Once registered for the federal program, refugees are eligible for provincial funding that ranges from $935-2,193.50 per family per month for up to six months. Private donors to Share Hope also fund grants of between $500 and $3,000 per application. More host families are urgently required to provide temporary homes for the new families expected to land in Prince George over the next few weeks. More information on all the services Share Hope provides is available on by contacting the group through email at pg.sharehope@gmail.com
CITIZEN STAFF PHOTO
From left, Don Antoshko, his wife Mary and Ukrainian refugee Liliia Miroshnyk stand in the Antoshko’s basement where they store items donated to Ukrainians who have come to Prince George to escape their war-torn country.
Training tomorrow’s trades professionals
College tailoring programs to meet industry standards
TED CLARKE Citizen staff
The pandemic that forced educators to scramble to devise new methods of teaching is having a lasting effect that will enhance how students at the College of New Caledonia learn.
During the lockdown period when students were forced to stay home and use computers to link to classrooms, one of the college’s automotive service technician instructors perfected a method of using his phone camera to replicate what he was seeing while working under a car. Now he projects the video onto a large screen for all the students in the shop to
see, instead of having them crowd around him under the vehicle struggling to see what he’s doing.
“COVID was difficult for everyone but if there’s a positive out of it, we’ve adapted some alternate delivery methods that we’ve incorporated into our learning today,” said Frank Rossi, CNC’s dean of trades.
“Because trades is so heavily into practical training, we need to be innovative when it come to stuff like that and a lot of instructors stepped up to the plate and made the adjustments we needed in the shops.”
Course content in trades programs continues to evolve as technology advances.
CNC automotive students have four new hybrid cars in their shop donated to the college to learn how to diagnose and repair battery-powered vehicles.
Electrical apprentices are studying solar power generation and carpentry students are learning how to build homes and structures that utilize high-efficiency materials and renewable energy systems.
Fueled by a shortage of housing and a thriving economy, construction trades are booming in north central B.C. and the demand for trained workers is ever-increasing as skilled workers retire from the workforce.
The college estimates that apprentices will fill 41 per cent of B.C. jobs over the next decade and is working with the province to try to open its most popular programs to more students.
Aside from a two-week lull in August, classes are in session year-round at CNC.
The new term for carpentry, electrical, heavy mechanical trades and
professional cook programs started in mid-August, while all other programs begin classes Sept. 7.
COVID restrictions forced CNC to limit its class sizes starting in the spring of 2020 and with the return of classes this fall, college capacity is now back to pre-pandemic levels.
Carpentry and plumbing apprenticeship programs are close to being full, while CNC’s electrical and heavy mechanical trades foundation programs are oversubscribed and have long waitlists. The demand for trained workers is such that electrical and heavy duty mechanical trades students already have job offers from industry players and most will graduate into apprenticeships once they complete their foundation programs.
See LEARNING on page 16
The College of New Caledonia’s heavy mechanical trades foundation program is one of the most popular courses on the college program calendar. New classes started in mid-August at the Prince George campus.
Learning on the job
Continued from page 15
The B.C. government is reinstating a requirement that workers in 10 compulsory trades will soon have to be certified tradespeople or registered apprentices. The trades affected are electricians (industrial and construction), automotive service technicians, autobody/collision technicians, heavy-duty equipment technicians, gasfitters, steamfitters, pipefitters, air conditioning mechanics, sheet metal workers, and powerline technicians. The legislation, which will be phased in by 2025, is designed to make workplaces safer and increase the number of registered apprentices.
“That’s going to really put a lot of pressure on the school system because there’s going to be a higher demand for individuals to get their certifications,” said Rossi. ”You will have to a registered apprentice or leaning to a Red Seal certification. There might be some questions from industry, but I think that’s a good system that will really boost the apprentice numbers, and we need that because of the aging demographics.”
Some workers, especially those in rural areas, have learned their trades on the job and never had formal training and that will complicate how the new rules will affect some job sites.
“The (Industry Trades Authority) is trying to address that particular issue where
you’ve got folks who have been working in the field who aren’t certified and are probably going to need some different path to get their certification and CNC and all the colleges will have a big role to play in that,” said Chad Thompson, CNC’s vice-president academic.
Traditional four-year apprenticeship programs won’t work for some of those businesses and to encourage more employers to take on apprentices the province’s 15 post-secondary trades schools are consulting with the ministry to prepare alternate learning models.
CNC has technology programs in power engineering, civil engineering, computer networking , natural resources/forest technology and post-diploma information technology. Next year, the college plans to unveil a two-year diploma program in information technology program, which will be the first offered in northern B.C. CNC continually monitors labour market needs and is working on an industry initiative to develop a professional driver training program, which is contingent on government funding.
Civil engineering was added as a new program added in 2020. The first cohort of civil engineering graduates completed their studies in June and 93 per cent of the first- and second-year students had jobs lined up before their classes ended. See ‘URGENT NEED’ on page 17
Continued from page 16
“There’s an urgent need for civil engineering technologists, especially after the floods of last year and how much is needed to rebuild infrastructure to maintain infrastructure,” said Thompson.
“Our natural resources/forest tech program is still full, it’s got very strong industry support. The forest sector is changing but we still need the forest technologists supporting the forest industry itself and of course the restoration/reclamation side of things, not just related to forestry, but mine site reclamation. You’re still doing the work of a forester.”
The college continues to promote its Trades Discovery Program which allows high school students who have completed Grade 9 English and math to earn credit for a 20-week, 300-hour program that allows them to experience four different trades. Each year, CNC takes 64 Trades Discovery students at the Prince George campus and more attend the college’s satellite campuses in Burns Lake, Quesnel, Vanderhoof and Mackenzie. CNC plans to soon add its technology programs to the choices available to young students on its Trades Discovery list.
“We often hear that in order to get more individuals into the trades, we have to get them in at an earlier age,” said Rossi. “So we are working with the
school district to have students in Grades 9, 10 and 11 to discover different trades in hope they will in the future get into an apprenticeship and move into a Red Seal.
“There is a high waitlist to get into Trades Discovery because we’re limited by the amount of seats we can get. We’re trying to look at the under-represented groups and one of the cohorts last year was an aboriginal female cohort and it was a highly successful program.”
Since 2000, CNC has offered dual-credit programs to Grade 11 and 12 students attending the Career Technical Centre. When those students graduate high school they’ve already completed the first level of an apprenticeship program. Some CTC students take their instruction with college students and some stick with their high school peers in classes of 16 students. Once they compete the course and fulfill their workplace hours they are regarded as second-year apprentices.
“It kind of de-mystifies the college,” said Thompson. “A lot of students here are first-generation students and no one in the family might have gone on to post-secondary and setting foot into the college is an intimidating experience. If they get that opportunity at high school they get to see that it’s a great place to be and it breaks down that fear that some of them have and they feel they belong here.”
We’rethe HospitalEmployees’ Union, representing more than 50,000 healthcareworkers across
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CUPE BC’s 104,000 members provide the public services that build strong communities.
Many creative ways to forge a career in the arts
ANNA RUSSELL
Special to The Citizen
It’s the obvious scenario. As an arts teacher and a performer, I see it all the time. I lived it.
Those passionate performing urges are strong, and you head off to a theatre program or the audition circuit after high school.
You pursue that artist life for as long as you can stand it (mentally and emotionally) and then you head into a more stable career. You “pick a lane.”
I recently attended an online lecture given by producer (among so many other things) Eric Cornell, who has worked on Broadway, numerous international theatrical tours, and is an arts teacher himself. Picking a lane was NOT on his list of suggestions.
The lecture was titled “Exploring Careers in Theatre” and here is one of his points I know to be true – ANY interest intersects with theatre.
I have worked in some varied sectors. My arts training benefitted me in all of them and, in turn, those jobs have benefitted me in the arts.
I boomeranged all over the place but, finally, I seem to have made my way back to the arts (if I ever fully left, I am not sure).
This is exactly the emphasis of the
lecture I attended. If you know you have a passion for the theatre, but you want consistent employment and a home base, how do you scratch that itch in a vocational way?
The list of ways is endless. There is an incredible, interactive resource that shows the connections between different roles at https:// www.playbill.com/ broadway-community-project. Some of the most important, up-and-coming jobs in the performing arts industry are connected to technology, humanities and health and safety.
While a theatre diploma doesn’t hurt, it also isn’t the piece of paper necessary to get a job as a diversity, equity and inclusion coordinator with a regional theatre or a touring production company, for example.
food chain. However, there is something to be said for job satisfaction. If you have that artistic itch, it’s probably not going to vanish the day you get that accounting degree.
But there is hope for everyone out there who, like me, has a left and right brain in constant conflict.
If you have that artistic itch, it’s probably not going to vanish the day you get that accounting degree.”
Currently, within Theatre NorthWest, I am working in an artistic leadership role. However, I also spend my workday in the box office and handling front of house duties. Others in the organization have similarly diverse working roles, which combine artistic and “regular” skills.
warehousing. Of course, our industry breakdown is different in Canada.
We do not have Hollywood or Broadway or Disney to draw in arts tourism dollars.
But, there is potential in the industry, and not every architect wants to design skyscrapers for their whole career.
All of this is to say that, in this age, “picking a lane” may not be the most beneficial model. There is nothing wrong with going back to school and getting a degree or a “stable” career.
But if you have a young artist in your house, I encourage you not to write off the arts but rather to explore the numerous ways your artist can contribute their talents to this fulfilling, creative industry.
The final point in the lecture was this: “The more you broaden your vocational skills and diversify your career, the more satisfaction I think you might find.”
While I can argue all day about the necessity of art for a healthy society, I cannot argue that a career in art will place you near the top of the financial
But what if the boomerang was reversed? What if individuals with skills in business or trades boomeranged right into the theatre? What if an architect or a physiotherapist actively sought employment in the arts sector FIRST? I know, I know. Financially, why would anyone do that?
Well, did you know that, in 2019, the arts and culture industry contributed $919 billion to the American economy?
Arts and culture contributed more than agriculture, transportation or
The diversity of possible careers is vast and this industry values unique perspectives and people.
A carpenter, computer programmer or engineer inside a theatre is not a rarity –they are often a valuable and respected necessity.
The theatre will not chain your passions to a desk.
It will open doors and connect those passions, often in directions you could never imagine.
Anna Russell is an Artistic Associate and FOH/Box Office Manager at Theatre NorthWest.
Healthy North y
Riding the NH Connections bus as asenior: Affordable, fun, and COVID-safe
You’ll scoreafantastic travel deal. You’ll have enough money but may lack time and availability Youmust be patient and methodical when planning this incredible escape.
TAURUS
It’stime to change your lifestyle to boost your morale and improve your physical health. You’ll be prompted to make achange after atraumatic experience. Youmay also feel the need to switch jobs.
GEMINI
You’ll be focused on your love life this week. You’ll make unforgettable memories with your significant other.Ifyou’resingle, you’ll meet your soul mate and quickly consider building a life together
CANCER
You’ll get awell -deserved raise. You’ll also tap into your leadership skills and start an at -home business. This venturewill be a huge success thanks to your creativity and imagination.
LEO
You’ll boost your self -esteem. Buying new clothes or getting anew hair style will make you feel better about yourself and help you stand out from the crowd.
VIRGO
LIBRA
You’ll clearly express yourself and speak openly about your emotions. You’ll come into your own and stand out, which may cause some people to be jealous.
SCORPIO
CAPRICORN
This is an excellent week to recharge your batteries. Treat yourselftoa massage or another form of pampering to unwind. You’ll also appreciate alittle solitude.
AQUARIUS
You’ll redecorate your home to suit your unique style. Youmay also find some money you thought you lost at the bottom of apocket that will allow you to spoil yourself.
Your artistic talents will allow you to create a second stream of income for yourself. You’ll create amasterpiece. Despite being short on time, you’ll have alot of fun this week and incor porate some exercise.
SAGITTARIUS
Good things areonthe horizon! You’ll have to make some adjustments and compromises at work and home to reach an agreement.
You’revery popular this week. Youmay have to dress up afew times. Your friendly attitude will help you grow your social circle and put you in touch with like-minded people.
PISCES
Youmust learntodelegate to take some pressure offatwork and home. Youmay find yourself worrying about your loved ones. Your children can’tstay at home forever; trust them.
Retrieve
Binge
Exercise machine
Romance
Furthermore
Motorbikes
Hymn finales
Rectify
Picnic pest 8. Dog’s warning
HOW TO PLAY:
Fill in the grid so that everyrow, everycolumn and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1through9 only once.
Each 3x3 box is outlinedwith adarker line. You already have afew numbers to get you started Remember:you must not repeat the numbers 1through 9inthe same line, columnor3x3 box.
A year has passed since you peacefully slipped away.
I’m sorry we never got to say goodbye.
Thank You for 45 years of being my best friend, partner in crime and husband.
I have a lifetime of cherished memories.
You will always be in my heart and thoughts. Till we meet again. Forever Loved-Deeply Missed
REMEMBRANCES
Edith Dorothy OLESIUK (nee Terris)
1928 - 2022
OLESIUK, Edith Dorothy (nee Terris) passed away August 20, 2022 at Gateway Complex Care Home, Prince George, BC at the age of 94. Edith was born April 1, 1928 in Edmonton, Alberta and grew up on the family homestead just north of Wildwood, Alberta. After living briefly in Vancouver, ‘Edie’ and Art moved to Prince George where they raised their family on Douglas Street and in Charella Gardens. In 1980, they moved to Canoe, BC where they enjoyed many happy retirement years. After Art passed Edie returned to Prince George in 2009 to be closer to the family. She spent her final 10 years living in the PG Gateway Assisted Living and Complex Care Home.
Edith’s greatest love was her extensive family, always taking special interest in each and everyone’s life. She was passionate about gardening and spent many hours creating oil paintings. In her younger years she loved to dance and she and Art were avid square dancers. Edith had numerous friends wherever she lived with whom she loved to discuss current affairs over a cup of coffee and a cheese biscuit. You would often find her reading the local newspaper, reading McLeans magazine, or watching Judge Judy and Jeopardy.
Survived by sons Donald (Diane), Williams Lake; Brian (Shannon), Ft St James and daughter Roxane (Ron) Gunderson, Tobiano, BC. Also, 8 grandchildren & 20 great-grandchildren and their families located throughout Canada and the US; Sister Evelyn Finner, Wildwood, AB; Sister-inlaw Shirley Terris, Hinton, AB and many, many nieces and nephews.
Predeceased by Arthur, husband of 51 years; parents Fergus & Louise Terris; and brother Donald Terris.
Special thanks to all Gateway Staff for their continuous time and care of Edith.
A Celebration of Edith’s Life will be held on Monday Sept 12, 2022 from 1:00 to 4:00 at the Bon Voyage Banquet Hall, 4366 Highway 16 West, Prince George, BC. It would be an honour for family and friends to join us as we celebrate Mom’s life and share memories of her. (If you choose, in lieu of flowers please make a donation to a charity of your choice.)
Janet was born on January 8, 1949 in Huchison, Minnesota and passed away on August 11, 2022 at University
Granny Janny is survived by her husband Dr. Keith Erler, daughters Chantal (Scott), Heather (Peter) and grandchildren Jacob and Halle. A service for Jan will be held on Saturday, September 10th at 11:00 am at Zion Lutheran Church - 180 Tabor Blvd S.
loved her god She loved her family She will be greatly missed
In memory of Neil Kirby Holzworth
June 22, 1962 - September 2, 2021
In Memoriam
Janet Marie Erler (Pederson)
Hospital.
Obituaries
Obituaries
Thobo-Carlsen, John Perch
July 20, 1934 – August 17, 2022
John Perch Thobo-Carlsen, age 88, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, August 17th, 2022 at the University Hospital of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC He was born in Odense, Denmark on July 20th, 1934 to Paul and Paula Thobo-Carlsen—the second of three children. John immigrated to Canada in 1954 and worked for several years in Alberta and Saskatchewan before finally settling in BC John married Sheila Anne Munro of Vancouver, BC, and during 61 years of marriage they made homes together in Kamloops, Penticton, Prince George and Fort St James. A trained accountant, he later co-owned and operated several businesses in Prince George and Fort St James. John was a long-time volunteer for the sport of speed skating. He served as the first president of the Prince George Speed Skating Club (5 years) and later became president of the BC Speed Skating Association (2 years). He was a Level 2-certified coach and Level 3-certified referee who helped run many meets and competitions across the province In Fort St James, John was also heavily involved in the community—ser ving as chair and treasurer of Stuart Lake Community Futures (17 years), president of the Chamber of Commerce (2 years), and treasurer of the Arts Council (5 years). John was predeceased in death by his son Billie, wife Sheila and brother Preben. He is sur vived by his sister Hanne; daughter Anne; son Paul; grandchildren Toven, Jennifer, Alexa and Erin, and great-grandsons Madan and Ryland John will be fondly remembered for his passion and strong commitment to family, work and many community organizations. Respecting John’s wishes, no public service will be held. Special thanks to the staff of Northern Health in Prince George whose excellent support helped keep John comfortable in his final years.
Maria Lidia Soares
December 16, 1935 - July 11, 2022
Lidia is lovingly remembered by her family and friends after a sudden and unexpected death at the age of 86. Although gone, her spirit and love will forever live in the memories she shared with those who knew her best. She enjoyed spending time with family and friends, but was most happy in the company of her children and grandchildren. Lidia was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. She was predeceased by her husband of 59 years, Jose Soares. Lidia is survived by her sisters Graciete and Isabel in Portugal, her sons Oscar (Paula), Jorge (Camilla), Roy (Colleen), and Luis (Melissa). Grandchildren Amanda, Daniel, Nicholas, Tiana, Rohan, Delaney, and Colby. Great Grandchildren Blake and Emmett. Also many nieces and nephews in Portugal. She will be dearly missed and always remembered, in our hearts forever.
A funeral mass will be held for her at St. Mary’s Church 1088 Gillett St. on Thursday, September 1st at 2:00pm.
William (Bill) Lloyd
1928-2022
Bill passed away peacefully on August 22, 2022.
Bill was born April 3, 1928 in Viscount Sask., the 3rd of 12 children. Bill moved to Prince George with his family when he was 12 years old. Bill is survived by Josephine Lloyd, his wife of 67 years; Bill and Joey’s three daughters, Sandra Theroux (Hector), Margot Slater (Peter), and Nancy Gallagher (Brian); grandchildren, and three great grandsons; two of Bill’s brothers Merl Lloyd and Howard Lloyd; and three of Bill’s sisters Joan Winther, Verna Shields, and Pat Todoruk; and many nephews and nieces.
Bill said he and Joey had a very fulfilling life. He and Joey travelled and lived a good life together. Bill and his brothers started the Lloyd Brothers Lumber Company and Bill ran the sawmill. After nearly 20 years of successful operations, the brothers sold the business. Then Bill ranched in Vanderhoof raising horses, cattle, and crops. He was also very involved in woodlots and replanting the trees that were logged.
Bill loved to play golf and was proud that he had three holes-in-one in his lifetime. He said he retired from golf when his “sticks did not work so good anymore”. He also hunted geese and ducks and worked with Ducks Unlimited creating and maintaining wetlands for the birds on his ranch. His most enduring passion was fishing. Bill went to the ocean on many salmon fishing trips and loved to fish for rainbow trout at Cluculz Lake. Joey says when they were dating Bill would take his fishing rod with them, just in case.
Our family wants to say a special thank you to Bill’s caregivers, particularly Kristi, Angela, Poppy, Dr. York, and the staff at Rotary Hospice House who cared for Bill during his last two weeks of life. We are grateful for your compassionate care.
A funeral service will be held for Bill on Friday, September 2 at 1:00 PM at St Michaels and All Angels Anglican Church at 1505 5th Ave, Prince George. A reception will follow the service in the Church Hall. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Hospice House, Ducks Unlimited, or a charity of your choice.
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Writing an effective classified ad is easy when you use these time-tested principles.
• Use a keyword. Start your ad with the item for sale, ser vice offered or the job title.
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• Be descriptive. Give customers a reason to respond. Advertisers have found that the more information you provide, the better the response.
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To place your ad call: 604-630-3300 Writing an effective classified ad is easy when you use these time-tested principles.
To advertise, call 250-562-6666 or email cls@pgcitizen.ca
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5 - 1 acres building lots on North Nechako Rd, available after the removal of 400M+ cubic meters of pitrun aggregate. Interested parties please contact 250-563-8243 during normal work hours.
Woodlot Licence Plan
Woodlot Licence 1727
Notice is hereby given, pursuant to Section 17 of the Woodlot Planning and Practices Regulation, that a Woodlot Licence Plan has been prepared for Woodlot Licence #1727 held by MJM Forestry Ltd. This Woodlot Licence is located east of Prince George near the Willow River and Wansa Lake. If approved by the Ministry of Forests, this plan may apply for a term of 10 years from the date of approval.
This Woodlot Licence Plan is available for public review and comment by from Sept. 1, 2022 to Oct. 7, 2022. Any written comments on the plan should be mailed to: S. M. Forrest & Associates Ltd. , #100-466 2nd Avenue, Prince George, B.C., V2L 2Z7.
Please contact Scott Forrest, RPF, at 250-961-4880, or at sforrest@pgonline.com, to book an appointment to review and/or discuss the plan.
Woodlot Licence Plan
Woodlot Licence 1959
Notice is hereby given, pursuant to Section 17 of the Woodlot Planning and Practices Regulation, that a Woodlot Licence Plan has been prepared for Woodlot Licence #1959 held by Perry Resources Ltd. This Woodlot Licence is located east of Prince George near the Willow River and Hwy 16E. If approved by the Ministry of Forests, this plan may apply for a term of 10 years from the date of approval.
This Woodlot Licence Plan is available for public review and comment by from Sept. 1, 2022 to Oct. 7, 2022. Any written comments on the plan should be mailed to: S. M. Forrest & Associates Ltd. , #100-466 2nd Avenue, Prince George, B.C., V2L 2Z7.
Please contact Scott Forrest, RPF, at 250-961-4880, or at sforrest@pgonline.com, to book an appointment to review and/or discuss the plan.
Woodlot Licence 627
Woodlot
Licence Plan
Notice is hereby given, pursuant to section 17 of the Woodlot Licence Planning and Practices Regulation, that a Woodlot Licence Plan has been prepared for Woodlot Licence 627, licensed to Dwayne Holmes. This woodlot has portions located between Prince George and Quesnel B.C.
If approved by the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development’s District Manager, this plan may apply for a term of ten years from the date of approval.
This woodlot licence plan is available for public review and comment from September 1st to September 30th by appointment at (250) 562-5541. Any written comments on the plan should be mailed to 1579 9th Avenue, Prince George, BC, V2L 3R8.
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HOMES
REAL ESTATE LISTINGS
DESIGN
TRENDING COLOURS Give your walls new life with A FRESH COAT OF PAINT
Do you often feel an overwhelming urge tocrackoutyourpaintbrushandgiveyour walls a fresh new look inspired by the season’shottestcolours?
•Woodlandthemes.Coloursthatbringto mindapeacefulstrollthroughthewoods are must-haves in trendy, Zen-inspired homesthisyear Forinspiration,thinkof natural elements like leaves, pine needles, ferns, moss, mushrooms, bark and stone. Adding simple, earthy tones to your home is the perfect way to infuse somepeaceandserenityintoyourlife.
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ercolours to recreate the richness and depthofadarknightsky.
•Expert picks. Pantone and Color MarketingGroup tworecognizedauthorities on international colour trends havebothchosenlusciousgreentonesas this year’s top colours. Coincidence or fate? Greenery (selectedbyPantone)isa refreshing and revitalizing shade, whereas Thrive (chosen by Color Marketing Group)ismoreofawarmolivegreen.
•Sequined elegance. This year, be bold and opt for a chic design using special paint that includes a sequined finishing gel. This ultra glamorous style can be achieved by combining any number of dark colours (midnight blue, burgundy, charcoalgrey,etc.)withsmall,iridescent flakes. In the right light, the end result is simplystunning!
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Wouldyouliketoaddanexotictouch to your bedroom, kitchen or family room? Let yourself be inspired by the extraordinarybeautyofMoroccandesign! There are so many possibilities: lampshades made with stained glass; lanterns adorned with finely crafted metal leaves; pillows, ottomans and carpets boasting complex motifs; or frames, vases and chests carved in exotic wood. Talented Moroccan artisans know how to create true works ofart!
COLOURS
Definedbyrich,boldhues,Moroccan design often features one or more of thefollowing:
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WOOD
Thetypesofwoodmostoftenusedin Moroccan design include cedar and mahogany,aswellasbarkfromlemon andolivetrees.Thesewoodsareoften employed to build decorative objects like picture frames and candlesticks, or other household items like tissue
boxes and magazine racks. Fashioned to perfection, these works of art are impossibletoresistanddeserveaspecialplaceinyourhome.
METAL
The types of metal most often used in Morocco include copper, stainless steel,brassandsilver Thesematerials areoftenfoundhangingfromceilings in the form of beautiful lanterns that give off a sensual and mysterious glow Doyoulovetea?Getyourhands
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For centuries, Moroccan potters have mastered the art of crafting beautiful, durable items using earthenware materials like terracotta. Pots, garden lamps and amphora jars are but three examples of Moroccan-inspired items that you can use to embellish your home’sdécor,insideandout!
VINTAGE DESIGN ANTIQUE BIRDCAGES: precious and romantic
Today, more and more households are makinguseofwovenhempfibreandits exceptional properties. Soft, lightweight, breathable and eco-friendly, hemp has been cultivated extensively throughout history for myriad industrial uses. It’s incredibly durable and largely favoured for its anti-UVandantibacterialproperties.
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Three ways to GIVE SILVER ITEMS BACK THEIR SPARKLE
Have your precious silver items lost their lustrous shine? Here are three tips to get thoseteapots,utensils,candlesticks,serving trays, wine goblets, sugar bowls and butter disheslookinglikenew
1.Rub the tarnished objects with a moist clothandbakingsoda,thenrinse.It’sas simpleasthat!
2.In a container lined with aluminum foil, mix 250 grams of baking soda with two litres of hot water Leave your silver objects submerged in the solution for
3.Immerse heavily oxidized silver items in a hot vinegar bath for several minutes for good-as-newresults.
WHAT NOT TO DO
Don’t try to remove dark circles and stainsfromyoursilverwithascrubbing pad. The fibres in the cloth can scratch the surface and cause irreversibledamage.
Give your old furniture A SECOND CHANCE AT LIFE
The arrival of spring inspires many homeowners to redecorate one or severalroomsintheirhomes.Doesyouroutdated dresser make you cringe? Do your stainedpillowsleaveyoufeelingembarrassed every time you have company? Doyourbedsidetablesclashwiththedelicate, romantic design that you have in storeforyourbedroom?Beforedonating your old furniture to charity or leaving itbytheroadside,considerupgradingits lookinstead
The idea is simple: give your old pieces of furniture a fresh new look by changing the colour, adding decorative elements (new knobs, stencilling, etc.) or giving them a new purpose altogether. One of the best things about reconditioning your old household objects is the money you’ll save. Needless to say that restoring your current furniture is
TRUST A PROFESSIONAL
If DIY projects aren’t your forte, know that there are a number of design professionals that specialize in this line of work. They can transform your furnituretomatchcurrenttrends or your design preferences thechoiceisyours!
significantly less expensive than buying brand-newitems
Forexample,woodenchairsthatarestill solidbutshowingsignsofwear(chipped paint, stained or torn seat cushions, etc.) are not automatically condemned to the junkyard!All you need to do is sand, repaintandreupholstertheseats withafabric that complements your dining room décor.
Sevenminutes or less-that’sall the time it usually takesfor us to explain howyou can make
PropertyGuys.comoffersclientsthe toolstomarketand sell homes andretainmuchmoreoftheir
With interest ratesrisinginCanada, list prices alongwithgetting themost out of sellingyourhomeisnow more importantthanever. That’s where PropertyGuys.comcan provide clients acompetitive edge over traditional real estate agent listedhomes.
“Whenusingour services, ourclients payjustafraction of what they’d pay atraditional agentincommission,” says DaleMcDonald, who, along with hiswifeRenaMae,acquired the PropertyGuys.comfranchise in Prince George in Januarythisyear, andtheir region spans asubstantial portionof Northern B.C. andYukon!”
“Weare a flat feereal estate service. We helphomeownersselltheir own properties as we arenot licensedagents, but we give ourclients thetools to do what theagentsdo. That waytheykeep controlofthe sales process. ”
“Themainbenefitofour services is that ourclients gettokeepmuchmore of their equity instead of paying it outon commissions.”
After they took over thefranchise, Daleand Rena implementedsomenew services &extra marketing.
“Wewantpeopletoknowour licensed brokerage canpostyourproperty listings on theMLS platform,Realtor. ca.”
“Customers also likedthe factthatwe have addedthe 3D 360°-degreevirtual tour systemwhichshowcases properties well andprovides a24/7 open house.”
Rena Maesays, addingitalsoprovides a legal floorplanalongside thedigital tour images.
real estate services andweare simply letting homeowners know that they have achoice in howtheychoosetosell their property.”
Helping drive interest in thenorthern real estate market is thegrowing trendofworking remotely,something that gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Connectivityisreally openingupthe north,”Dalesays. “One good thingthat came from thepastfew years, is that we learnedwecan utilize technologyto work from home
“Thebenefitofserving such alargearea is that ourclients canput their homes on platformsthatcover all of B.C. and Yukon, whichseems to be asought-after region,primarilybecause thelistprices tend to be lowercomparedtoother regionsinB.C.”Dalesays. “
“Our marketingreach really opens up choices forpeoplewho aretrying to getout of thehigher-pricedLower Mainland areastoretireorsimply start thenext chapteroflife.”
So,PropertyGuys.comcan helpyou market your home.But what about the importantpaperwork that goes along with areal estate transaction?How do clients ensure they have that done properly?
Daleexplained they canrefer clients to atrustedand experiencedlaw firm to undertakethe task
“Thereal estate worldcan be challenging,sohavingalawyerhandle things provides confidence that matters arehandled right.”
“Thetraditional modelofsellingreal estate is availableifclients want it.But we offer homeowners thetools that simplifies thesales processand can generate significant savingsfor them at thesametime.”
Formore information about how PropertyGuys.comcan assist youwith your real estate marketingneeds, visit their website at https://propertyguys. com/#find-an-office
