Prince George Citizen August 22, 2024

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TED CLARKE

Citizen Staff

BCNE midway lights up the night .... Pages 24-25

most horrific failure of public policy’

Drugs, crime and Moccasin Flats: A Q&A with the retiring superintendent of the local RCMP

On Aug. 8, after five years as the officer in charge of the Prince George RCMP detachment, Shaun Wright called it a career and retired. Since taking on the duties as superintendent, the 50-year-old Saskatoon

Council votes to borrow $22.15M for Aquatic Centre

The funds will be used for repairs and enhancements to the city-owned pool facility

MARK NIELSEN

Special to The Citizen

City council voted 6-3 Monday, Aug. 19 to borrow $22.15 million to pay for repairs and enhancements to the Prince George Aquatic Centre after the proposal cleared the counter-petition process.

Residents opposed to the step had 30 days to sign and submit “elector response forms” against the proposal. By the Aug. 9 deadline, it drew 398 such forms - well below the threshold of 5,512 and equal to 10 per cent of the voters in the city - to force council to either take the matter to a full-blown referendum or no longer pursue the proposal.

Council members who subsequently voted in favour of passing the related borrowing bylaw were Susan Scott, Garth Frizzell, Ron Polillo, Cori Ramsay, Kyle Sampson and Tim Bennett. Against were Mayor Simon Yu and councillors Trudy Klassen and Brian Skakun. All three have been outspoken with their concerns about the process. That the process was held during the summer was among the shortcomings Klassen pointed out. Yu suggested that the forms could be sent out with the utility bills when the process is conducted in the future.

The $22.15 million comes on top of

$14.9 million previously earmarked for the work. It brings the total up to $37 million to be spent on a four-phase project to address building system failures, end-of-service-life infrastructure, energy efficiency and to meet health and safety code requirements.

The money to be borrowed will be paid back over 20 years. Debt servicing costs would be $1.85 million per year and impose a 1.34-per-cent impact on the property tax levy.

The $14.9 million is made up of $8.55 million council approved during budget talks in 2019 and a $6.3-million grant secured in 2020. Work earmarked for that money was put on hold due to the pandemic.

BC Summer Games in 2022 further delayed start of the work.

In 2023, the effort resumed with consultants brought in to provide construction drawings and cost estimates.

“Previous assessments were reviewed and the current conditions and remaining service life for all facility components were examined. These findings identified escalating building envelope failure with additional remediation requirements such as the need to replace the concrete masonry units,” civic facility and events director Andy Beesley said in an April report to council.

City to clear downtown of potential fuel for fires

Special to The Citizen

City council gave staff the go-ahead Monday to find ways to rid the downtown of material that could be used as fuel for fires.

Options to be looked at include finding ways to encourage businesses to screen their garbage, recycling and outdoor storage areas as well as reduce the buildup of cardboard, pallets, tires and derelict vehicles with the help of frequent pickup and recycling programs

It will cost $37 million for a four-phase project at the Aquatic Centre to address building system failures, end-of-service-life infrastructure, energy efficiency and to meet health and safety code requirements.

Site C reservoir filling begins late this summer

As part of the completion of the Site C project, we plan to begin filling the reservoir between Fort St. John and Hudson’s Hope in late August 2024.

There will be permanent changes to the Peace River. Here’s what to expect:

Site C reservoir filling begins late this summer

As part of the completion of the Site C project, we plan to begin filling the reservoir between Fort St. John and Hudson’s Hope in late August 2024.

• Reservoir water levels will rise for up to four months, by 0.3 to three metres per day. The river will widen by two to three times on average.

and, in the case of derelict vehicles, an event to removed them.

The proposals follow on a series of 10 overnight patrols by bylaw enforcement officers and firefighters conducted between May 18 and June 18.

In all, the patrols came across 58 fires. All were easy to extinguish but damaged the surfaces where they were burning and some were left unattended. The fire generally burned cardboard or broken pallets and the materials were found in open, unsecured garbage dumpsters or simply stored in alleys.

There will be permanent changes to the Peace River. Here’s what to expect:

○ Reservoir water levels will rise for up to four months, by 0.3 to three metres per day. The river will widen by two to three times on average.

• All existing public boat launches along the future reservoir are permanently closed. New reservoir boat launches will be inaccessible until at least spring 2026 as BC Hydro monitors the surrounding slopes for safety.

○ All existing public boat launches along the future reservoir are permanently closed. New reservoir boat launches will be inaccessible until at least spring 2026 as BC Hydro monitors the surrounding slopes for safety.

• Please stay off the reservoir and its tributaries, specifically the Halfway River, during filling and use extreme caution near the shoreline.

○ Please stay off the reservoir and its tributaries, specifically the Halfway River, during filling and use extreme caution near the shoreline.

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MARK NIELSEN

Regional district board says no to recording ‘no’ votes

MARK NIELSEN Special to The Citizen

Regional District of Fraser-Fort George directors voted 7-6 Aug. 15 to reject a proposal to have votes in opposition to a motion be automatically recorded in the meeting minutes.

The outcome means directors will continue the practice of having their “no” votes recorded on an as-requested basis and followed on a lengthy discussion that hinged largely on the matters of transparency versus creating an unhealthy divisiveness.

Arguably, Mackenzie municipal director Joan Atkinson played the pivotal role. At the outset, Atkinson spoke in favour of the proposal.

“I think this supports transparency and so that the people who elected us will know how we voted on certain issues,” Atkinson said.

But after hearing what fellow directors had to say, particularly McBride

municipal director Gene Runtz, Atkinson changed her mind.

“Elected official have bullseyes on their backs these days unfortunately, that’s the environment we find ourselves in,” Atkinson said and went on to say regardless of how they voted on an issue, directors are obligated to support the result.

A longtime member of the Elks, Runtz said that votes by members of the service club were never recorded and contended the approach worked well.

“One of the things that I really liked about the Elks (was that) everybody was free to talk but once the decision (was made), and that decision was always in the majority, that was the end of it,” Runtz said. “And there are people around that want to single out individuals and go after them. That’s unfortunate, but that’s true and it’s worse now than it’s ever been and one way to stop that was saying it was the wish of the group.”

Electoral Area C (Chilako

River-Nechako) director Lara Beckett said having to keep track of who voted in opposition would make chairing board meetings more burdensome and worried it would make for a more adversarial tone.

“I see the regional district very much as a federation. We have rural areas, we have municipalities, we’re working for the larger benefit of the region,” Beckett said and went on to say that in terms of maintaining a working relationship among board members, she did not see a benefit from a routine recording of votes in opposition.

“If we defeat this recommendation and I will certainly be voting against, we would simply continue the current system of where we can have a request to have our vote recorded if we so choose and I would be in favour of continuing that practice,” Beckett added.

Speaking in favour of the proposal, Prince George municipal director Simon Yu noted that as the city’s mayor he routinely votes against council and noted council members’ votes are recorded regardless. He said it helps voters know where council members stand on issues.

“In our form of democracy, we need to let the people judge us every which way they want,” Yu said.

Not recording votes defeats the purpose of having open meetings, he added.

“I hear the concern, but I think the concern may not be there, just based on my own personal experience.”

Conversely, Valemount director Owen Torgerson said it’s the practice for that community’s council to have votes in opposition recorded on a voluntary basis and noted rural directors are lone representatives for their areas.

“When you force the opposition vote to be recorded that can have a demoralizing impact on that electoral area (director) when potentially - never happens - media are seeking a story that isn’t there,” Torgerson said. “And you might be getting calls all day and all night to respond to a media request on why you voted no.”

Prince George director Cori Ramsay

suggested that on balance recording who voted yes or no on a particular issue will reverse an ongoing decline in the public’s trust in government.

“I think a lot of times we do get pulled into that polarization because it is the rhetoric that the public and the news media like to produce to create stories,” Ramsay said. “Regardless of that, I do think that that transparency around how we vote and around how we are accountable to that vote are really important to reinforcing the trust of the public. How can they trust us if they don’t know what we’re doing?”

Saying he was impressed by Ramsay’s comments, Electoral Area D (Tabor Lake-Stone Creek) director Bill Empey spoke in favour of the proposal.

“I think people should know how we vote and be obligated to explain the reasons why they voted the way they did so I think the recording of the votes is important just for the basis of people wanting to know what goes on here,” Empey said.

Speaking in favour, and filling in for Brian Skakun and Kyle Sampson, acting Prince George directors Ron Polillo and Trudy Klassen emphasized transparency.

“For the residents, regardless of whether you are in a regional district or in the city, I feel passionately that they need to know which way their representatives voted,” Klassen said.

Speaking against the motion, Electoral Area E (Woodpecker-Hixon) director Art Kaehn said in his many years on the board he has voted one way on an issue and then another when the matter came up again a few months down the road.

“I want to be open-minded,” he said.

Electoral Area A (Salmon River-Lakes) Victor Mobely said he agreed with the arguments in favour of transparency but also understands why on certain issues some directors may not want their vote recorded.

Danielle Alan (Electoral Area H Robson Valley-Canoe) and Jerrilyn Kirk (Electoral Area G Crooked River-Parsnip) joined Beckett, Atkinson, Torgerson and Kaehn in requesting to have their votes in opposition recorded.

AWAC celebrates 30 years with a fair

Oakland Horth, 4, plays a ring toss game while attending the AWAC 30th Anniversary and the third annual Mark DeSouza Memorial Picnic at Veteran’s Square in front of city hall on Saturday, Aug. 17. The Association Advocating for Women and Community (AWAC) marked its 30th anniversary Saturday with the carnival event, which also included games and activities for families. The barbecue is named in honour of an advocate for the homeless in Prince George.

Miworth considers bringing in fire protection

MARK NIELSEN Special to The Citizen

Work is underway to take a new look at establishing a fire protection service in Miworth.

Regional District of Fraser-Fort George directors directed staff on Thursday, Aug. 15 to develop a feasibility study in response to a request from the Miworth Community Association.

The last time the community considered the idea was in 1999, but it failed to win approval via a referendum.

Had it been approved, a volunteer fire department would have been established.

But since then, the community has grown “and continues to grow with a belief that 100 new properties are being developed in the Catherine Drive area,” MCA president Norm Scheider said in a letter to the regional district.

As well, the risk of wildfire has grown as had the amount of rail traffic running through the community about 10 kilometres northwest of the city boundary and bordering a large regional public park.

“The association has established an emergency planning committee that is working to bring awareness and preparedness for emergencies to the community. This committee is prepared to work with the regional district through this process,” Scheider said.

The study will look at options “from a very high level” with the aim of having a cost estimate ready by mid-2025, directors were told.

On other business, directors approved an expansion of the Ness Lake fire protection area to include a property at 25160 Ness Lake North Rd. The step was taken in response to a petition from the property owners.

Psychiatrist calls for new northern mental hospital

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

The head of the University Hospital of Northern British Columbia’s psychiatric ward, backed by 23 community agencies, says it’s time the province addressed the lack of mental health and addictions care for patients, and has organized a petition to bring a psychiatric hospital to northern B.C.

Dr. Barb Kane, a practicing psychiatrist in Prince George for 34 years, says the needs of northern B.C. patients go far beyond the capacity of existing hospital facilities and mental health agencies.

She says that stems from the closure of Riverview Hospital in Coquitlam in 2012, a decision that was made in the late 1980s, which left B.C. as the only province in Canada without a psychiatric hospital.

The petition is calling for the provincial government to create a mental

hospital to serve the northern half of the province and its population of 309,000, which represents about six per cent of the population of B.C.

Posted online, the petition explains: “There is a complete lack of access for people in northern communities to the highest level of psychiatric care. Without this level of service, the people who need the care, their friends and families, and northern communities including police services and hospitals among others, are left to deal with problems they don’t have the resources to manage.

“Your petitioners respectfully request that the (provincial government) work with Northern Health to develop longterm secure psychiatric services, such

as a psychiatric hospital or equivalent, for people in our communities who need this level of care.”

In a letter to Prince George city council included in Monday’s public meeting agenda, Kane is asking council to endorse the petition.

Kane said the writing was on the wall: the closure of the province’s only psychiatric hospital would leave a serious void in the medical system that would result in violent patients being released prematurely from care, additional stress put on hospital staff having to deal with complex care patients, and more addictions and homelessness.

“There were clear indications even before Riverview closed that the community services could not manage the people who needed long-term secure psychiatric care,” wrote Kane.

“Homelessness and street crime were starting to escalate even before Riverview closed, as outlined in the Vancouver Police Department report ‘Lost in Transition’.

That 2008 report recommended that there be a mental health facility that could care for people with chronic and persistent mental illness, four years before Riverview closed.

“Since then, governments have added community supports but they are not able to compensate for the services of a psychiatric hospital. As a result, communities have been left ‘holding the bag for services’ they cannot provide such as long-term secure psychiatric care.”

Some stakeholders have suggested the Prince George Youth Custody Centre west of the airport, which closed permanently last spring, could be easily converted into a mental health facility.

The cost of operating a psychiatric hospital in Prince George is unknown.

The 24-bed PGYCC, at the time it closed, was costing the province $5 million annually.

It’s estimated that in the north, 50 people need long-term psychiatric care. Of that number some will require that care for the rest of their lives due to brain injuries and severe mental illness, while some need temporary treatment for months or years.

The nearly 9,000 acute and tertiary beds in B.C. hospitals are intended to be short-term facilities for mental health patients.

In Prince George, UHNBC has a 20-bed locked unit with four seclusion rooms and a six-bed adolescent unit. Terrace’s Mills Hospital has a 10-bed locked unit with two seclusion rooms, while Dawson Creek District Hospital has a 15-bed locked unit with two seclusion rooms. If any patient requires a higher level of care there are just three beds available at Hillside Hospital in Kamloops.

Provincially, the 90-bed Red Fish Healing Centre in Coquitlam is the only alcohol and drug treatment centre for people with concurrent mental health problems.

Red Fish also offers a 15-bed enhanced care unit for severe mental health problems.

The Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in Port Coquitlam is only accessible to the criminal justice system after a crime is committed and a judge orders the person to be sent there. That facility is regularly at or over capacity and patients sent there are routinely sent to UHNBC, which lacks the resources of high-security units, leaving staff and other patients vulnerable to violent offenders.

Kane said psychiatric wards in northern B.C. hospitals are not equipped for violence or patients who go absent without leave.

Before it closed, Riverview accepted patients from any hospital in B.C. and was open to civilly committed patients (on the advice of two doctors) not ordered by the criminal justice system.

Forensic patients who finished their review board orders but were still considered dangerous were routinely sent to Riverview, where some of them lived out their remaining years. Now, they stay at the Forensic Hospital as civilly committed patients.

“Forensic Psychiatric Hospital tries to send them to the psychiatric wards in the north (and) we take a lot of heat for refusing them,” said Kane.

There’s a clear need in the area, says Dr. Barb Kane

CONTINUED FROM THE PREVIOUS PAGE

“We are releasing dangerous patients from the hospital, before they are ready to go, because we have to. There is nowhere else to send them. There is nowhere to send patients who need extended stays in secure units. B.C. has no access to long-term secure psychiatric care.”

The Riverview facility, before it closed, had the capacity for between 800 and 1,000 mental health patients. According to Kane, past practice in the 1900s and early-2000s for dealing with a severely violent and dangerous patient admitted to hospital in Prince George was to transfer that patient to Riverview within days. Other hospitals in the province would have done the same and that patient would have remained at Riverview for months or years.

If they did come back to Prince George they were never discharged from the hospital to the street or to a shelter, as they are now. They would instead be sent to a group home and released on an extended leave and if things did not go well they were sent back to Riverview.

“All of the people I have spoken about would not have been in our hospital on a long-term basis, probably not even a week,” said Kane.

In the decade before Riverview closed, no new patents were admitted to the facility and the province set up several 20-bed unlocked residential regional mental health units, two of which are in the north – Iris House in Prince George and Seven Sisters in Terrace.

“There was no provision for the next generation of people who needed long-term secure psychiatric care,” said Kane, who says the lack of care is one of the causes of the province’s increased homelessness problem.

She says mental health teams were originally developed to treat people on the street and help them live in the community in market housing. While that continues to work for some, many of their clients are considered unhouseable because they are so mentally ill

used to create a psychiatric hospital.

and addicted to substances.

“(It’s a) self-perpetuating cycle where untreated mental illness leads to more drug use, which leads to worse mental health,” said Kane.

Jennifer Whiteside, B.C.’s minister of health and addictions, in a March 23, 2023 Vancouver Sun opinion piece written by Douglas Todd, acknowledged that since the closure of the Riverview the level of psychiatric care in the province has suffered and has not recovered.

“When Riverview was closed, the government at the time failed to make sure proper community-based care and supports were in place for those leaving institutional care,” Whiteside said.

“When we became government in 2017, a mental health and addiction system of care did not exist. And we’ve been working hard to build one for people. We know there is more to do.”

That Sun article, referred to a February 2023 quote from BC United leader Kevin Falcon in which he pledged $1.5 billion over three years to rebuild mental health and addictions services, echoing NDP promises of funding for regional centres to serve patients with complex care needs.

Falcon admitted that “over 40 years, successive governments closed down a rightly criticized institutional approach to mental health, without ensuring an adequate system of supports was available.”

In 2016 the auditor general report, Access to Adult Tertiary Mental Health and Substance Use Services found there was no provincial strategy to ensure patients with brain injuries, developmental disabilities or with a

history of extreme violence exhibiting highly aggressive behaviour, as well as people with serious mental illness and/ or substance use, will be able to receive the services they need.

The report also highlighted that no single program is responsible for developing resources to meet the province’s needs and there was no data to determine the number of patients who need that help.

That lack of a provincial strategy is

putting too much pressure on hospitals, resulting in worsening patient care and more difficult working conditions for hospital staff, says Kane.

“When our hospital has to keep violent, high-risk patients on our psychiatric wards, patients who otherwise would have come to our ward either stay in emergency or go to other wards,” Kane said.

“That leads to emergency department overcrowding, long emergency waits, violence in the ER and staff attrition.”

She said not having a place to send psychiatric patients is delaying surgeries, if a surgical bed is filled over the course of year by a patient requiring mental health treatment.

“If the average length of stay of a surgery patient is three days, then roughly 100 surgeries don’t get done that year,” said Kane.

“If there are 10 beds used by psychiatry patients, 1,000 surgeries aren’t getting done.”

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OPINION

It’s

a hospital expansion so nice we’ll pay for it twice

KENNEDY GORDON Citizen Managing Editor

In the lower mainland, when new hospitals are built, or when existing, aging hospitals are updated and expanded, our provincial government picks up the entire tab, thanks in part to the taxes we pay here in Central B.C.

However, for the new $1,579 billion expansion of Prince George’s University Hospital of Northern British Columbia, local ratepayers will be asked to pay for it twice. First, through their provincial taxes. Secondly, from their property tax rate at the Regional District of Fraser Fort-George (RDFFG), which is on the hook for about 23.1 per cent of that expense, or $365 million.

We should be thankful for the work done by our Regional District Health Board (a sub-board of the RDFFG) that negotiated with the province to reduce our share of the contribution down from the original $631 million, as normally our regional district is responsible for 40 per cent of all capital costs associated with the hospitals in our region.

Regional district residents – people living in Prince George, Mackenzie, Valemount, McBride and rural points between – will have to dig deep to cover that $365 million contribution toward the hospital’s new patient care tower. Most of that digging will happen in Prince George, as our residents make up the majority (almost 70 per cent) of the property tax base of the RDFFG. This isn’t right. Not when Surrey’s new $2.88-billion hospital is being paid

for entirely by the province. Not when the new cancer centre planned for Burnaby is being fully funded by the provincial government. Their residents aren’t being asked to pay twice.

There’s also an issue of transparency here. When the $365 million was announced, there was no mention of the process that led to that level of spending.

Only through Coun. Brian Skakun, one of the four Prince George city council members who sits on the board of the RDFFG, did taxpayers learn that the decision was made behind closed doors before going to a formal vote in

September.

Yes, Regional District Hospital Board chair Joan Atkinson said, Skakun is correct. But, she noted, he wasn’t “authorized to speak” about it.

But Skakun represents Prince George and he’s authorized by voters to speak up to protect taxpayers’ dollars. He didn’t violate any rules about revealing what was discussed in camera; he simply pointed out that the announcement was premature.

Besides, this discussion should not have been held in camera in the first place. Hospital expansion funding

Kennedy Gordon Managing Editor

doesn’t meet any of the requirements for a meeting to be closed to taxpayers. It’s also important to note the fact that our hospital, which already serves as the only critical care facility in the upper half of the province, will now serve people living across the north with the new surgical tower. But only we will pay for it. It seems that the provincial government has forgotten that it is responsible to provides healthcare to the entire province.

Regional districts were originally developed to help isolated, unorganized rural communities have a say with a new form of local government. That has worked out.

But along the way, the decision was made to download provincial costs to regional districts – except for those in the lower mainland, which is how Prince George, as part of the Northern Health Authority region, now ends up on the hook for $365 million for the hospital surgical tower while lower mainland communities have theirs paid for 100 per cent.

As we head into a provincial election campaign, this is an opportunity for political parties to demonstrate that they have the best interests of the voters in the northern half of the province at heart.

They could do this by pledging, if elected or re-elected, to cover the entire cost of the surgical tower so that we will have a modernized hospital (without paying for twice).

Have your say on this with a letter to the editor: editor@pgcitizen.ca.

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CITIZEN PHOTO BY TED CLARKE

B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix announces the next steps for the expansion of the University Hospital of Northern British Columbia in Prince George.

Cameron Stolz Owner

Terresa Randall-Stolz Owner

We acknowledge the financial support of the government of Canada.

Nous reconnaissons l’appui financier du gouvernement du Canada.

OPINION

It’s looking like foreign-owned farmland is the ‘opportunity’ that’s turning around to bite us back

The Back Story

There are no restrictions on foreign ownership of farmland in British Columbia and it’s about time that ended.

But with the exception of the BC Greens back in 2017, I don’t hear any of our politicians talking about it other than to sing its praises.

In 2013 when Tophay, now called Exceed Agro Inc., established a hay compression plant in Vanderhoof to ship local hay to Asia, the now-BC Conservative leader John Rustad was there to support it. It’s “an enormous opportunity to create a brand new export market for hay,” he stated in a CKPG story from June 3, 2013.

Ten years later, with a persistent drought lingering across Western Canada and local ranchers struggling to feed their own herds, never mind China’s, I wonder if that “enormous opportunity” has suddenly turned around to bite us.

We’d be wise to ensure more of our farmland stays in the hands of British Columbians, and there’s an award winning 2022 film that tells us why. It’s called “The Grab” and it documents the global takeover of agricultural land as part of a geopolitical strategy in the exercise of national power.

It documents how in 2014, around the same time a global multinational started to buy up Vanderhoof farmland, the WH Group, a Chinese-based food empire, bought Smithfield Foods, the largest US pork producer at the time. A Chinese company suddenly controlled one quarter of the American pig herd and a lot of the farmland necessary to sustain them. Just like the Vanderhoof hay, the new

acquisition would focus on supplying China, not the local market. There are now concerns American consumers might run short on hams.

By bringing agricultural land under the control of state-affiliated or controlled corporations, foreign nations see this as a way to secure food supplies, and, indirectly, water for their own populations. It’s understandable in the face of an uncertain future for agriculture and water supplies. The Grab documents how Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States, and murky global multinationals with ties to privatized mercenary armies are also in on the game.

But with crop failures and droughts rearing their heads the world over, including right here at home, we need to worry about our own population and food supply as well.

There are other questionable objectives of foreign farmland ownership- the purchasing of farmland for carbon credits, or for investment or simply recreation.

One of the most ridiculous things I’ve seen is global multinationals buying farmland and planting them with sickly looking spruce and pine trees for carbon credit schemes while carbon-rich primary forests are bulldozed for new farmland nearby to make up for the shortage. What’s the point of that?

The end result is farmland prices spike. That’s great if you own land, not so great if you are a young farmer or rancher looking to buy.

Farmland isn’t just another multinational corporate product that runs on biotechnology, chemical sprays, and migrant labour.

It is part of a lifestyle that invests in regional food sovereignty and sustains communities and rural livelihoods.

If we let the foreign owners and multinationals take it over, we lose a lot more than just the supply of food.

This fall, make sure you vote for the party that will bring in restrictions on foreign farmland ownership. If there aren’t any, demand they do. In Alberta, foreign citizens and foreign-owned corporations can own no more than 20 acres of land.

Similar restrictions are in place in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. How effective these rules are is up for debate, but BC’s unrestricted free for all when it comes to foreign owned corporations or individuals buying up our farmland needs to end.

James Steidle is a Prince George writer.

If we let foreign owners and multinationals take over more B.C. farmland, we lose a lot more than just the supply of food, James Steidle writes today.

JAMES STEIDLE

OPINION

Prince George psychiatrist launches mental health petition

A personal thanks to Dr. Kane and those supporting her initiative to have a long term mental health facility in the north.

I worked in many depts in our UHNBC, including the Psychiatric Unit and Emergency, and I’ve seen first hand, the desperate need for those long term psychiatric patient’s beds, in a facility like a Riverview Psychiatric Hospital.

Right now, seriously mentally ill patients have one permanent place for a bed, and that’s a bed somewhere on the streets. The north needs their own Psychiatric Hospital and stop holding acute care beds hostage in our acute care UHNBC.

Bonnie Kenyon

Prince George psychiatrist launches mental health petition

You can’t open one soon enough, like yesterday or last week, year, century.

This city has a lot of mentally ill that need proper care more then just glorified babysitters and the untrained in these group homes.

Please open one soon, can’t be soon enough for us.

Valerie 1st1

PG shows its support for Paralympian rugby player

Joel Ewert

Good luck Joel. What an inspiring story. Keep chasing your dreams!!!!

Priscilla PG

Life and times of Maxine Wilson, 98-year-old Prince George resident

Nice article! I love reading about our long time citizens who make up our community. PerryLincoln

Tourism Prince George has some new swag at its new location

Thrilled to see Tourism PG taking over that plaza! Finally, some action instead of another underutilized space. This is exactly the kind of energy PG needs. Foodie Fridays are a blast — downtown has never felt so alive! And have you seen the knowledge garden? Gorgeous right now. The air freshener idea is genius. I say we go all out and put up a giant tree-shaped one downtown—nothing like a little tongue-in-cheek nod to the city’s ‘signature scent’!

The train station should be Via Rail’s responsibility to assist travellers at the Via Rail stop. And the Prestige Hotel? They need to rethink that sprawling parking lot at PG’s entrance— it’s hardly a warm welcome.

Why not move Mr. PG there, create a rest stop, and guide visitors to our incredible downtown small businesses? Those massive RVs should be discovering PG, not just Costco!

S Goods

PG shows its support for Paralympian rugby player

Joel Ewert

All the best to one of P.G.’s best athletes and finest young citizens.

Randy Flavel

Retiring Prince George RCMP superintendent calls B.C.’s drug decriminalization ‘the most horrific failure of public policy’

Thank you for the great reporting, and thank you for speaking out. The big question is, who is listening? This problem is destroying our city and we are watching it happen.

FHR

B.C. will continue to burn, so what can we do about it?

What are we going to do?

We are going to do very little. Why do I say this?

In the 1990s when the the Pine Beedle epidemic became a pandemic in Tweedsmuir Park we did very little.

We failed to do enough controlled burns of dying Pine trees in parks like Tweedsmuir Park.

So what has happened?

Those dead trees that were not logged or have already burned are still standing as fuel for future fires. Some of the smoke over Northern BC today is from fires in Tweedsmuir Park.

We still have not logged or controlled burn enough, especially in our parks.

The enviro movement controls the narrative.

That narrative says do as little as possible for as long as possible.

Nature takes over management of our forest and they eventaily burn, sometimes taking communities out in the process.

Waymar10

Retiring Prince George RCMP superintendent calls B.C.’s drug decriminalization ‘the most horrific failure of public policy’

If they want to leave the decriminalized drugs law in place, why not hold people accountable for their actions to fullest if they are under the influence? You’re allowed to drink alcohol ,but if you drive they tend to hold people accountable for it. Why are we so soft as a society on detrimental behaviors and actions.

Alucard

B.C. will continue to burn, so what can we do about it?

“And what are we doing to prepare?”

Well, we’re spending billions of dollars and using up vast resources so that we all drive electric cars and the planet’s temperature drops.

Now, a cynic might say - since Canada is a drop in the bucket when it comes to greenhouse gases, wouldn’t we be better to spend those billions on being prepared to mitigate the effects of climate change. More water bombers, fire fighters, fuel abatement work in the forests.

Drew Kerr

A second chance for kittens thrown out with the trash

CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen Staff

Five kittens found in the garbage at a local landfill need help as they get a second chance at life.

When every other shelter was full, Luvs Northern Animal Rescue took on the challenge of caring for the kittens even though the volunteer-based Prince George group had stopped accepting rescues because funds are low.

“The lady that found them had to hunt through the trash to make sure there were only five,” said Andrea Sowers of Luvs Northern Animal Rescue.

Sowers said she knew she couldn’t turn them away, as this is her life’s work.

“I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I didn’t take them,” Sowers said. “And I won’t stop. I can’t stop. I know in my lifetime I won’t end animal cruelty and neglect – I won’t – but I still have enough time in this life to save some more.”

Sowers started out volunteering at the BC SPCA about 20 years ago.

“And because I have children and I always wanted my children to be able to give back to community we volunteered at the SPCA, we love animals so that’s where we started,” she said.

“I quickly realized you could foster animals from the SPCA and I thought ‘you can take animals home and raise little babies? Wow, that’s cool.’ Very quickly after that I became their volunteer foster care co-ordinator and then I stepped up as their fundraising manager and it was one step after another because I always loved animals and wanted to make a difference.”

She felt she should take her helping out to another level and started Luvs Northern Animal Rescue seven years ago.

Sowers said she is very passionate about the welfare of animals.

“They don’t have a voice – that slogan from the SPCA – ‘speak for those who cannot speak for themselves’ – it really holds true,” Sowers said. “There’s been a few turning points in my life that have sent me in the direction of the care for animals starting at a very young age.

That’s how I was raised.”

Her entire family has always loved animals, Sowers added.

“I am raising six children that I hope show the same care and love for animals that will continue to make a difference in this world,” Sowers said.

She admits the rescue is a lot of work.

“But I know it’s exactly where I am

community for the support.”

Sowers is not a registered charity with a board of directors to help carry the load. There is just a small group of volunteers, herself included, that manage the rescue out of the goodness of their hearts.

“The generosity of the community is how we continue to pay our bills,” Sowers said. “Saving one animal at a time.”

So as they have exhausted their finances, Sisters’ Rock’n Gems will help ramp up ongoing fundraising efforts by having a giant plant sale on Saturday, Aug. 17, with all proceeds going to help offset the cost of animal care.

Sue Bloomingdale, co-owner of the shop at 1276 Fourth Ave. in downtown Prince George, has a strong love of animals and has always had a donation can by the till for donations to help local animals in distress.

When Bloomingdale heard about Luvs Northern Animal Rescue and the challenges of continuously taking in unwanted animals she decided to make her fundraising more intentional.

At the back of the store Bloomingdale has a table filled with house plants for sale.

“And all the money goes to Luvs Northern Animal Rescue and now people are dropping off plants to help with the cause,” Bloomingdale said.

“There’s one man that has dropped off about $800 worth of plants and he’s always bringing in more. All together we’ve given Luvs more than $4,000. I know it’s a little amount but all of it helps.”

Getting the kittens found at the dump to the vet will cost more than the rescue has.

The kittens are in good shape and just need to start their vaccinations and eventually be spayed and neutered.

supposed to be,” she said.

“It’s a difficult road, don’t get me wrong, I mean currently we’re $30,000 in medical debt. I’m stressed yet fortunate because I’ve been in this community long enough that the BC SPCA, where I carry the majority of my medical debt, believes in me and believes in the work I am doing and I believe in this

“Luvs is in constant need of funding and this story really breaks my heart,” Bloomingdale said. She hopes to raise $1,000 Saturday.

Sowers said another way to donate to the cause is to donate directly to the BC SPCA Spay and Neuter Clinic in Luvs Northern Animal Rescue’s name.

“Every little bit helps,” she said.

Here are four of the five kittens that were saved from the dump and taken to Luvs Northern Animal Rescue in Prince George.

UNBC laboratory bends but doesn’t break after blast

CLARKE Citizen Staff

The resiliency of wood construction was put to the test on Aug. 22, 2023.

On that morning in downtown Prince George, UNBC’s Wood Innovation Research Laboratory was in the wrong place at the wrong time when an adjacent building formerly known as the Achillion Restaurant exploded. The blast would later be blamed on people trying to steal copper ruptured a natural gas line that was subsequently ignited by a cigarette lighter.

The ensuing fireball injured three people and shot burning debris at lightning speed into the west-facing side of the wood innovation building with enough force to pierce the wall of the research lab, causing it to burst into flames.

Despite the violence of the explosion and heat from the fire, the state-of-theart mass timber structure - built to airtight Passive House energy efficiency standards - bent but did not break, proving the flexibility and strength of the wood mechanics that went into its construction, the university reported.

“It’s pretty rare that you get to see a building that you designed go through something as extreme as an explosion next door,” said Adam Gerber, CEO/

principal of Aspect Structural Engineers.

The building, which is beside the Wood Innovation and Design Centre, is used by UNBC students to test cutting-edge design advancements in wood construction technology.

How well it withstood the explosion, fire and flood from the triggered sprinkler system was an unplanned experiment that produced encouraging results.

“Overall, the building performed better than anyone could have predicted or expected based on the severity of the events that occurred,” Gerber said.

The wall that bore the brunt of the massive pressure wave of an explosion strong enough to sway window curtains of suburban houses kilometres away in College Heights was torn away from the steel brackets that anchored it to the base of the building, leaving a two-inch gap at the bottom.

The self-supporting wall facing the blast was independent of the load-bearing post-and-beam main structure of the building, which was left undamaged.

The prefabricated exterior wall panels were strengthened by floor joists and filled with ground-up rock insulation, which acted as a barrier to the fire and did not burn.

Because of its modular pre-fabricated

design, it was relatively easy for a Winton Global construction crew to follow the original design plans to replace each of the panels burnt in the fire and refinish the wall with its water vapour membrane and corrugated steel skin.

“A big part of Passive House, it’s the energy standard but it’s also the comfort of the occupants and as we’ve discovered it’s about resiliency and designing a building where the unexpected will happen,” said David Claus, UNBC’s director of facilities management and capital planning.

“Eventually a wall will get wet and when it gets wet, how will you make sure that it dries itself and doesn’t sit there and rot or grow mould? In some ways the building is self-healing, and I like that.”

Located at 1153 Fourth Ave., the 1,070-square-metre Wood Innovation Research Lab opened in 2018 at a cost of $2 million.

The damage to that building and contents attributed to the explosion was pegged at $1.3 million.

Most of that insurance claim, according to Claus, was to replace the computerized load-bearing testing equipment that was flooded by the sprinkler head activated by the heat of the fire that got through a small section of the wall.

The lab is large enough to build a two-storey structure which can then be tested for earthquake resistance using hydraulic machines. The hydraulic pump and cylinders and computer system suffered the brunt of the water damage.

“The sprinkler system caused most of the damage, the fire itself on the inside was pretty small,” said Claus. “The sprinkler came on and put out the fire like it’s supposed to do and there was a bit of charring on a couple pieces of wood. But the water (which ran for more than a full day) got a bunch of equipment wet and unfortunately some of the most expensive equipment was right where the fire came through.

“That’s the stuff we’ve been looking to restore, it’s pretty specialized equipment. We still don’t have the equipment back.”

Claus said some of the WIRL’s contributions to wood construction research are contained in the latest Canadian Wood Design Standards publication to be released later this year.

“A lot of the changes in this version are based on research done in this facility,” said Claus. “We’re helping to shape how buildings across Canada and potentially other parts of the world are designed.”

TED

Engineers survey the damage caused by the Achillion Restaurant explosion to the west wall of UNBC’s Wood Innovation Research Laboratory.

NEWS NOTES

Crews keep debris pile fire from spreading to forest

Crews from three halls were called to a large slash pile fire near Konrath Road early Thursday, Aug. 15.

It happened near the city transfer station.

The city reports that it took six hours to extinguish the flaming debris, with city heavy equipment operators and independent contractors assisting firefighters.

No injuries were reported, and there was no substantial damage to the environment, the city reports, as the crews battling the blaze were able to keep the flames from spreading to adjacent wooded areas.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Ewert Street apartment fire causes $100,000 in damages

Black smoke coming from a middle unit of a four-plex in the 700 block of Ewert Street saw Prince George Fire Rescue responding on Saturday, Aug. 17 at about 9:30 a.m.

A quick attack of the fire by crews kept damage to the property to the single unit.

The estimated cost of damage to the residence is $100,000.

The fire appears to have been caused by the ignition of cooking oil on a stove.

There were no injuries reported.

Mackenzie councillor resigns and will be moving to PG

Coun. Amber Hipkiss has resigned from the District of Mackenzie council as she moves to Prince George.

In the announcement, emailed to media Tuesday, Aug. 13, she stated that “serving the community for the last 10 years has been a privilege and a most rewarding experience. This decision was not easy, I will truly miss representing this community.”

An official date for a byelection to replace her will be set after a chief election officer is appointed, the district stated in the press release.

“Council and staff are very sorry to

Flames from a slash pile fire near Konrath Road can be seen from a distance in this photo taken early on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024 in Prince George.

see Amber leave our team, but are extremely grateful for her many contributions to our community,” stated Mackenzie Mayor Joan Atkinson in the announcement.

Hipkess, described on the district’s website as a Mackenzie business owner who had lived in the community for most of her life, said changes in her personal life would make it difficult to commit to her council duties in the community.

“Working with the district staff, and especially the CAO and our current directors, has been truly an honour. While I’m sad to step away, I know that Mackenzie couldn’t be in more capable hands,” she stated.

You can report graffiti, potholes and chickens on the loose

City wants PGers to report graffiti, potholes and chickens on the loose

The City of Prince George has reached out to residents through a Facebook post as a guide on what to do when you’ve seen something in the community that seems out of place.

Something like...

• A fire hydrant spraying water?

• A giant rim-wrecking pothole?

• A missing stop sign?

• A broken sidewalk?

• Graffiti or damage at a local park?

• A chicken on the loose in your neighbourhood? Yes, seriously.

The city is asking people to help them fix it as soon as they can by reporting it.

“We have tons of infrastructure to care for, so your eyes on the community are appreciated,” the Facebook post said.

Dial 311, email 311@princegeorge. ca, or download the City of PG app and send a service request. You can also submit service requests online at: www.//princegeorgebc.citysourced.ca/ servicerequests/create.

Upcoming Events

City preps new gravel storage area

Crews work at a city-owned property near the corner of 1st Avenue and Carney Street on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024 in Prince George, B.C. The lot will be used to store gravel. The city used to keep its gravel near the corner of 3rd Avenue and London Street. In September 2023, a private citizen took that gravel and used it to level out the terrain at the adjacent Moccasin Flats encampment on Patricia Boulevard. That property is also owned by the city. The case of the missing gravel had the city concerned, as nobody had given the OK for the gravel to be moved. Police were notified, but in the end there were no charges laid over its unauthorized relocation.

Healing Fire health fair packs a picnic with a message

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

It was a perfect day for a picnic and hundreds of downtown people descended upon Wood Innovation Square on Wednesday, Aug. 14 to fill their bellies and share a few laughs with friends and strangers alike at the Healing Fire Overdose Prevention Community Health Fair.

Jessica W. brought two of her closest companions, saying she always looks forward to the monthly gathering, usually held in front of the Prince George Courthouse. She came for the food, the music of the traditional drummers and singers and the good vibes of being part of a community of like-minded souls.

The barbecue certainly trumped her usual lunch of peanut butter and jam sandwiches.

“We definitely enjoy it, you get sick and tired of p and j’s every day,” she said. “It’s a treat to have a burger and a hot dog and pop and just enjoy the sun and get together with all these amazing people.

“I love coming to these events, it’s always a good time, whether you’re here to eat or shop around, it’s always a great time for everybody. There’s people from all walks of life here, rich and poor - everyone from kids to our elders here. Just to listen to them drum, it lifts your spirits, it puts you in a good mood, it truly is healing, absolutely. It’s a beautiful day for it.”

Jessica spends her nights at one of the city’s downtown shelters but figures that’s just a temporary thing.

“I’m hoping to get into some housing soon,” she said.

Wednesday’s fair was sponsored by the Prince George Nechako Aboriginal Training Association through the Urban Aboriginal Working Group and was hosted by Phoenix Transition Society. Each month a different agency takes a turn as hosts. About a dozen social agencies staffed booths to offer information on topics such as hepatitis C tests, street drug testing, and how to use a naloxone kit to prevent an overdose death.

Brody Beetlestone, who just

completed a four-year construction electrician program at CNC, brought his girlfriend Hailie to the picnic.

The 20-year-old says he enjoys coming to events that allow him to get to speak to some of the people who frequent our downtown streets and encampments.

He sees the Healing Fire event as an opportunity to dispel some of the notions about people who face extreme poverty, homelessness, mental health issues, substance addiction and what they do to survive dark places that are anything but a picnic.

“I’m learning some important stuff about a serious topic that is not talked about enough, the opioid addictions

at the civic centre that focused on the Moccasin Flats encampment.

“I’ve gotten to know these people personally and not a single one has been less than authentic and welcoming and super nice. I haven’t met one who gave me a problem because I treat them as equals and they treat me as equal,” said Beetlestone.

“I can learn a lot from these people because they’ve survived in the street, fending for themselves for who knows how long and not a lot of people can say that.”

He’s been able to see how people on the margins live in Prince George.

“I do admire the homeless lifestyle in some ways because they can live off the bare minimum and they know how to adapt and move on and they aren’t attached to anything specific,” he said. “The idea of being in debt and having to make constant payments my whole life doesn’t appeal to me.”

About 350 people lined up for food Wednesday and the big two-sided barbecue supplied by Integris Credit Union kept the long lineups moving quickly.

and general struggles of today’s society and how we can work together to figure it out,” said Beetlestone.

“It’s a weird stigmatism of homeless people and the threat, that they’re different than us, but in reality we’re all one. Some people just struggle a bit more, and that’s all the more reason to help them out and lift them up.

“I think it’s absurd that people can live in their million-dollar houses and all of this unnecessary materialism while some people are on the streets struggling for their next meal. Those same people can look at street people and say they need to get their stuff together, they did that to themselves, well we’ve all had trials in our lives.”

Beetlestone says he’s spent the past year getting to know some of the characters who make up the city’s unhoused population.

He spoke on their behalf at the public forum on community safety May 29

The clothing booth was also a big hit, with new customers arriving constantly to try to find items they liked or needed. The clothing came from four donation spots set up around the city and was collected by Carrier Sekani Family Services.

The first Healing Fire event happened in February 2023 and for the first year it happened just twice, but now it’s a monthly event.

During the cold-weather months a portable fire ring is used to create a big bonfire.

“Every month there are different societies joining us, it’s getting bigger,” said Cindy Zehmke, a Carrier Sekani Family Services family preservation outreach worker.

“We do a lot of services and if it wasn’t for volunteers, this wouldn’t happen. Our unhoused people look forward to this once a month. Everybody pitches in. I think sooner or later the Healing Fire will become its own program because it’s getting so big.”

CITIZEN PHOTO BY TED CLARKE

Central Interior Native Health support workers Kari Bachman, left, and L.J. Simmons greeted visitors to their booth at the Healing Fire picnic.

Beetlestone

Decriminalizing drug use was a mistake: Wright

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

This is a transcript of an interview with Shaun Wright, who recently retired as superintendent of the Prince George RCMP. It has been lightly edited for clarity.

Citizen: Congratulations on your retirement. It’s coming early for you. How old are you?

Wright: Just 50 now, so yeah, it’s young to retire, but it’s been a bit of a grind for 28 years at times. I came into this job in 2019, in the summer, and then COVID hit, early 2020. That was just kind of a mess for everybody, everywhere, but pretty stressful and problematic for us, having to navigate as a 24/7 agency that serves the public, so very challenging. Along with that at the same time there was a definite increase in anti-police sentiment throughout society, kind of rising from the summer of 2020 and the social unrest over some issues when I think a lot of people were out of school, out of work and had a lot of time on their hands. So that was challenging to navigate. One thing about that I will say is you know what, Prince George is a really supportive community. So I think overall the general citizenship was still very supportive of us.

C: What was driving that resentment?

SW: That was really from the States, a lot of those protests after George Floyd’s death in 2020 out of Minneapolis. There was just a ripple effect right across North America and we saw a little bit of that here in Prince George. It really affected the membership of the detachment because culturally we just bore the brunt of it because it was carried in the media a lot and on social media. So yeah, it’s been challenging times the last five years.

C: In January 2023 to B.C. government introduced a pilot program that allows adults to use hard drugs for personal

use free from the risk of facing criminal charges. What did that do to change the job of a police officer?

SW: Decriminalization, in my personal opinion, is probably the most horrific failure of public policy that I’ve seen in the last three decades. So it’s been partially walked back (it’s now illegal to use hard drugs in public places), but obviously the long-term effects from that year where it was in full swing is going to take us years to try and walk back the effects of that.

C: When you say it’s the most horrific public policy change, why do you think that?

SW: I just think it encouraged or resulted in a significant increase in public disorder and the normalization of hard drug use, which I think is extremely detrimental to our young people. It also did nothing to serve the people who are already addicted and really focused the mindset on how to facilitate people that want to engage in that activity rather than assist them in getting out of that cycle of addiction.

C: There is a lack of treatment centres to fall back on, so you guys could say “here’s where you go if you want to kick

that we were issued, 90 per cent of the information on it was how to seek out harm reduction services, not “where can I go to detox today” and that sort of thing. So I think it was more lip service to the treatment aspect of things, in my personal opinion.

C: I wrote a story a couple of months ago about guys that were coming from jail and going into a Prince George halfway house that requires abstinence and forbids any substances. They say there’s only one other place in B.C. like that, where you can go into a halfway house where everybody is abstinent. Every other residential recovery centre allows harm reduction drugs and they say they don’t want that that’s not the way to get them to quit drugs. So the pendulum has obviously swung too far.

drugs.” Those resources are still very limited and that has to be a big frustration in your job.

SW: Oh, it’s a massive frustration. So I think back to, I want to say the late 1990s, early 2000s, we always talked about the four pillars of addiction of drug use and it was education enforcement, harm reduction and treatment. And really what I’ve seen for the last several decades is focused almost solely on harm reduction. So really it’s just been facilitating that behaviour rather than preventing it or addressing it with treatment on the back end.

C: Are we unique in that in B.C.?

SW: I think we are. My personal opinion is we’re ahead of the curve on that, for sure. Obviously Alberta is starkly, politically different, and there’s a much heavier focus on treatment rather than just harm reduction to facilitate that ongoing behaviour. When decriminalization came out here in the province there was a provincial mandate that police would have information cards that we could provide people we find using drugs or in possession of drugs on how to get treatment in a system. Which is a great theory, but in practice the cards

SW: I would agree.

C: It’s not hard to find street people in downtown Prince George and there’s an obvious perception they are tied to drugs and crime. When I moved here in ‘93, you might see the odd drunk on the streets, but you didn’t see the “zombies” we see now. People are worried about their safety downtown. Business and property owners downtown don’t know what to do.

WS: I don’t know if there’s much they can do, because it’s a massive social issue. So yeah, until that pendulum swings back, unfortunately I think we’re going to see this for quite some time. Finally they did backtrack so you can’t use in public anymore and that’s given us back some of the key authorities we had to interact with these people to move them along so they aren’t smoking meth in front of the entrance of a shop that a mother and her children want to go into. But over the course of that year or year and a bit, that behaviour became very normalized, so it’s an uphill battle to try and educate all of these people that that’s now unacceptable and you can’t do that in public anymore.

RCMP PHOTO

Prince George RCMP seized two rifles and a large quantity of illicit and prescription drugs in the raid of a College Heights home on April 4.

Moccasin Flats has been keeping police busy for years

CONTINUED FROM THE PREVIOUS PAGE

C: Every day in B.C. an average six people die of illicit drug overdoses and the Northern Interior and Prince George have among the highest death rates in the province. The opioid crisis continues to kill at the same rate, despite the province’s decision to give drug users free access to prescribed safer supply harm reduction drugs. So what is the answer?

SW: If you keep doing the same thing or increasing what you’ve already been doing and the problem just continues to get worse, maybe you need to adopt a different strategy, not just increase access to opioids. I find it comical that some governments are suing or have sued opioid manufacturers for the opioid crisis because they over-prescribed them and that’s what caused this and then some governments are handing them out to anybody that wants them prescribed to them, which strikes me as the exact same thing. I find that hard to reconcile.

C: You raised the issue of safer supply drugs being resold to drug dealers who turn around and sell them to other people. How much of a problem is that in Prince George?

SW: I’d say it’s a significant problem. When we’ve conducted investigations into that I would say probably close to 50 per cent of the persons obtaining it during our observation period were selling or trading those drugs, and I think the really unfortunate thing about that is those drugs seem to find their way into the hands of younger users, and it kind of seems to be a potential gateway into illicit drug use. I don’t know if that’s because people see it as pharmaceutically packaged and they feel it’s safer. Unfortunately, I couldn’t comment on that, but perhaps.

C: So are we creating more addicts because of that?

SW: I don’t have quantitative evidence to say that, but anecdotally, my personal opinion would be yes, I think if you’re funnelling more opioids into that market, it’s inevitable.

C: During your time as a police officer in Prince George fentanyl has become the street drug of choice. It’s cheap and readily available. Is that the biggest change in the drug culture you’ve seen during your career?

SW: It’s a huge change and that was kind of concurrent with the opioid overdose deaths when the crisis started, obviously fentanyl is so much more potent than kind of the previous opioids that used to be common. We got all kinds of warnings not to be around fentanyl, even small quantities of it, and everybody needs to avoid this because you’ll easily overdose. And then quickly, in the first year or two, we found that users on the

They maintained that and they still had their unit there. But then in the summer, several of them would just go and camp at the encampment anyway because they enjoyed the lifestyle. For whatever reason, it’s agreeable to them.

C: Drug addictions are a common bond with Moccasin Flats residents. You said it yourself, at Knights Inn, at one time, half of the people living were drug dealers. If we solve the illicit drug problem, chances are we’re going to make a dent in homelessness as well?

SW: I think so. And you know what? There’s always the argument that we shouldn’t or can’t force people into treatment. They have the right to make their choices. So if they’re going to use opioids, let’s just make it as safe as we can for them. But from what I’ve observed, people who are regular users of opioids are in no state to make rational choices about their own health.

street were actually seeking it out because they preferred the high of it. So even though there was a massively increased risk to them, it quickly became their drug of choice. The vast majority of other types of street drugs are mixed or contaminated with it as well.

C: You’ve called the Moccasin Flats encampment the busiest 300 metres you have in your jurisdiction. What have you learned from policing the camp and interacting with the 30-50 people that live there?

SW: I think the most eye-opening thing to me was the number of people who are there, who have been given the option of some sort of shelter or housing and have turned it down and probably the most shocking thing to me was several individuals who ended up going into the housing in the former Knights Inn when that first became low-barrier housing.

C: Structure fires are a regular occurrence at Moccasin Flats. It’s like once every couple of weeks there’s another campsite that burns. We’ve heard it’s drug dealers targeting people. They just go there and say, look, if you don’t pay an extortion fee, we’ll set your place on fire. Is that what is happening?

SW: We haven’t found evidence to that effect. Having said that, most of the individuals down there are completely unco-operative with us when we go down to investigate those types of incidents. So I would suspect that is part of it and also a large part is just the unsafe conditions of a lot of those structures.

C: The city plans to close it down this fall and move the people to alternate housing. So how do we prevent another Moccasin Flats from getting established? What lessons have we learned?

CITIZEN PHOTO BY TED CLARKE

A firefighter trains his hose on a shack fire in the Moccasin Flats homeless encampment. It was one of many such fires.

Lower Mainland gangs changing nature of PG crime

CONTINUED FROM THE PREVIOUS PAGE

SW: If you look at the strategy that city council has endorsed that administration put forward it’s probably a good general plan - providing an area where there is overnight sheltering available, but ensuring that it doesn’t become entrenched. I think the biggest problem with the Lower Patricia encampment was really when the city went and tried to get an injunction to remove it, and then the court essentially gave it court-ordered protection. So there was really nothing that could be done in the short term thereafter.

B: Speaking of the courts, I think B.C. is the only province or territory where Crown prosecutors decide what charges are laid. Police have that power in every other jurisdictionis, is that right?

SW: I believe New Brunswick as well. But yeah, essentially B.C. is the primary jurisdiction like that.

C: How much does that affect your ability to fight crime?

SW: I would say it’s significantly increases our workload. We’re obligated to provide full disclosure on the front end. So lab results, for DNA or ballistics, which can take months or many months to obtain, are typically required just to put forward a case for charge approval. Whereas systems used in some other provinces, you wouldn’t need all of that complete detail, you would just need the essential information relating to the charges to make that assessment. We run into this all the time in Prince George, we execute a search warrant and we locate a quantity of illicit drugs, maybe fentanyl, as well as multiple firearms, we’re typically releasing those people without even a court date at that point, because we need to complete the investigation. That means getting those firearms tested, getting the drugs tested, getting all the supplementary. Information together and disclosing

all of that to Crown counsel for them to make a charge. For many many months, they will be at large without even having been charged.

C: Why does the province not see this as a problem?

SW: All I can tell you is I view it as a problem.

C: It has to be one of your biggest frustrations as a police officer.

SW: Absolutely it is.

C: In a typical shift, how much time are RCMP officers spending on paperwork and not actually hunting criminals or preventing crime?

SW: It’s an incredible amount and every year it seems to grow as further requirements are placed upon us. Case in point, body-worn cameras are going to come to Prince George, likely in October, so our frontline members are going to have to take the segments of video they record and they’re going to have to mark part of those recordings for redaction for support staff to do that. But obviously, only the people there know what’s relevant and what needs to be redacted, so it does take a bit more of their time. It will add to their workload.

C: The so-called catch-and-release Criminal Code changes introduced by the federal government in 2019, that’s got to be a sore spot with you. It’s one thing most Canadians complain about, that violent offenders and repeat criminals caught in the act are being let go

right away.

SW: Absolutely, it’s extremely frustrating. They’ve increased electronic monitoring and that sounds great, in theory, but there’s a lot of issues with that program with the functionality of the equipment oftentimes. We found some very serious violent crimes over the last couple of years where multiple offenders have be already on electronic monitoring, so it’s not even remotely the same as having someone remanded in custody. It’s a huge problem, those changes.

C: In March, you spoke publicly about the growing influence of Lower Mainland gangs on crime in Prince George. How has that changed the face of the city?

SW: Over the last couple of years it definitely has been a key driver in a lot of our significant violent events, in many of our homicides and serious assaults as those individuals either struggle to push into the market or just assert their dominance within the illicit drug market up here. So yeah, we continue to see those individuals related to those criminal organization coming up here to Prince George and surrounding communities like Quesnel.

C: Compared to other similar-sized cities in Canada, is Prince George one of the worst for crime?

SW: That’s what the crime statistics bear out. When you look at comparator communities in B.C., maybe Nanaimo, Kamloops for roughly the

same population size, we have higher crime rates here in Prince George and I think that’s traditionally always kind of been the way. Northern communities in most provinces typically have higher crime rates. Usually when the crime severity index numbers come out from Statistics Canada, we’re up fairly high. One bright spot, though, I think kind of the increase in resources that we’ve been able to secure with the mayor and council over the last few years, we’ve seen a decrease in our file load per member and our crime rates and we’ve actually fallen on the CSI list from Statistic Canada. We’re still very high on it, but we have managed to comparatively move down on that list. It’s given us the capacity to bolster our downtown safety unit to focus more on repeat violent offenders.

C: When you look back on your RCMP career, what stands out as a highlight?

SW: I think that would be having worked with city leaders and administration on the policing resource review in 2022 and developing a plan to implement the path forward to add additional resources to the detachment. Given the high crime rate in the city, it was a priority for me to lower the very high caseload experienced by members at the detachment. Reducing the caseload is critical to ensuring the well-being of our members and creating the capacity to provide a higher level of policing service to the public.

C: So now that you’re retired, what are your plans?

SW: I don’t plan to do too much, at least for kind of the first six months or year. My wife and I have lived up here about eight years. We came up from the Lower Mainland and we always talk about these places we want to go in the north and see and with work and everything, we haven’t gotten to most of them. So we’re going to spend some time travelling around and seeing the nature and beauty of the north over the next few years.

Prince George recycling depots could reopen Sept. 16

MARK NIELSEN Special to The Citizen

Staff at the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George and Recycle BC are working toward a Sept. 16 launch date for a revamped drop-off service for recyclable material.

Under the terms of an agreement between the parties, the Quinn Street Regional Recycling Depot, the Valemount Regional Transfer Station and the Mackenzie Regional Transfer Station and Select Waste Landfill will act as “principal collection depots” for households without curbside pickup.

The service has been on hold since May 31, when Cascades Recovery stopped providing the service as its contract with the regional district ended.

In providing an update Thursday , Aug. 15 to directors’ environment and parks standing committee, regional district environmental services general

manager Laura Zapotichny said there remains plenty of work to do between now and then.

“We have been able to work with Recycle BC, bring them onto some of the sites that we have, go over requirements for storage, for moving materials, for accepting materials so still quite a bit of work to do, however we are anticipating that we’ll be ready for Sept. 16 at the three locations,” Zapotichny said.

The new service will allow expanded recycling that would include paper packaging, cardboard, cartons/paper cups, plastic/aluminum/metal containers, glass, flexible plastics and foam packaging.

So-called “megabags” stored in refurbished metal containers supplied by Recycle BC will be deployed at the sites to collect the materials. As well, at the Quinn Street depot, two 40-yard roll-off containers will be supplied by Recycle BC for cardboard and mixed paper product.

In addition, the Quinn Street and Mackenzie sites will be open seven days a week.

Hours at Quinn will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Easter Monday, Victoria Day, Labour Day and Thanksgiving Day, when they will be 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Previously, Quinn Street had been closed on Tuesday and Wednesdays between Nov. 1 and March 31.

The Mackenzie site is currently open Sunday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and staff is looking at adding Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Easter Monday, Victoria Day, Labour Day and Thanksgiving Day.

The news drew an expression of gratitude from Mackenzie director Joan Atkinson. “It’s very exciting that our transfer station is going to move to seven days a week. It’s a huge step forward,” Atkinson said.

A covered shelter is also in the works at the site late spring-early summer

2025. The parties are also looking at establishing the service in McBride in early 2025.

The Vanway transfer station will remain in operation after the regional district agreed to a five-year licence to occupy with the City of Prince George. Directors also approved a five-year licence to occupy for Quinn Street on Thursday.

Zapotichny said an information campaign in the lead up to the launch date is also part of the effort.

In the meantime, residents who do not have curbside service remain encouraged to drop off paper and packaging material during business hours at the Prince George Recycling and Return-It Centre at 2614 Petersen Rd., and Hart Return-It Centre at 6665 Hart Highway. Those locations are closed on Sundays and holidays.

Cardboard compaction is still available at the Mackenzie, McBride and Valemount transfer stations.

Delays hit Dore River flood mitigation project

MARK NIELSEN

Special to The Citizen

The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George is seeking permission from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to extend the period for in-river work for a flood mitigation project along the Dore River as delays continue to pile up.

The work is being carried out after high water breached the river’s banks near McBride in July 2020.

It was made memorable when an elderly couple narrowly escaped a mudslide that struck their home in the middle of the night.

This past March, the regional district secured $2.94 million from the provincial government to install riprap along a 1.5-kilometre stretch, and in April, directors awarded a contract worth $1.88 million to Profor Management Inc. McElhanney Ltd. developed and oversaw the tendering of the project.

But at the time of the award, the

regional district was still in the process of obtaining authorization from DFO and that did not come until the end of May.

In response, during their June meeting, directors agreed with a staff recommendation to add $506,445 in order to accelerate the work and get it completed within the approved window of July 15 to September 15.

However, the project soon hit another snag as, in early July, the regional

district needed to obtain an exemption from the B.C. Ministry of Forests for works done during a period of high fire danger rating.

As a consequence, Profor “has not been able to fully execute accelerated works,” staff said in a report included in the agenda package for FFGRD directors’ monthly meeting, held this past Thursday.

“With one month left in the DFO approval window, the contractor and

McElhanney have indicated that it is unlikely, even with accelerated funds, that the in-stream works will be completed per the original proposal submitted by the contractor for the June Board meeting,” staff continued.

As such, staff has given DFO the heads up that it is in the process of seeking an extension for the in-stream works into this fall or for winter 2025.

Meanwhile, Profor and the regional district (via McElhanney as engineer of record on the project) are at odds due to “different interpretations concerning the required in-stream works” that may lead to additional costs, staff has warned.

The regional district has until 2026 to spend the grant money it received from the province, according to staff.

Once the work is completed, the regional district will start taxing property owners who benefit from the work to cover the cost of long-term maintenance and asset management, with the numbers still to be worked out.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

This photo shows the aftermath of a mudslide that struck the McBride-area home of Garry and Mabel Moore in the middle of the night on July 4, 2020.

New support for city tenants dealing with bedbugs

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

The province has hired a tenant support worker to work with residents of a BC Housing apartment building in Prince George plagued by a bedbug infestation.

Brenda Lacey has lived at Victoria Towers at 1245 20th Ave. for 14 years and during that time her suite has been sprayed 10 times. The latest infestation had been so bad it’s forced her to throw away her mattress and box spring for a second time.

“The bedbugs are everywhere, they can’t get rid of them,” said Lacey. “It’s just about once a year in my suite. I see them coming up in my bathtub. They come in under the wallboards. I take extra precautions to make sure I don’t get bedbugs because I’ve lost so much of my stuff.”

Replacing the furniture has proven to be pointless, she said.

“My son just bought me a bunch of new furniture the last time and now I’m sleeping on the floor because I had to throw my bed out,” she said. “He bought me a new couch and now they’re telling me I have to throw it out again. They told me that when they sprayed two months ago. I’m a pensioner. I’m 73 years old. I can’t afford to buy a new bed. That’s too much on a pension, I can’t do it.”

All the common areas of the building and laundry rooms on all of the floors have been sprayed with insecticide and several suites have been treated multiple times over the past two months. Each time the pesticide is used it aggravates Lacey’s respiratory condition.

“I’m on oxygen and I have a hard time when they spray. Even when they do the hallways and that, I can taste it when I come in here,” said Lacey. “It has the same effect on me. I was sick for a week.”

Site C reservoir filling begins late this summer

As part of the completion of the Site C project, we plan to begin filling the reservoir between Fort St. John and Hudson’s Hope in late August 2024.

There will be permanent changes to the Peace River. Here’s what to expect:

○ Reservoir water levels will rise for up to four months, by 0.3 to three metres per day. The river will widen by two to three times on average.

○ The existing Halfway River boat launch will permanently close on August 12. New boat launches will be inaccessible until at least spring 2026 as BC Hydro monitors the surrounding slopes for safety.

○ Please stay off the reservoir and its tributaries, specifically the Halfway River, during filling and use extreme caution near the shoreline.

For more information visit SiteCproject.com/reservoir or call 1 877 217 0777.

Earlier this summer exterminator

Mike Jaenicke, owner/operator of Interior Pest Control, told The Citizen he was unable to treat one Victoria Towers suite he referred to as “ground zero” because the apartment was littered with kitchen waste, kids toys and clothing which prevented him from applying the liquid pesticide.

Joyce Poitras, 74, lives on that floor and her suite became infested. Because bedbugs are small (about the size of a grain of rice) and can attach themselves to the hair or clothing of a human host unnoticed, Poitras said she can’t spend time with her family in Prince George.

“I don’t go to visit my grandson and great-grandchildren because of the bedbug problem,” said Poitras. “He’s got a big house and what happens if the bedbugs go there because I brought them?”

It isn’t just family visits that are on hold for her. “I don’t go to church anymore because I don’t want to take the bedbugs there,” she said.

“Nobody wants you around if you’ve got bedbugs. So I’m isolated now. I don’t have anywhere I can go until they deal with these bedbugs. That’s my

frustration, and it doesn’t seem they’re doing it right. We have six apartments on the third floor and they (sprayed) my apartment but they didn’t do all the others on that floor.”

Poitras knows of wheelchair-bound residents who are unable to bag up clothing and move items away from apartment walls to prepare for an exterminator. She said they have no home care support to help them with those tasks.

“If a pest-control issue is identified, technicians are brought in to treat the affected area and tenants are provided with pre- and post-treatment instructions to assure this process is as effective as possible,” stated BC Housing in an email response to The Citizen.

“The building manager is working with the contractor to resolve all spraying in the units that are outstanding due to lack of access or preparation, and treatment of common areas continues. Tenants are provided with instructions on how to prepare or declutter their suites so that the pest control treatment can be successful.”

Residents of a Prince George apartment building have been dealing with a bedbug infestation for weeks.

Province has brought in a worker to help people cope

CONTINUED FROM THE PREVIOUS PAGE

In the wake of the spraying, on Monday, Aug. 12, Canada Post resumed mail delivery to the building after service was temporarily suspended Aug. 1 due to what were called unsafe conditions for delivery agents due to the bedbugs.

During that time, tenants were required to go to the downtown Canada Post station on Fifth Avenue to collect their mail, an inconvenience for residents of the low-income BC Housing unit, some of whom have health and mobility challenges.

Meanwhile, a tenant support worker has been brought in to work with building management. Joy Reierson plans to visit with tenants regularly to provide updates on work the exterminator is conducting and will be there to address tenants’ concerns about the chemical insecticides used to eradicate the bedbugs.

“(Reierson) will be focusing on providing support to tenants who require education around unit preparation for spraying, as needed,” stated BC Housing by email.

“The tenant engagement worker is responsible for building trust, respect, and social ties between neighbours in buildings directly managed by BC Housing. They work to strengthen tenant engagement, build positive relationships among tenants, as well as connections with resources in the broader community.”

The tenants were introduced to Reierson, a former Northern Health mental health lifeskills worker, on Aug. 5 at an information session in the lobby.

Gina, an 11th-floor resident, welcomes having somebody with authority around to represent the concerns of Victoria Towers residents and has volunteered to be a tenant liaison.

Gina, who asked that her last name not be used, has a disease known as mast cell activated syndrome, an immune deficiency that when triggered produces anaphylaxis, an allergic reaction that causes hives, swelling, low blood pressure and difficulty breathing.

“I’m allergic to so many different

Canada Post has resumed mail delivery to the building on 20th Avenue after suspending it in August, citing ‘unsafe conditions.’

chemicals or odours and in the last two weeks I’ve been so sick with the brain fog and dizziness,” she said. “When they spray (insecticide) they don’t tell us, they don’t give us the appropriate notice. It’s insidious. I’m pretty much homebound. I don’t know where to go,

so I endure it. This is a good building and it could be so much nicer. There are people living in the building who don’t have any skills in hygiene and don’t have any knowledge of how the bugs work. For the people who don’t there needs to be more support.”

Several Victoria Towers residents are upset with how the building’s managers have handled the infestation, citing a lack of cleaning in common areas. One fifth-floor resident, Terry Slater, said he was blamed for bringing the bugs into the building and was threatened with eviction and involved a lawyer and social worker to resolve the issue in a meeting with BC Housing staff.

According to BC Housing: “The health, safety and well-being of residents is of critical concern to BC Housing, and we take any report of staff harassment very seriously.

“Bullying and discrimination in our buildings is unacceptable and is not tolerated. We are committed to receiving, handling and resolving complaints in a consistent, objective, fair and timely manner. Tenants can send concerns through email to feedback@bchousing. org or by phone: 604-439-4123, option 3.

Eighth-floor resident Chris Peters suffers from multiple sclerosis triggered by chemical exposure and wants a copy of hazardous goods specification sheet that outlines the hazards of the pesticide being used. Reierson told him that information will be made available by the building manager.

“There’s a lot anger in this building right now,” said Peters. “I’ve got five people who are actually afraid to actually come forward; they’re afraid to talk because they think they’ll get evicted. Many of the people have mental health issues and many have physical health issues that need to be addressed and aren’t getting the healthcare they need, like home-care workers.”

Peters is encouraged that the government agency has hired a tenant support worker. He’s been helping tenants deal with the issue for most of the summer, spreading diatomaceous earth, rolling up towels to stuff cracks under doors and supplying cans of bug killer.

“I’m tired of it, It feels like I’ve got this building on my back and I’m crawling over broken glass. I’m doing what I can, spraying into the walls where they lay their eggs,” he said. “Bedbugs are the one thing you don’t sweep under the rug.”

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY TED CLARKE

What’s happening in PG

Create Reusable Surface Art: Introductory Class goes Thursday, Aug. 22 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Medicine Wheel Cafe, 1231 17th Ave. Quickly create a piece of high-end wall or shelf home décor. Discover the joy of creating unique, high-end decor that transforms a home and reflects personal style. This beginner workshop is perfect for anyone looking to unleash their creativity, meet like-minded people and take home a beautiful piece of art. For more information visit www.facebook. com/events/177388732010812

Northern BC Comic Collectors Sale goes Thursday, Aug. 22 at 6 p.m. at 200-356 George St. There will be a large current and silver age comic collection for sale with all offers considered, along with lively conversation about current stories, past stories and collections. ***

Prince George Ghostly Walks go Friday, Aug. 23 and Saturday, Aug. 24. Experience the chills of Prince George’s past and learn about the ghosts of its present. There are two walks each night at 7 and 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 each and can be purchased at www.pgghostlywalks.com/book-online.

Movie Night in the Orchard featuring Austin Powers – International Man of Mystery goes Friday, August 23 at 9:15 p.m. at Northern Lights Estate Winery, 745 Prince George Pulpmill Road. Yeah, baby! This will be a groovy night under the stars on the orchard side of the winery. Bring a chair and get ready to laugh. There is a concession. Tickets are $13 for adults, $7 for children 3 to 17 and children two and under are free. Venue opens at 8:15 p.m. Tickets must be purchased online at www.northernlightswinery.ca/ movie-nights

Summer Garage Sale goes Saturday, Aug. 24 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 3701 Rainbow Drive. This event is hosted by the Spruce Capital Seniors as a fundraiser and the non-profit group will

gladly take all donations. Call the Centre at 250-563-6450 to arrange a time for drop off between Monday to Thursday anytime between 9 to 3. ***

YXS play Nelly’s Pub on Friday, Aug. 23 and Saturday, Aug. 24 at 9 p.m. Come early to get a seat, enjoy some great food and drinks. Bring your dancing shoes and enjoy the evening with us. The band features Mike Smith, Dave Rubadeau, Cat McCarthy and Brad Martin. ***

Junk in the Trunk goes Saturday, Aug. 24 and Sunday, Aug. 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Park Drive In Theatre & Raceway Fun Park, 9660 Raceway Road. Join in the epic buying and selling event with all proceeds from renting a space going to Ness Lake, Nukko Lake and Pilot Mountain Community Halls. Adult vendors $15 for one day, $20 for two days, children vendors 12 and under $10. To register visitjunkinthetrucksale.wixsite.com.

HEYJACK Show goes Sunday, Aug. 25 at 7 p.m. at Deadfall Brewing, 1733 Nicholson St. South. Adam, from HEYJACK,

is the feel-good singer songwriter who draws inspiration from music legends like Jack Johnson, John Mayer, Vance Joy, Noah Kahan and more. There is no cover charge and tips are welcome.

***

Market on the Hill goes every Tuesday until Aug. 27 from 5 to 9 p.m. at 3740 Winslow Dr. This event is hosted by the Hart Highland Winter Club. Vendors will be onsite. The Hart Team will be cooking up burgers and hot dogs available to purchase by donation.

***

LESBIHONEST with Laura Piccinin goes Aug. 27 at 7:30 p.m. at the Knox Performance Centre, 1448 Fifth Ave. Winner of Just for Laughs Outstanding English Comedy Award Piccinin performs her autobiographical stand up show with Improv Shmimprov, a Prince George comedy troupe, as the opening act. This show is suitable for ages 14 and up. Doors open at 7 p.m. with intermission concessions provided by the PG Pride Society. Tickets are $20 each at www.knoxcentre.ca/ lesbihonest-improv-shmimprov

***

Hart Sunset Market goes Wednesday,

Aug. 28 from 4 to 9 p.m. at the Hart Pioneer Centre parking lot at 6986 Hart Highway. Shop favourite local vendors and food trucks. To register online visit www.justsugarcookies.ca. ***

Foodie Fridays at Canada Games Plaza goes Aug. 30 from noon to 4 p.m. where there will be a variety of concession and food truck offering a variety of lunch options and sweet treats and there will be games and live music to enjoy as well.

Horsemanship with Nicole Klassen goes Saturday, Aug. 31 at 10 a.m. at 10597 Blackwater Rd. Work towards a better relationship and communication with your horse either under saddle or on the ground. All levels and disciplines welcome. Klassen is a highly sought after instructor in the Prince George area. Cost is $85 (non refundable, but it is transferrable if you are unable to attend). For more information message Dusty Trail Riders on Facebook or email dustytrailriders@ outlook.com.

The Calgary act Heyjack, seen here at Westerner Park in Red Deer on July 21, will play a show in Prince George on Sunday, Aug. 25 at Deadfall Brewing.

CONTINUED FROM THE PREVIOUS PAGE

Watercolour Sunflower Workshop goes Sunday, Sept. 1 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Foreman Farms, 1965 Foreman Road. Unleash your creativity with the expert instruction of Christina Watts from Watts Art Academy. Enjoy two hours of watercolor painting with all supplies provided. Gain entry to the Sunflower Festival – explore and enjoy before or after your class. Sip on a glass of wine, beer, or a non-alcoholic beverage from the Bloom Café. Take home a beautiful sunflower stem from our U-Cut area. Limited spots available. Registration for this workshop is at www.northernlightswines.com/ sunflower-watercolor-class.

***

Potato Festival goes Sunday, Sept. 1 and Monday, Sept. 2 from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Huble Homestead. Take part in two days of celebration where fun and flavour collide as we celebrate the mighty spud in all its glory. Join in the potato-themed games and crafts, family friendly activities, and heritage demonstrations. Learn about the heirloom potato varieties lovingly grown in the garden all summer long, discover the history of the site through a guided tour, and order from the delicious starchy themed menu that puts the potato in the spotlight - right where it belongs. Huble Homestead Historic Site is a 30-minute drive north of Prince George. Huble Homestead is dog friendly. Admission is by recommended family donation of $10. For all the details visit www.hublehomestead.ca.

***

Symphony & Art Market in the Park goes Sunday, Sept. 8 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park. This is a free event that invites everyone to stroll through the artisan market while enjoy the music. The Prince George Community Arts Council has partnered with the Prince George Symphony Orchestra for an unforgettable afternoon. To register as an artisan vendor or for more information visit www.studio2880.com/programs/ artisan-markets.

***

Modern Square Dance lessons for beginners goes Monday, Sept. 9 from 7 to 8 p.m. at Trinity United Church, 1448 Fifth Ave., downtown Prince George.  Please use side entrance closest to the parking lot. These lessons are for anyone looking for fitness, fun and friendship. Find the group on Facebook at Northern Twisters Dance Club or call Gys Koops at 250-964-4851.

***

Sunflower Festival goes until Sept. 2 at Foreman Farms, 1965 Foreman Road and is presented by Northern Lights Estate Winery. There are photo stations, farm animals, u-cut sunflowers, a picnic area and playground, kids’ days and the Bloom Café for refreshments. There are classes and activities and Sip & Stroll events with live music on Fridays and Saturdays. For tickets visit www.northernlightswinery.ca/ sunflower-fest.

***

Thursdays at the Park goes every week at The Exploration Place, 333

Becott Place, and will see the Cruisin Classic Car Club parked outside so people can check out the classic cars. Origins Kitchen will feature specials at their take-out window and the Little Prince steam engine will be running from noon to 8 p.m.

***

Prince George Farmers’ Market goes every Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. where visitors will find around 100 vendors offering everything from local vegetables, ethically-raised grass-fed meats, baking, fruits, hot foods, coffee, honey, jams and jellies, preserves, and a wide variety of artisan products including jewellery and crafts. ***

Wilson Square Community Farmers’ Market goes every Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. where local food producers fill the street as musicians pay their instruments and visitors start their weekends with a round of breakfast sandwiches and hot coffee. Traditional farm fresh meat and produce is available alongside wild-foraged seasonal fiddleheads and morels, rounded out by a selection of local arts and treats. ***

Craft & Chat at the main branch of the Prince George Public Library goes every Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. in the magazine corner, second floor, where fibre artists are invited to bring their latest projects to share, vent frustrations, brag about successes, get and give help and join in lively discussions. Snacks provided. This event is in partnership with Great Northwest

Fibre Fest.

***

Story Walk at Masich Place is open during public walking hours at the track. Simply start at the first sign and follow the story around the track. Stories change monthly. For the public walking schedule visit www.princegeorge.ca/ masich-place-stadium.

***

Trivia Night at Nancy O’s goes every other Wednesday at 8 p.m., 1261 Third Ave. There are three rounds per game, each round has five themed questions and five music questions. There’s something for everyone. The winning team gets a custom Nancy O’s Trivia trophy and a round of drinks, their photo on the wall that goes into the winners’ book after two weeks. Those caught cheating will be publicly shamed and labelled as cheaters –good wholesome fun. Book a spot by calling ahead at 250-562-8066.The next one is Aug. 14.

***

Coffee and Cars is a weekly event held every Saturday from 7 to 9 a.m. until Sept. 29 at Tim Horton’s, 612 East Central St., where people can meet up during this family-friendly event that brings Prince George’s diverse car culture together. Time to bring out those projects.

If you’ve got an event coming up email us at news@pgcitizen.ca to offer details including name of the event, the date, time and location, ticket price and where to get them and a little bit about what’s happening, too.

Fun, sunny days and busy, glowing nights at the BCNE

Above, Julie Blackwell (left) and Rebecca Dahl take part in the Saddle Up N Sort competition at the BCNE last Sunday. Below at left, Jitterbug the Dalmatian races through the SuperDogs course on the way to a win for team Bow Wow. Below right, With her steer Sparky resting in the hay, Ellie Young, 14, talks with Zane Pickering of ZD Pickering Farms about how she has raised Sparky and looked after him as he has grown. Young is in her fifth year with 4-H and this is the second year she has raised a steer. At the lower right, the Tabor Creek Band takes to the main stage to entertain exhibition-goers Saturday.

Citizen photos by Chuck Nisbett

Some of the popular rides at this year’s BCNE included (clockwise from upper left) the Zipper, Spider, Expo Flyer and Zero Gravity.

The Great Northwest Fibre Fest will happen Sept. 8

CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen Staff

The Great Northwest Fibre Fest is set for Sunday, Sept. 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Connaught Youth Centre.

There are 25 vendors as that’s the maximum number that can fit on site.

The focus is on fibre and there are people who raise their own animals and then process their own yarn who will be selling their products at the festival.

“For example we have someone who raises alpacas and then they take the alpaca fibre and process it then send it to a local yarn dyer and then the alpaca owners sell some and the yarn dyer sells some,” said Bonne Leiphart, one of the organizers of the event. “That was something that came about when they met each other at previous fibre fest.”

The Great Northwest Fibre Fest sees people in attendance from B.C. and Alberta and the annual event started in 2017.

“People get to know each other and they support each other,” Leiphart said. “This is a very supportive community. That’s one thing about the craft and fibre community. Everybody wants to see others succeed. It really makes it a nice atmosphere.”

This year the organizers, Jen Boots and Sandra Blackwell, along with Leiphart, wanted to try something a little

This year’s Great Northwest Fibre Fest goes Sunday, Sept. 8 at the Connaught Youth Centre and entry is free to the public. Here is a photo of last year’s event that saw about 400 people in attendance.

bit different.

“We’ve opened a couple of tables up to people who provide finished products,” Leiphart said.

“Prior to this we’ve always only been open to fibre and accessories or equipment that you would need for a project. There have been people who have come to the Fibre Fest who want a present for someone and this year we’ve got some really wonderful items for sale, including little crocheted figures, felted mittens, and felted soap and knit wear.”

It is a really fun event and the admission is free, she added.

“We’ve made it free because we just want people to come and buy things

from the vendors and there will be door prizes and anyone who comes through the door gets a draw ticket,” Leiphart said. “And there are fantastic prizes. We ask each vendor to donate an item and that goes into the prize draw. So last year we made up five prize baskets and we’ll do the same thing this year.”

There is a vendor, Silver Tree Woodworking, who is wood worker who creates yarn bowls specifically for this event.

“He said he has a new design for a yarn bowl this year so I am looking forward to seeing that,” Leiphart said.

There’s a special workshop on the schedule called Peg Loom Weaving

where participants will create a chair mat that’s 16 inches by 16 inches and made with 100 per cent wool. A peg loom has a simplicity and portability that produces amazing results as it works up quickly. At the end of the workshop participants will have a finished product to take away. All supplies are included in the workshop including an assortment of wool rovings in assorted colours and the use of a handcrafted peg loom. The workshop goes from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Cost is $65 which includes all supplies needed and use of the peg loom. Suitable for those 12 years and older.

The Rocky Mountain Ranger Cadets will once again be volunteers at this year’s event and Leiphart said they are very helpful and she is very impressed with how the young volunteers are so personable and respectful.

In conjunction with the Fibre Fest, the Prince George Quilters Guild, which is located at the Connaught Youth Centre, will hold an open house at the same time.

Cait’s Sweet Bites & Beanery will be providing lunch, snacks, sweets and refreshments during the festival.

“There were about 400 people in attendance last year and we’re hoping for more this year,” Leiphart said.

For more information visit www.greatnwfibrefest.ca.

Are you registered to vote in this fall’s provincial election?

CITIZEN STAFF

Elections BC is encouraging residents to make sure their voter registration is up to date before the Oct. 19 provincial election.

They can do this by at elections.bc.ca/ register or calling 1-800-661-8683.

“Making sure your voter registration information is up to date is one of the best ways to get ready for the provincial election,” stated chief electoral officer Anton Boegman. “Voting will be faster and easier if your information is current, and you’ll get a Where to Vote card from

Elections BC after the election is called.”

Elections BC started mailing out voter registration notices Monday, which will list the voters registered at the recipient address and ask residents of that address to register or update their information as necessary.

The notices will also have information about the new electoral districts in the province. There will be 93 electoral districts this year, up from 87 in the last provincial election in 2020.

Voters can visit elections.bc.ca/mydistrict to view a map of their new electoral district.

Elections BC will also be holding registration drives across the province in September. A list of registration drive locations is available on the Elections BC website.

The provincial election is scheduled to be called on Sept. 21. Advance voting is scheduled for Oct. 10 to 13, and Oct. 15 and 16. The final voting day is Saturday, Oct. 19.

In related news, Elections BC has put a greater focus on election security, states a press release.

“The security environment around elections has changed in recent years,”

stated Boegman. “While B.C. elections remain safe and secure, we need to be aware of increased risks to the electoral process and work with partners to mitigate them. These risks include cybersecurity and physical security risks, disinformation about the electoral process and the potential for foreign interference.”

The province has established an Election Integrity Working Group, chaired by Elections BC, which will include representatives from provincial and federal agencies with responsibilities for different aspects of election integrity.

Canadian Tuxedo Man is also known as Murf from PG

‘I mean, I grew up in the Hart, right? That’s what we all wear,’ says actor Murray Laidlaw

CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen Staff

Did the iconic Canadian Tuxedo Man on those Petro-Canada Let’s Goooo! commercials seen during the Olympics look familiar?

He should.

He’s Murray (Murf) Laidlaw from Prince George, who once had Olympic aspirations himself.

You might have seen him in other shows, movies and commercials before. Most recently he was in the local Aberdeen Glen goofy golfer commercials where he played the ‘“don’t be that guy” character.

Laidlaw has had a recent run of success doing commercials for big audiences like those for Paramount Plus, Nissan and Petro-Canada.

“I did the video audition for the Petro-Can commercial and I got it, but I was supposed to be the cowboy in the commercial,” Laidlaw said.

“Then when they gave me the offer the contract said I was the ‘full denim guy’ – I was really excited about the cowboy, though because that’s kind of my lifestyle.”

He doesn’t ride horses but he’s lived off the grid in the past and in the country for a while now.

The jeans, the jean shirt and jean vest he wore is known as the Canadian tuxedo to many – denim from head to toe.

“I mean, I grew up in the Hart, right?” Laidlaw said. “That’s what we all wear.”

The commercials eventually aired during one of the most-watched televised events in the world.

“They didn’t say the commercials were airing during the Olympics but there were whispers of it,” Laidlaw said.

When he got down to Vancouver to do the filming it only took about a half a day, but the spot ended up getting a lot of air time, Laidlaw said.

On set he was treated like gold, he added.

He got breakfast and then he was in hair and makeup where they really emphasized his moustache.

“They made it as big as possible,” Laidlaw said. “Then we spent time doing the same thing with so many different camera angles, looking for the perfect shot.”

He has an agent in Vancouver who sets up his auditions and lately he’s been doing it by video. When there’s a callback he goes down to Vancouver in person.

It’s worked pretty well so far, with more and more auditions looking for his classic Canadiana look.

Most recently he auditioned for a Jeep commercial and one for a financial services firm.

Laidlaw has always been athletic and was known at his high school for his volleyball playing at what was known as Kelly Road school back in the day.

He turned professional after attending college and university, then got sidetracked when he was asked to be the party guy for Molson to promote the brand.

He was on social media before it was mainstream.

After about four years of that he realized he didn’t enjoy the party pace.

“I wanted to be an athlete again,” Laidlaw said. “So I started playing beach volleyball again.”

He had his heart set on the Olympics but was injured during training. A talent agent discovered him coaching beach volleyball.

“My agent had me in mind for a role and it was my first audition and I didn’t know what I was doing but I got the part,” Laidlaw said.

“I just fell in love with it and now here I am with a whole bunch of commercials with big companies and the local commercials are fun, too.”

Laidlaw is doing everything he loves now. He is available as a volleyball coach and as a commercial acting coach.

“And if local businesses want to do an ad campaign with me, I’m good with that, too,” Laidlaw said.

And as far as the Petro-Canada commercials go?

Laidlaw said it best on his Facebook page.

“Mom, I made the Olympics! Not the way I originally intended, but I’ll take it!”

To connect with Laidlaw you can find him on Facebook or text him at 236-512-7789.

SCREENGRAB FROM PETRO-CANADA COMMERCIAL

Murray (Murf) Laidlaw, who grew up in Prince George, is the Canadian Tuxedo Man on the Petro-Can Let’s Go! commercials seen during the Olympics.

Medicine Wheel Café is a sacred place of healing

CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen staff

The Medicine Wheel Café is not just a place to sit and have a coffee. It’s a community support program where everyone is welcome.

Imani Miller, who started her work life as a nurse, opened the café last July at 1231 17th Ave.

At that point she had been working at School District 57 for more than eight years as a member of the Elders Indigenous Council within the Indigenous education program. Since she’s been on call for the last two years she’s having even more fun than before, visiting all the schools and hanging out with the students.

“So this café is kind of my retirement –I’m 75 years old,” Miller said. “I’m taking my time with it because I’m having so much fun with it.”

Miller smiled as she admitted she considers the Medicine Wheel Café her clubhouse.

“So my friends and I and their friends meet up and do all kinds of things,” she said.

“We’ve got a core group and we meet to strategize about the future of the café. What we are and what we hope to be is a community outreach. So we work with all kinds of resources. People come in and we can help them access resources.”

There’s even a space for Miller to do her energy work and massage therapy.

“It’s multi-purpose,” Miller added.

She’s been practicing her medicine wheel principles for most of her life and her work in Prince George reflects that.

“It started at the Native Friendship Centre where I was an addictions counsellor and I had a wellness group,” Miller said. “And I thought, why not bring some of the medicine that I was taught by my father’s side of the family? He’s a Chickamauga Cherokee so I kind of brought that into it and also because the Cherokee have ties with the ancient Mexican beliefs I bring in the Toltec four agreements and that was a big part of it at first.”

The four agreements are be

impeccable with your word, don’t take anything personally, don’t make assumptions, always do your best.

In the meantime, Miller was also a co-facilitator of the John Howard Society’s anger management program.

“So I started bringing some of the things over there like the four agreements and the medicine wheel for balance and it really worked for some people,” Miller said.

Miller continued to meet with groups and finally decided that meeting outside might be best.

“Mostly we met by the river and we build medicine wheels down there and taught people how to use them to heal,” Miller said.

“We also showed people how to drum at the river.”

Working with the medicine wheel and offering her knowledge has been

a lifelong dream of Miller’s and she’s grateful for the opportunity to continue her work.

“People have the power to heal themselves,” Miller said. “We can’t heal anybody so we teach them how to heal themselves – we give them the tools they need – but that word is so overused – we show them the path of self-reliance and the importance of believing in yourself. That is more powerful than saying ‘hey, let me give you a tool’ because I have met people that are so down that you could give them every tool in the toolbox and they couldn’t even lift them up, let alone make use of them. So we help people find their strength.”

Miller continues to use what she learned from her father and her grandparents.

Her world opened up when she

started to travel the globe at 60 years old.

She lived in Australia for a while and Indonesia, France and England.

“So I gathered knowledge as I went and then when I came here and saw this little place – the Medicine Wheel Café location – I said I wanted this little place to be like a lighthouse,” Miller said.

“When you build a medicine wheel it brings everyone together in one place. You’ve built a sacred space. I want light to come from it. I want people to come here and feel comfortable and I don’t care who they are. We just have to approach everyone with love. When you come together it doesn’t matter what you’re coming for, whether it’s to pray, grow or heal, you get your balance. Even if they’ve never done it before it feels familiar and that’s the true power of the medicine wheel.”

CITIZEN STAFF PHOTO

Imani Miller started the Medicine Wheel Cafe more than a year ago as a community support program.

Throwback Thursday: Week of August 22

Aug. 22, 1967: David Callaway of Quinn Street holds his new puppy, Buddy, in this frontpage photo. David, 13, won a letterwriting contest run by the Prince George Humane Society to find a new home for the puppy, which had been featured in The Citizen after being found injured. The photographer who took this was not identified.

Aug. 22, 2011: Clay Farmer, 6, from Savona, concentrates on his roping during the Junior Boys Dummy Roping competition at the B.C. Little Britches rodeo. Clay placed sixth in the event.

Citizen file photo by David Mah

Aug. 21, 1995: Siebe Kamstra, left, duels Dave Withrow at the 24th annual Sandlast, a race down the 33-degree slope of the Nechako cut banks. Dave Martinson of Whistler, who grew up in Prince George, had the fastest time, while Dmitri Lesniewicz won the junior race, Chris Derker won the snowboard race and Len Whitehead took first in bikes. Citizen file photo by Chuck Nisbett

Aug. 22, 1980: Monte Chew buckles up his motorcycle helmet before taking a ride. British Columbia had just made helmets mandatory with a controversial update to the Motor Vehicle Act, although Prince George RCMP Sgt. Ken Craig noted that most local motorcyclists were already wearing helmets despite efforts from the anti-helmet crowd to downplay their effectiveness.

Citizen file photo by Brock Gable

Healthy North

See a pharmacist

Have a minor medical complaint? Book an appointment with a pharmacist today! Get assessed by a pharmacist for a number of minor ailments, including pink eye, urinary tract infections, canker sores, and more. You can also get prescriptions for contraception at the pharmacy. Book an appointment with a prescribing pharmacist near you - online or by telephone (1-833-882-0022). In many cases there is same-day availability. For more information visit: www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/ content/health/accessing-health-care/pharmacy-services

Physical Activity Resources

If you live in a rural and remote community, virtual services can help you access services not readily available in your home community. Both physical activity resources and physiotherapy services can be accessed virtually! Whether you’re looking to speak to a physiotherapist or participate in an exercise program, virtual services can connect you with what works best for you wherever you are. For more info, visit: Northernhealth.ca/health-information/physicalactivity/virtual-and-home-based-activity-options .

Preparing for smoke

Northerners are learning to live with wildfire smoke. Each year, spring and summer bring lingering smoke for weeks (and sometimes months) in many communities. It’s important that we plan yearround to protect our communities, even before the smoke rolls in. Read how smoke can affect our heath and the ways you can prepare for smoky conditions here: Stories.northernhealth.ca/stories/ smoky-times-how-communities-can-help-young-families-wildfire-smoke.

Northern Health bus tickets can now be booked online

The $20 route connects Vancouver and Prince George with stops in other communities

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

Online bookings are now available for users of the Northern Health bus service that provides travel to medical appointments from northern B.C.

Patients and their travel companions can book their Northern Health Connections bus tickets through nhconnections.ca with any online device or by calling 1-888-647-4997.

To be eligible for the service, patients must have a valid BC Care Card and be in need of a health service not available in their home community.

That includes cancer treatment, hemodialysis, physiotherapy, surgery and access to higher level of care or consultation with such medical professionals as a primary care physician, specialist physician, dentist or pharmacist.

Patients who require care from a physician or nurse during travel are not eligible.

Northern Health Connections buses also serve patients who have been transported by BC Emergency Health Services ground or air ambulances and need to travel home.

People who need accessible transportation due to mobility limitations can access the service without a medical appointment.

Seniors over the age of 60, with or without a medical appointment, are also eligible.

Companions and people supporting family members in care are also eligible. That includes people who have to travel from another community to provide assistance to a patient.

UHNBC is the gathering place for passengers riding Northern Health Connections buses. The bus runs connects Prince George and Vancouver.

The bus is also open to health-care staff, physicians and health-care students.

Seat priority will be given to people with medical appointments, those who require mobility lifts and their companions.

Other requirements

• You must not need ongoing medical care during the trip;

• You must have a valid BC CareCard or BC Services Card;

• Passengers younger than 18 must travel with a companion who has written permission to travel with them, or a parent or legal guardian;

• Passengers aged 18 and older must carry photo ID;

• Companions must also carry photo ID.

Vancouver-Prince George schedule

One bus from Prince George to Vancouver runs Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, leaving from University Hospital of Northern B.C at 8 a.m. and arriving in Vancouver at 1100 Granville St., at 7:30 p.m.

The bus from Vancouver to Prince George runs Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. It stops in Hixon, Quesnel, Kersley, Williams Lake, 150 Mile House, 108 Mile House, Lac La Hache, 100 Mile House, Clinton, Cache Creek, Hope, Chilliwack and Abbottsford.

The Prince George-Vancouver fare is $20.

For more scheduling information, go to the website.

Reservations have to be made by 2 p.m. on the day of travel.

If you have to cancel your reservation a minimum 24-hour notice is requested. Companions might be bumped from travel if the bus is full of patients and sufficient notice is given.

The call centre can be reached at 1-888-647-4997 or if you’re outside of B.C. call 1-250-564-7499.

Mini-bus passengers are limited to one carry-on bag that is no larger than 51 centimetres (20”) long, 23 cm (9”) wide and 40 cm (16”) tall.

Coach passengers are allowed one carry-on bag (within the above dimensions) and two checked pieces of luggage.

Each checked bag must be no larger than 61x114x61centimetres (24x45x24 inches) and cannot weigh more than 23 kilograms (50 pounds).

EMAIL: coralee.oakes.mla@leg.bc.ca #401-410 Kinchant St., Quesnel Serving Cariboo North since 2013 Coralee

BC UNITED MLA, CARIBOO NORTH PHONE: 250-991-0296

The Healthcare Travelling Roadshow’s mission is to inspire rural youth across northern British Columbia

BYRON STEWART Northern Health

The Healthcare Travelling Roadshow is a grassroots initiative to address workforce shortages in rural health care.

The program was conceived at a 2009 event in Prince George, the “Rural Healthcare Workforce Symposium: A Collective Commitment to Action.” The concept was simple: a trip that would take Northern BC post-secondary health care students out to a rural community in the region so they could connect with rural youth.

As it says on the UNBC website, the program involves a multidisciplinary group of health care students from post-secondary institutions around BC travelling to rural communities to showcase career opportunities to high school students, meet the medical professionals living and working there, and visit local health care facilities. This

Let’s Fix Health Care.

year, the roadshow was held on May 3 and 4 in Fort Nelson (Northern Rockies Regional Municipality).

The Healthcare Travelling Roadshow has three goals:

1. Showcase health care careers as options for rural students. Current post-secondary health care students present to local students, formally and informally, giving them all the details about rural-focused training programs. Since these health care students are generally younger than local parents and health care professionals, they can speak to local youth in a way that’s more engaging. Informal presentations provide opportunities for local students to examine health care equipment and allow for more personal conversations with presenters.

2. Showcase the rural community as a career option for health care students. The rural community -- in this case, Fort Nelson – has an opportunity to introduce the visiting students to the medical community, the hospital or health care facility, the broader community, and local recreational opportunities.

3. Provide an interdisciplinary experience for he the health care students. Health care training programs tend to be taught in isolation from the other health care professions, though the

careers themselves all rely heavily on interdisciplinary interactions. Thus, there’s clearly a need to improve interdisciplinary opportunities for students during their training.

This year, the roadshow included presentations from 10 students currently enrolled in post-secondary programs about the paths leading them toward careers in nursing, respiratory therapy, laboratory, kinesiology, dental hygiene, midwifery. As well, four students presented on their paths to careers as physicians.

The student presenters set up display tables in the gym at Fort Nelson Secondary School and met with students from grades 8-12.

The welcoming and engaging format allowed for conversation, questions, and learning about health care, as well as the options these high school students have as they look toward career and educational paths post-graduation. This type of event wouldn’t be possible without the help of the following partners:

• The community of Fort Nelson and the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality:

• Mayor Rob Fraser

• Coun. Brenda Enax

• Coun. Lorraine Gerwing,

• Scott Barry, chief administrative 0fficer

• Diana Penney, regional health liaison

• Doctors Mostert, Lupu, and Jarullah of Fort Nelson

• Northern Health

• School District 81

UNBC and Shelley Raper, admissions site co-ordinator and student affairs co-ordinator for the Northern Medical Program

This program is a great example of the cooperative efforts and partnerships established between post-secondary institutions, school districts, rural communities, and Northern Health in regard to long-term recruitment of future health care professionals.

Outside Fort Nelson General Hospital: The 10 post-secondary health care students who participated in the 2024 Healthcare Travelling Roadshow, together with two organizers from UNBC.

Local Sports

Rugby player Joel Ewert off to Paris for Paralympics

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

Prince George gave Joel Ewert a hometown sendoff on Friday, Aug. 16, the day before he left for Paris and the Paralympics wheelchair rugby tournament, and it was only fitting the venue picked for well-wishers to show their support was Canada Games Plaza.

Back in 2015, when Prince George hosted the Canada Winter Games, a 15-year-old Ewert was one of the prominent local athletes, competing for Team BC in wheelchair basketball and that set the tone for two more Canada Games competitions, including a gold-medal win for B.C. in 2023 in Prince Edward Island.

Ewert, 24, who was born with cerebral palsy, started playing wheelchair basketball at age 5. He grew up a two-sport athlete, also excelling at rugby, and the nation took notice.

After he helped Canada to a 10th-place finish at the U23 world wheelchair basketball championship in Thailand in 2021, the pursuit of excellence in rugby took over, and look what that got him – a spot on the roster of Team Canada in the Paralympic Games.

“It’s pretty cool to see everybody come out to this, a lot of different people from a lot of areas of my life, and it just puts into perspective how important it is to  have a good support system and how many people have helped you along the way,” said Ewert.

“As a kid with a disability growing up, the Paralympics is the goal. There’s no NHL, no MLB, you’re thinking about going to Paralympics, and to be able to see that come true is really cool.”

Canada, ranked fifth in the world, opens the eight-team Paralympic tournament on Thursday, Aug. 29 (4:20 a.m. PT) against the second-ranked Americans.

Canada is part of the A Pool with the U.S., Japan and Germany. The

Flanked by his brother Carl and parents Jim and Bonita, Joel Ewert of Prince George meets supporters at Canada Games Plaza on Friday, Aug. 16 before leaving for Paris to represent Canada at the Paralympic Games.

top-ranked Australians make up the B Pool with Great Britain, France and Denmark.

Canada qualified with a second-place finish at the last-chance tournament in March in New Zealand.

“We’re competitive and experienced, with a good blend of veterans and young guys, and I think we’re going to be pushing for a medal,” said Ewert, who first took up rugby when he was 15. “Hopefully I’ll bring home some hardware to Prince George.

“There’s a lot of parity at the top in the world and hopefully we can make some waves in Paris and end up on the top.”

One of three players on the 12-player squad heading into his first Paralympics, Ewert has been training with some of his Team Canada teammates all summer in Victoria.

Built brawny and with an abundance of upper-body strength honed in the gym and on the court, Ewert says rugby is more physical than basketball. Given the choice he prefers rugby.

“There a lot of chair-to-chair (contact), it’s pretty high-paced and it’s loud out there when people are running into each other,” he said.

“I think I like rugby better, I get to be a ball-handler so you get a bit more of the shine, as opposed to my role in basketball where I was sort of a picker and sealer, setting up plays.”

Ewert watched TV coverage of the Olympics that wrapped up Aug. 8 and expects Paris will excel once again as hosts of the 11 days of Paralympics competitions. He left for Paris on Saturday and plans to be part of the opening ceremony on Wednesday, Aug. 28.

“Seeing the energy of the athletes and

seeing all kinds of different stories from the underdogs to the favourites being able to pull it out on top, that’s what people love about sport, the unpredictability,” he said.

Joel will have his Prince George family with him in Paris to provide a boost from the stands during his games, including his mom and dad, Bonita and Jim, brother Carl, Joel’s girlfriend, Kendall Scheck, her sister Madison and their mom Tracey.

“A lot of the Team Canada families will be coming to cheer them on and it’s going to be a competitive event because all the teams are close,” said Jim Ewert. “It’s going to be a great experience.”

MLA Shirley Bond told the crowd about the dedication it took from Bonita and Jim to make those regular trips to the Lower Mainland for training camps and competitions so Joel could get better as an athlete, building on the skills his first coach, Pat Harris, taught him when he was introduced to basketball.

“It’s a lot of hard work from him and it takes a village of family and friends supporting him,” said Bonita. “He has family in Vancouver, so whenever he went down there for tournament we would stay with them. All his hard work has paid off. Everyone says you have to move away but you don’t. We had to travel a lot, but I think that’s what kept him grounded. He still had his friends and community and that really helped. Whereas if he went away to school, you don’t know your community.”

Preliminary-round games are set for Aug. 29-31, with semifinals Sept. 2 and medal games Sept. 3. Canada’s games will be streamed live on the CBC website and will also be shown on CBC TV and on the CBC Gem app.

Ewert said he will be sure to share links to the broadcasts on his Facebook page.

Ewert has been accepted into UNBC’s medical school, which starts as soon as he gets back from Paris.

CITIZEN PHOTO BY TED CLARKE

Australian athlete signs on with Timberwolves

CITIZEN STAFF

The UNBC Timberwolves midfield is getting a big boost from Down Under.

Head coach Neil Sedgwick announced Saturday, Aug. 17 that Scarlet Thomas of Sydney, Australia has committed to the TWolves for 2024 and beyond.

Thomas arrived in Canada in late July and most recently played soccer for the North West Sydney Football Club and head coach Tiana Gauci.

“Everyone’s been so welcoming,” said Thomas. “I feel like Australians get along with Canadians quite well, and everyone here so far has been happy and kind.”

In her short time up North, Thomas has endeared herself to her teammates and coach Sedgwick.

“We’re excited to have Scarlet join us from Australia,” explained the TWolves head coach. “Scarlet brings maturity and a true desire to continue her growth here at UNBC. She has already made a positive influence to the

program and the culture of the team.”

Thomas was asked about her early impressions of her new coach.

“He is obviously a very wise character,” she said. “I feel like I’ve got a lot of

learning to gain from him.”

As for her new teammates? She responded with: “I’m really impressed with the standard of play. It’s been very competitive, very physical, and

committed.”

Despite some nagging injuries in recent season, Thomas has still managed to play soccer and futsal at a NSW State level. She’s also been recognized for her leadership, and her skills in English academically.

In the classroom, Thomas plans to study psychology. “I’m really excited to get into that and explore more journey with headspace,” claimed the newest Timberwolf. “The UNBC campus is beautiful and obviously pairing what I love most – soccer with academics is a great way to balance life.”

When asked about the excitement and the challenges that come with playing in the Canada West conference, Thomas responded with, “Playing overseas has always been a big dream of mine. So putting on that UNBC uniform means something to me. I feel I am most myself when I am active and playing soccer. I love the challenge of soccer and how I can grow my resilience.”

UNBC adds Danish soccer player to men’s team

CITIZEN STAFF

Ahead of the 2024 Canada West season, the UNBC Timberwolves are adding an impact player who can affect the game in multiple ways.

Head coach Steve Simonson has announced that Danish centre back/ midfielder Pipeijn (Pip) van der Ende has committed to the UNBC Timberwolves by way of Peninsula College in Washington State.

Last season at Peninsula College, under the guidance of head coach Jake Hughes, van der Ende appeared in all 20 games where he tallied two goals while adding seven assists en route to a 2023 NWAC championship.

Peninsula College captured division banners during each of van der Ende’s two seasons, and last season he was an all-star honourable mention.

“I know a buddy who went to Canada to play, so I knew that option was

Pip van der Ende of Denmark joins the UNBC Timberwolves this season after

there,” reflected van der Ende. “Then I came into contact with Steve (Simonson) and it was the right fit immediately. All the people were welcoming and I was like: I have to go here.”

“Steve is a very kind, tactical and smart guy, and I’m having a great time with the guys, hanging out together and getting better on the pitch,” added van

der Ende whose greatest strength on the pitch is with the ball at his feet, with the game facing him. Quick ball movement, speed and smart decision-making are all big components of his game.

“Pip is a fantastic addition to our program,” shared Steve Simonson. “He has an incredible brain for the game and fits our philosophy perfectly on the pitch.

He has gelled instantly from a social perspective with the group due to his open and genuine personality. Pip also has strong innate leadership traits which I look forward to seeing come out within this overall young group of players.”

Last season he cracked the honour roll three times and the President’s List once at Peninsula and will be studying general business at UNBC. The smaller campus at UNBC is right up his alley, and he’s looking forward to achieving his educational goals.

As for the transition to Canada and the elite calibre of Canada West play, van der Ende is taking it in stride.

“Everything is going to be bigger, faster, stronger so I just have to be quicker and smarter on the ball. Everything is just going to be a tad better than it was,” concluded van der Ende who is soaking up every minute in his new home. “I’m having the time of my life. I just hope I can keep it up and that we can keep it up as a team. Then good things can happen.”

UNBC ATHLETICS

Scarlet Thomas has made the move from Sydney, Australia to Prince George to attend UNBC and play for the Timberwolves.

UNBC PHOTO

playing in Washington State.

Northern Sport Centre has a brand-new court floor

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

The UNBC Timberwolves basketball teams have a new hardcourt home.

The Indigenous-themed $170,000 replacement of the wood-floor gym now known as Brownridge Court was unveiled Friday, Aug. 16, featuring the work of Gitxsan artist Trevor Angus.

The Northern Sport Centre project is a partnership between UNBC, the City of Prince George and Brownridge Insurance.

The locally owned insurance business owned by Gordon Brownridge has agreed to a six-year sponsorship arrangement to secure naming rights for the court.

Angus, a former UNBC student who lives in Vancouver, designed the large wolf that dominates the court’s floor. Lightly stained in Timberwolves colours - green and gold with black and white - the logo was painted on top of blonde-coloured floorboards to create a purposely-faded look.

The court sidelines feature a gold-onblack border which includes the UNBC motto “en cha huna,” a Dakelh (Carrier) term that in English is “respecting all forms of life.”

Angus also produced the Timberwolves’ Indigenous third jerseys which earned widespread recognition around the Canada West basketball and soccer leagues for their striking design.

“I think it’s important to us as an institution to be a leader in that,” said UNBC president Geoff Payne. “UNBC has always been aspirational and (has a) commitment to truth and reconciliation and acknowledging the traditional lands of which our Prince George campus as well as other campuses are on. But I wanted, in our new strategic plan, to act on truth and reconciliation, so being action-oriented and really being able to demonstrate that we don’t just have words but we have actions that are meaningful. We should all be embracing this, so if we can be inspiring and have other players, other universities, even

other communities, looking at what UNBC is doing and (saying) we want to do that as well, that is really important.

I’m proud of that at UNBC.”

Brownridge has long been a sponsor of UNBC athletics. He also finances the participation of UNBC business school students in JDC West competitions.

Former UNBC basketball player Emily Holmes, who played for the school from 2015 to 2020 and now works at Brownridge Insurance as a commercial

account executive, represented the company at Friday’s unveiling.

“This is incredibly special to me in a lot of ways,” said Holmes. “Given my journey with the UNBC Timberwolves for five years, I’ve played on this court since I was a kid. This place is like a second home to me. Incorporating the Indigenous art just speaks to so much of who our community is and what we stand for and it continues to put our program on the map.”

The Northern Sport Centre opened in September 2007 and the gym floor was refurbished in 2018, when it was damaged while hosting wildfire evacuees.

“What a place, we have a new floor, done for the next 20 years,” said Mayor Simon Yu.

“This is a showcase of what we can do as a community when private industry, when the city, when the university, when the First Nations get together. It’s beautiful.”

CITIZEN PHOTO BY TED CLARKE

The new hardwood floor at Brownridge Court at the Northern Sport Centre on the UNBC campus was formally introduced Aug. 16.

Life Events

Two years has passed, There is a sad rememberance, There is a memory fond and true There is a token of affection And a heartache still for you Miss you a lot Love, your Mom Ines, Son Anthony, and brother Frank

Mark Leslie James Allan passed away April 15, 2024 at Prince George.

Born in Vancouver April 26, 1956, he was the son of Bill and Shirly.

Mark is survived by his children Roberta Taylor (Greg) and Amanda Allan (Adam), best friend April Penner (Cory, Julie, Jen), grandchildren, Josh, Haydyn, Reagan, Shane-Lyn, Evan and Joshua and siblings Bonnie-Lynn, Lynne, Helene, Charlie, Lisa, and many nieces and nephews.

He is predeceased by his parents Bill and Shirly, brothers Harvey and Kenny, and brothers-in-law Basil and Ken.

A celebration of life will be held on September 14, 2024 at 1pm at the Elders Citizens Recreation Association 1692 10th Avenue, Prince George BC. In Lieu of flowers donations may be made to the BC Lung Foundation.

Prince George

Annie Nickerson, 67, of Prince George, passed away on August 9, 2024, after complications with a rapidly progressing form of Alzheimer’s and Dementia.

Born on July 18, 1946, in Shelburne, Nova Scotia, to Alexander and Elizabeth Williams, Annie was the youngest of four siblings, and the only girl among three brothers; Merve, Brad and Wayne

Annie married the love of her life, Wayne Nickerson, on August 10, 1974. Together, they embarked on a lifelong journey, moving across the country to British Columbia when Annie was just 16 years old. They built a beautiful life together, nearly reaching their 50th wedding anniversary.

Annie had two beloved adopted daughters, Amanda Nickerson and Wendy Hanlon, as well as her three cherished grandchildren, Grace, Declan, and Patrick Hanlon. Her family was the center of her world, and she was deeply devoted to them.

Throughout her career, Annie was a dedicated employee of Canada Post, where she worked for 32 years before retiring in 2019.

Annie’s infectious smile, warmth and kindness will be deeply missed by all who knew her. She leaves behind a legacy of love, strength, and unwavering dedication to her family and friends.

As per Annie’s wishes, a memorial service will not be held. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alzheimer Society of British Columbia, in Annie’s honor.

Our Son Gary “Junior” Simmons

October 28, 1981 - August 17, 2017

At peace with his Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Lovlingly remembered and Greatly missed. Forever and Always Mom & Pops xoxo Missing you always little Bro, I know you are dancing in heaven. Love, Big Sis and Nieces xoxoxo

Rita Kaiser

February 7, 1939 - July 29, 2024

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our dear friend Rita Kaiser. Rita passed away peacefully on July 29, 2024 at the Northcrest Care Center in Delta, BC. As requested by Rita, there will be no funeral service.

She is survived by her family in Germany and many friends that she cultivated over her years in Prince George and around the world.

We extend our thanks to the staff at the Northcrest Care Center in Delta, BC for taking very special care of Rita in her final days in a very loving and gentle manner. Rita left us peacefully, we will miss her.

Prince George’s locally owned funeral service. We offer personalized services to suit your family’s wishes and requirements. You can count on us to help you plan a personal, lasting tribute to your loved one.

Mark Leslie James Allan

Annie Nickerson

AnnaMarie Spooner

March 3, 1946 - August 2, 2024

A precious limb has fallen from our family tree. On August 12, 2022 our healthy and beloved wife and amazing mother suffered a massive stroke leaving her paralyzed on her right side while Aphasia silenced her multilingual skills as well as her beautiful singing voice. After a two year effort to recover AnnaMarie suffered a second stroke that took her from us. She is now most certainly singing in God’s Choir of Angels.

AnnaMarie is survived by her husband of 57 years Roy Spooner, and is mother to Christopher (Jaelyn) and Tanya, and Grama to Reese, Tony and Elowyn. She is survived by sister Clara (Jack) and brother Tony. She was predeceased by her parents, Anton and Anna Waldvogel

AnnaMarie’s family immigrated from Switzerland to Prince George in 1957 where she graduated from Prince George High School. She was employed by the Village of South Fort George as Deputy Village Clerk prior to amalgamation with Prince George. AnnaMarie joined the Royal Bank in 1979 and after retiring from RBC joined Integris Credit Union until a second retirement. She was a hard worker and active volunteer and with a passion for helping people.

AnnaMarie was deeply engaged in community life and was almost always involved in community projects too numerous to mention here.

AnnaMarie was most happy when she was working in her garden especially her roses surrounded by wildflowers with a deer sleeping in the meadow.

Her great joy in life is her two wonderful children As

Thomas Michael Burke, 80, of Prince George, passed away peacefully on August 11, 2024, surrounded by his loving family.

Born and raised on the Burke family farm in Deep River, Ontario, Tom’s life was a tapestry of diverse and adventurous pursuits. His career spanned the army, railway, and the fields of drilling and blasting, among other ventures. Tom cherished time spent with his family, enjoyed leisurely coffee on the patio with his loving wife, and found joy in feeding the squirrels and birds in his yard, who will also miss him dearly.

Tom was predeceased by his parents, Catherine and Matthew Burke, and his sister, Anne.

He is survived by his devoted wife, Karin, and his children: Stacey (Josh), Jason, Emery (Kathleen), and Maria (Gord). He is also remembered fondly by his grandchildren, Jocelynne, Christian, and Oliver, and his brothers, Frank, Clayton, and Brian.

A celebration of Tom’s life will be held at 10160 Forest Hill Place on August 24th at 11:00 a.m.

The family extends their heartfelt thanks to the staff at UHNBC and the PG Rotary Hospice House for their compassionate care during Tom’s final days.

Rae passed away peacefully on August 13, 2024.

He was predeceased by his loving wife Elaine (nee. Oakley) in November, 2014.

Rae was born in Trail, B.C. on September 12, 1935, the eldest of five children: Doreen (Jim), Ron (Roseanne), Carol (Don), and Glen (Linda). After high school Rae worked briefly for CP Rail and as an engineering assistant with Canada’s Water Resources Branch at Mica Creek. In 1956, Rae began his career with the Department of Indian (Indigenous) Affairs and Northern Development. Rae married the love of his life, Elaine in 1957, and they started their family with the birth of their sons Ken in 1960 and Gary in 1962. In addition to taking care of his family, Rae was an avid outdoorsman, beekeeper, golfer and wood carver.

Rae retired in 1990, completing a career that spanned nearly 35 years of dedicated and compassionate service to others. After retirement, he served on the board of the Prince George Branch of the National Association of Federal Retirees where he wrote several articles about the need to focus on the humanitarian issues of our country and the world.

Rae is also remembered as a loving father, grandfather and great-grandfather who sincerely enjoyed children. He is survived by sons Ken (Liz) of Frankfort, Illinois and Gary (Laurelle) of Nanaimo, B.C., grandchildren Craig (Laura), Clare and Connor, great-grandchildren Graham and Zoey, and many nieces and nephews.

Plans for a service and celebration of Rae’s life will be announced. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Prince George Hospice Palliative Care Society or the B.C. Cancer Foundation (https://bccancerfoundation.com/RaeMcIntyre)

Thomas Michael Burke

Rae Manning McIntyre

Classifieds

3 Bedroom house for

near Spruceland. One bathroom. No Smoking, No pets. $2000 per month plus add and Utilities. Call 250-596-0104

Firewood

BIRCH Firewood in 20 foot lengths. Delivered by dumptruck load. $1100. or bucked to length $1300 per load delivered 250- 614-6667

Services for Hire

trucks or equipment.

George (250) 614-8915

NOTICE

CREDITORS & OTHERS

.

RE: Estate of Stanley Berezowski and of Nassa Logging & Excavating Co. LTD., who died Oct. 18/22.

All persons having claims against the estate named above are hereby notified to send particulars of their claims before Sept. 30/24, to: Dana Jardine, Executor, 8040 Shelley Townsite Rd, Prince George, BC. V2K 5X7. Dated at Prince George, BC, Jul 8/24.

5X5 round hay bales, $275 each- net wrapped, barn stored. 250-614-6667

Booking deadline: Friday noon

Approval deadline: Monday at noon

250.562.2441

Between, Edith Melnyk or anyone

MHR# 23551

at #27-1720 Prince George Pulpmill

Prince George, BC V2K 5P2 and Spruce Capital Trailer Park Ltd., 766 W 69th Ave.,

B.C. V6P 2W3 (778-386-8036). I, Spruce Capital Trailer Park Ltd., will dispose of the above-mentioned mobile

unless the person being notified takes possession of the property establishes a right of possession of it within 30 days from the date the notice is served on that

CAREER OPPORTUNITY

IC Expert Painting Ltd. is an expanding company located in Prince George, BC and servicing central and northern BC. We provide industrial, commercial, and multi-family finishing work for new construction and are seeking an experienced painter supervisor to join our team.

Required Skills:

• Safety focused

• Minimum 5 years of related experience

• Knowledge of prepping surfaces for painting

• Ability to climb ladders and operate atop lift equipment.

• Knowledge and ability to operate a sprayer

• Ability to lift and carry up to 50 lbs.

Additional Skills:

• Experience managing projects and staff

• Vinyl installation experience

All IC Expert Painting Employees:

• Have a safety conscience approach in all tasks and are able to maintain a clean workspace

• Must be punctual

• Have a cell phone

• Possess a valid drivers license and a reliable vehicle

• Have a positive, personable attitude

We offer:

• Continuous year-round work

• LOA and travel expense

• Costs covered to obtain your safety certifications

• A fun, diverse, and challenging work environment

Wage: Based on experience, plus benefits.

Contact: info@icepainting.ca

Trades Help SERVICE TECHNICIAN

Culligan is looking for a Service Technician at our Prince George location. Superior customer service skills & plumbing experience preferred.

Send resume to: recruiting@culliganwater.ca www.culligan.com

TERRITORY SALES REPRESENTATIVE

Culligan is looking for a Territory Sales Representative to promote our water filtration and softening systems in the Prince George Region.

Send resume to: recruiting@culliganwater.ca www.culligan.com/

Peace Valley Industries is seeking Experienced Welders for shop and field work in Chetwynd, BC.

Must be a ticketed welder and have a minimum 5 years experience.

Must be a Canadian Citizen. Not willing to train.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent.

Pay: $35.00 - $45.00/hr Accommodations provided Email resume to peacevalley@uniserve.com

No phone calls please

Trades Help

EXPERIENCED TICKETED WELDER

Peace Valley Industries is seeking Experienced Welders for shop and field work in Chetwynd, BC.

Must be a ticketed welder and have a minimum 5 years experience.

Must be a Canadian Citizen. Not willing to train.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent.

Pay: $35.00 - $45.00/hr

Accommodations provided Email resume to peacevalley@uniserve.com

No phone calls please

STEEL STUD FRAMER

Steel stud framer for Prince George job on Bear Road, approximately 4 to 5 months Max Flynn 949 Joan Cres Victoria BC 250-818-2217 maxflynn949@gmail.com

GET NOTICED

The Citizen is seeking an Advertising Manager.

This position would include the following responsibilities:

• Co-ordinating the efforts of our existing sales team, including setting budgets, goals and plans to reach and exceed targets

• Developing marketing plans for new and existing clients, utilizing our first-party and third-party audiences

• Analyzing existing features and projects and introducing new products and solutions

• Networking within the community and acting as an ambassador and champion of The Citizen and our marketing solutions

Qualifications:

• A proven track record in sales and sales management

What we offer:

A base wage plus commission, with full benefits

How to apply: Please email owner@pgcitizen.ca

Who we are:

The Citizen is Locally Owned, Community Focused. We are the region’s leading source of news and information, and have been for more than 100 years. We love our community and strive to make it even better.

Skilled Help

BUSINESS DIRECTORY

ARIES (March 21 to April 19)

Impatience with those who don’t keep up with you can cause resistance, which, in turn, can lead to more delays. It’s best to be helpful and supportive if you want good results.

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20)

A surprise announcement from a colleague could put you on the defense. Gather your facts and respond. You’ll soon find the situation shifting in your favor.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20)

The time spent away from a project pays off with a new awareness of options that you hadn’t considered before. Weigh them carefully before deciding which to choose.

Plaster-TQ

CANCER (June 21 to July 22)

Consider confronting a personal conflict while there’s still time to work things out. A delay can cause more problems. A longtime colleague might offer to mediate.

LEO (July 23 to August 22)

Some emerging matters could impede the Lion’s progress in completing an important project. Best advice: Deal with them now before they can create costly delays.

VIRGO (August 23 to September 22)

Your aspect continues to favor an expanding vista. This could be a good time to make a career move, and taking an outof-town job could be a good way to do it.

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22)

Disruptive family disputes need to be settled so that everyone can move on. Avoid assuming this burden alone, though.

Ask -- no, demand help with this problem.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21)

Patience is called for as you await word on an important workplace situation. A personal circumstance, however, could benefit by your taking immediate action.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Don’t lose confidence in yourself. Those doubters are likely to back off if you demand that they show solid proof as to why they think your ideas won’t work.

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) A temporary setback might cause some unsettling moments for the usually sure-footed Goat. But keep going! The path ahead gets easier as you move forward.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18)

There’s welcome news from the workplace. There could also be good news involving a relationship that has long held a special meaning for you.

PISCES (February 19 to March 20)

You still might need to cut some lingering ties to a situation that no longer has the appeal it once held. In the meantime, you can start to explore other opportunities.

Homes & Living

Crawlspace vs. basement: make the right choice

One of the most crucial decisions you’ll face when building or buying a home is whether to have a crawlspace or a basement. Each option has pros and cons, and understanding them can help you make the right choice for your needs and budget.

WHAT’S A CRAWLSPACE?

Crawlspaces are shallow, unfinished spaces located beneath a home’s first floor. They provide access to plumbing, electrical and HVAC systems but typically have limited headroom. Crawlspaces are generally less expensive to construct than basements. They can be a viable option for homes built on a slab foundation.

WHY CHOOSE A BASEMENT?

Basements provide additional living or

storage space, potential for finishing, and better protection from severe weather and flooding. Basements also offer better insulation, which can lead to energy savings in the long run. However, building a basement is more expensive and requires proper waterproofing to prevent moisture issues.

HOW TO DECIDE

The decision between a crawlspace and a basement depends on your specific needs, budget and the geographical location of your home. If extra space and potential for expansion are essential to you, a basement might be the better choice. However, if cost-effectiveness and easy access to utilities are your priorities, a crawlspace is the way to go.

ESTIMATES

GO FOR GOLD.

Nightstands: how to mix and match like a pro

Nightstands are essential elements of bedroom decor that can enhance the overall look of your space. However, mixing and matching them effectively can seem overwhelming. These simple tips will help you master the art like a pro.

KEEP THINGS BALANCED

You want to achieve a harmonious look by balancing contrasting elements such as size, shape, colour and texture. For example, if you have a large, bulky bed, opt for smaller, sleek nightstands to create visual balance.

MATCH FINISHES

While you can mix different finishes, such as wood and metal, ensure they complement each other and tie into other finishes in the room. For example, if your bed frame has a dark wood finish, consider selecting nightstands with metal hardware in a complementary finish, like brushed nickel or black matte.

PLAY AROUND WITH STYLE

Don’t be afraid to mix styles for added visual interest.

For instance, experiment pairing modern nightstands with vintageinspired pieces or blending rustic elements with contemporary design. This eclectic approach can create a unique, personalized look that reflects your style.

FUNCTION OVER FORM

While esthetics are essential, prioritize functionality when selecting nightstands. Choose pieces that match your design vision and provide ample storage and surface space for your nighttime essentials, such as books, lamps and alarm clocks.

Following these tips, you can create a visually stunning and cohesive bedroom design showcasing your unique taste and personality.

Tarissa Boulding

Pankaj Sharma

Sarah Pineau

Is a micro-apartment right for you?

Have you heard about microapartments and are wondering if they’re the right fit for you? Micro-apartments are compact living spaces designed to maximize efficiency and minimize costs.

SMALL SPACE

Typically ranging from 100 to 400 square feet, micro-apartments can be perfect for minimalists or those looking to declutter their lives. With clever design features like multifunctional furniture and builtin storage solutions, you can make the most of every inch. However, a micro-apartment might feel cramped if you need some elbow room or love to entertain.

BUDGET

A significant advantage of microapartments is their lower price tag than traditional apartments. They’re attractive for budget-conscious individuals, especially those just

starting their careers or saving for long-term financial goals. However, it’s essential to consider your longterm objectives and whether the savings outweigh any sacrifices in space or amenities.

LIFESTYLE

Do you love cozy nights at home, or are you always on the go? Microapartments are great for people who don’t spend much time cooped up inside but may not be the best if

you’re a homebody who needs space to spread out. If you’re a minimalist on a budget who values location and convenience over space, a micro-apartment could be the perfect fit for you. Talk to a real estate agent in your area to help you find your new abode.

Rug sizing guide

Rugs are more than just floor coverings — they’re design elements that tie a room together and give it warmth and personality. However, choosing the right size rug can be daunting. Here are a few tips:

SHAPE

Consider the rug’s shape and the room’s layout. Rectangular rugs typically work well in living rooms and bedrooms, while runners are ideal for hallways and narrow spaces. Circular rugs can soften angular rooms and create a cozy atmosphere.

DIMENSIONS

For living rooms, aim to have all

furniture legs on the rug, creating a cohesive seating area. In dining rooms, ensure the rug extends beyond the table edges to accommodate chairs, even when pulled out.

In bedrooms, the rug should extend at least 45 to 60 centimetres beyond the sides of the bed, providing a soft landing for bare feet. For hallways and entryways, opt for runners that leave a border of floor space visible on either side.

Visit your local home decor stores to find a rug that adds style and comfort to your home.

your dream door starts here

a viewing

407 Gillet St, unit B $1,400 includes utilities Bed-2 + Den Bath-1 Kitchen-Fridge and Stove Living room- Fire Place Feature Laundry- Ensuite Laundry Extra Details- bright and spacious Pets- 1 Pet Negotiable Parking- Yes No smoking Tenant insurance is required.

1319 Porter Ave

Lower Unit B BEDS-2 BATH-1

YARD-Yes KITCHEN APPLIANCES- fridge, stove LIVING ROOM-Yes DINING ROOMYes LAUNDRY-Yes-shared STORAGE-Yes-sheds PARKINGYes-driveway PET FRIENDLYYes small pets considered with deposit. UTILITIES-Included $1300 monthly No smoking Tenant insurance required

106-2478 Upland Street

$1150 1 bedroom 1 bath Fridge Stove Dishwasher. Walk out yard Hydro not included. Pet allowed

HOMES & LIVING

494 Irwin St

$1,650 utilities included Above Ground Basement Unit BEDS-2 BATH-1 KITCHENFridge, Stove, and Over- Range Microwave LIVING ROOM- YES YARD- YES LAUNDRY-WASHER/DRYER PARKING-OFF STREET PARKING No smoking Tenant insurance is required.

2892 Upland Street.

$1400 This is a bright and updated basement suite. This unit features 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, and in-suite laundry in a spacious entryway. This unit has 1 spot in the driveway for off street parking, and shared use of the backyard. Utilities are included in the rent price. No Pets. No Smoking.

Upland St 2bed, 1 bath, top level

Negotiable

1737 Redwood Unit B Price $1,550 Available now! * BEDS- 3 BATH- 2 YARDShared KITCHEN APPLIANCESFridge, stove LIVING ROOM/ DINING ROOM- Yes LAUNDRYYes, in suite PETS-1 Negotiable with deposit UTILITIES- Included EXTRA DETAILS- Basement suite No smoking

849

Harper Street

$400.00 Garage Unit Perfect place to store your car, bikes or a good space to create a work shop. 350 square feet. Hydro is not included.

FEATURED RENTAL OF THE WEEK

FEATURED RENTAL OF THE WEEK

379 RUGGLES UNIT A

Price $1650 BEDS- 2 BATH- 1

YARD- Yes, Shared. Large shed, Shared KITCHEN APPLIANCESFridge, stove, dishwasher. LIVING ROOM/ DINING ROOM- Yes

LAUNDRY- Yes, shared. PARKING- 1 Off street parking PETS- 1 Negotiable with deposit. UTILITIES- Included

110 Claxton Cres

$2000 Beautiful 3 bedroom home located in heritage area. Top floor only rental. Kitchen has a fridge, stove and dishwasher. Large patio deck off the kitchen and shared yard space. Separate laundry as well. Utilities included. No smoking. Pet negotiable.

7491 Southridge Ave

Available September 1st, 2024

Lovely full house available for rent and is close to Southridge elementary school. 3 bedroom 2 bathrooms plus furnished basement. Upper Kitchen includes fridge, stove and dishwasher! Lots of cabinets. Large double car garage to store your cars in during winter! Large backyard with deck and extra storage. This wont last long! Apply today! No smoking Tenant insurance required

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS

2459 Carmicheal Plc

$1600.00, utilities included, with cap ground level basement suite. BED-2 BATH-1 KITCHEN- large Fridge, Stove, Dishwasher LIVING ROOMYES LAUNDRY- ensuite laundry Extra details- Patio space under deck Parking-one parking on driveway Pets- 1 pet negotiable No smoking Tenant insurance is required.

Picking a chandelier: how to get it right

Selecting the right chandelier can elevate the ambiance of any room. It serves as a striking focal point while providing essential illumination. Here are a few key factors to consider when picking a chandelier for your space.

SIZE AND SCALE OF THE ROOM

The size of a chandelier can significantly impact the overall balance of the room. You must choose a chandelier that’s proportionate to the room’s size. For instance, in dining rooms, the chandelier’s diameter should be around one-half to two-thirds the width of the table to ensure it looks visually appealing.

CEILING HEIGHT

Select a chandelier with a compact design or a flushmount fixture in rooms with low ceilings to prevent it from overwhelming the space. A larger chandelier with a longer drop

can make a dramatic statement for rooms with high ceilings.

DECOR

Choose a chandelier that complements the room’s style, whether contemporary, traditional or eclectic. Select a design that enhances the overall theme and adds visual interest without overpowering the space.

FUNCTIONALITY

Ensure the chandelier provides adequate illumination for the room’s activities, whether dining, entertaining or relaxing. Choose fixtures with adjustable brightness or dimmable options to create the desired ambiance.

Hire a professional electrician to safely install the chandelier and ensure it’s securely anchored to the ceiling.

Wallpaper installation: call the pros

Wallpaper is a great way to add visual interest and inject personality into your space. However, installing it can be a daunting task. While you may be tempted to try the DIY approach, calling a professional is often the best choice for a seamless and stress-free experience.

WHY GO WITH A PROFESSIONAL?

Professional wallpaper installers have the necessary skills and experience to tackle even the most challenging installations. They understand the intricacies of different wallpaper materials and surfaces and ensure proper adhesion and alignment for a polished finish.

Moreover, professionals have specialized tools and equipment for precise installations. From smoothing out air bubbles and lining up seams to trimming excess material, their expertise and

resources allow them to deliver impeccable results in a fraction of the time it would take you to do it yourself.

UNMATCHED PEACE OF MIND

Hiring a professional to install your wallpaper provides peace of mind and quality craftsmanship.

Reputable installers have a keen attention to detail and commitment to customer satisfaction. They prioritize the longevity and appearance of your wallpaper, minimizing the risk of errors or damage.

Calling the pros is undoubtedly the smart choice for a flawless finish for wallpaper installation.