Prince George Citizen November 2, 2023

Volunteers building Moccasin Flats homes

HANNA PETERSEN Citizen staff

Brad Gustafson has been working to create tiny home structures and a bunkhouse for unhoused people at the Moccasin Flats encampment.

He’s a carpenter and a tradesman and has gotten to know the residents of Moccasin Flats through a man he helped get off the streets.

“Believe it or not, I ran into a guy on the street, and he was in a bad way. He was coming down off drugs and trying to get off drugs and he was in a wheelchair and needed a bunch of help to get cleaned up,” said Gustafson.

He said he invited the man to come and live with him for two months before he

finally went to a rehab centre.

“But in that two-month period, he introduced me to all of these guys, because he had a heart to reach out to them.”

Gustafson said within that process he realized he needed to step in and help with shelters.

“I began to devise designs, and strategize ways and options and how to do that,” he said adding that he began building four-by-eight foot boxes but since have moved away from that onto more larger and comfortable structures.

Gustafson and volunteers are currently building a bunkhouse that will have insulation, bunkbeds and a sitting area that will serve as another warm place people can be in the winter.

Brad Gustafson stands near donated building materials to build tiny

and a bunkhouse at Moccasin Flats.

‘I’m

just trying to keep this very transparent’

Continued from page 1

He said if people can’t or don’t want to go to the hospital or don’t fit the criteria for the sobering centre, this could be an alternative place for them to go.

“This would be a nice place to take people for emergency sleeping, get them off the street and so we’re insulating it for that purpose.”

He said he has high hopes that the building will be very helpful but as the cold has already kicked in they are scrambling to get it finished.

Gustafson also said there’s a need for people to get over the stigma toward less fortunate people and to start engaging in problem solving rather than sitting back and judging others.

“The more you get to know them the more you realize they are just people,” he said.

“They’re just people and so I’ve gotten to love them and they’ve gotten to love me a little bit in return and I feel we have

established a connection with trust and that only comes from spending time here.”

Phillip Fredriksson, who also spends his time volunteering at Moccasin Flats, is working with Gustafson to organize a GoFundMe to get donations for the project to build both the bunkhouse and tiny home structures.

He said they have a request list of 55 people who would like a tiny home.

He said they have received donations of building materials from private businesses and community members.

“I’m trying to keep this very transparent,” said Fredriksson, adding that he’s posting receipts of donations and supplies purchased on the Facebook group Together We Stand to keep a tally of how much is being spent and updates on the project.

Those who wish to support the project financially can find the GoFundMe link online.

Meals on Wheels

prince george council of seniors

A volunteer works on insulating the bunkhouse being built along with some tiny homes at Moccasin Flats.

Stampede shooter gets nine years in jail

MARK NIELSEN

Special to The Citizen

A man has been sentenced to nine years in prison for opening fire during the Williams Lake Stampede two summers ago, forcing thousands of people to evacuate the grounds.

Less credit for time served prior to sentencing, Jordell Anthony Sellars has seven years and 10 days left to serve in the term

issued in Williams Lake provincial court for the July 3, 2022 incident.

The sentence came in the form of a joint submission by Crown and defence counsels and after Sellars pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault and one count each of reckless discharge of a firearm - reduced from discharge with intent to wound - and possessing a loaded restricted firearm, B.C. Prosecution Service spokesperson Dan McLaughlin

confirmed. Sellars had also initially faced a count of attempted murder.

Wielding a nine-millimetre semi-automatic handgun, Sellars fired off at least two shots in the concession area striking one person in the rib and another in the foot, according to the Williams Lake Tribune.

The shooting was intended to be targeted but one bystander was a casualty. Both were taken to hospital and were

Investigation clears RCMP officers

TED CLARKE Citizen staff

Following a three-year investigation, the BC Prosecution Service has determined that no charges will be approved against Prince George RCMP officers involved in the arrest of a man who fled from police on July 30, 2020 near Prince George.

That evening, police converged on a lot in the 1400 block of Old Cariboo Highway where three suspects, a man and two women, had been spotted driving a truck with Alberta licence plates that had been reported stolen.

One of the women was arrested on the highway and the other woman and the man fled on foot into a wooded swampy area.

Two RCMP officers and a police dog went after them and shortly after arrested the man, who was wet from head to toe.

A search revealed he was carrying methamphetamine and two folding pocket knives. The second female was later located and arrested at a nearby gas station.

They were brought to the Prince George detachment cells, where Emergency Health Services determined the man should be brought to hospital because of his head injuries.

It was later determined the man had a broken orbital bone, subdural hematoma (buildup of blood around the brain), fractured cheek and nose, significant soft tissue damage and swelling, abrasions on arms and puncture wounds (from the dog) on his arm, back, and left flank. He spent a week in hospital recovering from his injuries. As a consequence of those injuries, the incident was investigated by the Independent Investigations Office (IIO), which determined there were reasonable grounds to believe two officers may have committed an assault. In the investigation several days later, the man admitted he had consumed drugs and a urine test found methamphetamine, amphetamine, opioids, and fentanyl in his system.

He told IIO investigators he had tried to get away from police by jumping in the pond but said he could not swim and when he realized it was too deep he turned back towards the officers and laid down as they had requested.

He said at that point that the officers released the dog on him and began striking him in the head. He claimed the dog handler kicked him in the head one or two times and that the other officer struck him in the face about 20 times over a period of a few minutes. He said he was then handcuffed and dragged out of the bush by one of the officers over uneven ground.

expected to recover, police said at the time. Identified by nearby witnesses, Sellars was arrested at the grounds but the day was cut short as patrons were evacuated as a safety measure.

Sellars, who has had a history of gun-and-gang-related crime, is among four men who continue to face a count of assault causing bodily harm from an alleged Nov. 10, 2022, incident at Prince George Regional Correctional Centre.

VOLUNTEER

• There are 3 vacancies

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• Term is Dec 1/23 to Nov 30/25

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For information about what the board does visit www.pgpl.ca/board.

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Deadline to Apply: 5:00 p.m. November 9, 2023

Questions?

Contact Legislative Services 250.561.7792

5th Floor, City Hall, 1100 Patricia Blvd. legislativeservices@princegeorge.ca

Scrap metal dealer tired of being scapegoat

TED CLARKE Citizen staff

When Tony Muratori opened TX2 Recycling four years ago in the light industrial area east of downtown Prince George, the homeless encampment that borders his scrap metal yard did not exist.

After a year of operating his business on Fourth Avenue, the first residents of Moccasin Flats came with their tents, tarps and firepits and did not leave.

In fact, some became his regular customers. They sort through dumpsters and industrial yards and help themselves to pieces of wire, metal sheeting or scrap pieces of pipe they load into their carts to bring to Muratori.

Sometimes a full cart will net the seller $18, sometimes it’s only six bucks. Licensed to buy non-ferrous metals, catalytic converters and batteries, TX2 attracts a daily crowd of walk-in customers from the downtown core and Muratori is fighting the perception that his business is a magnet for stolen metal. In actuality, what that element brings into his yard each day represents only a tiny percentage of his business revenue.

“When I moved in here I had no idea what I was getting myself into, I didn’t know that (homeless camp) was going to come up a year later,” said Muratori.

“If I would have said to my wife before she took a leave of absence (from her job at BC Hydro), ‘Tanya, every day you’re going to have to deal with a homeless person, every day you’re going to have to deal with drug dealers or people wanting to use our bathroom. You’re going to have to sort through the people who are thieves and junkies and keep them out of here.’ She was working in a comfortable 8-to-5 job and she would have said, ‘Hell no, “I’m not working here.’”

Muratori has been in business long enough to know when items his walk-in customers try to sell have obviously been stolen, like the guy who dragged in 80 pounds of welding cable or an assortment of park bench brass plates with the inscription scratched off.

He’s required to follow the regulations of the Metal Dealers and Recyclers Act. If he doesn’t, he risks getting fined or losing his license.

The law requires all buyers of scrap metal to demand valid identification of sellers and register what they sell and where they obtained it. Cash sales are limited to a maximum $50 and sellers are required to input their registration number into an automated teller machine which snaps a photo of each customer as they retrieve their cash.

Two years ago, catalytic converters were added to the restricted list of items covered by the Metal Dealers and Recyclers Act and buyers like Muratori could no longer pay cash to legitimate sellers who brought them in from autowrecking yards. He said the new provincial law essentially opened a black market to unscrupulous sellers who take cash for their converters to avoid a paper trail. He regularly gets visits from people driving white vans from Alberta asking if he has any for sale.

“People don’t want to pay taxes on stuff, they want cash under the table, and they don’t want people to know how many they sold or what they sold,” Muratori said. “Because they’re from out of province, they’re paying cash. It just pushed it underground, so now I don’t

know who’s selling what anymore. These white-vanners come in and pay cash. Alberta has a reporting system but there’s no cross-border regulation.”

Muratori says the same rules that prevent recyclers from selling catalytic converters for cash should also apply to autowreckers, who he says should also be required to register those sales.

TX2 is a thriving business and Tanya Muratori likes the work but has no time for people who attack her and her husband on social media, accusing them of perpetuating criminal activity for buying metal from cart pushers.She said the focus should be on bigger-picture issues that plague the city - drug addictions, poverty, mental health, lack of affordable housing.

“It’s sad that people think we should be shut down,” she said. “I don’t think it’s just a metal-recycling problem. It’s a homeless problem, it’s a drug problem, a mental illness problem, it’s bad. We’re doing everything we can as business owners to do things legitimately, according to the Metal Dealers Act, but are we going to turn people away because they’re homeless? They’re still people.”

CITIZEN STAFF PHOTO

Tony and Tanya Muratori’s TX2 Recycling borders on the Moccasin Flats encampment in Prince George.

Brain injured group backs proposed federal bill

CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen staff

Prince George Brain Injured Group executive director Sarah McCrea is applauding a proposed national strategy on brain injuries.

If passed, Bill C-277 would provide for the development of a national strategy to support and improve brain injury awareness, prevention and treatment, as well as the rehabilitation and recovery of persons living with a brain injury.

There are more than 500 people in Prince George and surrounding area who access the services of the local Brain

Injured Group.

NDP MP Alistair MacGregor, joined by members of the Canadian Traumatic Brain Injury Research Consortium, recently called on the Liberal government to support the National Brain Injury Strategy to help the 1.5 million Canadians coping with brain injuries,

“When we’re talking about traumatic brain injury, so that’s not including things like stroke, a person is injured every three minutes. That’s more than spinal cord injuries, MS and breast cancer combined – all three of those have strategies based in best practices in our country but not brain injury,” McCrea explained. “It would

include the training for medical practitioners, protocols based in best practices, what needs to be done, what follow up and what level of care is required, but also on the other end of brain injury, other than concussion potentially –there’s no cure, only prevention.”

There are private brain injury clinics but in urban centres, she noted.

“But most of the services are done out of places like this – not-for-profit agencies - and not one of us has guaranteed funding,” McCrea said. “Our agency is one of the bigger ones in the province, definitely one of the most comprehensive, we serve more than 500 people in our community

and their families, and I have to apply for six sets of funding every year to keep it going. That’s the life of a not-for-profit charity.”

Only about 10 per cent of traumatic brain injury cases are connected to ICBC or WorkSafe where people are eligible for long-term disability, she added. Recovery for those injuries come with wrap-around services that include an occupational therapist, a physical therapist, where care is directed, and people are continuously assessed on their progress. It also includes at-home care and home maker benefits. But that’s all insurance based, McCrea added.

Disabled man forced to drag himself off plane

DIRK MEISSNER

Canadian Press

A disabled British Columbia man who can’t walk and uses a motorized wheelchair for mobility says he was forced to drag himself off an Air Canada flight in Las Vegas after the airline’s third-party ground assistance personnel were not available to help him.

Prince George resident Rodney Hodgins said Sunday he’s going to push for changes to ensure no other disabled person endures what he experienced.

“I don’t want anybody else to have to go through that,” he said in a phone interview.

“I would like a change within their policies or how they do things. Air Canada needs to step up.”

Hodgins, 49, who can’t walk due to spastic cerebral palsy, said he originally thought the flight attendant was joking when he told him he would have to get himself off the airplane, but was shocked and angry when he was asked a second time to disembark without support.

“Can you get to the front of the plane?” he quoted the flight attendant as asking. “I said, ‘Of course I can’t. I’m in a wheelchair. I can’t walk.’ “

The hardware salesman said he was forced to use the strength of his upper body to pull himself down the airplane aisle, while his wife, Deanna, held his legs, which cannot move.

man dragged himself off an Air Canada flight after the airline’s ground assistance personnel were not available to help him.

Hodgins said the experience, which occurred this past August when he and his wife were travelling to celebrate an anniversary, left him feeling violated.

“Especially when I’m sitting there in that chair and that flight attendant says to me, ‘Can you get to the front of the plane,’ ‘ he said. “And I’m like, ‘No.’ Then he said it to me a second time, so that’s when I got up and I told my wife, ‘Move my legs,’

WorkSafeBC is seeking proposals from qualified property owners, developers and/or landlords that can provide dedicated office space in Prince George, BC. Interested parties are encouraged to visit www.bcbid.gov.bc.ca to obtain a copy of the Request for Information document.

Further questions can be directed to Avison Young at:

Matt Walker 604 647 5074 or

Tammy Stephen at 604 647 1343

and I dragged myself to the front of the plane.”

Air Canada, in a statement, said it has contacted Hodgins to offer compensation and apologies for the inadequate level of care he received at the Las Vegas airport.

“We use the services of a third party wheelchair assistance specialist in Las Vegas to provide safe transport on and off aircraft,” the statement read. “Following

our investigation into how this serious service lapse occurred, we will be evaluating other mobility assistance service partners in Las Vegas.”

Hodgins said he also received a call from Air Canada offering him a $2,000 flight voucher.

“It doesn’t matter if they send me $10,000 [or] $15,000 — it’s not going to fix the problem,” he said. “I really don’t care about the money or the voucher or anything like that. I just wanted to make a difference for somebody else so they don’t have to experience that again.”

Hodgins said he would rather see Air Canada invest money in providing better service for people with disabilities.

Deanna Hodgins said the airline “dehumanized” her husband when they forced him to get himself off the airplane.

“People with disabilities don’t want special treatment,” she said. “Rodney doesn’t want special treatment. We just need him to have dignified treatment.”

Hodgins said he’s recently been contacted by Canada’s chief accessibility officer Stephanie Cadieux, who posted on social media earlier this month that Air Canada forgot her wheelchair on a cross-Canada flight.

Deanna Hodgins said the couple has also been contacted by an enforcement officer from the Canadian Transportation Agency, which processes complaints and settles disputes between travellers and airlines.

More shelter spaces opening

The province is funding 5,000 shelter spaces in 50 B.C. communities, including permanent, temporary and extreme weather-response (EWR) shelters.

Prince George will see 151 spaces at:

• AWAC Women’s Shelter, 144 George St., 40 year-round spaces

• Ketso Yoh Centre Men’s Hostel, 140 Quebec St., 21 year-round spaces

• Second Avenue Shelter, 1151 2nd Ave., 30 year-round spaces

• Bridget Moran Place, 1188 6th Avenue. 45 year-round spaces

The province says that given the cold temperatures common in northern B.C., BC Housing has worked to convert 135 temporary spaces into permanent, yearround shelters in northern communities so that more spaces are open nightly. Shelter programs are made possible through partnerships with communities and non-profit groups throughout the province to provide immediate places to stay for anyone who is experiencing or at risk of homelessness. In the coming weeks, BC Housing will finalize operating agreements to open more shelter spaces this season, as communities identify additional sites.

CANADIAN PRESS/HANDOUT-DEANNA HODGINS PHOTO

Rodney Hodgins is seen in Las Vegas in an August 2023 handout photo. The Prince George

HANNA PETERSEN Citizen staff

Teachers, education worker win provincial awards

HANNA PETERSEN Citizen staff

Two teachers and an Indigenous education worker in Prince George have been recognized with provincial awards for their outstanding work.

DP Todd Secondary teacher Susan Klein, who has been teaching band for over 30 years, received the 2023 Outstanding Professional Secondary Music Educator Award from the BC Music Educators Association on Oct. 19.

“She is an outstanding band director and educator for us here in our district for many, many years. This is a highly

contested award that is given every year and it is incredibly rare that this is awarded to a teacher from outside the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island,” said acting superintendent Pam Spooner, at School District 57’s (SD57) board of education public meeting on Oct. 24, where the awards were recognized.

Prince George teacher-librarian Joseph Jeffery also received a provincial award for his work in the district.

Jeffery, who is the lead teacher-librarian for SD57’s District Learning Commons, received the British Columbia Teacher-Librarians Association President’s Award which recognizes the commitment and

achievement of teacher-librarians who have made outstanding contributions presented on October 19 in Surrey.

Jeffery is involved in teacher-librarian initiatives nationally, provincially and locally.

He has worked with Canadian school libraries to establish national standards, helped to develop the Canadian school libraries diversity tool kit on equity and anti racism, is a board of director for the Canadian school libraries and Canadian school library journal and is the lead planner of the Canadian school libraries conference. He also works to support teacher-librarians with passion projects

throughout SD57.

Darrin Huzar, an Indigenous education worker at Pinewood Elementary in School District 57, was awarded the 2023 premier’s award for excellence in education in the category of outstanding support-school community.

“My job entails brining culture into classrooms. I am also a bridge between Indigenous communities and the school itself,” said Huzar in a B.C. government award recipient profile video.

“When we talk about that and the kids learn that it totally empowers them. For First Nations teaching the most important thing are the children.”

NOVEMBER 25TH

Bureaucracy cares for itself more than forests

This is part two of my firesmart musings.

One thing we as a society have to watch out for is how bureaucracies will use a crisis like wildfire and its mitigation to spend more tax dollars on bloated government programs doing something that could be done for free.

A great example is Forests for Tomorrow, a $50 million a year program ostensibly tasked with rebuilding our forests in the wake of wildfires and the mountain pine beetle infestation.

But it is actively making the problem worse by brushing out the aspen and broadleaf on their “rehabilitated” plantations around town, including in the Bobtail Burn west of Prince George, a place where the aspen stood up to the blaze.

You’d think if they wanted forests for tomorrow, they would want those aspen?

Maybe it’s not about forests or safety. Maybe it’s about spending $90 million on firesmart programs around communities, which according to the Union of BC Municipalities, could cost up to $11,225 a hectare. Bureaucracies love nothing more than to spend money making a problem worse only to turn around and spend more of your money to fix it.

There is another way, and that’s to utilize broadleaf, as I wrote before, and to turn to private enterprise - the small-time loggers and the firewood hounds - and get them in the at-risk areas and reduce fuel loads for free.

The problem, however, is most of this is against the rules.

Rather than harnessing our firewood fiends, the government outlaws it. Selling firewood off Crown land is illegal and the government loves to regularly remind us of that.

One guy in Kamloops found out the hard way. But in areas that we would be sending expensive crews anyway, why not get some light-duty trails designated,

get some kid or a grizzled vet with a rebuilt 266 and a side by side, and start bucking up blowdown and standing dead and selling it for cash?

Care should be taken to protect ecologically significant old-growth areas, of which we have amazing examples directly behind Otway and UNBC.

Alternatively, we could do what we did at Pidherney. First, Freya Logging thinned out the stands around the bike trails, paid the government stumpage, then some crews came in to clean up the branches, all at zero cost to the taxpayer. It still looks like a forest, and some nice deciduous is coming in underneath.

Instead of government digging holes and filling them in

again, it should pursue a coherent policy that harnesses the power of nature and the power of the blue-collar entrepreneur. It should be a way to open up opportunities outside of the big clearcut/pine plantation/ anti-broadleaf model.

The last thing we should do is expand a forestry bureaucracy that has proven time and time again to be incapable of common sense and has only been making the problem of fire worse.

James Steidle is a Prince George writer.

Correction: In my previous column, I mistakenly identified Edgewater Holdings as a company that brushes aspen and that is not the case. My apologies.

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Buffy Sainte-Marie and ethnic fraud

So Buffy Sainte-Marie is the latest point of conversation in the larger discussion of ethnic fraud. The CBC is alleging that she is not actually Indigenous, let alone from the Piapot First Nation.

It is possible she will soon fall into the category of individuals like Joseph Boyden, Michelle Latimer, Carrie Bourassa, and Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond. Although, I doubt it.

Indigenous peoples had been calling into question the claims these four individuals had made to being Indigenous for decades before it finally hit mainstream media.

The same is not true for Buffy Sainte-Marie, and indeed, several rather prominent Indigenous individuals have spoken up in her defense, including her adopted family from the Piapot First Nation. Few people still defend the famous four, at least not on a public platform.

The entire matter raises the topic of ethnic identity. This topic is one of those that people either think a lot about or hardly at all. Strictly speaking, everyone has an ethnic identity. But for many people it is simply a matter of stating what they are.

LETTERS

What this statement is based on varies from person to person and most people do not care if you are English or Han, although claiming to be one when you are the other might lead to some questions.

Many people think Indigenous studies is a woke academic discipline, if they think it is an academic discipline at all. And certainly, like every other discipline in the academy there are Indigenous studies scholars who consider themselves woke. But that is not true for most members of the academy, Indigenous studies included. This reality is seen in a major field of study in Indigenous studies: identity.

Identity has played an important in Indigenous history since 1492 and the multitude of First Nations were lumped together under the term Indian. It took on more meaning in 1850 when the Province of Canada passed a law to determine who was legally considered to be an Indian. After this point in time there would be a legally distinct group of individuals in British North America, and after Confederation, Canada, called Indians. Originally based on being a man of Indigenous ancestry, his spouse, or his child, the definition has changed over time, but even today there are status Indians.

TAXPAYERS WILL HAVE TO PAY

I applaud the actions of a local business owner in taking the City of Prince George to court. Downtown revitalization has been on the books since I was in high school and I graduated in 1986. What does that tell you? The only unfortunate thing about this is that we, the homeowners and businesses, will foot the bill as the city simply raises property taxes to pay. There will be zero fiscal accountability placed on those who sit idly by and do nothing or were responsible for our current state. The best bet at this time is to attack this three ways. First, a moratorium on any future increases on property taxes needs to be done. If the city cannot utilize the coffer’s current contents, then we know just how bad things have gotten. The money should be taken out of the salaries of those responsible or a stop to silly consultancies needs to end. Where else can the money come from?

Second, we need to stop heaping our anger on mayor and council, while their elected positions hold power over the inept management. Finally, we as a city need to stop making everything about mental illness, addiction, and the plight of homelessness. Yes, these are issues, but to disregard the criminality is wrong. It is

These definitions, however, bring us to the first issue with Indigenous identity. What about all the people who could not meet the definition: the so-called non-status Indians.

Sometimes it might be a matter of the individual simply not applying for status, but other times people lose status for any number of reasons. The most egregious being the policy until 1985 of women automatically losing status if they married a man who did not have status, whereas a woman could gain status if she married a man with status, regardless of her ancestry.

And while some of the women who lost status have since gotten it back, the federal government did not remove status from people who gained it through marriage.

Furthermore, at the same time band membership was separated from Indian status. The end result is that there still were many people with Indigenous ancestry who are not status Indians, a number of people with no Indigenous ancestry who are status Indians, and a complete separation from both when it comes to band membership. In other words, it is complicated.

Many Indigenous peoples have

irresponsible and it is dangerous. When we focus on the social ‘excuses’, we ignore the real victims.

It is high time that those in the ivory tower stopped paying money for supposed experts to deflect, colour perception, and start telling the truth and being fiscally responsible. Ask any RCMP member if they would have preferred more cops or the new station that looks like a modern art gallery, and they will tell you.

If someone sues the city and the people foot the bill, it is an exercise in being counter-productive.

Mike Maslen, Prince George

COMMUNICATIONS AND AI

In regards to Sydney Redpath’s opinion, there are huge potential problems with who is and will ultimately control AI.

My concerns are that if a future professional storyteller similar to Adolf Hitler ever gets control of AI, civilization as we know it will disappear. To quote Hitler:

“Let me control the textbooks, and I will control the state.”

“Tell a lie loud enough and long enough and people will believe it.”

proposed doing away with status and many of the modern treaties in British Columbia have done just that. The argument is that band membership or citizenship should be used to identify people. This belief, however, raises the topic of Métis membership. Unlike Indian status it is defined by the Métis. The problem is that there are competing definitions of who is and who is not Métis and a whole host of Métis organizations. The two largest: the Manitoba Métis Federation and the Métis National Council have similar, but slightly different definitions.

The most relevant to British Columbia is the former’s definition of the Métis homeland as it does not include most of the province and excludes some people who claim to be Métis. So even when membership is defined by community, problems can emerge, especially when the community cannot agree on who is in or out.

And this brings us back to Buffy Sainte-Marie.

Her story is a common one in Canada. Whether it is true or not, lacking basic knowledge about your parents makes the question of identity worse.

Daniel Sims is an associate professor of First Nations Studies at UNBC.

E-mail: letters@pgcitizen.ca

“If you wish the sympathy of the broad masses, you must tell them the crudest and most stupid things.”

“What luck, for government, that people are stupid.”

“Terrorism is the best political weapon for nothing drives people harder than the fear of sudden death.”

“It is not the truth that matters but victory.”

On second thought, after rereading these awful quotes I wonder if some professional storyteller already has control of AI.

Who is controlling what textbooks that can be read and not read? Who is repeatedly telling the most lies? Who are the lucky governments that think people are stupid?

Who is telling crude and awful stories with no proof? Who are the real terrorists? Who is winning the war?

I could offer an opinion on my questions, but whoever controls AI would not agree with my answers.

I am just a simple storyteller that tries to speak the truth, but my voice is being buried.

I do not control AI.

The real question is: who controls AI now and who will control it in the future?

Wayne Martineau, Fraser Lake

Airbnb owner blasts short-term rental changes

TED CLARKE Citizen staff

A Prince George real estate agent who owns several Airbnb properties in the city says rule changes on short-term rental accommodation will force her to sell her rental properties and will ultimately hurt B.C.’s economy.

The new rules, which come into effect next May, prohibit having more than one short-term rental per property and ban them in residences in which the owners do not live.

Jen Higham has eight houses/duplexes in Prince George she rents through the Airbnb platform and she is not interested in converting them into long-term rental .

She doesn’t want the headaches that come with being a long-term landlord.

“They would all be sold,” Higham said.

She estimates there are 260 Airbnb listings in the Prince George area, of which about 200 are active.

She says most people who operate Airbnb properties bought them as

investments and the short stays they provide offer a significant rate of return and most are not likely to convert them to monthly rental properties.

Higham and her husband Trevor got into the short-term market three years ago and they cater to medical professionals, work crews and tradespeople, business executives, families and sports teams who prefer staying in residential neighbourhoods as an alternative to hotels located in business districts and high-traffic areas. They don’t actually meet their guests but are available as hosts 24 hours a day.

provided that municipality has a rental vacancy rate of three per cent or more.

Prince George currently has a 3.5 per cent vacancy rate and Higham is hopeful Prince George city council will see the benefits of short-term rentals and will decide to opt out.

When they made this law, they didn’t once ask the public about it.”

“We have at least three companies that come in and provide travel nurses and we will lose all of them, they will stop bringing the nurses here because it’s just not affordable for them to bring them in and put them in hotels,” said Higham. “It’s going to hurt healthcare and sports and tourism.

“It’s a really decent business and if you do it correctly and take good care of your clients then you can do well at it,” said Higham.

The province will allow municipalities with 10,000 or more residents to opt out of the primary residence legislation

“Entire families who come in to shop from Quesnel and Prince Rupert or have their weddings or family getaways are not doing that in a hotel room, they’re doing that in our Airbnbs. We’re much cheaper than hotels. We will lose a lot of these people, they just won’t come to Prince George.”

In 2008, B.C. required all bed and breakfast owners to charge guests eight per cent PST, and three per cent regional or municipal taxes and revenues that year totalled $16 million.

In 2021, Airbnb taxation brought the province $40 million and that’s expected to be significantly higher this year with more properties listed. Higham says if the proposed legislation comes in to effect and Airbnb owners sell their properties rather than becoming landlords, the province stands to lose a significant chunk of that revenue.

“When they made this law, they didn’t once ask the public about it,” said Higham.

“So they’re thinking, look at these greedy people getting rich on their second homes that they shouldn’t own. Yesterday, (Premier David) Eby said people shouldn’t be using property for profit, but in the same breath he says they should be using them for rentals and rent them to people. It can’t be both ways.”

BOUNTY

Prince George’s Deadfall Brewing team show off their trophy after taking first place for Specialty IPA at the 2023 B.C. Beer Awards for its Cold IPA. Located on Nicholson Street, Deadfall Brewing opened in June 2022, started by biologists Erin and Brandon Baerwald.

Mine construction nearly half done

TED CLARKE Citizen staff

Construction of the Blackwater Gold open-pit mine 160 kilometres southwest of Prince George is now 45 per cent complete.

The project remains on track for its first pour of gold and silver by the latter half of 2024, the company says.

Artemis Gold reported last week that close to $280 million of the initial capital expenditure of $730-750 million has been spent.

A 505-hectare site has been cleared for priority infrastructure components and more than 90 per cent of the access roads needed for the first phase of construction are

For related stories, go to pgcitizen.ca

now operable.

Construction was delayed in mid-July when wildfires in the area forced the evacuation of all but 20 essential workers.

The mine currently employs more than 500 staff and contractors.

Twenty per cent of the total workforce is female and 30 per cent identify as Indigenous, the company said.

“The return and ramp-up to full construction activities following the B.C wildfire event in Q3 2023 was a testimony to our disciplined and coordinated workforce and collaborative partners,” said Artemis Gold president and chief operating officer Jeremy Langford.

“Q3 2023 saw positive gains in

efficiencies and productivity, with momentum building throughout the latter stages of the period. To date, the project remains within our guidance for initial capital expenditure and on track for first gold in 2024 as planned.”

Rigid frame haul trucks capable of moving 50- and 100-tonne loads have been added to the construction fleet.

Artemis has taken delivery of a 400-tonne hydraulic backhoe excavators and three 240-tonne haul trucks which will remain at the mine as part of the owner fleet.

Right-of-way clearing/construction of a 135km 225kV transmission line is scheduled before the end of the year. SUBMITTED

Celebrating 20 Years of Professional Theatre

Notice of Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting of the TNW Theatre Nor th West Societ y will be held at Theatre Nor thWest, at #36-556 Nor th Nechako Road. Tuesday November 14 2023, at 5pm.

Nominations to the board must be received, or post marked by Tuesday November 7, 2023

MINI SUPER BINGO

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11TH 6:00 PM Evening Bingo

$6,000 JACKPOT

$4,000 cash plus $2,000 Slot Free Play

$300 Regular Games

$600 Double Win Regular games

$2,000 $200 Slot Free Plays X 10 Draws

Know your limit, play within it.

Elders urge residents to support drop-in centre

CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen staff

He started his substance abuse in Grade 3.

In recovery, Lheidli T’enneh elder Billy Baker was one of the first workers at the Fire Pit when they first opened their doors 20 years ago.

“My parents went to their graves when I was just like the people out here on the streets and that hurts,” Baker said. “I believe in dreams and I had this dream where this crow told me ‘change your ways or that’s it’ and so I did and now I am out here up to 12 hours a day trying to help people because I know what it’s like.”

The Fire Pit is Positive Living North’s street-level outreach program that offers a safe space for people to come together and share a meal, while being supported by the workers in the heart of downtown Prince George. Positive Living North primarily provides support, awareness education, and prevention services to people living with, affected by, and at-risk for HIV/AIDS/HCV.

To celebrate the Fire Pit’s 20th anniversary, Baker is calling on the community to help make a difference.

“I challenge everyone in Prince George to donate $5 to the Fire Pit so they can continue their important work,” Baker said.

During his current fundraising efforts, Baker has raised more than $2,000.

“The money I collected is coming straight from the street people,” Baker said.

But he’d like to add to that.

Baker donates cash on a regular basis and over time has raised more than $4,000 for the Fire Pit.

‘WE

ARE ONE BIG HAPPY DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY’

For 18 years Violet Bozoki has been the Lheidli T’enneh elder advisor at Positive Living North (PLN). Most of Bozoki’s work is done at the Fire Pit, PLN’s street-level outreach program that offers the most vulnerable people in downtown Prince George a safe space to go because that’s where she believes she is most needed.

The Fire Pit program was created to respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic Northern BC communities are experiencing.

The Fire Pit is a place where people can gather, learn, share and understand culture, health and community. It is a place where people can do crafts, artwork, have a bite to eat, join a talking circle, talk to supportive staff and get more information about health, HIV/AIDS and HCV.

Bozoki is a firm believer in leading by example.

“If people see me do something, they know it’s safe to do, too,” Bozoki explained. “During the pandemic, I was the first one in the lineup to get my vaccination. If an elder can get it then so can you and then once I had mine, others got there’s too. It was what was needed.”

Even another elder who volunteers at the Fire Pit only got his vaccination once Bozoki got hers.

Bozoki is even on a poster to help encourage people at

Positive Living North to get tested for HIV/AIDS.

“I want people to know that I got tested, and maybe then they will get tested, too,” Bozoki added.

And she’s not known as Violet around the Fire Pit. She is Grandma or Auntie.

“From the first day I met Rosemary (Jamal, PLN’s program manager) she never ever called me by my name, I’m Auntie,” Bozoki smiled.

And what keeps her coming back?

“I just love the people,” Bozoki said.

“Everyone is welcome here. We are one big happy dysfunctional family.”

To donate Baker, is asking people to Everyone is always welcome.

For more information about the Fire Pit and Positive Living North visit their website at www.positivelivingnorth.org/ or drop down to the Fire Pit at 1120 Third Avenue or Positive Living North at #1-1563 Second Avenue.

Check out what ’s happening this week...

Rosemary Jamal of Positive Living North, left, Boot & Sock Drive organizer Alisha Tobin, Lheidli T’enneh elder Violet Bozoki and Lheidli T’enneh elder Billy Baker take some time to chat at the Fire Pit, a street-level outreach program hub, that helps at-risk people living in downtown Prince George.

Moccasin Flats shooting victim hoping for housing

HANNA PETERSEN Citizen staff

Danielle Willier doesn’t want to be back living in Moccasin Flats, but she has nowhere else to go.

She has PTSD about being in Moccasin Flats, because in the summer of 2021 she was shot in the shoulder while staying at the encampment.

She had moved to Millennium Park, where she felt safer, until the city issued an eviction notice and dismantled that encampment and she now finds herself back at the Flats.

“It’s been hard trying to find a place. I had a phone for awhile, but it’s been stolen,” said Willier.

“I’ve been trying to get housing and been trying to get clean, but it’s been hard without a phone or a stable place to go. Always having to worry about your stuff being stolen. I have had everything I owned stolen from me three times.”

Since being shot, she doesn’t have full use of her arm and will need surgery to

repair it, which she says makes being out on the street even harder.

Willier is in her mid-30s and for years she worked as a cook until she fell on hard times. She’s from Takla First Nation but was raised by her grandparents who are Cree from High Prairie, Alberta.

“I have been in and out of foster homes since I was a kid,” said Willier. “My dad was in residential schools, and my mom

had a massive stroke, so she had to learn how to read, write, talk and everything over again and that really broke up our family.”

Willier said she has lost a lot of people in her life including her close friends, her grandparents and three of her sisters.

“My eldest sister Wanda, she also took care of us when we were kids, she was sober for four years and then she relapsed,” said Willier, adding that her sister overdosed and died in her arms.

“She was my role model. She did everything for everyone. She would make money by making dream catchers all year and sell them, and she would use the proceeds to buy blankets and mittens for people living on the street.”

Willier said it has been really hard for her to cope since she lost Wanda nearly a year ago and feels like she hasn’t had any time to grieve.

“A lot of our parents have been in residential schools and suffered so many sexual assaults and abuse and they carry that with them and then in turn don’t

teach us. They don’t know how because they haven’t dealt with their own traumas themselves,” said Willier.

“I think there should be more counselling instead of more prisons. More healing and building back our culture because we are slowly losing our culture, our language, our spirituality, our medicines. We are losing it all. It’s really sad.”

Willier said she has been unhoused for over three years now, and has been sexually assaulted twice in that time.

She said her biggest hope is to have somewhere she can lay her head and be stable, where she doesn’t have to worry about her things being taken.

“I grew up in this town and it has just changed for the worst. Nobody wants us. They don’t know who we are and they just judge us,” she said. “There are some good people out here, you know. We are not all the worst of the worst. But there’s some people that drive around telling us to go and get jobs. I’d love for them to live one week in our shoes and come from where we’ve come from.”

DANIELLE WILLIER

Parent notice sparks school board debate

HANNA PETERSEN Citizen staff

A recommendation to give parents prior notice to presentations being made in their children’s schools was defeated last Tuesday at the School District 57 (SD57) board meeting.

Board Chair Rachael Weber brought forward the motion to set parameters around communication with parents about events scheduled in schools.

“The creation of a new policy statement will ensure that parents are adequately informed about upcoming presentations to be held at district schools,” read Weber’s rationale.

“The key components of this consideration should include providing parents with sufficient notice for all school presentations to allow families time to determine whether attending the presentation is in the best interest of their child’s education.”

She said this would promote transparency, parental involvement and a more collaborative educational environment.

Trustee Shar McCrory questioned whether this was a governance issue or something that should be left up to

individual schools to administer.

“I think it’s up to the schools and we have leadership in our schools that make those decisions,” she said. “I question why as a board we are making that policy when I feel it is an operational action.”

Weber responded that she thinks important communication goes out to families within a respectable timeline so a notice isn’t handed out on a Friday evening after school about a presentation being done on a Monday.

“It’s giving the parents a voice on how their children are being educated.”

Trustee Erica McLean said while she supports improving communications, she could not support the motion because it’s specific to presentations and feels reactionary.

Trustee Bob Thompson then asked acting superintendent Pam Spooner whether or not she thought this was an operational matter or a governance matter.

“It’s not my job to tell you guys what to do as a board but I want to honestly tell you that it would be a mistake,” said Spooner. “We hire teachers and principals to

do the job and we need to be able to trust them to run presentations and how they handle those presentations at their schools and that is my opinion.”

Trustee Sarah Holland then agreed she believes it’s an operational matter and that she cannot support the motion as phrased.

“To me this is simple transparency. Parents deserve to know what their kids are doing. Parents deserve to know what they are walking into on a Monday,” added Weber. “This motion is not to ban presentations. This motion is to establish a way parents can be involved in knowing what is happening.”

However, when it came to a vote it was defeated by the board.

Following adjournment of the board meeting, Weber said she believes this issue is not done and intends to bring it forward at more meetings and at the policy advisory committee.

“I have a child in the school district and I can tell you many times, I have been frustrated with receiving notice a day in advance of something actually happening and not having the means or the time allowed to make sure that my child can attend so I think this is just transparency and what parents are asking for.”

School board chair rejects demand to resign

School District 57 board chair Rachael Weber is rejecting a call to resign from Prince George District Teachers Association president Daryl Beauregard.

Weber made a social media post clarifying her position on private education after liking a Facebook group for The Discovery Academy Homeschool Learning Centre in Prince George, which describes itself as a “an amazing opportunity to rethink how we educate our children especially given the lack of choice and the corruption in our current system.”

Beauregard responded on social media and said “a trustee should have unquestioned support for public education without being in deliberate conflict. Disgraceful. She should resign.”

Weber said Beauregard is entitled to his opinion.

“It’s unfortunate that he’s lost sight of his position being president of the

teachers’ association. You know, there’s a lot of other concerns and issues that you should be addressing. So, we just move forward,” said Weber.

Weber is also running for the Conservative Party of British Columbia in Prince George-Mackenzie in next year’s provincial election, which Beauregard has criticized as the party’s platform is seemingly contrary to SD57’s policies on inclusion.

The Conservative Party’s website references schools as places of indoctrination stating “political bias and ideology have no place in B.C.’s education curriculum and must be removed immediately. Schools must be places of learning – not tools for activism and indoctrination.”

When asked to address concerns over keeping her political ambitions separate from her work as board chair, Weber said “I’ve addressed this with the media several times. Legally I’m doing everything that I’m allowed to do and when the time comes for the necessary changes, that’s when they will happen.”

RACHAEL WEBER

HANNA PETERSEN Citizen staff

New garden taking shape on UNBC campus

TED CLARKE Citizen staff

If you haven’t been up to the UNBC campus to see Phase 2 of the David Douglas Botanical Garden Society project, it’s worth checking out.

The garden space has been logged, levelled and covered with topsoil and volunteers have planted bulbs, trees and shrubs in the new display garden adjacent to the UNBC daycare facility.

The project also includes the Rotary community garden, a series of raised rectangular beds positioned on a plateau above the display garden. Gravel pathways connect the gardens and they will eventually lead to a trail network in the forest that makes up most of the 23-acre site earmarked for further expansion.

Landscape architects from Vancouver radically changed the original layout of the new gardens to create a more appealing experience for visitors.

“We had done quite a linear design, a walkway with beds off to the sides, but they did their homework and changed it to a more organic flowing pattern,” said DDBGS president Linda Naess.

“As you come into the entry there are two paths that join and that symbolizes the confluence of the two rivers, which is what Lheidli T’enneh means. So the garden reflects that flowing confluence.”

Winton Global donated a small passive energy building which will be hooked

up to utility lines (water, sewer and electricity) that run from UNBC. The garden areas will be wired for lights. The extended summer-like weather in October allowed much of that work to proceed ahead of schedule.

The Recycling and Environmental Action Planning Society (REAPS) has moved its composting operation and

office to the garden site.

The $1.2 million project is being funded by grants from the province and Northern Development Initiatives and through proceeds from the society’s annual plant sale at UNBC.

The society plans to eventually build a visitor centre/office, which will be available to rent for weddings, meetings

and conferences to generate revenues. Estimated to cost $2 million, Naess says that will be the priority of future fundraising efforts.

A space has been set aside to build a folly - a focal-point tower which will offer visitors a birds-eye view of the garden. A greenhouse is also a priority for the society.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Volunteers plant flower bulbs in the new display garden the David Douglas Botanical Garden Society has built on the UNBC campus next to the daycare facility as part of its Phase 2 expansion project.

Province endorses proposed hydrogen plant

TED CLARKE Citizen staff

A formal agreement has been reached between the province and the McLeod Lake Indian Band to build a net-zero emission hydrogen plant on the Kerry Lake Indian Reserve, 90 kilometres north of Prince George.

The memorandum of understanding announced last Wednesday in Victoria lays the groundwork for Mitsubishi Power to create the Tse’khene energy hub, a $7 billion project to produce low-carbon energy, create jobs and advance Indigenous economic reconciliation.

“When fully developed (the energy hub) will be one of the largest Indigenous energy projects in the country,” said Premier David Eby. “It has the potential to generate significant green hydrogen to decarbonize industry in British Columbia.”

Construction of the hydrogen

production facility and a straddle plant to extract high-value natural gas liquids is expected to begin in May 2024 with an expected completion date in 2026.

The project is expected to create 500 permanent jobs and a temporary workforce of as many as 2,000 workers during construction.

“It’s a newer way of doing business in the equity world,” said Harley Chingee, chief of the McLeod Lake Indian Band.

“Whereas we’re going to include all British Columbians, not just McLeod Lake Indian Band. There will be opportunities for all British Columbians, be they contractors, be they employees, needed to put this giant plant together.”

A temporary work camp, as well as permanent housing, will be needed.

“I think there will be a little city there, for which I’ll be the honorary mayor,” quipped Chingee.

The plant would produce “green hydrogen,” generated from non-fossil fuel

sources (electricity) and ‘blue hydrogen’ made using natural gas.

Electricity and the process of hydrolysis will be used to split water molecules into their basic elements – two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen.

Hydrogen is world’s lightest element and cannot be economically transported by pipeline.

The solution is to convert it to liquid ammonia and ship it on an existing rail line near the proposed plant to the expanded port facility in Prince Rupert for export to Asian markets.

The $2 billion straddle plant would utilize by-products of natural gas distribution such as ethene that would otherwise be burnt.

“The MOU is a significant milestone on the development of the Tse’khene energy transition hub, it will provide clarity and certainty on regulatory assessment processes and it’s an example of what true collaboration can look like on major

energy projects,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Energy, Mines and Low-Carbon Innovation.

“The hydrogen economy is a key part of our Clean BC plan, it’s critical to reducing emissions in a sector that is hard to decarbonize.”

The proposed location of the project is two kilometres from a BC Hydro transmission line and water needed for the plant would be drawn from the Crooked River. It’s also close to the Coastal GasLink LNG pipeline, which will be used to feed the straddle plant.

The McLeod Lake band is working with Pacific Natural Gas to reactivate its compressor station near Summit Lake and with Pembina Pipeline Corporation to create the pipeline needed for the project.

Osborne also announced the province opened a Clean Energy and Major Projects office last month to help investors and stakeholders navigate the regulatory process.

New sandwich shop opens

coming and going from the front and we get about eight deliveries a week.”

Jiggy with the Piggy, Swiss Dill-licious, the Gravy Boat and the Glory Bowl are on the menu at the Wall of Fame.

Jordan Reinitz is owner operator of Wall of Fame Sandwich Shop that’s Built to Crave. He’s been in the food industry for 21 years, with experience ranging from fine dining in Australia to pub cooking in Prince George.

“From the front of the shop it looks like a very small operation and that continues into the kitchen and storage area,” he said.

“There’s no back access so everything’s

Located at 1485 Tenth Avenue and opened on Sept. 13, the space is compact with little space for storage, which is a good thing considering everything that comes out of the tiny kitchen is fresh made goodness.

“So whether there’s a little twist in the name or a little twist in the sandwich itself, that’s what we’re going for but first and foremost we want to be good,” Reinitz said. “I’ve worked in this industry my entire life and I’m extremely passionate about it. I don’t have a business without my staff.”

CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen staff

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Wall of Fame

Sandwich Shop owner operator

Jordan Reinitz, left, and his team.

Studio Fair kicks off Christmas this weekend

CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen staff

Studio Fair once again kicks off the Christmas artisan fair season in Prince George Nov. 3 to 5 at CN Centre. With more than 300 local, provincial and national artisans gathering under one roof it will make shopping for those unique hand-crafted gifts so easy.

“This is a very beloved annual event that is in its 47th year and it certainly kicks off the Christmas season in Prince George,” Lisa Redpath, program manager at the Prince George & District Community Arts Council, the non-profit organization that hosts the event, said.

“If we were going to have a theme this year it would be one of gratitude. Gratitude that we’ve been in the community for 47 years, gratitude for all the amazing artists we have in our community and beyond and that we all come together, including our community groups, to host a phenomenal show.”

Discover one-of-a-kind quality, handcrafted items, delectable gourmet food, luxurious soaps and candles, unique and fashionable clothing and accessories, handcrafted home decor, first class pottery and wood craft, and heirloom quality books and toys.

“It’s about the art but it’s also about the people we represent in the community,” Redpath said. “I think there’s

a certain charm and grace to it. Every year we just all come together and we celebrate what it is to create and the makers and small business people who are artists.”

Studio Fair goes Friday from 1 to 8 p.m., Saturday

More craft fairs to check out

Tis the season for the start up of the incredible craft fairs in and around Prince George.

If you’d like to get a head start on snagging those one-of-a-kind gifts for the holiday season here’s some that are going on:

St. Mary’s Craft Fair goes Nov. 4 and 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the gym at 1088 Gillett St., where visitors will find a full lunch counter and the fair features all sorts of handmade crafts and décor. Craft and Bake Sale at Hart Pioneer Centre, 6986 Hart Highway on Nov. 4 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Great selection of goods and delicious home baking to enjoy.

Pineview’s Christmas Craft Fair goes Nov. 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Nov. 19 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Pineview Hall, 6470 Bendixon Road.

Holiday Bazaar goes Nov. 25 and 26 at the Roll-A-Dome from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. where visitors will discover unique holiday gifts, a concession, gift wrapping station and door prizes. There will be kids’ activities and art tables, donation boxes

for non perishable food items, winter gear like hats and mitts and unwrapped toys.

Duchess Park Craft Fair goes Nov. 25 and 26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Duchess Park Secondary School, 747 Winnipeg St. Jingle Bell Walk & Shop Craft Fair goes Dec. 3 at CN Centre. Enjoy a stroll around the CN Centre concourse while you shop the many vendors for unique gifts.

Christmas Market goes Dec. 16 and 17 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Prince George Civic Centre, where there are already more than 120 vendors registered for the event including those who have country décor, macrame, health and wellness items, soaps, ceramics, chocolates, bath products, blacksmithed items, knits, fudge, candles, cookies and confections.

If you have a craft fair coming up please email cdalgleish@pgcitizen.ca and include the name of the event, date and time, and a few details about what’s going on and what’s for sale.

from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $5 cash per person, children under 12 are free. Donations of non-perishable food items for the local food bank are also accepted.

The Northern Bear Awareness Society is calling for locking residential garbage bins as a deterrent.

Speed skater chasing 2026 Olympics

TED CLARKE Citizen staff

The World Cup season is just around the corner and Carolina Hiller appears to be up to the challenge. Fresh from capturing her second-straight Canadian long track speed skating championship in the 500m event and a first-ever podium finish in the 1,000m race three weekends ago at national trails trials in Calgary, the 26-year-old Prince George Blizzard alumna is awaiting confirmation she will be part of the Canadian team racing in Japan at the season-opening ISU World Cup races Nov. 10-12.

Hiller competed at the World Cup level for the first time last season and in March in the Netherlands she and her Canadian teammates Ivanie Blondin and Brooklyn McDougall were crowned world champions in the women’s team sprint.

Hiller hopes to qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics, using the Olympic Oval in Calgary as her training base, and she’s launched her own website to help raise her profile to attract potential sponsors willing to help reach the five-ring spotlight in Milan- Cortina, Italy.

“Every step in this journey has been made possible thanks to the support and encouragement of countless individuals,” says Hiller.

“It’s not just about the financial aspect. It’s about joining hands with those who believe in my dream, who see the fire in my eyes and want to be a part of this incredible journey. The road to Milan is paved with challenges, but with the right partners by my side, I believe we can achieve greatness for Canada.”

Hiller graduated last year from the University of Calgary with a degree in kinesiology.

She now works in Calgary as a research assistant for SHRed Concussions, a national study based on understanding and management of concussions in young and community athletes.

Carolina Hiller skates in the 500m during Speed Skating Canada’s Long Track Canadian Championships at the Olympic Oval in Calgary, Alberta on October 5.

Asay named to Hall of Fame

The late Amanda Asay has been named to the BC Sports Hall of Fame.

The former women’s national baseball team pitcher was among five British Columbian athletes chosen as part of the 2024 induction class.

Asay, who died at age 33 in a skiing accident on Jan. 7, 2022 near Nelson, was at the time of her death the longest serving member of the national team program.

A graduate of College Heights Secondary School, Asay helped Canada win five World Cup medals (silver in 2008 and 2016, bronze in 2006, 2012 and 2018). She

also led Canada to the silver medal in the 2015 PanAm Games in Toronto.

Asay was also one of the country’s top hitters and twice she won Baseball Canada’s female player of the year award (2006, 2016) and in 2017 Baseball America ranked her seventh overall in the world among all female baseball players, the only Canadian on that list.

Asay was a multisport athlete who also excelled in hockey and softball.

Asay’s parents George and Loris were in Vancouver last Wednesday to accept the award on her behalf.

Hockey Canada picks two local players

TED CLARKE Citizen staff

Chase Harrington and Cameron Schmidt are about to get their first taste of playing for their country in an international hockey tournament.

The two 16-year-old Prince George minor hockey products are among 44 Canadians selected for the World Under17 Hockey Challenge, Nov. 2-11 in Prince Edward Island.

But they won’t be playing for the same team.

Harrington, who now skates for the Spokane Chiefs, was picked for Canada Red, while Schmidt, a Vancouver Giant, is part of Canada White.

Harrington, who turns 16 next Monday, has three assists in eight games playing as a forward with the Chiefs. Spokane selected him eighth overall in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft.

Schmidt, 16, the seventh-overall WHL

draft pick in 2022, scored a power-play goal in the second period Sunday to help the Giants to a 5-3 win over Harrington and the Chiefs.

Schmidt, also a forward, now has three goals and three assists in his rookie WHL season.

Canada White opens the exhibition schedule on Thursday, Nov. 2 (8 a.m. PT) against Czechia.

Later that day, Canada Red will be playing Finland (3 p.m. PT).

Slugger brings major league bats home

The two Canadian teams play each other in the final pre-tournament tuneup Nov. 3 (3 p.m.).

Canada Red opens the six-team tournament Nov. 4 against Czechia (11 a.m. PT), while Canada White takes on Sweden (3 p.m. PT).

All games will be webcast on HockeyCanada.ca.

TSN will televise the playoff rounds, Nov. 9 and 10, and the medal-round games Nov. 11.

July 9, 2023 is one birthday Jared Young will never forget.

He started his 28th year on an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City, but he wasn’t there for a holiday.

Called up a few weeks earlier to the Chicago Cubs, the Cubs started Young that day at first base to wrap up a series against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium, the final game before the league shut down for the fourday all-star break.

The Cubs won it 7-4 and Young did his part. In front of crowd of 43,761, he was flawless defensively, hit a ground ball that scored a run and in the ninth inning he singled, stole a base, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Tucker Barnhart’s double.

“I was able to tally a few boxes on my 28th birthday, so that was a special day,” said Young.

The second callup of his major league career happened in June and Young got off to a blazing start which endeared him to the Wrigley Field faithful. In his first at-bat in the fourth inning against Philadelphia June 28 he connected on an 0-2 pitch from Aaron Nola for hit

his first major league home run. In his next two games, Young tripled.

“That was fun, it’s kind of what you work for your whole life, and then to get back and feel like I was in spot I could really contribute and play well was really nice,”

said Young. “I think it’s one thing to play and it’s another thing to stay and play well, and that’s the next step I’m looking forward to kind of take.”

Young had just two hits in 26 at-bats in 10 games in July and was hitting .171 at mid-month when he was sent back to triple-A. He got back in the groove over the next two months and was one of the I-Cubs’ top batters, hitting .310 when Chicago recalled him as an injury replacement.

His first game back, Sept. 19, he hit a pinch-hit triple against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Then on Sept. 21 against Colorado he showed his power again with a two-run shot that travelled 432 feet into Wrigley stands, one of the longest home runs for any player in the Cubs’ system this season.

Young came back home to Prince George for a 10-day Thanksgiving visit with his family and friends. He brought with him a few bats that have his name engraved as a member of the Chicago Cubs.

“People ask me for bats all the time (in triple-A) and when I only have three of them, no, you can’t have one,” he said. “I finally got to a point in my career when I can bring some bats home and give them away to people and Prince George Minor Baseball (as a raffle item).”

TED CLARKE Citizen staff

CHICAGO CUBS PHOTO

Jared Young of Prince George celebrates hitting a triple in a game June 30 against the Cleveland Guardians at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

HOROSCOPES

ARIES

If you have faith in your abilities, you’ll have what it takes to be promoted to a higher position. It’s time to up the ante on your social life. You’ll be asked to organize several outings and activities with friends.

TAURUS

You’ll be very popular this week. Your colleagues will pay more attention to what you have to say and applaud you for your actions. At home, you may need to declutter your home to clear your mind.

GEMINI

You may have to travel for work or to take care of your health or that of a loved one. If you’re engaging in a debate, make sure you have accurate and relevant arguments before defending your point of view

CANCER

You’ll finally be able to secure your financial future, which will take considerable weight off your shoulders. You could also consider starting a per -sonal project for your retirement years.

LEO

Set a specific objective and put it into practice to be promoted at work. This opportunity will give you a fresh start, and many people will support you in achieving it.

VIRGO

Think before you act. If you’re considering a career change, you’ll find the right direction for your brilliant future. Lean on the people close to you to help you make the right decisions.

LIBRA

After a stressful period, it’s a good idea to rest and recharge your batteries. Participate in calming activities to regain your strength. A family member may need your help during a difficult situation.

SCORPIO

You’ll be able to extend your relationships via social media. You may forge pleasant new friendships in your professional sphere. If you’re single, you may even find love at work

SAGITTARIUS

Think about going back to school. At work, you’ll have the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life and make some good business deals. In romance, a short trip could rekindle the flame in your relationship.

CAPRICORN

If you’re in a cross-cultural relationship, be willing to adapt and compromise. Avoid abruptness. Sharing household tasks more equitably will be appreciated.

AQUARIUS

Intense emotions will inspire your creativity and bring out your artistic side. With your skill for detail and elegance, you’ll have the courage to stand out from the crowd.

PISCES

You must negotiate carefully to achieve satisfactory professional results. You have nothing to worry about in your love life. Your significant other will propose.

cl assi fi eds

REMEMBRANCES

In Loving Memory of Blake McDonald Shaw

Dec 8, 1917Sept 15, 2003

Maxine Rubena Shaw

Dec 19,1927Nov 5, 2022

Together Again

Mom and Dad, you are forever in our hearts

You are loved beyond words, and missed beyond measure

Love, Linda, Gary, Marilyn and Susan

In

loving memory

Frank Victor Skerlak

May 19, 1958 - November 2, 2023

Someone Is Missing

Let this be a loving reminder That someone is missing today, Someone our hearts still hold on to, As we travel along life’s way. Someone who made life so special, For all those who gather here, Someone who won’t be forgotten, But cherished from year to year. And now, as we pause to remember, Let us all fondly recall, How dearly each of us loved him, And oh, how he loved us all.

Love your Mother, Father, Debbie, children and grandchildren.

December 29, 1939 - October 15, 2023

Brian passed away peacefully at UHNBC after a long battle with cancer. He leaves to mourn his wife Jacqueline and, in Australia, his sisters Mary and Patricia and Mary’s daughters Jennifer, Elizabeth and Louise,

Brian was born in Proserpine, Queensland. He attended Nudgee College in Brisbane where he was on the First XI (Cricket) and the First XV (Rugby). He continued to be active in sports during his years in Queensland and he was a founding member of the Queensland Cricketers’ Club.

Brian did his teacher training at Mount Gravatt College and began his teaching career in North Queensland at the young age of 18. He emigrated to Canada in 1967 and taught on Vancouver Island and in the Kootenays. He moved to Prince George in 1974 to teach Grade 7 at Westwood School, where he remained until his retirement in 1999.

In 1978 Brian met Jacqueline Thompson, newly arrived from Northern Ireland. They were married in Brisbane in 1982. Jacquie and Brian spent vacations touring Europe, visiting Australia and traveling throughout B.C. in “Harvey the R.V.” They adopted a series of treasured dogs: Millie, Jessie, Joshie and Tillie.

Donations in Brian’s name may be made to the Prince George S.P.C.A.

In Memoriam

In Memoriam

BRIAN STAPLETON

Desma Maureen Romanin

Obituaries

With heavy hearts we

Frank Mauro passed away peacefully in the early morning of Friday, October 20th 2023.

Frank is survived by his brothers Mario (Emma) Mauro, Salvatore (Rosetta) Mauro, and Carlo (Franca) Mauro, and numerous nieces, nephews, grand nieces, and grand nephews.

Frank was predeceased by his parents Gaetano Mauro, and Agata Salfi, as well as his brothers Pietro, Vincenzo, Pasquale, Alfredo, and sister Teresa.

Frank was born and raised in Mangone, Cosenza Italy, until at the age of 19 he immigrated to Canada to join his brothers in making a better life for themselves.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, October 30th at 2 pm at Sacred Heart Cathedral, and at Oceanview Burial Park in Burnaby at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Brain Injured Group in Prince George, or to the Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation in Franks Memory.

We will always love and cherish our memories of Frank. He was a truly special person and we are so grateful to have had him in our lives.

REMEMBRANCES

Friedrich (Fritz) Hausot

Jan 3, 1947 - Oct 5, 2023

It is with heavy hearts the family of Friedrich (Fritz) Hausot announces his peaceful passing at his home on his own terms in Prince George, B.C., on October 5th, 2023. Fritz was born on January 3rd, 1947 in Innerteuchen, Karnten, Austria to Georg and Anna Hausot.

Fritz is survived by son Fred (Cindy), daughter Heather (James), and his beloved grandchildren Megan & William and Merin & Andi. He is also survived by his brother Christian (Christine) and sister Anneliese (Kurt), half-brother Alfred, and numerous nieces & nephews in Canada and Austria.

Fritz was predeceased by his supportive & loving wife Marion, parents Georg & Anna, brothers Willi (Marita), Hermann (Rita), Hans, Josef and sister Hilde.

Fritz spent his early years in Austria and immigrated to Canada in 1965. Fritz was a machinist by trade and in the steel business all of his career. He developed a strong business reputation for integrity, quality and innovation. Fritz was known for his amazing storytelling, jokes and being a very charismatic man. He loved the music of the Original fidelen Lavanttalers and traditional Austrian music. He was a longtime member of the Prince George Golf & Curling Club and well-known business man in Prince George. In his younger years, he enjoyed the outdoors: hunting, hiking, fishing, camping and skiing with his family. In his later years he enjoyed cross country skiing and golf, spending time at his homes in Maui & Pineview, talking business and spending time with his grandchildren.

We express gratitude and heartfelt thanks to all of the excellent doctors, nurses and caregivers that helped Fritz during his illness.

In memory or in lieu of flowers or gifts, please consider donations to the Canadian Cancer Society or Prince George Hospice Palliative Care Society. A celebration of life will take place this winter, please contact Heather for details.

January 1, 1947 - October 8, 2023

Jeannine Charron, aged 76, passed away on Sunday October 8, 2023 in Nanaimo, BC after a prolonged battle with dementia. She was born in Bathurst, New Brunswick in 1947 to the late Patrick and Lina (Godin) Charron.

Jeannine was predeceased by her sisters Lorette (late Lorenzo) Boudreau and Fernande (Peter) Theriault. She is survived by her twin sister Janette (Allie) of North Tetagouche, NB, and her four brothers: Fernand (Donna Lee) of Bathurst, NB, Marcel (Lynn DeGrace) of Nepisiguit Falls, NB, Raymond (Doris Watson) of Kitchener, ON, and Jacques (Jackalyn) of Petit Rocher, NB.

Jeannine was the beloved mother of Marc (Laura) McKnight of Nanaimo, BC and Paul (Maureen) Berube of Edmonton, AB. Jeannine leaves behind a lasting legacy in her 14 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.

As a young adult, Jeannine left home to Toronto where she found a job and met Real Berube. She gave birth to her two sons and the family moved to Prince George; life was full of happiness amidst the ups and downs.

Jeannine is remembered as an avid gardener who spent time canning, cooking, camping, and for her love of fashion. Her life-long learning is evident through her broad interests and fearless mindset. Despite her recent years of illness, Jeannine prioritized health in all aspects of her life.

Jeannine was strong in her faith and always relied on God; everybody recognized and admired this of her. We are comforted that she now rejoices with her Saviour in absence of suffering.

There will be no visitation at the funeral home or formal service. Jeannine will be laid to rest at Cedar Memorial Gardens in Nanaimo, BC.

Many thanks to the caregivers at Nanaimo General Hospital, Wexford Creek Seniors Community, Royal Jubilee Hospital, and Eden Gardens care home for their generous patience and care.

One Final Gift

Scatter me not to restless winds, Nor toss my ashes to the sea. Remember now those years gone by When loving gifts I gave to thee.

Remember now the happy times The family ties we shared. Don’t leave my resting place unmarked As though you never cared.

Deny me not one final gift For all who come to see A single lasting proof that says I loved... & you loved me. by DJ Kramer

Jeannine Charron

Frank Mauro

announce the passing of our beloved Brother, Uncle, and Friend.

Obituaries

Sylvia Cooney

1927-2023

It is with great sorrow we announce the passing of Sylvia Mathilda Cooney (nee Allen), 96 of Prince George, BC on Sunday, October 22, 2023 after a very short hospital stay. Sylvia was born in Edmonton, AB on July 8, 1927 and moved to Vancouver in 1945 where she met her future husband Albert W. (Bud) Cooney. In 1961 Sylvia was offered a job in Prince George which she gladly accepted, and the newly married couple headed north. Sylvia worked for electrical contractor EB Horsman & Son and later Hub City Motors until Bud co-founded Payless Surplus Supplies where she joined him in business to become their full-time bookkeeper. They worked together until the mid 80s when the business was sold. At 56 Sylvia went to work for the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce as a bank teller. She loved her job so much she remained working until the age of 75.

Sylvia and Bud loved living in Prince George. Together, they had a rich social life and were very involved in the community. They were members of the Prince George Golf and Curling Club where they created many wonderful friendships. Sylvia volunteered for the Prince George White Cane Club for 40 years, the Good Cheer Club for 20 years, as well as the Prince George Community Foundation. She also was a volunteer Grandma reading to children, who she adored, at the Prince George library. Sylvia always loved to go for lunch with her friends and enjoyed attending Theatre North West events regularly. Sylvia and Bud also had a cabin at Stuart Lake they used year round and where they had many wonderful memories with dear friends. Sylvia enjoyed watching Sunday sports on TV, especially golf and football and she was an excellent cook and hostess to many events and social gatherings.

Sylvia was predeceased by her husband Bud Cooney in 2002 as well as her younger brother James Allen and half-sister Elizabeth Allen. She is survived by her sister Pat Callicutt, her half-brother John Allen, step-daughters Lynn Sanders (Wayne) and Pat Cooney and granddaughters Kate Hamilton (Brian) and Nell Lealess (Aaron) and great grandsons James, Lincoln, Campbell and Collin. She was dearly loved and is missed by her nieces Diana Callicutt (Sean) and Lisa Collison (Trent) and their children Neave, Aidan and Sarah and her nephew Rick Allen (Joanne) and his children Darci and Nicholas and their families, as well as other relatives across Canada and in the U.K. Sylvia was also beloved by her good friends Samantha (Justin), Gloria and grandsons Max and Felix.

In Sylvia’s final years she was a resident of Rainbow Lodge and was very happy there. Not one to stay in her room, you would always find Sylvia socializing in the lounge with the other residents and warmly greeting visitors with a big smile. During our family visits and group outings, she was always keen and never wanted to miss the opportunity to go and explore or do lunch! The family wishes to thank the Rainbow Lodge nursing staff for their care of Sylvia in her final years.

A memorial service will take place in 2024 with more information to follow. Those who wish may donate to the Prince George Community Foundation Bud and Sylvia Cooney Memorial Fund.

REMEMBRANCES

Obituaries

van Roode, Catharina (Tina) Wynanda

March 3, 1932 - October 18, 2023

Our Mom and Oma was born in Alkmaar in 1932, immigrated to Canada and married Ted in 1954. They lived in the Okanagan, had five children and eventually made their way to Prince George in 1967. In March 1969, they moved to their Buckhorn Road property and began the greenhouses shortly thereafter.

Mom and Dad grew their business together for many years until Dad passed away in 1988. She decided to carry on and did so with strength and determination. She finally retired on paper but she would continue what she loved, helping customers and being out in her greenhouses.

Mom passed away October 18, 2023 in Nanaimo. Mom leaves behind sons Gerry (Linda), Dick (Helen) and John; daughters Maria (Tim) and Angie (Warren); eleven grandchildren along with their spouses and twelve great grandchildren.

A Funeral Mass was held on October 30, 2023 at 10:00am at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Prince George, BC. Interment followed at Memorial Park Cemetery.

Condolences may be offered at www.AssmansFuneralChapel.com

Larry Dale Johnson

October 4, 1942 - October 24, 2023

It is with great sadness we announce the passing of Larry Dale Johnson on October 24, 2023 at the age of 81.

Larry was born in Smeaton, Saskatchewan on October 4, 1942. The family moved to BC in 1953. The family first settled in Island Cache in Prince George. His first job was a partnership in the Plaza 4 Dry Cleaners; then he tried his hand at residential and commercial painting. He then found his passion and started out with an arch truck in the early 60’s. Larry continued to own and operate trucks and stayed in business for 45 years until he retired in Prince George.

Survived by his eldest son James (Dawne) Johnson, daughter Susan (Greg) Pohynayko, daughter Tina (Frank) Washington, son Curtis (Darcy) Hansen, son Bradley (Nancy) Johnson, 17 grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren and his sister Arlene (Wally).

Larry was predeceased by his parents Eric and Annie, his three siblings Wilfred, Elsie, Stanley and grandson Nathan.

Larry enjoyed many hobbies including being in the outdoors hunting, fishing, woodworking, curling, baseball and having a good time.

Our family would like to express gratitude and a heartfelt thanks to all the nurses, caregivers, and staff at Gateway Lodge.

Larry’s wishes were to have a Celebration of Life and it will take place at a later date with family and close friends.

As you share the stories and the memories of how they lived their lives and how very much they meant, may you find comfort...

Normand Constant

1952 - 2023

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Normand Constant. Survived by his long time friend Tammy and countless friends he made within his 40 years in Prince George. Survived by his mother RoseMarie; siblings Manon, Luc, Jacques, Marcel, Lucie and Francine.

Normand was born in Quebec on March 3, 1952. He worked in construction until he happily retired in 2015. No service by request. In lieu of flowers please make a donation to the Canadian Cancer Society.

Rodney Darrell Harasym

February 1, 1959 - October 20, 2023

It is with great sadness that we have to say goodbye to our husband, Dad, Grandpa, Brother and uncle Rod at the age of 64. Rod passed away unexpectedly doing what he loved in the outdoors with family and good friends by his side. Rod enjoyed hunting, fishing and spending time with his grandchildren. He will be deeply missed by wife Cindy, children Steve (Joey), Jessica (Brennan) siblings Glenn (Betty), Dolly (Alan), Wayne (Sandi), Harley (Joanne) grandchildren Grady, Braylen, Paisley and many nieces and nephews. Rod was always there to help his friends and family. He will be greatly missed. We love you Grandpa.

A celebration of life will be held November 4 at the Bon Voyage Inn banquet room at 130 - 330.

Celebrate the lives of loved ones with your stories, photographs and tributes

Celebrate A Life Lived

YourSpirit

I know that no matter what

You will always be with me.

When life separates us

I’ll know it is only your soul

Saying goodbye to your body

But your spirit will be with me always. When I see a bird chirping on a nearby branch I will know it is you singing to me.

When a butterfly brushes gently by me so care freely I will know it is you assuring me you are free from pain. When the gentle fragrance of a flower catches my attention I will know it is you reminding me

To appreciate the simple things in life.

When the sun shining through my window awakens me

I will feel the warmth of your love.

When I hear the rain pitter patter against my window sill I will hear your words of wisdom

And will remember what you taught me so well’

That without rain trees cannot grow

Without rain flowers cannot bloom

Without life’s challenges I cannot grow strong.

When I look out to the sea

I will think of your endless love for your family.

When I think of mountains, their majesty and magnificence I will think of your courage for your country. No matter where I am

Your spirit will be beside me

For I know that no matter what

You will always be with me. by Tram-Tiara T. Von Reichenbach

Established Franchise Photography Business

Serving Northern B.C for over 35 years

Gross Revenues of $150.000 plus annually from seasonal work

Lots of opportunity to expand the business. Transition support available to the right buyer

Serious Enquiries Only

Office 250-596-9199 Cell 250-981-1472

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

Established Franchise Tax Preparation Business Mackenzieservicing and McLeod Lake area for over 30 years.

Gross Revenues of $85,000 to $90,000

Annually and Potential to expand revenues in a growing economy.

Transition support available for the right buyer.

Serious Inquires Only

Office (250)997-9003 Home (250)997-5538 Cell (250)990-0152

Toys/Games/Puzzles

778-675-4716

ALL SILVER! WANTED 9999 BULLION, BARS, COINS, ROUNDS, ALL SILVER COINS, PRE 1968 COINS, ROYAL CANADIAN MINT COINS, FRANKLIN MINT SETS, OLD STERLING SILVER, COIN COLLECTIONS +++ ALSO BUYING GOLD!!! TODD 25O 864 3521

Sheds/Outbuildings

each department

• Work close y with the Finance Manager to mplement change and monitor effic encies.

• Assess investments and ways to manage resources more effective y.

• Examine regulations, po icies, and procedures to manage da ly operations.

• dentify root causes of problem areas, offer opt ons to rectify them while s multaneously putting necessary p ans in place to deal with the immediate ssues facing the organ zat on

• Evaluate financial risks and prepare financial forecasts, financing scenarios and other documents concern ng capita management

• Assess current and plan short and long-term cash flow forecasts and

Hay/Bales For Sale

5X5

Heavy Equipment

Collectibles

Motorcycles

Trucks

Sports Utilities & 4X4s

Legal/Public Notices

30 DAYS NOTICE OF INTENT TO SELL 2011 Ford F-150 4X4 Supercrew VIN 1FTFW1ET6BFC14976

owned by Kenneth Anderson owing $8,250.00. Sale will take place on December 1, 2023, at 3994 Hillcrest Road, Prince George, BC, same address of tenant. Landlord Address - 4053 Hillcrest Road, Prince George, BC.

Notices

Notice of Disposition of Abandoned Property

To Tenant Ralph Apsassin, or estate thereof;

Notice is given to you under Part 6 of the Manufactured Home Park Tenancy Regulation that you have abandoned property at the premises located at Lot 7, Evergreen Mobile Home Park, 5125 North Nechako Road, Prince George, British Columbia. The property consists of a mobile home, Manufactured Home Registration No. 041943. The landlord, 0730751 BC Ltd., dba Evergreen Mobile Home Park Ltd. will sell or dispose of the property unless you:

• Take possession of the property; Establish a right to possession of the property; or

• Make an application to the court to establish a right to possession of the property within 15 days from the date of this notice. If you fail to do any of the above within the specified time period, the landlord will sell or dispose of the property and you will lose any claim to it.

Please contact the landlord, Audrey Krahn, by telephone at 604-855-2036 or by email at evergreenhomepark@gmail.com as soon as possible to arrange for the retrieval of the home.

The Friends of the Prince George Public Library Society will be holding its Annual General Meeting via video conference on Thursday, November 23, 2023 at 5:30 p.m.

If you would like to attend please register by sending an email to friendspgpl@gmail.com by no later than Thursday, November 16, 2023. Upon receipt of your email, we will forward you instructions on how to attend the annual general meeting via videoconference. People interested in becoming involved with the Friends of the Prince George Public Library Society are encouraged to attend this Annual General Meeting. If you are interested in joining the Friends’ Board of Directors, or in volunteering in any other capacity, please contact us through the email address above.

Woodlot Licence Plan

Woodlot Licence 225

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 #225 held by Forrest Resources Ltd. This Woodlot Licence is located west and southwest of Prince George. 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 October 19, 2023 to November 24, 2023. 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 250-564-8884 to book an appointment to review and/or discuss the plan.

Mountain in the Julian Alps

A domed or vaulted recess

SUDOKU

Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a Sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes.

Short-term memory

Indigenous peoples of central Canada

Honor as holy

Monetary unit of Samoa

Company that rings receipts

City in Finland

Small finch

Arctic explorers

25. Mild yellow Dutch cheese made in balls

Very willing

Partner to “oohed”

Turntable 32. Major Hindu deity

Move head slightly

Plain-woven fabric

Die

Shipped as cargo

Something highly prized

Individual thing or

A treeless grassy plain 61. Famed R.L. Stevenson novel

In an incisive way

Mark Wahlberg’s screen partner

Criticize

Humbled

Speak indistinctly

No seats available

Financial obligation 56. Green vegetable

Tough outer skin of fruit 58. __ Spumante (Italian wine) 59. Troubles

Singer Charles

Camper

3 reasons to add an island to your kitchen

Islands are increasingly common features in many home kitchens because of their practicality and attractive design. If you don’t already have one, here are three reasons you should consider installing an island in your kitchen.

1. Multifunctionality. Kitchen islands are a great way to maximize your space. For example, an island gives you more counter space and can be used to house appliances like a dishwasher or extra sink. Moreover, if you have a small kitchen, you can use the island as a table.

2.Sociability. An island creates a focal point for gathering and engaging with friends and family. Instead of preparing food facing the cabinets and windows, you can work at the island while conversing with your guests.

3.Modern look. Many modern kitchens feature islands. Consequently, installing one in your home will give your space an updated look, undoubtedly adding value to your home.

If you’re thinking about renovating your kitchen, talk to your contractor about adding an island.

Trendy colours

Over the past two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted every aspect of life, and interior decorating trends haven’t been immune. The calming colour palettes in vogue for residential design reflect a desire for comfort during these unprecedented times. Here are three colours that are leading the way into 2023.

1. Natural green. This is the year of green, with brash and bold giving way to calm and subdued. Natural shades of green offer a connection to the natural world and have a grounding effect. Deep hues suggest greater intensity, while light shades convey serenity.

2. Sky blue. Alongside earthy greens, homeowners are choosing the naturally inspired energy of sky blue. This colour works well on walls and provides a pleasing alternative to stark white.

3. Light brown. Another increasingly popular and organically inspired choice, pale brown hues are calming and serve as a backdrop for bold colours and patterns. Use brown for cabinet accents to bring a sense of cozy calm to your room.

Use your imagination and choose a shade that expresses your personality.

How to clean glass shower doors

Glass shower doors are sleek and stylish. However, keeping them clean can be a challenge. Soap scum and mineral deposits can build up, making your shower doors look dull. Follow these steps to keep your glass shower doors clean and shiny.

SPRAY WITH A CLEANER

There are plenty of chemical products you can use to remove mildew or hard water stains. Alternatively, you can make an effective, eco-friendly cleaning solution at home. Mix three parts water and one part distilled white vinegar in a spray bottle. Add lemon juice for sanitizing power.

Spray the glass shower doors with the mixture and let it sit for five minutes. Use a soft brush or sponge to wipe the surface. Rinse and repeat if necessary. For tough stains, add dish detergent to the spray mixture. Never use abrasive cleaners or scouring pads.

OTHER SOLUTIONS

To tackle stubborn hard water or mildew stains, try these everyday products you may already have in your home:

• Dryer sheets. Moisten a dryer sheet and wipe away tough stains.

• Multi-purpose cleaning pads. Although typically used to remove marks on walls, they’re also effective at removing hard water stains.

• Lubricants. Spray lubricants made for loosening rusty parts and stopping squeaks are great for removing marks left by hard water.

Finally, stick to a regular cleaning schedule to prevent stains from building up. For instance, keep a squeegee in your shower and use it to wipe down your doors after every use.