MEN OF BRONZE UNBC guard Darren Hunter congratulates forward Spencer Ledoux while Chris Ross looks on after the men’s basketball team captured its first Canada West medal in school history on Sunday in Winnipeg. See story on page 17.
As she sat on her couch tuned into the news to hear the words ‘everyone will get the healthcare they need’ during the provincial budget this week, the irony was not lost on Christina Watts.
The 45-year-old Prince George resident had just received a letter from the only retina specialist north of Kamloops, telling her that the eyesight-saving injections she gets every month will no longer be covered under the BC Retina Disease Treatment Program as of March 31.
Watts is an prominent local artist who knows she won’t be able to keep paying out-of-pocket for the very expensive and painful injections that cost about $1,700 each to prevent complete blindness in her left eye.
“I will just have to let go of my sight in my left eye,” Watts said. She lost her central vision in that eye in January and now only sees on the periphery.
CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen staff
Mill worker dies 12 days after electrocution
TED CLARKE Citizen staff
A Prince George pipefitter who was injured in an industrial accident while working at Intercontinental Pulp Mill on Jan. 31 has died.
The man, identified by a family friend as 45-year-old Gary Lefebvre, was operating an electric hoist attached to an overhead monorail in the mill when he was electrocuted.
According to WorkSafeBC, “the worker was holding the control pendant and leaning on a metal guardrail to view the area of the lift when they collapsed. An exposed 347-volt conductor was subsequently found on the electric hoist power cable in close proximity to where the worker had been.”
WorkSafeBC spokesperson Ashley Gregerson said that due to privacy requirements she was unable to publicly comment on the extent of injuries Lefebvre suffered in the accident.
“I can confirm that WorkSafeBC is investigating a serious incident that occurred in Prince George on Jan. 31, 2024,” said Gregerson.
“The purpose of our investigation is to identify the cause of the incident, including any contributing factors, so that similar incidents can be prevented from
happening in the future. We are not able to provide any additional details while the investigation is underway.”
As the regulator for occupational health and safety in the province, WorkSafeBC is mandated by law to investigate serious workplace incidents, including those that resulted in the death or serious injury of a worker or had the potential to cause serious injury.
The cause of Lefebvre’s death has yet to be released by the BC Coroner.
The person who contacted the Citizen said Lefebvre’s family was wondering why the news media was not given any notice of the accident.
She said the electric shock stopped Lefevre’s heart but he was given cardiopulmonary resuscitation at the scene, which revived him before he was transported to UHNBC.
He spent four days in hospital before being sent home. He was at home with his wife and their six-year-old son when he died suddenly on Feb. 11.
Shipping delays paper
Faithful Prince George Citizen readers who have become used to picking up their weekly paper on Wednesday afternoons will have to change their schedules.
The trucking company the Citizen relied on to deliver the paper to Prince George, after it was printed in Vancouver and had the weekly flyers inserted, has abruptly changed its delivery schedule.
As a result, the newspaper isn’t being delivered to Prince George until Thursday, delaying the time it reaches boxes around the city.
The Citizen is working on finding a solution to the issue but until then, the paper will continue to arrive in Prince George on Thursday.
We appreciate your patience and your continued support.
“He was in hospital for four days and was cleared by three cardiologists, including an electrical specialist (from) Vancouver, and six days after he got home he died,” the woman said. “He was a healthy man, there’s no way it wasn’t related to the electrocution.”
Lefebvre was a longtime mill employee who moved to the Intercon Mill from the adjacent Prince George Specialty Paper Mill last year, after it closed its pulp division. His death was confirmed Tuesday by Chuck LeBlanc, Local 9 president of the Public and Private Workers of Canada.
The mill, at 2533 Prince George Pulp Mill Rd., is owned by Canfor.
“On February 11, we were saddened to learn of the tragic passing of a longtime Canfor Pulp employee, Gary Lefebvre, at his home from what we understand to be a second cardiac-related medical event after an initial workplace heart attack 11 days earlier,” said Rosemary Silva, Canfor’s manager community relations.
“We are working cooperatively with authorities, including WorkSafeBC and Technical Safety BC, to complete a thorough investigation that will help us understand the root cause of his death and to learn everything we can from this tragedy. Until that time, our focus is on supporting Gary’s family and colleagues during this very sad time.”
Prince George to Glenannan Transmission Project Open Houses
We’re bringing more clean, reliable electricity to the North Coast to support customers who want to switch from fossil fuels to clean electricity.
To support electrification, we’re planning to build new 500kV transmission infrastructure from Prince George to Terrace through the Prince George to Glenannan (PGGT) and Glenannan to Terrace (GTTT) transmission projects.
Please join us at an Open House any time from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. for an update on PGGT and other North Coast Electrification initiatives and to share feedback:
Prince George Monday, March 11
Sandman Signature Hotel Great Room 2990 Recplace Drive
Vanderhoof Monday, March 18
Integris Community Cnt Multi-purpose Room 186 Columbia St West
Fraser Lake Tuesday, March 19 Royal Canadian Legion Branch 274 165 Chowsunket Street
Can’t make an in-person event? We’re also having two virtual events:
• Thursday, March 21, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Tuesday, March 26, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Please email us at projects@bchydro.com by March 19 to register.
If you have questions or comments, please contact us at 1 866 647 3334 or at projects@bchydro.com. Information about the GTTT open houses available on the North Coast Electrification website at www.bchydro.com/ncelectrification.
We look forward to discussing our plans with you 6174
GARY LEFEBVRE
‘This could be a real financial drain on people’
Continued from page 1
Watts has a retinal disease called wet macular degeneration, which is the leading cause of blindness, typically in people 50 years and older.
“Right now I am still adjusting,” she said. “I am just making those changes. So I have increased my text size on my computers, when I am teaching art I have to use high contrast, I go to cut a garlic clove on my white cutting board and I can’t see what I’ve sliced because there is no contrast – there’s something going on with my right eye too so clearly I am very mindful of things so I don’t drive in the dark, and there’s just a bunch of changes because of the big blind spot in my left eye. For me as a teacher, as an artist, it’s a real blow, like what now?”
The treatments are already helping her see better peripherally and that’s after only the second treatment.
“I’ve also noticed the grey mass in my central vision is now blurred so that I can see colour and something is better than nothing,” she said.
If the government does not reinstate the program, there will be a lapse in treatment that Watts said she fears would be a massive setback that she might not recover from.
“I wonder if the government has considered the costs of then having to pay me under disability for the rest of my life along with all the other programs and aids I’ll need,” Watts said. “Never mind the difficult personal and family impacts while I raise my two children that go along with this. I can’t imagine what others affected by
this cut are going to do.”
Barry Smith, 59, has ischemic central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) that prevents blood flow to his left eye and causes vision impairment. He’s had this condition for the last two years and gets monthly injections to control the swelling of his eyeball. There is no cure and the injections cost about $500 each.
“I have a loss of about 75 per cent in my left eye and it’s almost like looking through wax paper,” Smith said. “I have no clear vision at all and I can’t see anything within three feet of me. I can hold my hand up and not see my wedding ring right in front of my face. So my right eye has to take over so it’s more of a brain straining thing and it throws off my perception as well as my balance. I was an avid motorcycle rider for years and I had to give that up this past summer.”
Smith retired two years ago so he is on a fixed income while his wife still works.
“Bottom line is that if I have to pay for this expensive shot I won’t be getting them,” Smith said. “The pressure keeps building in my eye so I don’t know if I stop getting those injections if that means the extraction of the eye. I hope not but I know there’s a lot of seniors out there that will be affected by this. This could be a real financial drain on people, especially seniors, and the way things are going right now it’s just an added burden. We all need to reach out to our MP and premier and health minister to see what we can do about it.”
Peter Fletcher is a Prince George senior with diabetic macular edema, where blood vessels are causing pressure on his retina.
“This is going to affect so many seniors,” Fletcher said. Fletcher has been getting injections in his right eye every four or five weeks since 2010. The injections cost about $1,500 each.
“My degeneration has continued over time and now I am getting injections in both eyes every six to seven weeks,” Fletcher explained. “And if I don’t get these injections I will go blind.”
Fletcher will be reaching out with letters to local politicians and the ministry of health to protest the end of the BC Retina Disease Treatment Program.
Fletcher said the cost of the consequences of ceasing the program far outweigh the cost of its continuation and he hopes the government will reconsider its choice.
Accessibility issues
The City of Prince George is urging residents to report accessibility issues.
The request for residents to report issues comes on the back of the 2023 –2026 Accessibility Work Plan, received by council in January. The plan is part of the legal framework established within the Accessible British Columbia Act.
Residents can report concerns by
calling 311 or email 311@princegeorge.ca. This includes reporting accessibility issues relating to transportation, buildings owned or operated by the city, city services, and city websites.
The city says operational needs can be addressed in a timely manner however significant capital requests will be noted for future budget considerations.
Christina Watts
City council opposed to short-term rental rules
TED CLARKE Citizen staff
Prince George does not meet the criteria to opt out of the province’s Short-Term Rental Accommodation Act, but city council is unanimous in its opposition to the new legislation and intends to fight to keep the local shortterm market for rooms, suites and rental houses intact.
Council decided at Monday’s public meeting that data supplied by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation data which shows rental vacancy rates were 3.7 per cent in 2022 and 2.8 per cent in
2023 – below the province’s three per cent minimum threshold for two consecutive years - does not accurately reflect the actual number of vacancies in Prince George.
On May 1, the principal residence requirement comes into effect and shortterm rentals will be limited to a host’s primary residence and either a secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit. The law is applicable to all municipalities with populations greater than 10,000. The goal of the legislation is to return short-term rentals to the long-term housing market and alleviate housing shortages.
If the city does not opt out, the earliest
it could seek an exemption from the act would be 2026 and, under the new rules, would only qualify for the exemption if vacancy rates are at least three per cent this year and in 2025.
Two real estate management companies in the city emailed Coun. Brian Skakun on Monday, one of which estimated the vacancy rate at between four and eight per cent, based on 600 units being available for rent. The other report had a vacancy rate of between seven and eight per cent on 118 units.
“That’s just a small portion of it,” said Skakun. “I really think the CMHC numbers are skewed. There’s a total lack of
consultation with a lot of local governments and I think the province is going after the low-hanging fruit, these business folks who have created a niche in the market for working professionals coming to town.”
Shakun said similar motions to fight the legislation were passed in Penticton and Vernon and he’s hoping the push back will result in changes to the law.
Assuming there is no exemption for Prince George this year, it would be up to the Provincial Compliance Unit to enforce the principal residence requirement. The city has no bylaws in place that regulate short-term rentals.
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Indigenous project takes flight at airport
HANNA PETERSEN Citizen staff
A new Indigenous heritage project has launched at the Prince George Airport. It is a partnership between The Lheidli T’enneh First Nation, the Prince George Airport Authority (PGAA), and Tourism Prince George.
The launch included raising a Lheildi T’enneh flag to fly permanently outside the main terminal and acknowledgement of a new four-panel Lheidli T’enneh history display inside the terminal.
These projects are part of phase one of a longer-term commitment for YXS, with support from Tourism Prince George, and built on the Collaboration Agreement between Lheildi T’enneh and PGAA signed in Feb 2023.
“The airport is so important for visitors, it’s such an important part of what we do,” said Colin Carson, Tourism Prince George CEO.
“Having this at a location that is welcoming, and able to tell some of that story of Lheidli T’enneh is really important for tourism Prince George.”
Carson said international tourists are often interested to learn about the history of Prince George and the region.
“And in Prince George that is the Lhedili T’enneh First Nation so we’re trying to find the best ways to share those stories,” he said. “This is another great way that people were able to learn about the
PGAA CEO Gordon Duke discusses the new four-panel Lheildi T’enneh history display, above. Lheidli T’enneh, Prince George Airport Authority and Tourism Prince George raise a Lheidli T’enneh flag at YXS.
Lheidli T’enneh as soon as they arrived in Prince George so we are really excited.”
PGAA President and CEO Gordon Duke said he is looking forward to see where the project can go.
“There’s certainly a lot of opportunity here at the airport, to educate travelers and make sure that everybody going in and out of this airport understands that they’re in the welcoming territory of the Lheidli T’enneh,” said Duke.
“We believe that movements like this and collaborative relationship that we’re building is a model for other airports to use. YVR certainly sort of leads the way for the larger airports, but I think what we’re looking for here is that, as a
regional airport, we can still have meaningful reconciliation and reflect that in our facility.”
Chief Dolleen Logan said Lheidli T’enneh First Nation has welcomed travellers for thousands of years and now thanks to Tourism PG and PGAA the over one million people who frequent YXS each year will have an opportunity to learn more about their history.
“I’ve always said from the very beginning, take five minutes to learn about
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your local First Nations,” said Logan.
“How many years did Prince George not even know Lheidli was here? So for like a million people from around the world coming to Prince George and first thing they see is Lheidli T’enneh — it’s pretty exciting.”
The next phases of the project will take shape with discussions between Lheidli T’enneh, PGAA, and Tourism PG but chief Logan said she hopes to see more panels in the departures area.
Find jobs, supports, skills training, and more to help you start your career in B.C.
WorkBC.ca/FindAnswers or your nearest WorkBC centre.
City wants daycare centre tax loophole closed
TED CLARKE Citizen staff
Prince George city council has approved a draft resolution to the North Central Local Government Association to close a loophole that allows daycare centres to operate in school buildings without paying property taxes to the city. Through the NCLGA, the city will ask the Minister of Education and Child Care to provide a mechanism that will allow local governments to collect the equivalent of property taxes from childcare centres housed on school property. Changes to the School Act several years
ago resulted in several day cares in the city setting up in unused school spaces to address a shortage of childcare spaces. While council has no objections to that policy, it does want those businesses to pay taxes.
“In conversations with both the ministry and Northern Health, we’re seeing a huge influx in the number of daycare centres being operating in schools,” said Coun. Tim Bennett, in Monday’s public meeting. “We recently saw an announcement of three new significant centres being built over the next three years on school district property, so I think it’s important that we start this conversation
now, as it’s going to continue to have ripple effects.”
March 8 is the deadline for submissions to the NCLGA’s annual report and resolutions book and city staff has prepared a draft letter submission on the daycare resolution as well as previous resolutions council has made.
Coun. Ron Polillo suggested the city should raise the school daycare taxation issue with the Union of B.C. Municipalities and ultimately with the province to provide clarity on how cities should go about collecting those taxes.
Polillo also suggested sening a copy of its resolution to School District 57
administration so the school district is not blindsided by the proposal.
“I think we have to balance it with the need for childcare spaces,” said Coun. Brian Skakun. “We want to make sure the folks going in to these vacant schools aren’t hit unexpectantly with a big tax bill. So we have to make sure as we go forward we get some consultation with them as well.”
Recent changes to the School Act allow for school boards to directly operate childcare.
In some cases, the school may hold the license but in others, a community provider may be the licensee.
Glyphosate study waste of time and money
So apparently taxpayers are going to spend $1.5 million researching the damage glyphosate is doing to our forests.
We will have to wait five years for the results.
It’s kind of a neat trick our federal funding authorities pulled. $1.5 million is a pretty cheap hall pass to hold the critics at bay while we keep doing more and more studies amidst ongoing clouds of glyphosate in our forests.
I’ve got a question.
Shouldn’t the pesticide companies have footed the bill for this research before telling us spraying forests with a chelating, patented antimicrobial agent that kills 50 percent of select boreal fungi species at standard field application rates was A-OK?
Ultimately, the research is a waste of taxpayer money. The science showing the futility of spraying has existed for
decades. It’s just not communicated. So allow me.
First of all, the best tree at sequestering carbon is aspen, believe it or not, with birch and cottonwood/balsam poplar probably in close proximity. This is for the same reason we spray them; they grow quicker. An Alaska study found these species sucked up five times more carbon after a forest fire than black spruce in the same amount of time. Once mature, they locked up 1.6 times more carbon.
Another question: instead of paying for studies on glyphosate, why don’t we pay for studies on how much carbon tax we should charge the softwood industry for all the surplus carbon sequestration we lose out on because of their war on aspen?
Spraying is making climate change worse not just through significantly reducing the amount of forest carbon
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
REGIONAL HOSPITAL CARNAGE
When there is more need for buildings than buildings available, it would seem odd that this government would support the demolition of useful buildings.
On Feb 7, the Seven Sisters building in Terrace, built in 2006, was demolished and for the next 10 days was hauled truckload after truckload to the local landfill site. Very little of the building or its contents were saved.
The almost 10-million-dollar facility was replaced with a much more expensive building on another corner of
We acknowledge the financial support of the government of Canada.
Nous reconnaissons l’appui financier du gouvernement du Canada.
uptake but by making those forests more flammable. Pine, our favourite monoculture crop, might be more competitive than spruce in sucking up carbon, but they have exponentially higher flammability than both white spruce and broadleaf. And it gets even better. If we didn’t spray, or brush, the aspen would make the earth’s surface less dark, and absorb much less solar radiation. There’s only been a single Canadian study on this, Alan Betts’ study from 1997, that has shown boreal broadleaf (mostly aspen) have a summertime albedo 1.8 times higher than conifer. They absorb nearly half the heat. This is no small potatoes. A shocking study from Europe has shown that the conversion of European forests from light-green broadleaf to dark-green conifer in the past 250 years has warmed the planet equivalent to six percent of all fossil fuels burnt up until 2018.
the site. Despite pleas from Skeena Valley Seniors Society and several Northern Health staff to have the Seven Sisters building left intact and re-purposed for Northern Health’s unmet needs, the building was trashed.
While government claims to be concerned about carbon emissions and wasted resources, it thinks nothing about running excavators for 100-plus hours and filling nearly 100 trash bins to be trucked to the local landfill.
Meanwhile, our government is spewing out recommendations to offset our carbon footprint and charging
NEIL GODBOUT EDITORIN-CHIEF CURTIS ARMSTRONG PUBLISHER
We don’t need more studies on spraying our forests with glyphosate to kill mostly broadleaf forest types. What we need is to get our heads out of the 18th century sand where the Germans invented sustainable yield conifer plantation tree forestry that worked well at the time but whose day in the sun is dwindling as fast as those Greenland ice sheets.
And furthermore, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that the best habitat for declining moose is what we have right on the hills around town: those deciduous broadleaf forests we call “low-quality” junk forests. These forests have the highest wildlife carrying capacity for almost all classes of flora and fauna and are known biodiversity hotspots in interior forests.
We all know what needs to be done. We just need to do it.
James Steidle is a Prince George writer.
taxpayers millions to address this problem while in fact being the cause of the problem by wasting taxpayer resources over and over and over again. No ears to taxpayer concerns, no willingness to engage with the public, no accountability for their counter intuitive actions.
An even bigger facility will soon face the same fate as the 1961 Mills Memorial Hospital is also to be trashed in the near future, despite the 2000-plus petitioners calling for the re-purposing of this $100 million building.
Diana Penner, Terrace
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Throwback Thursday: This week in history
In this week’s Throwback Thursday, our weekly dive into the Prince George Citizen archives, we start with a story showing how hiring to fill top administrative positions at the City of Prince George was quite a bit different 100 years ago than it is now.
Mayor Roy Alward had to cast the deciding vote as a divided Prince George city council had trouble picking who would fill the combined jobs of city clerk, treasurer, assessor, and collector, according to the front-page story in the Feb. 28, 1924, edition of the Prince George Citizen. Council finally picked Stanley George over D.G. Tate, the former city clerk. The deciding factor was money. George offered to do the job for $185 per month, while Tate wanted to be paid $200.
***
Adolph Hitler was already front-page news in Prince George during the winter of 1934.
In the March 1 edition of the Citizen, under the top of the page headline ‘Dictator Hitler is in Agreement with Dollfuss,’ the story explained that the German Nazis had agreed not to meddle in the domestic affairs of Austria. That lasted four years until Germany annexed Austria without firing a single shot on March 13, 1938.
***
“Acute overcrowding at Prince George Regional Hospital may force the hospital board into a crash program in order to accommodate patients,” read the lead paragraph in the top front-page story in the Feb. 28, 1964, edition of the Citizen. Overcrowding started shortly after the hospital opened, the story explained. There were 29 extra beds set up in hallways and other rooms, along with the 165 beds already in the facility.
***
The first day of the compulsory Autoplan insurance program for B.C. drivers under the newly-founded ICBC took effect on March 1, 1974, and not everyone was happy about it.
The Citizen’s front page photo from that day featured Dieter Schlaffke riding his horse Fleeko on the Hart Highway with a protest sign.
***
Big news on the front page of the Feb.
29, 1984, edition of the Prince George Citizen.
‘Trudeau calls it quits!’ blared the top headline about Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau announcing his plan to resign after a new Liberal Party leader was named.
Below that was a story and photo about the RCMP investigating fights and broken windshields at Finlay Forest Industries in Mackenzie as log truckers crossed the picket line in the 28-day-old lockout for the third consecutive day.
***
This week, we’re looking for Todd Taylor and his sister Kimberley. Todd was pictured on the Citizen front page on Feb. 28, 1994, standing on the roof of Kimberley’s car parked on the sidewalk in front of Amigo’s Taco Shop, removing snow hanging over the edge of the roof that could fall on pedestrians below. Kimberley, did you find out from the paper what your brother was doing with your car? Todd, how did you make out with the snow removal?
I’d love to hear from you. Drop me a line at ngodbout@pgcitizen.ca.
The Prince George Citizen archive can be found online at pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca.
CITIZEN ARCHIVES
Above, Dieter Schlaffke riding his horse Fleeko on the Hart Highway protesting the first day of the compulsory Autoplan insurance program for B.C. drivers on March 1, 1974. Right, Todd Taylor was seen removing snow hanging over the edge of a roof that could fall on pedestrians below on the front page of the Citizen on Feb. 28, 1994.
Online archive showcases Indigenous artifacts
TOM SUMMER Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Fifty years of archaeological knowledge is being repatriated to the Danezaa or Beaver people in northern B.C., with a new digital archive created in partnership with Simon Fraser University and the Tse’k’wa Heritage Society.
The Charlie Lake Cave, north of Fort St. John, is a national historic site that has been an Indigenous gathering place for more than 12,000 years, a sacred and spiritual place for the stakeholder First Nations of Doig River, Prophet River and West Moberly, with their ancestors first using the site to hold ceremonies.
Excavations were undertaken in 1974, 1983, 1990, and 1991, led by SFU’s Knut Fladmark and Jon Driver, unearthing a wealth of archeological and cultural knowledge. The archive is the first step in repatriating the artifacts and materials back to the First Nations.
It’s one of the few sites in Canada with a complete record of highly-preserved
animal bones and artifacts from the end of the last ice age to the modern day. The new digital archive will contain primary records from the excavations, including field notes, research materials, maps and photographs, descriptive data sets, and post-excavation analysis.
Garry Oker, president of the Tse’k’wa Heritage Society, said he’s very happy to say that they finally have access to all the materials, with the initiative aiming to widen public and research access.
“For the Dane-zaa people, Tse’k’wa is more than just a physical location. It is a sacred space that embodies our sense of place and identity. The artifacts and remains discovered at the cave site contribute to the understanding and appreciation of the Dane-zaa people’s cultural heritage,” said Oker in the press release.
The three Dane-zaa Nations came together in 2012 to purchase the property and form the society, with the cave designated a national historic site in 2019.
SFU archaeologists first visited Tse’k’wa in the 1970s as part of an assessment for
Site C. Since then, materials and artifacts excavated from the site have been stored at SFU’s Burnaby campus.
“Tse’k’wa is one of few sacred places in Canada and in North America that house the ancestors’ artifacts from their time in the cave,” added Oker. “And we are still connected to that. It really gives us a sense of connection to all the places that are sacred.”
Driver returned for a 2022 dig at the site, the first in over 30 years, with Univeristy of Northern B.C. students participating. Another field school is being planned for this summer.
“This can be a centrepiece for talking about their traditional knowledge, their culture, their history, and passing that on not just for their communities, but also for the broader public,” Driver said in 2022. “You’ve got one of the most critically important scientific sites in Canada here, it’s incredible. I think that will sink in as the interpretative side of this develops.”
Driver helped create the digital archive with the SFU library, and noted while much has been published of Tse’k’wa, much of it was inaccessible to the First Nations and the public. Seeing the artifacts was also limited to those who could come to SFU to see the collections.
“There is a lot more research that could be done on the materials that have already been excavated from the site,” Driver said. “However, future researchers
need to understand how the site was excavated, and how to access the records that were made during both excavation and post- excavation analysis. The intent of this archive is to explain what research has been done, how it was done, and how to access the available information about the site from the excavations carried out in the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s.”
The society spent two years to get official repository status with the BC Archaeology branch, while working with SFU’s archaeology departments to repatriate the entire Tse’k’wa collection. SFU will continue to maintain the archive, even after the physical collection is returned.
“This information is very important to reconnect our ancestors’ information with existing stories and language so that we can have a sense of cohesiveness to the traditional artifacts,” says Oker. “As an elder, I’m happy that we can access the digital archive so that we can, in turn, connect that information with our existing language and stories and make those stories come alive for future generations.”
Alyssa Currie, executive director for the society, said the new archive demonstrates SFU’s commitment to reconciliation and open access
“The digital archive is a triumphant example of digital repatriation,” noted Currie. “It will greatly enhance our ability to provide access to the collection and will strengthen, not replace, the physical repatriation process.”
Community group helps those in need
CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen staff
Community Strong Heart2Hart is a group of residents who help anyone in need in the Hart neighbourhood of Prince George.
Things like a senior needing their driveway shoveled, a hot meal delivered to someone who is sick, wood chopped for someone injured and hampers for those starting over, are some of the things they’ve already provided and the demand continues to grow.
It started with a core group of four people who came together when someone posted they would like accessibility across a small gully near a Hart seniors’ apartment building.
When four volunteers showed up to get the job done last August with donated supplies, Heart2Hart literally bridged the gap and continues to put people together – those who need something done and those who are willing to do it.
Aryn Ziemer is the first to deflect any credit, saying she’s just the one who is geared towards organizing and willing to take to social media to help put people together but the real heroes, she said, are the people with boots on the ground to get the jobs done.
The Community Strong Heart2Hart team along with Aryn, includes Lorne
Ziemer, Clint Bleich, and Mark Dickinson.
“It’s actually a pretty cool phenomenon that we’re watching unfold,” Aryn said. “It’s a huge movement and it’s really kinda crazy.”
People are willing to pitch in any way they can and some donate bottles to raise money for supplies – building materials, groceries, kitchenware – anything people require – and now there’s a cash fund set up to help people in need in the Hart.
“The whole community has come together and said ‘we will help’, and so four people looked at each other and said ‘let’s do this’,” Aryn said.
They’ve been going strong ever since and have gotten so busy that there’s another member helping with admin duties and that’s Nellie Clarke.
So far and still counting the Community Strong group has done at least 14 emergency hampers, cooked 40 Christmas meals, did six Christmas food hampers, shoveled countless driveways – sometimes doing nine driveways a day, two vehicle maintenances, and so much wood has been chopped and put up for easy access.
“There are just so many people out there who need help right here in the Hart,” Aryn said.
For more information visit the Community Strong Heart2Hart page.
Prince George Folkfest Society are delighted to say the 17th annual Coldsnap winter music festival was a tremendous success! Between February 2 and 10, 2024, we hosted almost 100 musicians from all across Canada We extend our hear tfelt thanks to our generous festival sponsors and funders for your steadfast suppor t since our society’s inception over 20 years ago! We respectfully acknowledge that Coldsnap is hosted on the unceded ancestral lands of the Lheidli T enneh First Nation, and we especially thank them for their suppor t of the festival and for the welcomes and gifts they provided to our visiting musicians We are par ticularly thankful for the wisdom and generosity of time from Kym Gouchie for her guidance with protocol, translation and land acknowledgements Thanks also to all our emcees and our esteemed speakers who provided hosting duties and welcomes at all our events Big thanks to Emily Wilson for the design of our beautiful graphics that gave us a fresh look featuring bright colours and Nor thern BC wildlife! Thanks also to CCFPG for their collaboration and cooperation on “Cultural Confluence” Many thanks and kudos to Connor at Pulp City Music, Aidyl and Cliff at Sound Factory, and Danny and Brin at Mad Loon Enter tainment for their amazing hard work and dedication to production excellence that makes this one of Canada’s premier live music festivals Congratulations and thank you to Rev Bob and his staff at Knox Performance Centre for hosting us at their brand new venue! We are very grateful to our team of wonderful volunteers listed below with board members and staff It is no exaggeration to say this festival would not happen without you and its success is a direct result of the time and work you provide Gratitude also to the fabulous volunteer par ty crew and the Royal Canadian Legion for hosting our epic volunteer and sponsor par ty, and also to all the generous sponsors that donated door prizes to help us thank our volunteers And finally THANK YOU to all our patrons, members and donors who continue to show unwavering suppor t for us and for live music in this great city! See you next February at Coldsnap 2025!
Britany Archer
Jordana Archer
Dahir Avila
Katherine Benny
Heike Beyer
Kevin Beyer
Elvie Birks
Noelle Bouvier
Beth Bressette
Greg Bruce
Janice Bruce
Shirley Campbell
Shannon Carson
Rod Cryderman
James Doyle
Steven Dubas
Elizabeth Eakin
Donny Edbom
Bob Fillier (Rev Dr )
Sylvia Foot
Maureen Fotos
Sinead Gaffney
Leone Gamache
Kym Gouchie
Glen Goudy
Jim Green
Amanda Hallmark
Marnie Hamagami
Fraser Hayes
Cindy Heidt
Lindsey Houchen
Meagan HowardGibbon
Kathi Hughes
Norm Jacob Genevieve Jade
Aidyl Jago
Simran Jawanda
Sue Judge
Marge Lachecki
Leah Lamper t Kevan Leman
Dave Leman
Karen Limoges
Cheryl LivingstoneLeman
Samantha Lui
Malcolm McColl
Andrew McFayden
Julie McIntyre
Elissa Meiklem
Denise Mesic
Karen Mohr
Erin Mould
Anne Muirhead
Jim Mullen
John Or tynsky
Ann O Shea
Susan Parsons
Barb Pethick
Connor Pritchard
Anne Ram
Dave Read
Joanne Rebagliati
Jodi Rober tson
Alex Rowan
Kathleen Rowlands
Haylee Seiter
Michelle Sims
Greg Spiers
Bob Steventon
Cindy Storozinski
Justin Tendeck
Robbyn Unruh
Donovan Unruh
Diana Van Der Zande
Karma Vance
Rob Watt
Bonnie Watt
Anita Watts
Layna Witzke
Dwight Wolfe
Jessamyn Wrightson
Kayla Young
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Mark Dickinson, left, Clint Bleich, Aryn Ziemer, Nellie Clarke and Lorne Ziemer are members of the Community Strong Heart2Hart group.
Chinese firm pitches new LNG plant
NELSON BENNETT Glacier Media
A Chinese company with natural gas assets in Alberta is pitching a new liquefied natural gas plant north of Prince George that would rail the LNG to Prince Rupert in special ISO containers for export to Asia.
The Summit Lake PG LNG project recently entered the BC Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) review process.
The developers propose a new inland LNG plant that would produce up to 2.7 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of liquefied natural gas, which is a little larger in production capacity to the Woodfibre LNG project in Squamish.
And like the Woodfibre LNG project, it would use electric drive, which reduces the LNG process’s greenhouse gas emission intensity.
The company behind the project, JX LNG Canada, is an Alberta-based subsidiary of Changchun Jixing New Energy Ltd., which is involved in the LNG and compressed natural gas sector in northeastern China.
Binyou Dai, JX LNG Canada’s chief operating officer, told BIV News that the company has upstream assets in Alberta for producing the gas.
The LNG plant would not need a new pipeline. The company would require an agreement with Enbridge to use its Westcoast main line. However, upgrades to the Enbridge pipeline would be needed to increase natural gas volumes.
“As part of the project, an approximately 2-kilometre pipeline to deliver natural gas to the facility from the existing Enbridge Westcoast Pipeline main transmission will be built, as well as an approximately 6-kilomter powerline to connect the project to British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority (BC Hydro) green power at the Salmon Valley substation,” the company says in its initial
project description.
The project is being proposed to be built in two phases, with 1.35 MTPA production capacity for each phase.
“Initial conversations with Enbridge indicate that, in order to align with the Phase 1 pipeline capacity of the current Westcoast Pipeline, a pipeline loop of under 40
km could be required upstream of Compressor Station 4A within the existing Westcoast Pipeline system,” the project description notes.
LNG produced in Prince George would be put on special ISO containers and sent by rail to Prince Rupert, where they would then be exported to Asia by container ship.
Suspect caught napping
A break and enter suspect was arrested after he was caught sleeping on the couch of a home in North Nechako.
The incident began shortly before 2 a.m. on Sunday, February 18 when a resident on the 5100-block of North Nechako Road reported a rock had been thrown through a window of their home and they could hear a man talking outside.
While police officers were responding to this report and searching for the suspect, a second report came in from the 3200-block of Riverview Road.
The report indicated that a man walked into a person’s home and left after asking the home owner to call 9-1-1.
Then police received another call from a resident on the 3300-block of Rosia Road after they heard someone attempt to gain entry through their front door.
The suspect was caught by police around 5:30 a.m. at a residence on the 3500-block of Rosia Road, where he was located sleeping on a couch at that home. The suspect was released with a future court date.
JX LNG Canada plans to use ISO LNG containers like these ones, used by B.C. company Top Speed, to ship LNG to Asia by container ship.
Swords returned to resident after weapons seizure
TOM SUMMER
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A pair of two-bladed sharpened swords, two air-soft pistols, and a can of bear spray have been returned to a Prince George woman, following an RCMP weapon seizure at a residence on Oct. 26, 2022.
The woman is known to have a history of mental illness, including ‘paranoid and delusional behaviours’, notes a Nov. 21, 2023 provincial court ruling.
“She has called the police in the past to report incidents which, upon investigation, the police determined did not occur,” the ruling added.
Two RCMP officers involved with the weapon seizure were called as witnesses during court proceedings, and explained that they initially attended the incident as a Car 60 file, a social program, which pairs police with a psychiatric nurse.
Police say they had previously attended the residence on a regular basis, summoned by the woman and her elderly mother-in-law, with a call in June 2022 to specifically to check on the woman, who was flagged by RCMP as someone suffering from mental health issues for six to eight months before the October incident.
“The two residents believed there were people in their backyard – people trying to break into the residence. The police and Car 60 attended and did not find any evidence of intruders,” noted the ruling of one of the prior calls. Surveillance footage showed that there had been no one in the backyard.
The woman was arrested under the Mental Health Act after police received a call from the woman’s stepmother, informing them that the woman was suicidal and potentially had a gun. The stepmother was a regular contact for the woman when in distress, explained the ruling.
RCMP officers remained at the treeline at the perimeter of the residence, roughly 75 metres from the front door, contacting the woman by cellphone, with an officer testifying that it’s risky for police to knock on a door when ‘a person is barricaded inside their residence with a firearm’.
By cell, woman told officers that she was chasing someone around the residence with a gun, but would come to the door. When the woman eventually came out of the residence, she was not carrying any weapons. The woman then invited an officer and a nurse from Car 60 inside.
Another officer cleared the residence and no one else was found.
The residence was searched for firearms and officers discovered a crossbow with a broken string and four bolts, a canister of bear spray, the pair of sharpened swords, two air-soft pistols, and a two-barrelled shotgun
loaded with two unspent shells.
One of the officers also observed a six to eight-inch circular hole in the front window of the residence, which they believed was consistent with someone discharging a shotgun. The woman did not a possess a licence for the shotgun and had carelessly stored it, both criminal violations.
The woman was not arrested for the firearms offences, with RCMP deeming it more appropriate to apprehend her under the Mental Health Act.
The woman was hospitalized for 30 days at the University Hospital of Northern British Columbia, after being seen by an ER doctor who referred her to a psychiatrist. She was involuntarily kept after being certified under sections 22 and 23 of the Mental Health Act.
It’s noted in the ruling that the woman did not want to go to the hospital willingly, and had to be handcuffed by police, who brought her to the hospital.
“Her speech was erratic. She believed people were watching her through the cameras. She believed the police were hired by someone else. She said that out loud. She thought police were sent there to get her,” testified one of the officers.
The woman’s trial was not criminal as she had no criminal record, explained Justice Judith Doulis, and noted there was no evidence the woman had “actually acted violently with respect to a firearm.”
“The Crown’s evidence of [their] circumstances and mental state in the subsequent six months is thin,” wrote Doulis. RCMP also failed to provide dates for five previous interventions.
In the interest of safety, Doulis did impose a two-year discretionary firearms ban. The shotgun, crossbow, bolts, and shotgun shells were ordered to be forfeited or disposed of.
SUPPORT FOR GRANT SOUGHT
The Prince George Sexual Assault Centre is seeking funds to help expand its services and address the needs arising from gender-based violence.
They are seeking support from Prince George City Council for their grant application to the Northern Healthy Community Fund. Their proposed initiative is called “Healing Pathways: Empowering Survivors in Northern B.C.” and aims to enhance the support services for survivors of gender-based violence in Prince George.
This project focuses on expanding outreach services, including counselling support groups and educational programs to better serve the diverse and growing needs of Prince George and surrounding areas.
They are applying for a grant for up to $300,000, distributed as $100,000 per year for three years and the funds would come from the Northern Development Initiative Trust.
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Resident always thinking about family in Ukraine
TED CLARKE Citizen staff
Saturday marked the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but for Vova Pluzhnikov that war really began in 2014 with the Russians annexed Crimea.
That was nearly 10 years ago and there appears no end in sight to the fighting that’s destroying his country.
“I kind of want emphasize the initial invasion took place in 2014, so we just went in to the 10th anniversary of the invasion of Crimea and eastern Ukraine but it’s been two years since the full-scale war started and unfortunately the situation hasn’t changed much,” said Pluzhnikov.
The 29-year-old Prince George financial advisor was born and raised in Kharkiv, the second largest Ukrainian city and one of the hardest hit by the war.
His parents, brother and sister-in-law, cousins and friends are still in Ukraine and it’s a daily struggle for them dealing with the threat of airstrikes and bombing attacks.
“It’s very tough for my people and I’m not in a position to say how they feel and what they’re going through but from what I’ve heard, things are not getting better,”
he said. “I check my notifications from different social media from back home and you read about another apartment building, another hospital, another school being bombed and destroyed and people missing and dead and wounded and hurt.
“Every day something happens and unfortunately the harsh reality is that our neighbours’ playbook is very unconventional. They’re trying to wear us out and prolong this war for as long as possible because they have unlimited resources, something we don’t, unfortunately. They have the support of millions of people who have been brainwashed and told this is the right thing to do to take away the territory of some other people.”
Pluzhnikov’s parents are living in an apartment in downtown Kviv, which is safer than their homes in Kharkiv but not without danger. His mother is an architect/engineer and his father teaches physical education. Since the war began, they both work remotely.
Kharkiv is in eastern Ukraine, close to the frontlines of the war, and is targeted regularly.
Most of the gymnasiums and the pool where his father taught kids how to swim have been destroyed by explosions. Students gather in bomb shelters and subway tunnels for their classes, while apartment dwellers respond to air-raid sirens by rushing to the elevator shafts of their buildings.
“We’ve been hit and bombed pretty much every day since February 24, 2022,” said Pluzhnikov. “Sometimes you hear about bombs being dropped on locations we used to visit and sometimes the bombs hit way too close to where my parents are right now. It’s something we have to deal with.”
His older brother Anton, 35, serves as an IT logistics specialist in the Ukrainian military and he advises the country’s defence leaders. He lives with his wife on the outskirts of Kviv.
“He’s enjoying what he’s doing, he’s very patriotic and inspiring and I get reports from him all the time,” said Pluzhnikov. “I couldn’t be more proud of him for what he’s doing. He’ll always be my role model, number one.”
Pluzhnikov is well known around UNBC, having played five seasons as point guard for the Timberwolves basketball team while studying commerce from 2016-2022. He ranks as the team’s all-time assists leader, is third in career points, and now serves as one of the team’s assistant coaches.
In March 2022, Pluzhnikov organized the Run For Ukraine, a 44-kilometre run (one for every million Ukrainians) through the streets of Prince George, which raised more than $50,000 for the war effort in his homeland.
CITIZEN STAFF PHOTO
About 100 people gathered for the Prince George for Ukraine support rally that stretched from Vanier Drive to Westwood Drive along Massey Drive on Saturday at noon.
Lake Babine Nation signs funding deal
HANNA PETERSEN Citizen staff
Lake Babine Nation and the federal government have signed a funding agreement totalling $50 million.
Last Wednesday, Chief Murphy Abraham, along with other Lake Babine Nation representatives, and Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, signed a funding agreement that will directly support priorities identified by the Wit’at and Tachet communities.
This funding will support Lake Babine to build its public sector and governance capacity on its journey towards self-governance and provide support for the nation’s community infrastructure priorities.
“The feeling, it’s like no other, this is the first time in history, the minister Anandasangaree made a personal visit to Lake Babine,” said Lake Babine Nation Chief Murphy Abraham.
This funding builds upon an agreement signed on September 18, 2020, between Lake Babine Nation, Canada, and British Columbia.
It’s called the Foundation Agreement and is a tripartite framework agreement that lays out a pathway to incrementally and collaboratively implement Lake Babine Nation’s constitutional rights over a 20- year period through capacity building, shared initiatives, and further negotiations.
The first phase of implementation involves the transfer of 20,000 hectares of provincial Crown land, forestry tenures, and approximately $43 million in funding contributions.
Part of the funding will be used to support the building indoor cultural centres in the remote communities of Wit’at and Tachet.
“This definitely brings a sigh of relief for the cultural centres and for Wit’at and Tachet now that we know the funds are in place, to continue with the construction, and to continue with the opening up of those cultural centres in two years,” said Abraham.
“The capacity funding that is needed to build our government and the funding that’s needed to move the foundation agreement forward is a blessing as well.”
This funding will also help Lake Babine
Nation to support governance capacity by hiring specialized employees to build land capacity, manage spending, identify priority program improvements, develop a restorative justice strategy for the Nation and oversee the Nation’s strategic initiatives, the main one being the implementation of the Foundation Agreement.
“We have more needs that Canada would need to address. We’re hopeful that you know, that the minister Anandasangaree will be our champion there in Ottawa to advocate on our behalf,” said Abraham.
“I think it’s important to note that relationship building is, should be a priority here with First Nations and the provincial and federal governments and also the companies and industries out there because it’s important to sit down and to
The federal government is in a process of undoing the legacy of colonial policies and moving towards true nation-to-nation relationships based on good faith.”
learn each other’s past and history,” he said.
“It’s important to know how each other are structured and the processes that are followed so once we have all of that in line, then I believe the future looks
brighter from here forward.”
The announcement follows several months of negotiations involving Canada and Lake Babine Nation, including a recent meeting on October 24, 2023, between Minister Anandasangaree, Chief Abraham, and other Lake Babine Nation representatives.
“The federal government is in a process of undoing the legacy of colonial policies and moving towards true nation-to-nation relationships based on good faith,” said Minister Anandasangaree.
“Supporting Lake Babine Nation’s priorities for governance and community is a foundational step to renewing and strengthening our partnership as we move forward. In their community today, I heard firsthand the impacts this funding will have on people. More to do.”
Chief Murphy Abraham and federal minister Gary Anandasangaree sign the funding agreement.
Special Olympics bowler off to nationals
CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen staff
Lance Pattinson, a five-pin bowler from Prince George, will be competing at the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games from Feb. 27 to March 2 in Calgary.
The Winter Games will see athletes with intellectual disabilities from across the country coming together to compete in alpine skiing, cross country skiing, curling, floor hockey, figure skating, speed skating, snowshoeing and five-pin bowling.
Carol Lee, five-pin bowling coach, said she’s been coaching for at least a decade and before that she volunteered.
This is the first time she’s attending the national competition.
“This is really exciting,” Lee said. “I can’t wait to see what happens.”
Lance competed in his first nationals in 2002 and he loves the game.
“I started in the 80s and it’s always been bowling for me,” Lance said. “It’s good
exercise and –
“It’s like we’re all one big family,” finished Coach Lee. “It’s a great time to socialize and get to know one another.”
Lance heartily agreed and said he’s feeling pretty good going into the big competition.
Lee explained that Lance went to provincials in Kamloops in February, 2023, where his team took the gold, which qualified them to compete at the national competition this year.
There are five BC teams that are attending the competition and there are 24 lanes at the venue in Calgary with busy morning and afternoon sessions planned for each day.
“I bowl with a good team,” Lance said. “I’ll do my best.”
The team is called the Dawson Creek Headpins and their motto is ‘what we do together can make a difference’. Besides Lance the team includes Dara Watson, Jacob Hanson and William Waffle from Dawson Creek and Robert Beiswanger from Quesnel.
Carol Lee, coach, left, and Lance Pattinson, five-pin bowler, are at the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games in Calgary from Feb. 27 to March 2. Lance is the only bowler in Prince George to attend the games as his team won the provincial championships held in Kamloops in 2023.
Senior stays active playing goal for hockey teams
CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen staff
Growing up in a Willow River family of 10 meant playing hockey in hand-me-down skates on a rink that was a frosty mile-long walk away.
In those days Ellie Smith, 65, made her goalie pads from plywood and foam, would wear a heavy coat, used her ball glove to protect her hand and hoped for the best.
“And we’d all get a hockey stick for Christmas – like in the old days,” Smith laughed. “And that’s when I first decided I liked to play hockey and not only that but be a goalie, too.”
She started playing organized sports only when she was on her own at about 18 years old. Then she played hockey with her softball team in her early 20s and when she started work at Northwood Pulp she played on the corporate team.
She had the proper equipment by then.
During her sporting life, Smith played forward on the
women’s team and goal for the men’s team.
“There was a shortage of goalies during those early years so I spared many times, playing two games a night way above my skill level – defence played real hard when I subbed,” Smith recalled modestly.
“I played with a team called the Sundowners who were a group of women who had a softball team in the summer and a hockey team in the winter,” Smith said. “We drew players from all around the area – Quesnel, Williams Lake, Vanderhoof, Fort St. James and even 100 Mile House.”
Smith has seen some high level of play in both hockey and softball, competing at provincials and Western Canadians in both sports.
“I’ve played for the Northwood team for 30 years and still spare for them sometimes,” Smith said.
“I played in the gentlemen’s league, downtown drop in with the city, drop in with the doctors and lucked into the Rusty Nuts about eight years ago.”
Now, as she turns 65, Smith feels her skill level has finally caught up with her teammates as she now plays
on the Rusty Nuts hockey team in Prince George that welcomes older players onto the ice who feel like they’ve aged out of the regular hockey league but still love the game.
The Rusty Nuts range in age from 59 to 78 years old.
“I’ve found I’ve gotten better as I age and I now feel like I truly belong,” Smith said.
“The Rusty Nuts are really a support group who were there for me when my husband died so they are my friends as well as teammates.”
During the last five years Smith has been involved with the 55+ BC Games in women’s hockey.
She’s often picked up by Lower Mainland teams who need a goalie.
“Last year I was on the winning 60+ division team and will compete at the 55+ Canada Games in Quebec City this August,” Smith said. “Dave Bellamy, Rusty Nuts team organizer, got me started on this trail. I love what the 55+ Games does for those of us who are older that still enjoy our sports. I am very grateful to Dave for giving me these opportunities to still play hockey.”
UNBC makes history with Canada West bronze
TED CLARKE Citizen staff
The UNBC Timberwolves were the Cinderella story of the Canada West men’s basketball playoffs and Sunday night in Winnipeg they made sure that tale of guts and glory had a happy ending.
Just like they did earlier in the tournament when they defied the odds and eliminated the No. 5 UBC Thunderbirds and No. 4 Manitoba Bisons, the 12-seeded T-wolves saved their best for last, taking care of the second-ranked Calgary Dinos 94-80 in the bronze medal matchup.
In the last U SPORTS game of his career, Chris Ross was the difference-maker for UNBC. The fifth-year guard from North Vancouver was deadly from distance and hit eight triples on his way to a team-high 25 points.
“It feels fantastic, especially to get it with these guys, who work so hard,” said Ross. “Before the game I said leave it all out on the floor, especially for us three (graduating) guys, it might be our last one, and I think we did that today. It was really special.”
They didn’t have their big fanbase from Prince George with them in the gym in Winnipeg but Ross felt the love of the city from afar.
“P.G. is the best community out there and they’ve got nothing but support for us and it’s been awesome,” he said.
Their bronze finish finish marked the first-ever Canada West medal for UNBC in any sport since the school became a U SPORTS member in 2012.
“No one expected us to be here,” said graduating guard Darren Hunter. “We don’t even have an all-star. We did it as a team and I just love these guys so much, we have a great team, probably the best team off-court I’ve ever been on.”
The T-wolves had comfortable leads that slipped away several times.
Led by Dylan Lutes and Nate Petrone, the Dinos took off on a 13-5 run to start the second half that whittled the UNBC lead to five. The T-wolves slowed down the pace and that stopped the bleeding but it was still anybody’s game heading into the final 10 with UNBC ahead 71-68. Both teams fumbled away chances in the early going in the fourth quarter until Petrone tied it for Calgary with his fourth trey of the night.
But like they’ve done all week, the T-wolves shook off the adversity and took back control. Ross delivered a crisp pass to point guard Justin Sunga and he drained the three, which Dinos shooter Gurshan Sran countered with another three to pull even again.
UNBC forward Spencer Ledoux, also playing his last game, fouled out after missing a layup, and the Dinos were unable to turn that into points, but Will Keyes certainly did that when he connected for another three to put the T-wolves up by six with five minutes left. “We grinded it out and we made it happen,” said
Ledoux. “These guys really came together over these last few weeks and I think we deserve to be here.”
The T-wolves’ defence forced Calgary to cough up the ball in the dying minutes and Hunter made them pay when he hit from three-point range, followed by another trey from Ross after a miss from Dinos’ Dylan Lutes. Evgeny Baukin sealed it with consecutive layups that extended the lead to 13 with 2:20 left. Calgary never threatened after that and Sunga and Ross capped it off with a couple more net plays.
After allowing the opening bucket, the T-wolves led practically from start to finish. They were up 28-24 after one quarter and 55-40 at the half.
“It was hard for both teams coming in, we were on our fourth game in five days, and both teams were coming off a loss the day before and the emotional ups and downs with that,” said T-wolves head coach Todd Jordan. “You knew they were going to fight back and I’m glad the guys were able to hold the fort there down the stretch.
“This was the one game this week where our young kids had to step up and some of our first-year guys got to play some minutes. Will Keyes had a really big night for us and did a really good job and it was nice to see that. It bodes well for the future. We have three guys leaving the program but it was really good for our young guys to be part of this. That’s going to help us a lot.”
UNBC withstood a second-quarter surge led by Sran, whose accuracy from all over the court negated a 12-point lead. Tied at 38, the T-wolves used their timeout to refocus and Baukin got them back on track with a thundering dunk. The Russian-born forward kept pushing the pace and completed a three-point play after
getting fouled as he drove one in off the glass.
At the other end of the court, Keyes came off the bench and delivered a key block that led to a turnover and Hunter used that to get free for the first of back-to back threes that put UNBC ahead 49-38.
Petrone sunk a couple of foul shots to end an 11-0 UNBC run.
The T-wolves defence came up big again, deflecting a pass that sent Baukin in again on another successful drive.
They retained possession after Baukin missed his foul shot try for three and got the ball out to the baseline for Mathews, who made good from three-point range for a 55-40 lead they took into the locker room.
Baukin finished with 19 points, Sunga picked up 11 points and nine rebounds, Dylon Matthews had eight points and Josh Gillespie led the T-wolves with eight rebounds.
Dinos’ hotshot Petrone shot a game-high 26 points and had seven assists, while Sran finished with 24 points.
The T-wolves had to wait for their medals until after the Victoria Vikings defeated the Winnipeg Wesmen 96-91 for gold in the late game.
The only loss of the tournament for UNBC was their 80-68 defeat at the hands of the top-ranked Vikings in Saturday’s semifinal.
“Obviously the guys played at a really high level and we felt the support from back home and got on a roll,” said Jordan, now in his 14th year as the T-wolves bench boss
“It’s a big moment for our program and hopefully it’s the start, not the end.”
ZACHARY PETERS PHOTO
The UNBC Timberwolves celebrate their bronze medal at the Canada West men’s basketball championship.
Cougars capture BC Division title
TED CLARKE Citizen staff
Zac Funk did what was needed to set the Prince George Cougars’ record for most goals in a single season and he put the exclamation mark on it with the three-goal effort Saturday that paved the way for 6-5 shootout win over the Kelowna Rockets.
Josh Ravensbergen pitched a shootout shutout, making consecutive saves off Rockets snipers Andrew Cristall, Tij Iginla and Gabriel Szturc, after Ondrej Becher’s backhander found the net behind Kelowna goalie Jari Kikkannen.
The win was the 40th of the season for the Cougars (40-15-0-3) and it left them 21 points ahead of the second-place Victoria Royals, who lost 5-2 Saturday to Portland, allowing Prince George to clinch its second-ever BC Division title.
Funk tied Quinn Hancock’s 1997-98 record of 54 goals with his first of the night on a Cougars’ power play that put his team ahead four minutes into the second period.
The 20-year-old Cougar’s recordbreaker came a couple minutes later when he scored on a rebound.
Funk completed the hat trick – his eighth three-goal game of the season – on a power-play setup from Teril Parascak and Riley Heidt that came with 2:51 left in the third period.
But less than a minute later, Rockets’ rookie forward Hiroki Gojsic tied it with his second of the game to force overtime.
Both teams had breakaway chances to end it in OT - first Cristall, then Heidt – and each time they were denied by showstopping saves from the goalies.
Hudson Thornton got the Cougars’ offence started in the second period to erase the one-goal lead Iginla gave the home side in the first period.
Heidt gave the Cougars a 4-2 lead 13:54 into the second period – his 32nd goal and 100th point this season, in only 56 games. He finished with a goal and three assists and moved one point ahead of Moose Jaw’s Jagger Firkus atop the WHL scoring race.
Shots were 41-31 in favour of Prince
George.
The Cougars went 3-for-5 on the power play and killed off all three shorthanded situations.
“I thought our first period was really good, we moved our feet, we had a good pace going into the game and we did a lot of good things,” said Cougars associate coach Jim Playfair.
“We came back from being down a goal, our special teams were good and we found a way to stick with it and win and I
think going into the playoffs that’s going to happen a lot.
“Not getting down on the group or getting away from our focus, but you have to win different ways to be a good playoff team – win on the road, come from behind, have good special teams, overcome adversity, all those things. And I think we did all that stuff tonight.”
The way the standings are shaping up, with Kelowna ranked seventh in the West, the high-octane Rockets could be that first-round opponent for the Cougars.
“When we look at the whole big picture of what happened tonight, we could very well play these guys early in the playoffs and so it had to be part of our preparation gong into the end of the season was to win this building and not give up,” said Playfair.
“Maybe it takes us 60 or 65 minutes plus the shootout and that what it did tonight but we found a way to get everybody rolling and I thought our lines worked really well together. Maybe we didn’t respect their speed or their skill up front enough, but we certainly felt we could get on their defence and create some scoring chances. Scoring six goals on the road is awfully impressive.”
The Cougars remained first in the Western Conference, two points ahead of the Portland Winterhawks, who have played two fewer games than Prince George.
Winning the BC Division title guarantees the Cougars will rank at least second among the eight playoff-bound Western teams and they will host the first two games of a best-of-seven opening round series.
The Cats are back home at CN Centre next weekend to face the Spokane Chiefs.
Check out what ’s happening this week...
STEVE DUNSMOOR
Cougars forward Ondrej Becher scores the only goal of the shootout in Saturday’s 6-5 win over the Kelowna Rockets in Kelowna.
Healthy North
STI Testing
It can be hard to tell if you have an STI, as there aren’t always symptoms. The only way to know is to get tested. Spirit got tested at their local public health unit and can feel comfortable in their new relationship knowing that they are not spreading infections to others. If you’re looking to get tested contact: your family doctor or health care provider (such as a nurse), your local health unit, Northern Health Virtual Clinic (1-844-645-7811), First Nations virtual doctor of the Day (1-855-344-3800) or visit BCCDC SmartSex Clinic Finder to find a STI testing location nearby Smartsexresource.com/ clinics-testing/
Breast Screening
Helmet Safety
Did you know that not every helmet is designed for multi-sport use? This means whether you are skiing, snowboarding, biking, or playing contact sports, there are different helmets designed for different activities based on standards and impact type.
Visit Parachute.ca/en/injury-topic/helmets/helmets-for-winter-activities to learn more about how to choose the right helmet for your Family Day activities!
Women in Northern BC over the age of 40 can book their own screening mammograms without a referral and without needing to talk to their primary care provider When Karenza Chui moved to Prince George from England with her family she was 39 years old. After turning 40, she found out she was eligible for breast screening every two years with a screening mammogram through BC Cancer Read more on her personal experiences at Stories.northernhealth.ca.
HOROSCOPES
ARIES
You may get the idea to broaden your intellect and spirituality through education. If you have young children on spring break, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to discover the joys of spending time with them
TAURUS
This is a good week to apply for a loan or renegotiate your mortgage. You’ll find a lasting solution to your financial problems without sacrificing your comfort. You’ll be able to smile and enjoy life once again
GEMINI
You’ll have a heavy workload this week due to many clients, all of whom will turn out to be very lucrative If you’re single, you could meet your soulmate at an event with friends.
CANCER
Take the time you need to think about certain projects. Carefully verify the details and negotiate beneficial terms. In your relationship, small gestures will positively impact harmony and intimacy
LEO
Moving requires meticulous planning. You must take the first steps and assess the work required. You’ll feel a special pride in arranging your space to your liking, both at work and at home.
VIRGO
You must prioritize your health this week. You’ll start a new diet that will improve your quality of life and boost your self esteem Your perseverance and commitment to yourself will pay off and your achievements will be the proof.
LIBRA
Critical minds are gravitating around you. You’ll need to develop solid arguments to confront them. You could set yourself apart by clearly expressing what others are thinking in online forums.
SCORPIO
You could receive an unexpected amount of money, a refund or an adjustment of some kind. In your relationship, you could be made to wait or postpone a date you were excited about.
SAGITTARIUS
Don’t rush into any decisions, especially when it comes to money or relationships. As you contemplate new beginnings, various elements will slow your progress, teaching you the value of patience.
CAPRICORN
You may start questioning your career or love life. You’ll think about making changes. You have a yearning for a better quality of life, which will become stronger This will encourage you to make room for it.
AQUARIUS
This week will be marked by a major clean-up, whether at home or work. An orderly environment will help you clear your mind. Family and good friends will lend you a helping hand, earning your eternal gratitude.
PISCES
If you’re still trying to set your career path, you could have an epiphany which could prompt you to take on a new challenge in line with your aspirations. Change brings abundance. Keep the door open to new opportunities.
cl assi fi eds
Each Loss
Each loss is very different,
The pain is so severe.
Will I ever stop missing
This one I loved so dear?
Good times we had together, The moments that we shared
We didn’t have to tell each other
How much we really cared.
I never dreamed you’d go away, Never thought of sorrow.
So sure you’d always be here Took for granted each tomorrow.
Now my life is all confused
Since you went away.
You took a part of me
And for help I daily pray.
But when God sent you to me
He never said that you were mine, That I could keep you always –Only borrowed for a time.
Now, He’s called you home, I’m sad and I shed tears.
Yet I’m glad He loaned you to me And we had these many years.
of loved
with your stories, photographs and tributes
With mixed emotions, we must announce that on February 3rd, 2024 at the age of 76, our loving mother, Sandra Louise Dolbec has left us to spend eternity with her beloved husband George, who passed last September and her son, Jamie. She is survived by her children, Tony and Shawn, grandchildren, Landon, Temple, Ronin, Tatum, Brady, Kaylyn, Karleigh, Carter, and Kalen and 4 greatgrandchildren. Sandra was a member of the community of Prince George for over 40 years, and has made many friends, and helped many people. She will be missed by all who saw her beautiful spirit.
REMEMBRANCES
In Loving Memory of Joshua Robert LeClerc
November 1st, 1989 - February 14th, 2024
Joshua Robert LeClerc, beloved son, brother, grandson, and friend, passed away on February 14th, 2024 in Prince George, BC. He was born on November 1st, 1989, in The Pas, Manitoba, and was the loved son of Joe LeClerc and Josie Kines-LeClerc.
His love for physics and all things mechanical started as a toddler. Usually, his little head was right beside his dad Joe’s while working. As he grew, so did his curiosity.
Joshua’s journey was marked by achievement and service. As a high school graduate of Cedars Christian School, he then graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, a testament to his dedication and intellect. Following his passion for service, Joshua served in the military for seven years; he was active in his church, attending a Mexico mission to inner-city children and providing counselling at Ness Lake Bible camp, demonstrating his commitment to duty and honour.
After his military service, Josh returned to university UNBC for health services, studied for the MCAT, and served with the Ferndale Fire Hall as a volunteer firefighter, assisting during the BC wildfires of 2017. After receiving a job at the Plateau mill, Josh moved to Vanderhoof, BC, later declaring it “My Town “. He embarked on a career as a millwright in Vanderhoof, where his skills and dedication left an indelible mark.
Josh was an outdoorsman, especially enjoying target shooting, slow-cooked BBQ, fast food, and riding his motorcycle in the summer.
Joshua is deeply missed and fondly remembered by his loving family including his father Joe LeClerc; his mother Josie Kines-LeClerc; his sisters Amy and Melissa LeClerc; his grandmothers Arlene Kines and Josie Hodgson as well as aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Joshua is predeceased by his grandfathers Barry Kines and Norm LeClerc.
A Celebration of Joshua’s Life was held on February 22nd, 2024, at Assman’s Funeral Chapel. Family and friends gathered to honour his memory, share stories, and find solace in each other’s company; streaming of the service is available through their website.
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations to “Prince George Youth for Christ” (www.princegeorgeyfc.ca) to honour Joshua’s passion for service.
May his memory always be a blessing.
Condolences may be offered at www.AssmansFuneralChapel.com
In Memory Of BOYD BAYNE
Miss these Days, Think of You Daily.
Sandra Louise Dolbec
Brommeland, Judith D. November 15, 1945 - February 15, 2024
Judith Brommeland (nee Minty), cherished wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away February 15, 2024, surrounded by loving family.
Judy was born and raised in Prince George, the youngest of five girls. At 19, she married Ken, and they remained married and best friends for nearly 60 years, raising three children - Brad (Terry), Kim (Rik), and Candace (Ryan). Her pride and joy were her children and grandchildren, Steven, Logan, Zane, Kiana and Tyler. But really, anyone that came around she quickly adopted as her own, taking them under her wing to look after.
Recently, Judy’s health took a turn as her lungs began to fail her.
Judy is the last of the Minty’s to pass on, and I can only imagine the lengthy conversations she is now having with her sisters.
She will be sadly missed and will live on in the hearts of all who cherished her.
No service by request.
FARQUHAR, Verna Mae
1951-2024
It is with great sadness we announce our beloved Verna Mae Farquhar (Biggar) passed away February 16, 2024. surrounded by her loving family, at the age of 73.
Born January 25th 1951, in Vancouver BC to Ralph & Beatrice Biggar. Verna moved to Prince George BC in the late 70’s, where she worked at The Pas Lumber for 30 years, where she made life long friends. Verna will forever be remembered for her infectious laugh, great sense of humour, work ethic, unwavering love, compassion and her continued devotion to the lives of her friends, family, grandchildren & great-grandchildren. Verna was a strong loving woman who impacted the lives of many and she will be greatly missed by everyone who had the privilege of knowing her.
Survived by mother Beatrice; sisters Margaret, Venus, brother Ralph; daughter Tami, son Freddy; grandchildren Matthew, Stephanie (Jeffrey), Jessica, Johnathan, Samantha & Tyson; greatgrandchildren Annaleighah, Hayden & Jaxton. Predeceased by her beloved father Ralph Biggar.
A celebration of life will be held at a later date in Vancouver, BC as per her request.
REMEMBRANCES
Anne Irene Yarama
1944-2024
Anne Irene Yarama passed away peacefully at the age of 79 on February 3, 2024 at Parkside Care Home in Prince George, BC.
Anne was born on October 1, 1944 in Saskatchewan to parents Abram and Susan. She married Stan Harris and had one son, Brad Harris, whom she is leaving behind. She is also leaving behind 4 brothers and 4 sisters. Later in life she married Joe Yarama who passed away only a few days before she did. Anne was a loving and caring wife and mother.
She worked as an LPN and loved to help people and care for them, which is something that Anne was really good at.
In her spare time Anne enjoyed gardening and was an involved member at Hartland Baptist Church. Anytime that she had a chance to spent time in the garden or get involved in something that was going on at church, she jumped at the opportunity.
Anne will be missed by all who loved and cared for her.
McCann, Joseph John David
1940-2024
Joseph John David McCann born on September 11, 1940 in Grand Falls, New Brunswick passed away peacefully in Prince George British Columbia on February 16, 2024 surrounded by his loving family, wife Betty, son Colin (Kristine), daughters Katie and Mary (Hart). A beloved Poppy to Emily, Anna, Nicholas, Ava, Natalie, Mikayla and Charlotte.
He will be remembered as a dedicated Prince George teacher who was able to recognize and appreciate the individual strengths of his students. His warm personality and keen sense of humour will leave special memories of happy times.
Condolences may be offered at www.AssmansFuneralChapel.com
Wayne David Lowns 1958-2023
Wayne David Lowns, aged 65, passed away suddenly on December 23, 2023. Wayne was born in Barrhead, Alberta, November 29, 1958 then moved to Penticton, B.C. Wayne was predeceased by his parents, brother and a sister. He is survived by his sister Audrey (Darwin), brother Greg (Diane), son Aaron Lowns, spouse Lynda Knudsen, nieces and nephews and many close friends all whom miss him dearly.
Wayne grew up in Barrhead, Alberta and spent a lot of his childhood and teenage years in Penticton, B.C. He moved to Prince George in the mid seventies where he resided until his passing. Wayne was employed as a Machinist at Industrial Chrome and Finning Tractor for many years. He was an avid outdoor enthusiast, he spent many enjoyable times hunting and ocean fishing with friends and tending to his gardens. He was the best at what he did and will be remembered by family, friends, acquaintances and the gatherings around the campfire with close neighbours. He is greatly missed, and will never be forgotten.
No service will be held. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.
REMEMBRANCES
Obituaries Obituaries
Ardel Alexander (nee Thompson)
1943-2024
Ardel Alexander (nee Thompson) passed away peacefully with her husband by her side on February 14, 2024, in Calgary, Alberta, at the age of 80. Ardel was born on December 12, 1943, in Calgary Alberta.
Ardel was a remarkable woman known for her humor, warmth, and adventurous spirit. She had a passion for traveling with her loved ones, creating cherished memories along the way. Her husband, Dwayne, was her steadfast companion, always there to support her, even in the smallest of moments. Ardel found joy in exploring different cultures, with trips to Alaska and Rome holding special places in her heart.
In Houston, Texas, Ardel and Dwayne shared a beautiful home that she considered her sanctuary. She had a way with animals, coaxing their two feral cats to visit inside every night. Ardel was a gracious host, delighting in entertaining family and friends with her warm hospitality. When circumstances kept her in Calgary, she found comfort in the company of the Balbi side of the family, life long friends and her high school gang of spirited ladies.
Ardel will be deeply missed by her devoted husband, Dwayne Alexander, her daughters Twila, Tania, and Lendel, her stepson Dwight, and her grandchildren Miriam, Dawson, Abigail, Annika, Davanta, and Seth. She is preceded in death by her mother, Marian Wathen, and her father, Mervin Thompson.
A memorial service to celebrate Ardel’s life will be held this spring in Prince George. Details of the service will be announced at a later date.
Ardel Alexander touched the lives of many with her kindness, humor, and love. She leaves behind a legacy of cherished memories and will forever hold a special place in the hearts of those who knew her.
Celebrate the lives of loved ones with your stories, photographs and tributes
Esther Ruth Lunn
With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of Esther Ruth (Smith) Lunn on Friday, February 16, 2024 at the age of 87 years.
Esther was a proud wife, mother, grand and great grandmother, and Prince Georgian. She was a longtime and very active member of the Prince George Golf and Curling Club and a founding member of the Prince George Construction Association. An excellent athlete, Esther played soft ball as a girl, and golf, curling and Bridge throughout her adult life. She loved to paint, camp, play Texas Holdem, organize and entertain.
Esther was born in Nanton, Alberta, was raised in Aldergrove, and moved to Prince George with her husband Ken in 1964 where they built their family home and a thriving business. One of nine children, she had a strong work ethic and a fighting spirit! Fierce, loving, and loyal, Esther was cherished by her large family and wide circle of friends.
Esther was predeceased by her husband Ken Lunn, her brothers and sisters Vern, Nita, Milton, Annie, Glen and Wayne, and her son-in-law Dietrich Elias.
Esther is survived by her son, Russell Lunn (Margot), her daughter Jeanette (Lunn) Elias, her grandchildren Hope Schrader (Danny), Brittni Lunn (Chris), Demi Lunn (Jarrett), Keegan Lunn (Sarah), and Rowan Lunn and by her great grandchildren Jayden, Celeste, Rylee. Brothers and sisters-in-law Martin and Hilda, Ernest and Donna, Anni (Wayne), and Pat (Lunn) Pitney and her husband’s family will miss her dearly.
Thank you to the many caregivers at the Prince George University Hospital, the Prince George Palliative Care Society, and to the angels at the Rotary Hospice House for taking such good care of Esther. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Rotary Hospice House.
McFARLANE, Doreen Agnes
1933-2024
McFARLANE, Doreen Agnes (1933-2024), born in Vermilion, Alberta passed away peacefully on February 20th surrounded by her loving family. Doreen is survived by her daughters Roxanne Ricard (Norm) of Vernon, BC and Colleen McFarlane Shill of Prince George; brother Don Stone of Vancouver, BC; sister Alayne Gibson of Edmonton, AB; grandchildren Thomas (Pamela) Bruder, Daniel Ricard, Aaron Bruder, Carmen (Ben) Brown, Samantha (Bryan) McFarlane Shill and Alex Shill; ten great grandchildren and six nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by her parents Alexander and Elizabeth Stone, her husband Kenneth McFarlane, sister Louise Rodgers, and brother-in-law Lawrence Rodgers.
Doreen was raised on a farm south of Vermilion, AB. She attended a one-room country schoolhouse for nine years and completed her high school in Vermilion. In 1954 she graduated from nurses training at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton. During her career she assumed nursing positions at hospitals in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and BC. Her final position was at the Prince George Regional Hospital where she assisted in establishing an ambulatory care and oncology unit.
For years, she was a head OR nurse.
Doreen was a long-standing member of First Baptist Church, the Prince George Golf and Curling Club, the White Cane Society and the PGRH retirees group where she initiated and organized monthly breakfasts, get togethers and annual Christmas parties. She enjoyed spending quality time with family and friends. Her passions were golf, curling, painting, and travel.
Doreen will be remembered for her deep faith, kindness, generosity, and love for family and friends.
There will be a memorial service for Doreen at the First Baptist Church, 483 Gillett Street, Prince George, on March 2, 2024 at 11:00am.
In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to the Canadian Cancer Society and Canadian Council of the Blind White Cane Club.
more you
The more you give, The more you get,
The more you laugh, The less you fret. The more you do unselfishly.
The more you live abundantly. The more of everything you share,
The more you’ll always have to spare.
The more you love, the more you’ll find,
That life is good and friends are kind. For only what we give away, Enriches us from day to day.
Teresa Piercey-Gates the
CIRCUNCISAO (CE-CE) CATARINO
March 2, 1932- February 19, 2024
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our dear mother, Circuncisao Catarino, on February 19th at the age of 91, surrounded by her family. She was cherished by her children, Liz and Tony (Cynthia). Survived by her brother Joaquim Morao (Ilda), nieces, nephews, extended family in both Canada and Portugal and many loving friends.
Circuncisao was born in Peso, Portugal on March 2, 1932. She trained and worked as a seamstress, and later met her loving husband Cesar, they married on August 4, 1963. Ce-Ce immigrated to Canada in 1964 to join Cesar and begin their new life together in Kitimat BC, where they welcomed two children. In 1972, the family moved to Prince George to start a Property Management business. Family was everything in her life to the end and she cherished the time spent with her children, family and friends.
Ce-Ce will always be remembered as a warm, caring and loving mother who touched the lives of many. She enjoyed having friends and family over at the home and cooking for them. She took every opportunity to continue with her passion of sewing and crocheting. She also loved to garden and would plant an assortment of flowers and vegetables which kept her busy during the summer months.
Ce-Ce was predeceased by her husband, Cesar, her sister Rosette and parents, Ermelinda and Jose Pereira Morao.
Our family would like to express our gratitude to Dr. Saif and all the staff at Jubilee Lodge and Rotary Hospice House for all their care and compassion.
Prayers will be held at Sacred Heart Cathedral on Thursday, February 29th at 7 pm. Funeral mass on Friday, March 1st, at 10 am.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Rotary Hospice House.
Celebration of Life Larry Douglas Dorish
September 10, 1948 - January 16, 2024
A celebration of life will be held for Larry on Saturday, March 9, 2024 from 2 pm - 5 pm at the Prince George Golf & Curling Club2601 Recplace Dr
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Meals on Wheels.
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
The positions are at the main base in Nelson, British Columbia Field work, including specialty charters, occurs in Western and Central Canada for a variety of industries including exploration, forestry, search and rescue, utility, wildlife management, and wildfire suppression, Class D. Endorsements and experience on our fleet of the Bell 206, Bell 205 and AS 350 B2, D2 & B3 are required. Minimum of 1,500 hours PIC with Mountain course.
Occupational travel is necessary on an as needed basis. Full-time and seasonal positions. Compensation is based on the industry competitive pay scale. More information on our website www.highterrainhelicopters.com
Please provide resume and references to: admin@htheli.com We thank all applicants, however only those selected for an
will be contacted.
Sheds/Outbuildings
BUYING 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
COLLECTOR PURCHASING COINS & COIN COLLECTIONS! BUYING OLD COINS, ROLLS OF COINS, BANK BAGS OF COINS, RARE COINS, COLLECTOR COINS, OLYMPIC COINS, OLD PAPER MONEY, PRE 1968 COINS, ROYAL CANADIAN MINT COINS, US MINT, COLLECTIONS +. WANTED CANADA, USA & WORLD COLLECTIONS! Todd’s Coins 1-250-8643521
Firewood
BIRCH Firewood in 20 foot lengths. Delivered by dumptruck load.
Mills/Equipment
All models, old, new, damaged or parts req’d. Top prices paid.
For viewing call
250-612-1808
Available 24/7
BUYING OLD JEWELRY, COINS, OLD MONEY, COIN COLLECTIONS, 9999 BARS & COINS, ROYAL CANADIAN MINT COINS, COIN SETS, WORLD $$$ COLLECTIONS ++ TODD 25O 864 3521 Frontier Traders 168 Front St, Quesnel, BC (250) 983-2294
Will purchase estate items; antler mounts, bear rugs, live mounts, antlers & hides. Will pay CASH
Genuine Rolex watches, all models, old, new, damaged or parts req’d. Top prices paid subject to viewing. Gold, two-tone, tri-color & Stainless. Available 24/7 250-612-1808
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 #1554 held by Forrest Resources Ltd. This Woodlot Licence is located west, south and northeast 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 February 15, 2024 to March 22, 2024. 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.
immediately on the Hart Highway in Prince George, BC. 4 Appls, quiet area, responsible adults only. N/S, Ref’s req’d. Call Theresa 250962-5570
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.
ANSWERS
Maintaining your leather furniture
Have you recently purchased a piece of real leather furniture? To keep it looking like new for as long as possible, regular maintenance is key. Read on to find out how to care for your investment.
REGULAR MAINTENANCE
Leather is delicate and needs to be treated with care. Preserve your new piece of furniture by dusting the surface weekly with a slightly damp lint-free cloth. You should also apply a specialized moisturizing product (ask your local furniture store for recommendations) a few times a year to keep the leather supple.
PLACEMENT
To avoid premature or irregular discolouration, place your leather furniture in a location where it won’t be exposed to direct sunlight. Furthermore, keep it away from heat sour ces such as radiators, as hot air can cause the leather to dry out and crack.
SPOT CLEANING
Finally, be sure to clean up any spills as soon as they happen to avoid deep, permanent staining. Use a sponge soaked in soapy water or a cleansing solution to gently wipe away the mess (don’t scrub).
Soak
your troubles
away in a freestanding bathtub
Many solutions are available to protect your privacy at home or at the cottage: planting hedges and trees, installing fences and hanging curtains, blinds or shades are some things you can do. If you’d like to secure your privacy without spending a fortune, read on to discover the many benefits of reflective window films.
SEE WITHOUT BEING SEEN
When installed on doors or windows, adhesive or electrostatic reflective films allow those inside your home to see outside without being seen. This optical effect is only possible during the day, however. When the sun goes down and the light is stronger inside than it is outside, you’ll have to close your blinds or curtains to remain out of sight and safe from prying eyes.
PROTECTION FROM THE SUN
Mirrored privacy films are also valued for their remarkable UVA, UVB and infrared filtration properties. They can effectively safeguard your furniture, curtains, rugs and walls from discolouration. Moreover, unlike classic one-way mirrors, films let a sufficient amount of light through. If your house has lots of windows you can benefit from mirrored window films even more, because they greatly reduce heating and air conditioning costs.
MAINTENANCE TIPS
Mirror window films are easy to clean using just water and soap. Never use abrasives or alcohol-based cleaning products: these could compromise the effectiveness and appearance of the film.
Freestanding bathtubs (that don’t rest up against walls) are all the rage these days both for rustic and modern design enthusiasts. Read on to find out more about a trend that’s making waves around the world.
Easy to incorporate into any design, freestanding bathtubs come with different features de pending on the model:
• Walls can be very thin or on the thicker side
• Faucets can be installed on the floor or directly on the tub
Choose high-quality faucets to enhance the beauty of your freestanding bathtub. Metallic finishes, such as nickel, chrome, bronze and brass, are excellent choices. Whether you’re looking for retro, modern, minimalist or antique, you can easily find the style that inspires you at your local home improvement store.
IS IT RIGHT FOR YOU?
Before setting your heart on a particular freestanding bathtub, ask yourself the following questions. Does your bathroom have enough space to house one? Does your water heater have the capacity to supply enough hot water to fill it up? Do you have any physical limitations that could keep you from getting in and out of a deep bathtub? If none of these restrictions apply, go ahead and take the plunge!
With its curved or angled lines, a freestanding bathtub will steal the show in any modernbathroom.
How to find the perfect front door
Is your front door damaged, rusted, defective or simply old-fashioned? If you’d like to replace it, just be sure not to buy one on the spur of the moment. Instead, take the time to choose a good-quality model that will enhance your home’s facade for years to come.
MATERIALS
One thing’s for sure: you can’t buy a front door in the same way as you’d buy a basement or bedroom door. Front doors have to be visually appealing as well as very strong. You’ll find a wide range of models on the market made of different materials, either alone or in combination:
• steel
• fibreglass
• wood
• aluminum
• PVC
Each material has its own advantages. Specialized companies will be able to advise you about which ones are most suitable for your needs and your budget.
SOUGHT-AFTER QUALITIES
When shopping for a front door, look for one that has the following characteristics:
• shock resistant
• good insulation and soundproofing
• easy maintenance
• enhanced security (solid locks and anchoring systems)
COLOURS AND GLAZING
Manufacturers offer an impressive range of colours and finishes to make sure your front door looks great. However, be careful when choosing the glass for your front-door’s window, as it can make all the difference in terms of style. There are many possibilities, including square, rectangular, halfmoon, circle, mosaic or stained glass.
PROFESSIONAL ADVICE
When you’re shopping around for the perfect front door, ask a professional for advice. One good idea is to go shopping with a photo of the front of your house as well as the dimensions of the existing door opening. This will make it much easier for you to find a model that complements the style of your home.
CUSTOM-MADE
Keep in mind that it is always wise to have your front door made to measure; this ensures that its fit, shape, colour and hardware are perfectly adapted to your home. Moreover, if you entrust the installation to experts, the result will be flawless.
A WORTHWHILE INVESTMENT
The front door is a major component of your
so don’t skimp
This investment of a few hundred — or even a few thousand — dollars could definitely
