Gateway to the North Jan 2015

GATEWAY

Groups Make Pitch For World Heritage Site Designation

The Ancient Forest and surrounding area has what it takes to be a world heritage site.

NEWS PAGE 6

The Best Historical Sites of the Central Interior

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

|

www.pgcitizen.cA

Your community voice for the north!

WEDNESDAY January 21 2015

NEWS AND EVENTS FOR PRINCE GEORGE AND CENTRAL INTERIOR

Games to Showcase Artists

PAGE 23

First Northern Medical Program Grad Returns as Specialist It’s all about community for the first specialist who has returned to Prince George after graduating from the Northern Medical Program.

LIFE PAGE 18

Citizen photo by David Mah

There are athletes coming to perform at the 2015 Canada Winter Games, and there are stage artists coming to perform. Other than the sports elements, the other key area of public focus during the CWGs are the artistic elements, primarily music.

NEWS PAGE 3

1

2

www.pgcitizen.ca | Wednesday, January 21, 2015

GATEWAYnews

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

|

Colleen Sparrow Publisher

www.pgcitizen.cA

3

Neil Godbout managing Editor

Games to

Showcase Artists

by Frank PEEBLES

There are athletes coming to perform at the 2015 Canada Winter Games, and there are stage artists coming to perform.

Other than the sports elements, the other key area of public focus during the CWGs are the artistic elements, primarily music.

From coast to coast to coast, every region of Canada and many of the nation’s diverse subcultures are represented in the public music festival.

“Every province and territory is represented from across the country,” said Karen Jeffery, manager of ceremonies and culture for the Games. “70 per cent of the artists come from BC, and 40 per cent come from the region. Many perform in French, many are aboriginal, there is a mix of men and women, there is a mix of ethnic backgrounds, so it is a representation as best we could of the nation. They are all professional artists - they make the majority of their living by doing musicians - and we’ve tried to represent as many cross-cultural features as we can, and as

many genres of music as we can.”

The top of the concert hotlist is Tanya Tagaq, the Arctic cultural heroine fresh off her win of the Polaris Music Prize. Her ethereal throat singing is to the ear what the northern lights are to the eye.

Representing the Atlantic coast and the first interface between old worlds - Newfoundland and Labrador - comes Canada’s foremost Canadian Celtic bard Allan Doyle. The affable co-founder of Great Big Sea will ensure the Canada Winter Games has no ordinary day.

Moving wildly west, other headliners rooted in the national identity are radiorowdy country musicians Tim Hicks and Chad Brownlee.

Classical cello diva Morag Northey touches on the oldest of music styles meeting the modern era.

Modern folk has its top shelf names arriving in P.G. as well, combining new and old genres like buzz band Said The Whale, super-group Mounties (the combo of solo

star Hawksley Workman, Steve Bays of Hot Hot Heat and Ryan Dahle of Limblifter), and blues crunchers The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer. Add in Good For Grapes, Delhi 2 Dublin, Ben Caplan and Sarah MacDougall – all of them folky headline grabbers from all corners of the country.

Pushing forward into the ultra modern stratospheres of music, major urban acts like rappers Classified and Skratch Bastid are coming, livewire electronica influences are warped into Dear Rouge, Willa (featuring soloist Ali Milner) and Radio Radio, and sound spinners like D!ggy The DJ will pound the beats.

Children will get the act being hailed as the next Raffi, the funlingual CBC-TV singing star Will Stroet.

Theatre lovers will get the tour de force drama Jake’s Gift by actor/playwright Julia Mackey.

Francophones will get French Canadian stars like Alex Nevsky, Bon Debarras,

Vishtèn and Lisa LeBlanc.

Aboriginal headliners like A Tribe Called Red and Indian City light up the marquee with roots so deep they can’t be counted in mere trips around the sun.

Even the Grammy Awards are represented in the form of Spanish-English superstar Alex Cuba.

“From theatre to funk, aboriginal and francophone musicians, children’s artists to throat singing, an impressive array of performers will entertain Prince George residents, 2015 Games participants and visitors at Games time,” said CWG chief executive officer Stuart Ballantyne.

Other acts on the bill include All Mighty Voice, The Boom Booms, Brandon Isaak, Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne, Tim Williams, Cont’d on page 4

4

www.pgcitizen.ca | Wednesday, January 21, 2015

GATEWAYnews Cont’d from page 3 The Fugitives, and more still to be announced.

Jeffery said it was important to the Games organizers to pick a who’s who of local/ regional acts, to show that our own area’s performers are as “at home” on the mainstage as they are on the streets and roads of northern B.C. Already mentioned are Jake’s Gift from Wells and Alex Cuba from Smithers, and they will be joined by Rachelle Van Zanten (Francois Lake), Black Spruce Bog (combo from P.G., Burns Lake, Prince Rupert areas), Folkie Strum Strum (Peace-country combo), Chimney Swallows (including P.G.’s Raghu Lokanathan and former Smithereen Corwin Fox), Derek Joyce (P.G.), Doug Koyama (several Cariboo towns), Jessey DaCosta (P.G.), Joey Only & The Outlaws (Wells), King Crow & The Ladies From Hell (Terrace and, with nine members, other parts as well), Kevin Zakresky (P.G.) and his Prince George Symphony Orchestra (also P.G., of course), Naomi Kavka (P.G.), Navaz (Persian P.G.), Out Of Alba (Celtic P.G.), Rosewood’s Diary (Vanderhoof), Will Kuklis (P.G.), Jerusha White (Fort St. James and P.G.), and others to be named.

“It was awesome to arrange the local content,” said Jeffery, who is a Cariboo resident herself. “Along with the musicians, we have a lot of visual arts based in this area. We are working with the Two Rivers Art Gallery on an exhibit during the Games, we have the art market and Artnerships Program in partnership with the Community Arts Council, there was the ‘gathering of the rocks’ art project, the VIP gifts are connected to local artists, the medals were designed by a local artist, so

in many ways the Canada Winter Games has been able to showcase the really strong arts community we have around here.”

All these performers will be available for the public free of charge and held at family-friendly times of the evening. Some will take place in the downtown Games Village area at the recently re-named Canada Games Plaza in front of the Civic Centre during the nightly medal ceremonies, or at Art Space inside Books And Company.

A few special events will be held elsewhere: a PGSO double feature at Vanier Hall, the staging of Jake’s Gift at The Legion, and The Boom Booms at the Treasure Cove Showroom.

The entire shebang is being held under the banner of the long-standing and beloved Coldsnap Festival, since that organization stood down its usual music lineup held this time of year, in order to work with the CWGs to present all these acts at this special two-week extravaganza.

“We’ve called this the 2015 Canada Games Coldsnap Festival, that’s is the banner we are all working under,” Jeffery said. “We are delighted to be partnering with them to bring this festival to life.”

The acts and mainstage are presented in part by the BC Lottery Corporation and Treasure Cove Casino, the federal government, provincial government and City of Prince George.

More artistic features and performances - like the opening and closing ceremonies - are still be announced by the CWG organizers, and some will be surprises.

GATEWAYnews

Groups Make Pitch For

World Heritage Site Designation

by Citizen staff

The Ancient Forest and surrounding area has what it takes to be a world heritage site, according to representatives from the Caledonia Ramblers and UNBC who addressed the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George Thursday afternoon.

“I’ve had the good fortune to visit similar sites around the world. Sites that have the same values as the Ancient Forest trail site in developed countries are nearly all world heritage sites,” said Darwyn Coxson, who was one of the authors on a discussion paper published in 2012 suggesting the area has the defining qualities for a nomination for such an accolade.

The process of receiving a UNESCO World Heritage or Biosphere Reserve designation would have to start with the area being turned into a provincial park. The federal

government would then have to nominate the park to the UN for the honour.

“When we looked at some of their criteria selection criteria - to be outstanding examples of ecological and biological processes - those small patches of inland rainforest, scientifically are just absolutely unique,” Coxson told the board of directors. “There’s nothing like them in the world. Around the world other temperate rainforests are within a stone’s throw of the ocean.”

Early conversations with provincial parks and government representatives, as well as local First Nations have all been supportive of the idea, said Dave King.

Regional district directors added their names to the list of advocates by resolving to write a letter to the Caledonia Ramblers in support of the project.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

|

www.pgcitizen.cA

5

6

www.pgcitizen.ca | Wednesday, January 21, 2015

GATEWAYnews

Out-Of-Towners

At Centre Of Crime Surge: Police

by Frank PEEBLES

Police have confirmed what downtown business owners were finding out firsthand.

There is a wave of criminal activity at the street level in Prince George, but instead of it being familiar suspects, the perpetrators are mostly newcomers from the northwest region.

The onset was slow but became noticeable to the store owners in the retail and business core of the city over the last few months. The rate of open drug dealing, vandalism, vagrancy, and other malfeasance has gone up to levels not seen since the installation of the Prince George

RCMP’s Downtown Enforcement Unit.

Local proprietors told The Citizen their impression was that these new faces were from Hazelton, Kitimat, Prince Rupert, Terrace and the smaller communities of the northwest.

“No. It’s not their imagination,” said Prince George RCMP spokesman Cpl. Craig Douglass. “We have taken notice of that as we deal with people and gather their home information. We have long said that people we deal with are often transient, and for a long time Prince George has been a hub for the north, but typically the northwest tends to stick to its own and the Peace-re-

gion tends to stick to its own. Now, which goes against usual practices in the past, they are finding their way here. We do not know why, although we are looking into it and we have some working theories.”

The main assumption being explored is housing pressure in the northwest pushing out undesirable tenants or those who can’t afford the higher prices. Due to the sustained upsurge in construction activity on the west coast, the region’s small-town vacancy rate has evaporated and the bigtown rental prices have climbed beyond the reach of many in the low income strata. Reports include rents jumping from

$400 to $1,200 dollars per month for a common apartment or basement suite.

“We haven’t checked with everybody, but we are definitely hearing about housing getting difficult in the Kitimat / Terrace area and people coming to Prince George looking for a better way,” said Active Support Against Poverty’s shelter manager Doug Price who has additional expertise as a past employee at Baldy Hughes Recovery Community and as head of security at University Hospital of Northern BC. He said during this summer the shelter at Bridget Moran Place has consistently been at or above core capacity. The anecdotal Cont’d on page 8

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

|

www.pgcitizen.cA

7

8

www.pgcitizen.ca | Wednesday, January 21, 2015

GATEWAYnews Cont’d from page 6 impression was that, on top of local people in need, the population of those in a housing pinch was bigger because of those fleeing the costs in the industrial boomtowns.

Price said there was also a bit of the reverse reaction - people from other regions coming here in hopes of catching on with a boomtown employer, but finding this difficult.

“The police are dealing with one part of it, but we are dealing with another part, and it’s not really the same people, but it is similar because of the probable cause - all the housing pressures in those places,” Price said. “There are a number of consequences being felt. We aren’t naive, but the ones who are connected to the crime parts of this are usually living in low-rent places, they aren’t the shelter crowd. The people we are seeing are really without a home for a number of reasons.”

“I see the homeless people, and I see the criminal element,” agreed one shopkeeper near Third Avenue and George Street where a number of street-involved people have tended to congregate in recent times.

“I’d call the homeless people pretty harmless, and we’ve gotten familiar with them over the years, the locals, and to be honest they are often the victims of these others - the new ones who are here trying to sell drugs and steal things to make a quick buck. But it’s the worst I’ve seen it in a long time around here.”

Douglass said initiatives were underway even before this new wrinkle emerged, but he was confident the policing aspects of this multi-facetted problem would have an impact.

“We’ve been working with Downtown Prince George and City Hall to improve the downtown, in any event,” he said.

“Even if it was great, we would want to make it greater, so that’s ongoing, but this escalation from other towns is one of the concerns that have come up. It certainly is a priority for us, we do notice the trends, and we have strategies to try to improve that.”

GATEWAYevents

Cariboo House

To Offer Games Nightlife

by Frank PEEBLES

When the Canada Winter Games festivities cross the finish line each day, the starting gun will just be firing for activities at Cariboo House.

The midwinter sports and culture extravaganza has its own slate of athletic spectacles during the day and concerts in the evening, but Citizen Special Events and Pacific Western Brewing will open the doors to Prince George nightlife at a little partyshack in the woods they call Cariboo House.

Well, not exactly the woods - smack in the middle of downtown Prince George, to be specific: Fifth and Dominion.

“We will be taking over Heartbreakers [also known in recent years as The Overdrive, Rum Jungle, The Munk and other names] and stocking it with 18 consecutive days of prime entertainment,” said Norm Coyne of Citizen Special Events. “We have a mix that will appeal to everybody: deejays, country, rock, celebrity guests, even a band of celebrity session musicians who will play songs while you sing live karaoke. They are called The Naturals and they call it rockaoke.”

The best known name to take centre stage at Cariboo House is Cabral “Cabbie” Richards, the affable and comedic sportscaster who started his career in the eponymous Cabbie On The Street segment on The Score. Since then he has become famous for his high-energy and high-funny interview style enjoyed by the A-list subjects as much as the audience. He has been a regular contributor on the Marilyn Denis Show on daytime CTV and has a high profile on TSN’s nighttime Sportscentre.

Cabbie will host a live sports trivia event at Cariboo House on Feb. 24.

Some other names up in the bright lights include country star Julian Austin (grand opening night, Feb. 13), a deejay double bill with Mat The Alien and Neon Steve (Feb. 14), a Metallica tribute band named Disposable Heroes (Feb. 22) and east coast Celtic stars The Irish Descendants (Feb. 16), to name but a few.

“We will have these national-calibre athletes doing their thing in our town, we will have a great music festival at the Civic Centre every night, the whole

Cont’d on page 10

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

|

www.pgcitizen.cA

9

10

www.pgcitizen.ca | Wednesday, January 21, 2015

GATEWAYevents Cont’d from page 9 nation is coming to town, so we wanted to do our part to make this a memorable experience,” said Coyne. “We had the opportunity to partner with PWB and turn Heartbreakers into the place to go for downtown nightlife, right in the heart of Games Village.”

Coyne said the Citizen is about to celebrate its 100th anniversary, and PWB is also a company with a long and colourful legacy rooted in Prince George, the northernmost and largest community in the Cariboo region. With that long history, and the line of Cariboo beer made by PWB, came an obligation to send Canada Winter Games visitors home with great personal stories about Prince George. With the CWG organizers taking care of the sports and early evening entertainment, this partnership

would take care of some of the late-night hours.

Each night at Cariboo House is a unique, individual entertainment experience with its own ticket (the most expensive is $20).

Advance passes, including group packages, will be available through the www. eventbrite.com website (find Prince George on their map for all P.G. eventbrite listings) and stay tuned to The Citizen for additional ticket locations.

For more information call 250-562-2441 and ask for Cariboo House organizers.

GATEWAYevents

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

|

www.pgcitizen.cA

11

12

www.pgcitizen.ca | Wednesday, January 21, 2015

GATEWAYnews

Artist Looks to

Nests for Inspiration

by Frank PEEBLES

Corey Hardeman’s art is a work in progress, yet she is so fledged as a painter that the Community Arts Council is showcasing her work as their main exhibit during the Canada Winter Games period.

Fledged is the title of the new Hardeman exhibition being arranged today on the walls of the Studio 2880 feature gallery. Each painting is a 12-inch by 12-inch (there are two larger originals

as well) oil image on canvas and each one has something to do with a nest.

“Conceptually, I think this is a really strong series,” said Hardeman from her home-based studio in Wells. “I have had this notion in my head for a long time. I have a biology background, and I’m always looking at the world with some of that thinking. The architecture of animals interests me deeply: bee hives, wasp nests, beaver dams,

bird nests. I spent a lot of the summer collecting nests - ones that are knocked down, not ones that are in use - and I amassed about two dozen nests. The barn swallow is really good at conforming the construction of their home to whatever corner they choose. I have one nest made primarily out of spiders’ webs. There is horse hair; there is synthetic material.”

It isn’t just the physical components of

Cont’d on page 14

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

|

www.pgcitizen.cA

13

14

www.pgcitizen.ca | Wednesday, January 21, 2015

GATEWAYnews

Cont’d from page 12 these nests that muse her artist’s mind. It is the symbolism, too.

“I think that they are a great way of articulating love,” she said. “There is a purity of purpose in these structure, to nurture and protect offspring. They are just lovely little objects and have all of this emotional resonance. We people respond to these forms from the wild world because it speaks to this need we all have on a primal level to nurture and make safe and protect our

families.

“There is a poignancy in the empty nest, too, because they will never again serve that purpose,” Hardeman added. “They have been retired from their purpose. I’m not getting at the human empty nest syndrome, but the dignity of construction of a home that is no longer needed. I painted them sort of as ghosts. It is not even about abandonment - it’s about a building that was so purposefully and lovingly built that

has outlived its purpose, and they are all made with these ephemeral substances.”

The Community Arts Council is certainly not making this an ephemeral display.

Hardeman was the CAC’s artist-in-residence in 2013-14, she won the provincial title and represented B.C. at the national Art Battle event at Maple Leaf Gardens, she has illustrated two books in the past year, and received national media attention for her courtroom illustrations during the Cody Legebokoff serial killer trial. She constantly works on more creations as a full-time professional artist.

“We are keeping her exhibition up until March, so she is in the public eye at our gallery during the Canada Winter Games,” when more people than usual, and from all across Canada, will be in Prince George sampling the city’s culture, said CAC spokesperson Lisa Redpath. “We are so thrilled to see the results of her work on this series. She has certainly become one of the region’s best known visual artists, so we are happy to have this exhibition available.”

It was painted especially for this occasion, said Hardeman, and the shape of

the paintings was indirectly a part of the commission.

“I knew the room was a small space, and when you paint big there is a tendency to want to step back and observe it from a distance. With smaller paintings there is less of a need to do that,” she explained.

“When you paint small, the process is just as demanding as when you paint on a large canvas, if not more-so. With small pieces you have to get it right. You have to go in with strong concepts and execute it cleanly.”

Fledged opens with a reception Thursday night at 7 p.m. at which Hardeman will discuss the creation of these 12 featured pieces, life as a painter, and feathering the artist’s nest. It is free to attend and the public is encouraged to come enjoy the unveiling.

Thereafter it will be available to view during business hours at Studio 2880’s gift shop/gallery at 2880 15th Avenue.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

|

www.pgcitizen.cA

15

16

www.pgcitizen.ca | Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

|

www.pgcitizen.cA

17

18

www.pgcitizen.ca | Wednesday, January 21, 2015

GATEWAYlife

First Northern Medical Program

Grad Returns as Specialist

by Christine HINZMANN

It’s all about community for the first specialist who has returned to Prince George after graduating from the Northern Medical Program.

Alym Abdulla graduated from the local program in 2009 and, after nine years of education, including specialized training in urology in

Ontario, returned to Prince George in August.

“For the most part it was the medical community itself and also the urologists that I had made connections with as a medical student,” said Abdulla.“I kept in touch with them and they always mentioned the possibility Cont’d on page 19

GATEWAYlife

Cont’d from page 18 of coming back to join the group. It worked out really well because I knew a lot about the community and I knew a lot about the people I would be working with and that’s very important for a physician to know about before they make a career choice.”

Dr. Paul Winwood, vice provost medicine, UNBC and regional associate dean, UBC faculty of medicine, said after a medical student has completed their education, including the specialty training, the fastest a specialist could get back here would be nine years and Abdulla is the first one, hopefully of many.

“Many of them will do further specialist training and that’s another two to three years,” said Winwood.“So then you’re up to 11 to 12 years and then many of them will spend another five years doing locums - working different places before they settle somewhere. So nine years it as early as it could every have been and it’s quite remarkable that Dr. Abdulla has chosen boom, that he wants to come straight back here.”

There are other reasons Abdulla decided to return to Prince George.

“I was able to do a lot more outdoor activities before getting into medical school and that was on hold for the last nine years and now that I’m done I know there’s a whole host of things that are out here that I enjoy doing,” said Abdulla.

“Pond hockey was always fun, I would like to try cross country skiing and I would like to work on my golf game.”

Abdulla is filling a position vacated by long-time Prince George urologist Dr. Clark Jamieson, who recently retired.

Recruitment efforts to find a replacement for Dr. Jamieson began almost a year ago. Including Dr. Abdulla, there are four urologists with practices in Prince George.

Abdulla has a proficiency for a minimally invasive surgery using a laparoscope.

“The best way to describe it is to say I am doing surgery with instruments small enough to fit through key holes and it avoids the use of a big incision,” said Abdulla.

Cont’d on page 20

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

|

www.pgcitizen.cA

19

20

www.pgcitizen.ca | Wednesday, January 21, 2015

GATEWAYlife

Cont’d from page 19 Those surgeries that use bigger incisions find patients needing longer hospital stays to recover, more pain post-operatively, and increased blood loss during surgery.

“This type of procedure is ideal for laparoscopic kidney surgery for kidney cancer,” said Abdulla.

The four urologists also cover the northern half of the province and Abdulla is prepared to travel on a regular basis. It’s too early to have a regular schedule but he knows he will have stops in Smithers, as well as Terrace when the urologist there retires.

“Those are the communities that would

require some type of urologic care,” said Abdulla.

Northern Health continues to work with partners including communities and the Northern Medical Program to recruit health professionals. In 2013 Northern Health was able to attract 35 family practitioners and 25 specialists to northern B.C., an increase of 16 arrivals from 2012.

“I think it’s important for the community to know that it takes time to train specialists,” said Abdulla.“I am coming out after nine years and there are people who trained with me in the Northern Medical

Program that are still training. It will take time but the specialists will come and the building blocks are here in Prince George for them to thrive as specialists.”

GATEWAYlife

Trail Opens

Up Nature to All

by Andrea JOHNSON

Pat Harris couldn’t stop smiling as he wheeled through the forest on Tabor Mountain last Friday.

The aroma of pine wafted through the crisp, fall air as gold-coloured leaves scattered the 450-metre trail.

“So far it’s fantastic,” said Harris, the resource manager for Spinal Cord Injury B.C. in Prince George.“The last time I saw this it was just roughed out. Clearly they had a vision. After wheeling around it now, it’s more than I imagined.”

The “it” Harris is referring to is the Great West Life Mobility Nature Trail unveiled Friday by the Tabor Mountain Recreation Society at Dougherty Creek at the end of Scott Road.

The trail was developed for seniors, wheelchairs and the public. It is set amongst Douglas and Fir stands along Dougherty Creek. Lined with packed, crushed gravel, the grade is less than five per cent with eight benches throughout.

Rails and bridges have been built to ensure everyone’s safety and protect the natural ecosystems.

“When a person has a disability his or her world shrinks, it gets smaller,” Harris told the crowd gathered at the unveiling.

“But one area we still have challenges with is Mother Nature. Getting out in that environment can be a problem and a challenge.That’s why the work that’s been done here is so impressive.

“There aren’t a lot of opportunities for people with mobility issues to get out and enjoy nature. When TMRS had a meeting with us, talking about access and what it means, I started talking about universal design. It’s a design that accommodates everyone.To have this access is very much appreciated.

“Thanks for bringing your mountain to the people.”

Bob Bullock, the trail’s project manager, said when the volunteer-run TMRS put its vision statement together, it wanted to

encompass the whole community. But it realized one segment of the community was missing and that was those with mobility issues.

In 2012, the project was launched with the location at the end of Scott Road, not far from the Prince George Snowmobile Club and PG ATV Club trail head.

“We figured this would be a good location due to its proximity to town,” said Bullock.“We cleared and developed the parking lot too to make it more accessible. We layed the sub-grade down this year. I’m extremely happy with how it turned out. It’s very, very peaceful.”

TMRS vice-president Randy Ellenchuk said the Dougherty Creek trail is a flagship project for the society. It’s among 407 kilometres of multi-use trails that are used for sports such as cross-country skiing, horseback riding, mountain biking, snowmobiling, and ATVing.TMRS receives funding and donations in kind to improve, rehabilitate and maintain the existing network.

“Phase 3 will include gazebos next year so folks can rest and have lunch,” said Ellenchuk.“We’ll also rough-in a campground that will have universal access. Phase 4 will include picnic tables. In 2014, there were 2,000 hours of volunteer work and there are still a couple more months of work left.”

Funding for the trail came from the federal and provincial governments, the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George, and various businesses.

Great West Life Mobility Nature Trail is 23 km south of Prince George.Take Highway 97 south to Buckhorn Road and turn left (east). Follow Buckhorn Road to Scott Road and turn north.Travel to the end of the road to where the gravel starts and take the first right to the main parking lot.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

|

www.pgcitizen.cA

21

22

www.pgcitizen.ca | Wednesday, January 21, 2015

GATEWAYlife

The Best Historical

Sites of the Central Interior

by Frank Peebles

It will be a Golden Raven summer all over the region.

A coalition of top-shelf historical and cultural sites is banded together under the Golden Raven branding umbrella, each one celebrating the others as a team of special attractions.This is the season where they all shine brightest in the eyes of visitors from around the world passing through on their tourist excursions, and the local holiday travellers as well. The Golden Raven group includes Barkerville Historic Town, Fort St. James National Historic Site, Huble Homestead Historic Site, Mackenzie and District Museum, Prince George Railway and Forestry Museum, Exploration Place Science Centre and Museum, Two Rivers Gallery, Valemount Museum, Valley Museum and Archives of McBride, and McBride’s Whistle Stop Gallery. These are the highlight

locations within the Fraser-Fort George Regional District.

In this two-part special feature, we first outlined the Golden Raven features from within Prince George. Now, in Part 2 we will examine the Golden Raven summer selections from the wider region.

Barkerville Historic Town - All day long, all week long, all summer long Barkerville – the largest and most complex historical and cultural location in British Columbia – has more to do than one person can take in during a day. It is one of Canada’s foremost living museum experiences.

- The historic Masonic Hall opens up for the annual reunion of Cariboo Lodge No. 4 including a Sunday morning church Cont’d on page 24

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

|

www.pgcitizen.cA

23

24

www.pgcitizen.ca | Wednesday, January 21, 2015

GATEWAYlife Cont’d from page 23 parade.This event is on now until Sunday.

- Aug. 16 is the annual Mid-Autumn Moon Festival.This traditional celebration honours Barkerville’s Chinese heritage, with activities all day and a lantern parade through Barkerville at dusk, and a banquet at the Lung Duck Tong restaurant.

- From Aug. 30 to Sept. 7 Barkerville acting veteran Dave Sayer presents special daily performances at the Methodist Church of the play The Spirit of Cariboo Cameron, based on a true story of love and luck during this region’s 19th century gold rush.

- The annual Williams Creek Sports Day (including the ever-popular pie eating contest) fires its starter’s pistol on Sept. 1.

It’s also a special day at the Theatre Royal where the summer play ends and the fall production begins.

- On Sept. 5 to 7 Celebrate the region’s rich cowboy heritage at the Barkerville Cowboy and Drover Jubilee. Join Bud Webb, Ed Wahl, the Gordie West Band and more.Three musical venues are available:

a cowboy poetry tent, the Northern Star amateur singing competition, and the oldest wooden “Cowboy Church” in British Columbia.

- Sept. 20 is the annual Great Race To Rebuild Barkerville. It commemorates the great fire of 1868 that left Barkerville in much need of repair. In this event and it is up to you and your “Fire Brigade” team to race through a series of exciting challenges that will help rebuild the town, and lead the ultimate winner to a golden grand prize - The final day of featured programming is Sept. 28 but it is not the last day of special events at Barkerville. It’s the last performance of the Theatre Royal’s fall production, the last day the town’s random actors will be in character, but visit the museum’s website for a complete list of special features throughout the fall and winter.

Fort St. James National Historic Site In addition to all the daily features and activities at the fully restored fur trading

fort, the national historic site invites all for their free open house and beef-dip feast on Sept. 21 to say thank you for another successful year of historical entertainment and education. Activities include free beef dips, rifle competition, 50/50 chicken race draw, a fierce tugof-war competition, ice cream making demonstration and face painting for the kids.

Mackenzie and District Museum Open Tuesday through Saturday each week. During August the hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and in September the hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Valemount Museum - Touring art show presented in partnership with Two Rivers Gallery.The show features the paintings by the late Allen Farmer, who specializes in scenes of landscape and natural resource industry.

- Senior’s Social and Old Fashioned Tea Party happens Aug. 16. A flower arrangement demonstration is included.

The museum has three levels in the main building with displays on the Railway (rail camps and towns), a model railroad that even runs through the bathroom, Japanese Internment Camps, War Heroes, Old Children’s Toys, Valemount Pioneers, Margaret McKirdy’s Little People, James Vanslyk’s Art, Valemount Schools, Sewing, an Old Bedroom, Pioneer Kitchen, Early Settlers, Outfitting and an exciting Trapper’s Cabin.

Valley Museum and Archives of McBride An exhibit entitled All Things Bright And Beautiful runs throughout August and September.

McBride’s Whistle Stop Gallery.

The premier showcase for Robson Valley artists and artisans, and housed in the historic McBride train station, the Whistle Stop is also a café and serves residents of the Robson Valley as the main outlet for locally made gifts and products. It is also the waiting room for people travelling by Via Rail.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

|

www.pgcitizen.cA

25

26

www.pgcitizen.ca | Wednesday, January 21, 2015

GATEWAYhealth

How to win the battle with cold and flu

Despite our best efforts to stay healthy during the winter, we can’t always get through the cold and flu season without a nasty bout of runny nose, ceaseless coughing, fever, and a pounding headache. If you suffer from some of these symptoms, it’s quite possible a nasty bug snuck past your best defenses.The Canadian Health Food Association (CHFA) has some simple suggestions to minimize all the aches and pains and get you back to feeling healthy sooner: Zinc Taking a zinc supplement is a great way to speed up recovery from a cold.This essential nutrient has been shown to prevent rhinovirus (the most common cause of a cold) from reproducing, stopping the affliction in its tracks. For best results, and even to help prevent catching a cold at all, try including a zinc supplement as part of your regular regime.

Vitamin C This nutrient, readily available in many foods, helps to prevent immune deficiencies so getting enough throughout the year is an effective preventative measure. Consuming plenty of vitamin C-rich foods like bell peppers, dark leafy greens and citrus fruits is an important way to get your daily recommended dose. Higher concentrations of vitamin C, found in natural supplements, can also help to minimize the duration of a cold that has already afflicted you.

Echinacea This helpful herb comes in many forms, including teas, juices, tinctures, and a wide variety of solid tablets.Time is of the essence however. It is important to begin using echinacea as soon as cold or flu symptoms appear.

There are many natural ways to stay healthy and happy throughout the winter and all year long.

Additional tips about natural health are available online at chfa.ca and speak to your health care provider about the products and dosages that are right for you. www.newscanada.com

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

|

www.pgcitizen.cA

27

28

www.pgcitizen.ca | Wednesday, January 21, 2015

GATEWAYgrill

Let in-season produce

tantalize your menu Why not turn your go-to dishes into crowd-pleasing masterpieces by mixing and matching unexpected ingredients?

For example, experimenting with inseason produce and international classics can help upgrade your regular stir-fry into a unique Thai curry, a simple meal with a complex depth of flavour.

“Buying in-season produce will ensure that you have the freshest and most flavourful ingredients for a delicious meal,” says Emily Richards, a home economist.“In Canada, we are lucky to have access to fresh in-season produce from Florida even in the winter months.

For example, this time of year is peak season for Florida grapefruit, and although it might not look like it from

the exterior, this fruit is the sweetest and juiciest variety in the world.”

Florida’s unique fertile soil and lush subtropical climate provide ideal growing conditions for grapefruit to thrive.

Growers there have knowledge plus experience – and the lush citrus groves produce the fresh juicy taste that is inside every Florida grapefruit.

This spicy curry enhanced by the grapefruit is easy to make and even easier to enjoy, with flavours of sweet, tangy, spicy and creamy. It’s a perfect combination to serve up at dinner time, and the harmonious blend of zest, spice and texture is sure to surprise and impress every palate.

Cont’d on page 29

GATEWAYgrill Cont’d from page 28 Richards adds,“I particularly like the recipe because the curry blend offers a balance of warm spicy and sweet flavours that help make this dish memorable and

will leave your family and guests wanting more. Grapefruit is a healthy, versatile ingredient and adding it to this dish not only adds a pop of natural sweetness, but also essential vitamins and nutrients.”

www.newscanada.com

Thai Florida Grapefruit Curry Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Makes 4 servings

Ingredients: 1 tbsp (15 ml) canola oil 1 shallot, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tbsp (15 ml) Thai green curry paste 1 small Thai chili pepper, seeded and sliced 1/2 tsp (2 ml) grated Florida grapefruit rind 1/3 cup (75 ml) Florida ruby red grapefruit juice 1/2 cup (125 ml) coconut milk 2 tbsp (30 ml) fish sauce 1 lb (454 g) large shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 Florida ruby red grapefruit, peeled and segmented 2 tbsp (30 ml) chopped fresh cilantro or mint 1 tsp (5 ml) cornstarch 1 tsp (5 ml) water 3 cups (750 ml) cooked basmati rice Directions: In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat and cook shallot and garlic for two minutes. Stir in curry paste and chili pepper; cook for one minute. Add Florida grapefruit rind and juice, coconut milk and fish sauce; bring to a simmer. Add shrimp and cook, stirring for four minutes or until firm and cooked through. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water.

Stir into shrimp mixture along with grapefruit segments and cilantro. Spoon over rice.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

|

www.pgcitizen.cA

29

30

www.pgcitizen.ca | Wednesday, January 21, 2015

GATEWAYsafety

Protect your family and kids

online

The digital age has changed the landscape of parenting. Many parents feel out of their depth watching their kids go online to do homework, or to chat with a friend through a new app or online game.

While parents and caregivers may need more time to catch up to tech-savvy young people today, there are certain things they know instinctively about how to stay safe – in the real world and online.

We don’t have to know how to message someone, chat online, or make a video call to see the warning signs.

Here are some helpful tips to make sure your family knows how to stay safe online: • Talk about safety and the unknown: Inform children about the risks of opening emails or texts from senders they don’t know, or what to do if a stranger contacts them. Discuss different scenarios and possible reactions. For example, if they get a text saying they should follow a link to collect a prize, tell your child to simply delete the message.

• Make password protection a priority.

Children should know that their online

information will be better protected if they use passwords.They should use different passwords for different sites and they should change them regularly.

Make passwords strong (eight characters or more and a variety of letters, numbers and special characters), and never share them with anyone.

• Choose usernames for games and accounts that don’t reveal personal details about your child such as their location, what school they go to, their age or their full name.

• Check your anti-spy and anti-virus software. Make sure your computer is fully loaded and up to date with this protection. New laptops often come with anti-virus software on a trial basis. Be sure to renew it or install new software when the trial period ends.

• When downloading files and apps from the Internet, make sure they are from a trusted source.

• Emphasize the importance of protecting mobile devices.The first thing anyone should do with a new mobile device is activate a passcode.Talk to your

kids about this, and the importance of protecting the device itself. A device that gets into the wrong hands could result in videos or pictures being posted online by someone else in your child’s name.

• Remind kids that what they post on the Internet is not always private.

Once something is posted online, you no longer have control over it. It can be forwarded, copied and pasted, manipulated, printed out or saved – it can remain online, in some form, potentially forever.

• Teach your kids to think before they click. It can take only seconds to snap a photo and post it to the Internet, or to post a comment. But it can be nearly impossible to permanently delete that comment or photo once it’s posted.They should only post things that they would be comfortable with the whole world seeing.

Protect while you connect. More information is available online at GetCyberSafe.ca. www.newscanada.com

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

|

www.pgcitizen.cA

31

32

www.pgcitizen.ca | Wednesday, January 21, 2015