AHN MAR 26 2020

ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS Brian Kirschner, downtown biz owner, Fort St. John The start of spring at the Lido was to be a rockin’ charitable good time.

The 100 Women Who Care group was to meet March 31 for its biannual $10,000 fundraiser in support of a worthy local charity.

The next night, East Coast legend Matt Minglewood and his band were to be on stage with a set of songs from a 50-year repertoire of bluesy country rock. And on April 4, the Wild Sheep Society of BC and BC Wildlife Federation were to meet for dinner and hear from UNBC instructor and researcher Roy Rea about the latest in wildlife management.

Those have all been postponed until sometime after Easter. But an empty stage doesn’t mean proprietor Brian Kirschner has empty hands.

“I’m going to buy a whole bunch of lumber and renovate the Lido,” says Kirschner.

Kirschner, as with everyone else, is adjusting to the strange new normal of these pandemic times.

Public health orders have closed the city’s rec facilities as well as its schools, and most businesses have either closed to the public or reduced services to help slow the spread of the COVID-19 viral infection. Social distancing and flatten the curve are the buzzwords, international travel has been severely curtailed, and few, it seems, know what to expect next.

On COVID-19: I think people need to take

THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2020 | NEWS | A7 it more serious than they are currently because the worst thing that can possibly happen is they don’t actually believe it can happen to them and then it does, or maybe not so much to them, but to someone else in their immediate family. I think taking all precautions would be wise.

It comes does the seriousness of the situation. We don’t know everything and what was known Friday of last week has changed consistently every day. I think the federal, provincial, municipal governments need to put a little bit of hurt on everybody in the sense that we need to do what’s best for us, which means we need take extreme measures now.

How he’s adjusting: I think we’re doing everything we can here in the sense of cancelling all of our events. Am I self-isolating?

I kind of am, because we have nothing going. It’s very easy for me because we can come here can work, we can continue to build the operation, we can continue to book events, just not knowing when they’re going to happen, or if they’re going to happen.

We’re going out there and stocking up on a few things but we’re certainly not buying incredible Costco quantities of anything. Everybody should do the same. It’s almost like they should return some of the things they bought for crying out loud.

Leave something for someone else.

At Save-On Foods, the canned goods are ridiculously picked over. We bought blueberries, there was one package. We nor-

Eliza Stanford, Bruce Kosugi Whiskey Jack Nordic Ski Club Turns out even sports are going virtual. The 2020 Canadian Ski Championships were set for Vernon March 26 to April 2. But with Covid-19, organizers decided to make the event open to everyone in the country with a virtual race — and the Whiskey Jack Nordic Ski Club didn’t hesitate to join.

“It’s a great way to unite the ski community, and to continue hosting an event in the best way you can.

Cross country skiing is the best way, and it’s virus free,” said club president Eliza Stanford.

On COVID-19: Stanford: These are all very good steps that the governments has taken, and we’re all making the best of the situation. Everyone is in the same boat, the whole country. It’s not just one city, we’re all facing the same restrictions.

Kosugi: I certainly think the province, city, and country is taking the appropriate steps. It’s changed so quickly over the last week that I think people have been pretty patient and are pulling together as a community.

How they are adjusting: Stanford: I’m either staying home

MATT PREPROST PHOTO

Brian Kirschner: “We’re going out there and stocking up on a few things but we’re certainly not buying incredible Costco quantities of anything. Everybody should do the same.”

mally get a kilogram of blueberries that lasts us for a week or two. This time we had to buy the only box they had so we put it in the deep freeze.

The trucks are still coming, the food is still coming.

I don’t understand why we’re creating such a fear, and I guess that’s our nature. We are gatherers. We are selfish people. We want what we want when we want it, and it would be nicer if we did a little more kumbaya.

Personal precautions: The distancing. It’s hard not to handshake. I grew up, you look a man in the eye and shake his hand. We were intending on going to Mexico, we’ve since can-

celled that. I was intending to go see my son’s concert at the Biltmore on April 15 and that’s cancelled. Everything’s cancelled.

I have a Honey due jar at home and I have Lido due jar here, and I’m just going to tackle some of those things. People will be going crazy. Divorce lawyers are going to be really busy …

I’m kidding.

How are you helping out in the community?

We put it out there that if anybody needs help with anything, even to find it, we would encourage them to contact the Lido and leave a message who you are and what you’re having trouble with. We will treat it confi-

dentially. We want to help everyone. We’re all in this community together; we’re in it together so we can get through it together.

How long do you think this will last?

I believe we’re going to be going through the summer, I don’t think things are going to ramp up until maybe September. We pride ourselves, and like roll up our sleeves and get things done: ‘I can fight the flu.’ We can’t.

This is something we have never seen before. I think the speed in which Justin Trudeau did not act, we’re going to suffer for that.

— Matt Preprost

or skiing at these trails.

Kosugi: I’m retired, so it hasn’t been that hard.

Helping in the community: Stanford: I’m encouraging people to come cross country ski and offering rentals and other help through the club. This is our community here, the quintessential winter activity for people of all ages. Every day I’ve been here this week I see people I’ve never seen before. There are a lot of people taking advantage of spring break, and of the fact that this is one of the few places you can go and do something as a family, and its beautiful.

Kosugi: By telling people of other options to get out as a family. It’s just a great way to get our skiers out on these great trails. We’ve had a great season, and we have some excellent snow right now, and hopefully people can come enjoy. This is a great outdoor activity and people can keep their distance as much as they’d like.

To participate in the race over the next weeks, time yourself on a GPS watch or phone app, and take a picture showing of time. Post your image to Facebook or Instagram and Facebook with the hashtags #notnats10kfree and #whiskeyjackvirtualski2020.

— Dillon Giancola

DILLON GIANCOLA PHOTO

Eliza Stanford and Bruce Kosugi (along with Tucker) enjoy some cross country skiing with a group of Whiskey Jack Nordic Ski Club Members at the Beatton Part trails on Wednesday, March 18, 2020.

Jordan Cramer-Girouard, downtown biz owner, Fort St. John In unprecedented times, the best thing we can do is help others.

Jordan Cramer-Girouard is among those who are trying to do as much as they can to help people affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, delivering and picking up supplies for seniors or single mothers and others in need.

DILLON GIANCOLA PHOTO

Jordan Cramer-Girouard is staying busy during the COVID-19 pandemic keeping his crepe shop open and helping others in need.

On COVID-19: Everything is kind of crazy right now. Right now the best thing people can do is to help others and to stop flooding the grocery stores.

Other local businesses depend on them too, and if there’s no food or ingredients, then more places will have to shut down and it causes a chain reaction. It could cause less demand for food at the stores, so they receive less stock, which caus-

es manufacturers to prioritize certain places. It’s a chain reaction. We need more help for small businesses, which don’t require you to fill out an application.

On how he’s adjusting: We’re a bit stressed here but everyone has been good about it and doing the best we can.

Helping the community: I’m offering to deliver and pick up supplies for seniors or single mothers and others who are unable to get groceries and supplies.

For those who were laid off in the service industry I’m offering cheap meals at house cost so we don’t profit. A lot of places have shut down and a lot of people have lost their jobs.

— Dillon Giancola

ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS

THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2020 | NEWS | A11

TOM SUMMER PHOTO

Andrew McGregor, lead pastor at Alliance Church, is among the city’s church leaders who have pivoted and move their services online during the COVID-19 pandemic in Fort St. John.

Andrew McGregor, lead pastor Alliance Church On COVID-19: It is pretty intense. My heart goes out to the people in the community, it’s a lot of stress all at one time.

There’s economic instability, along with instability surrounding health and family. It’s a lot to process.

On how he’s adjusting: It’s a lot of adjustment. The church ministry has a lot to do with interpersonal contact and connection. A lot of it is about caring for people during the greatest highs and greatest lows of their lives. It’s an interesting transition to move all that online, into a non-direct form of communication. It is a challenge for sure. In this kind of season, people look to their faith and their relationship with God, so we want to present with people in a nonphysical way but an emotional way.

Personal precautions: Obviously, just following all the

guidance thatís been directed at the public. But I think itís important to maintain good emotional health as well. Engaging with family and friends, at a distance, making sure I donít feel disconnected from the lives of those around me.

Helping the community: Again, I think the role of the church is to provide a space for healthy community and connection. For now, that means living it out more digitally. Taking services online, which we have been doing for some time, and beefing it up.

We’re also trying to create social media spaces where people can engage, and be available for conversations, whether that’s online or over the phone; whatever people need during this process.

TOM SUMMER PHOTO

Danny Lepine doesn’t expect his cannabis business to slow down because of COVID-19.

Danny Lepine, downtown biz owner Fort St. John

because I don’t want to be part of the crowds. Eventually I’ll have to.

On COVID-19: I don’t really have much of an opinion on it. It sucks that the businesses around town are all suffering, and that the public are panic shopping. You can’t do much.

But we’re still open. Lots of people are concerned that we’re going to shut down. We don’t have any plans to unless we’re told we have to. Or unless we get sick.

Personal precautions: Well we’re just trying to keep our distance. Keep the surfaces clean in the shop, there’s not much else we can do.

On adjusting: We’re plugging along, we’re too busy to do much else. We’re here every day, short-staffed. I haven’t even been grocery shopping, even though I need to. I haven’t shopped

How long will this last?: I have no idea. Hopefully not too long. In China they’re saying they’ve turned the corner, with no cases.

Hopefully we see the same here. .

— Tom Summer

Helping the community: I haven’t helped out really at all.

I’ve just been here, working every day. It’s quiet, but there’s still lots of customers coming in.

How long it will last: I wish I knew. I have no idea. I think part of the journey is being able to trust God, we can work that through as that goes along.

— Tom Summer

TOM SUMMER PHOTO

Corry Wildeman is doing his best to keep things and limit exposure to COVID-19.

TOM SUMMER PHOTO

Caitlin Vince shows off some organic poppy seeds from a seed saving demonstration in Hudson’s Hope.

Caitlin Vince, farmer Hudson’s Hope One key concern raised by the Covid-19 public health emergency is that of the local food supply. Hudson’s Hope in that respect is already ahead of the curve: in 2017, Caitlin Vince spearheaded a seed library program there, and this year plans to ramp up veggie production on her ranch to ensure residents continue to have secure access to food.

On COVID-19: I think the government is being precautionary, and hopefully so. I’m not a huge fan of the hoarding and the panic going on. People hoarding supplies and buying stores out of goods is going to be a huge problem for those who live paycheck to paycheck. It’s ridiculous.

On adjusting: It kind of happened at interesting time, since it’s our spring break.

So my kids would have been home anyway. I was working part time at a local restaurant, so I’ve been laid off for now. But we’re just keeping on keeping on. Spending a lot of time

at home.

Personal precautions: We’re doing social distancing, by not having friends over. My kids aren’t going on playdates and we only visit close family members. With my partner and myself, only one of us goes out to the grocery store at a time, and only when necessary.

All courts in northern B.C. are suspended as of March 25, and provincial court in Prince George will serve as a regional hub, with hearings limited to criminal matters involving incustody accused and urgent family, child custody and civil matters.

Family case conferences and CFCSA case conferences scheduled between March 16 and May 4, 2020 are currently suspended.

We spoke with a gentleman by the name of Corry Wildeman, who’s been waiting to resolve a family matter.

from an MMA injury, I’m half metal.

So I’m at home a lot of the time already. But it does put a damper on activities. My daughter loves to swim, we usually go to the pool a lot. My kid’s not happy about it one bit. She wants to have playdates, but of course, everyone is staying home these days. It’s tough.

On COVID-19: Honestly, it’s being blown way out of proportion. Not to say that it isn’t something we should watch out for.

But I think the mass panic is making thing far worse for everyone.

Helping the community: Just staying inside. Again, not much else you can do.

On adjusting: Pretty easily, actually. I’m a single dad and I have spinal cord issues

Personal precautions: Keeping things clean, limiting my exposure. Really, there’s not much else you can do.

How long will this last?

Hard to say. Who knows? If it keeps snowballing it could be a few months.

— Tom Summer

Helping the community: I was actually going to step back from the garden this year, as I’m helping plan the Peace Folk Festival.

Hopefully it’s not cancelled. I had other things in the works, but now that this is happening, I think it’s more important to ramp up vegetable production and help secure the local food chain supply. That’s my biggest contribution, but it won’t kick in until later.

How long will this last?

I’m cautiously optimistic that they’re going to flatten the curve in six weeks or so. But I’m sure the virus will be circulating for years, just in smaller pockets.

— Tom Summer

SUBMITTED PHOTO

These two shoppers took no chances of catching the coronavirus last weekend as they went out to stock up on groceries at the Walmart in Fort St. John on March 21, 2020.

ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS

B6 | COMMUNITY | THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2020

COVID-19 and your pet

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here is a lot of new information coming out about COVID-19, and it is good to get informed. To start off with, COVID-19 is a coronavirus. Coronaviruses are a family of several individual types of viruses that can cause various illnesses in people, and in animals. The common cold in people is often caused by one type of coronavirus, and there are many other, different coronaviruses that affect a variety of animals.

With the current information and evidence, it appears that for dogs and cats, COVID-19 is not going to be a problem. There have been two cases where dogs had positive tests for COVID-19 (both dogs had owners that were positive for the virus themselves), but the dogs have not become sick themselves,

DR. SYDNEY ROUTLEY and there is no evidence that they can transmit the virus to people.

However, dogs and cats can potentially be fomites for the virus.

What on Earth is a fomite? A fomite is an object that can transport or carry disease, but it itself does not get infected. A fomite could be a door handle, a pet, a paper. Firm, solid objects are better fomites than soft, porous ones (like fur).

Basically, someone sick would have to cough on or touch (with hands contaminated by a cough and that

DILLON GIANCOLA PHOTO

Laurie Cardinal and Adrienne Vanderhoning enjoy a workout outside at the Bert Ambrose playground on March 19, 2020.

haven’t been washed) a fomite, and then the virus would stay on the fomite for a period of time.

The research for COVID-19 suggests that a fomite can remain active for hours, up to 3 days. If an uninfected person were to touch the fomite and then touch their face, they could potentially become infected.

In order for someone to become infected with COVID-19, it needs to enter their respiratory tract. This could be accomplished by a sick person coughing or sneezing within 2 metres, or someone touching a fomite and then touching their face.

If people are self-isolating due to a situation concerning COVID-19, we consider the pets to be in selfisolation as well, because pets can act as fomites and should ideally

not be interacting with people outside of self-isolation.

Remember, if there are any concerns about touching a possible fomite of any sort (whether it be someone’s pet or a surface), wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds (including your palms, the back of each hand, between your fingers, thumbs and under your nails), and don’t touch your face. This way the virus has no way to infect you. Contact your veterinarian if you have any health concerns for your pets.

Dr. Sydney Routley is a 2012 graduate of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. She was raised in Fort St. John and first started working at the North Peace Veterinary Clinic as a student back in 2004.

Love and family during the pandemic

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his past weekend I found myself sitting in my parents driveway visiting with both of them as they stood on their front step – a surreal moment as we dig in and protect one another from this monster virus.

It was weird, but it was necessary.

The daily phone calls simply were not cutting it – I craved seeing their faces, seeing their smiles. I wanted to get closer, I wanted to reach out and give them each a hug, but I also knew that I could be one of those people who have the virus and do not show any symptoms. I was not going to be the one to pass it along to my parents.

Ditto for my children and grandchildren. After my porch chat with mom and dad, I stopped over at my daughters’ house and did the same – chatted from the front yard and caught up on the granddaughters’ shenanigans. Isla was sleeping – I wanted it that way because how can you tell your granddaughter that she cannot run into your arms and give you a snuggle? Confusing for children – heartbreaking for parents/ grandparents.

Sure we video chat but it isn’t the same. Isla sends grandma a kiss on the telephone and all I can see is the top of her head and the sound of her smooches.

My son and daughter in law are trying to keep Dylan and Lucas busy – I can’t imagine what it is like having two boisterous boys and two dogs all together in the house continuously.

Getting outside, playing in the yard, fresh air all seems to help with the cabin fever. The snow will be gone soon; bikes and helmets can get dusted off and see some action.

It is Dylan’s 5th birthday this weekend and Samantha will endeavor to make it special despite the fact that he will miss out on the horrible group singing of Happy Birthday that

JUDY KUCHARUK we all sing off key just to make memorable for the birthday girl/boy. At five, Dylan probably could celebrate his birthday in June and not know the difference.

This was the first real weekend of self-isolation and truly self-distancing from family and friends. We had been quite careful over the past two weeks, but now we were all taking every precaution to protect one another.

Need to get something from the grocery store? Call everyone in the family pod to see if they need anything so as to minimize the trips out for everyone – make a list, drop off at their door.

My sister had recently returned from Thailand and all I wanted to do was wrap her in my arms and say, “I am SO GLAD you are home”, but, of course, she and hubby are selfquarantining for the full 14 days and even after those 14 days we need to socially distance.

As humans, we are inherently social even those who claim that they are introverts and shy away from social interactions. It is only when someone says, “YOU MUST NOT” do something that we begin to get a bit twitchy.

We can deal with twitchy, if it means that the virus will burn itself out and the risk becomes non-existent. The ability to flatten the curve only works if we all participate. We have to take this seriously.

Judy Kucharuk is a community columnist living in Dawson Creek.

ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS

THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2020 | COMMUNITY | B7

What would Jesus hoard?

I

t’s time over for obfuscation and ambiguity. It’s past time to say it like it is and how it ought to be.

Our home planet is in a crisis; we denizens are threatened and many are not responding in a healthy, healing, sustainable way. People are scared!

We go into the grocery stores hoping to exchange a bit of lucre for some essentials (that is, if we can find a spot in the parking lot) and what do we see? Over-worked clerks, stock boys run off their feet, anxiety creasing their young faces – and empty shelves. We scan the aisles for our regular supply of beans and bread and find none. Hunger pangs start to gnaw. In the freezer section we discover a single bag of frozen chopped onions and a lonely durian rolling in the corner, neither of which sets our juices flowing; nothing more. Disappointed, we note that our fellow citizens are clearly making off with more than they need for the next couple of weeks. Indeed, their carts are overflowing with supplies enough for a community party – but we’re not invited.

Stooped, with shoulders bent under their loads of worry and excess food, another day older and deeper in debt, our neighbours and friends are panicking. Anxiety is written all over their faces and

MERLIN NICHOLS demonstrated in their uncharacteristic behaviour. Clearly, they are attempting to calm their fears and tone down their angst with stockpiles of stuff that they don’t really need all that much or all at once.

Certainly not for the next six weeks. Hoarding is little brother to looting. Want to hang out with that pair?

Neither of these activities bespeaks self-control, correct intelligence, or a neighbourly attitude.

And neither of these activities will ultimately prolong the lives of those who have succumbed to the urge to hoard. Both, however, contribute enormously to the spike in community anxiety and craven fear that we see around us and both tend to reduce our collective resistance to the malady we currently fear.

Dear friends and neighbours, the only earthly thing you should fear is fear only. Certainly, be wise and do your due diligence by keeping safe, clean, hydrated, distanced, intelligent, properly fed, and calm. And,

yes, a small stockpile of supplies is prudent.

But we don’t have to empty the shelves!

So be not afraid.

Fear harboured will only reduce your immune system’s protective shield and render us more vulnerable to any virus that is making the rounds.

I am not down-playing the gravity of the current COVID 19 pandemic.

It is world-wide serious. So take the necessary precautions, of which hoarding is not one recommended by the Chief Medical Officer. Allow our supply and demand systems to function properly without the added pressure of over-buying. The trucks will continue to roll, the merchants will continue to stock their shelves, no one can eat more than can be eaten, and this, too, shall pass.

Maintain your sanity and your peace of mind.

There is an ancient teaching that is as valid today as it was two thousand years ago: “It is far better to give than to receive” said Jesus. It seems to be an enduring concept: Charles Dickens, in his 1859 historical novel, A Tale of Two Cities, has Sydney Carton, who gave his life to the guillotine in place of the look-alike husband of the woman he loved, say to a young woman, also

on her way to the guillotine, “It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done.” Even if you don’t acknowledge the divinity of Jesus, or any divinity, you can still see the wisdom of His teachings on human relations and the reasons they have endured for so many generations in the human consciousness.

Let me give a thought to the family who needs the food as much as I do, the family that perhaps cannot afford to buy two months’ food at one time. Let me leave something on the shelf for the next person.

Let’s try yielding the right of way in the food aisle. Perhaps we’ll get a smile in return. It’ll brighten our days, lower our blood pressures, and boost our immune systems.

And remember: we don’t need six weeks or two months of food today.

Now about our leading question: What would Jesus hoard?

If you guessed “nothing” you’d be right. Jesus and hoarding? Somehow the two just don’t belong in the same sentence. Jesus and giving? I can see that.

By the way, an ancient curse rested upon the person who hoarded food in time of trouble: “He that withholds corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be on the head of him that sells it” at a fair price.

TOM SUMMER PHOTO

The entrance to North Peace Secondary School is unlikely to see students for the rest of the year. Grads have already had their pictures taken, but there’s no news on grad yet. Principal Randy Pauls says he is hopeful the schoolwill be able to have a grad ceremony, but “that will depend on what is going on in the world,” he says.

FORT ST. JOHN & DISTRICT CHURCH DIRECTORY

ANGLICAN CHURCH of CANADA NoRTH PEACE PARISH Please join us at our temporary location at the Peace Lutheran Church @ 1:30pm Ph: 250-785-6471 “All are Invited and Welcome Here” - (Luke 14:23) SERVICES St. Martin’s, fort St. John, BC Reverend: Christopher Samson Sundays 1:30 p.m. ********** Church of the Good Shepherd Taylor, BC - Sundays 10:00 a.m. ********** St. Matthias, Cecil Lake, BC 3rd Sun. of the Month 4:00 p.m.

Holy Communion ********** BAHA’I fAITH BAHA’I fAITH National Baha’i Information 1-800-433-3284 Regular Firesides Mondays @ 8:00 p.m.

Deepenings continued Wednesdays at 250-787-0089 Next Feast Info.

250-787-0089 ********** BAPTIST CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH 9607-107th Ave., fSJ Ph. (Office) 250-785-4307 Pastor: Michael Hayes Associate Pastor: Doug Janzen SUNDAY WoRSHIP SERVICE 10:30AM ********** BAPTIST CHARLIE LAkE CoMMUNITY CHURCH 12731 244 B Road, Charlie Lake (1st left turn off the Alaska Hwy. past the Charlie Lake Store) 250-785-1723 office@charlielakechurch.com www.charlielakechurch.com Lead Pastor: Joshua Goetz Associate Pastor: Jared Braun Sunday Worship: 10:40 AM Sunday School during the service nursery-grade 6 ********** CATHoLIC RoMAN CATHoLIC CHURCH (Resurrection Church) Pastor: Rev. Aruldhas Lucas, SAC Phone 250-785-3413 www.fsjresurrectionchurch.com MASSES: Saturday 7:30 p.m.

Sunday - 10:00 a.m. oNLY OFFICE HOURS: Mon.-Fri. 9:00 -12:00 noon & 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

BAPTISM: Contact the Pastor 3 months before baptism.

MARRIAGES: Contact the Pastor 6 months before the wedding. **********

ALLIANCE CHURCH 9804-99 Ave., fort St. John, BC V1J 3T8 Ph: 250-785-4644 fax: 250-785-8932 e-mail: office@fsjalliance.ca www.fsjalliance.ca SUNDAY WoRSHIP SERVICE: 10:00am ********** CoMMUNITY PEACE CoMMUNITY CHURCH 10556-100th Street, Taylor, BC Pastor: Wally Pohlmann Phone: 250-789-3045 HoURS: 9:00am-Noon Monday-Wednesday & friday Email: office@taylorchurch.ca Website: www.taylorchurch.ca SUNDAY ADULT CLASS - 9:30am SUNDAY WoRSHIP SERVICE - 10:30am ********** EVANGELICAL foRT ST. JoHN EVANGELICAL MISSIoN 8220-89th Avenue, fSJ Sunday School September-June begins at 9:30am Sunday mornings.

Worship Service - 10:45am Phone: 250-787-2550 ******* INTERDENoMINATIoNAL UPPER PINE GoSPEL CHAPEL Church Phone: 250-827-3833 Email: upgc@pris.ca Board Chairman: Andy Burkholder 250-827-3811 Box 66, Rose Prairie, BC ********** LUTHERAN PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH 9812-108th Avenue, fort St. John, BC V1J 2R3 Office Phone: 250-785-2718 Pastor: Rev. Kebede Dibaba Regular Worship Schedule: 9:00am Youth, Adult Bible Study 10:00am Sunday Worship Service & Sunday School ********** PEACE RIVER MUSLIM ASSoCIATIoN Information: 250-787-1264 Jumm’a (Friday) Prayer @ 1:00pm 203-10903-100th Street, fort St. John, BC email: tahermorsi@shaw.ca ********** MENNoNITE NoRTH PEACE MENNoNITE BRETHREN CHURCH North Peace Mennonite Brethren Church 10816 106 St. fort St. John, BC V1J 5V2 250-785-3869 Lead Pastor: Andrew Eby Associate Pastor of Youth & Young Adults: Don Banman SUNDAY SERVICE TIMES: 9:00am & 11:00am **********

MENNoNITE MoNTNEY MENNoNITE CHURCH SUNDAY MoRNING: Sunday School & Worship: 9:30am SUNDAY EVENING: 2nd & 4th Sundays: 7:00pm Everyone Welcome!

Pastor Warren Martin Phone: (250) 827-3231 ********** NoNDENoMINATIoNAL CHRISTIAN LIfE CENTRE “Associated with “Fellowship of Christian Assemblies” “King Jesus is Lord Over the Peace” 8923-112th Avenue, fort St. John, BC V1J 6G2 website: www.christianlifefsj.ca Ph: 250-785-4040 fax: 250-785-4021 Pastor Steve Oboh Principal of Christian Life School: Garry Jones Everyone Welcome Sunday Morning Worship Service: 10:00am Nursery available and Sunday School is held during the sermon for ages 3-12 years.

Christian Life Centre is “Home of Christian Life School” ********** foRT ST. JoHN NATIVE BIBLE fELLoWSHIP Sunday Worship: 11:00am Wed., Night Bible Study: 7:30pm Pastor John A Giesbrecht 250-785-0127 ********** GIDEoNS INTERNATIoNAL Fort St. John Camp Ray Hein 250-827-3636 John Giesbrecht 250-785-0127 ********** NoRTHERN LIGHTS CHURCH INTERNATIoNAL (Rose Prairie, BC Sunday Service: Pre-Service Prayer: 10:30am Worship Service: 11:00am Everyone Welcome ********** THE SHELTER CHURCH “...the Lord will be a shelter for His people” Joel 3:6 9808-98A Ave. fort St. John, BC 250-785-3888 SUNDAY SERVICE: 10am Pastor: Oral Benterud 250-785-9151 ********** PENTECoSTAL THE PENTECoSTALS of foRT ST. JoHN Phone: 250-787-9888 Pastor: Jason McLaughlin Sunday 10am Service, Sunday School Youth Sunday 11am Worship Service Tuesday 7pm Prayer Wednesday 7pm Bibile Study Friday 7pm Youth **********

PENTECoSTAL ASSEMBLIES of CANADA EVANGEL CHAPEL 10040-100 St., fort St. John Phone: 250-785-3386 Fax: 250-785-8345 Lead Pastor: Tony Warriner Sunday Services: 9:00am, 11:00am www.evangelfsj.com ********** The Journey 10011-100 St., fort St. John Phone: 250-785-6254 Pastor: Larry Lorentz Services: Sundays: 10:30am Tuesdays: 7:00pm **********

PRESBYTERIAN fort St. John Presbyterian Church 9907-98th St., fort St. John, BC Phone: 250-785-2482 fax: 250-785-2482 12:30 p.m. - Pie and Coffee 1:00 p.m. - Worship Service Everyone is invited to participate ********** REfoRMED TRINITY CoVENANT CHURCH 10 AM Sundays in The Plaza 8111 100th Ave fort St. John, BC Pastor: Adam Harris Phone: 250-329-4441 aharris@trinitycovenant.ca Affiliated with the C.R.E.C. www.trinitycovenant.ca ********** THE SALVATIoN ARMY THE SALVATIoN ARMY Sunday Worship Service: 10:30am 10116-100th Ave., fort St. John, BC Come Worship With Us. For information; Phone 250-785-0506 or food Bank 250-785-0500 ********** SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH 9008-100th Avenue, fort St. John, BC Phone: 250-785-8632 Pastor: Cavin Chwyl Phone: 250-719-7949 Saturday Service: 9:30am ********** UNITED CHURCH of CANADA ST. LUkE’S UNITED 9907-98 St., fort St. John, BC Office: 250-785-2919 Rev. Rick Marsh Email: stlukeuc@telus.net Sunday Worship Service @ 10:00am All are Welcome!

The United Church of Canada is a Union of Congregationalist, Methodist & Presbyterian Churches in Canada formed in 1925.

ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS

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THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2020 | CLASSIFIEDS | B11

CLASSIFIEDS

Only bold, immediate action can keep economy from plunging off cliff

I

t is time for big decisions from governments of all sizes and stripes in Canada.

One week of workplace hemorrhaging from COVID-19 has punched a sinkhole into the economy, with a half-million Canadians into employment insurance. This, next, and the weeks to follow will see monstrous displacement of workers across sectors.

Canada can learn one of two lessons: the ravages of some countries whose economies have sunk and stand to stay so, or the staunching of the wreckage in Denmark, Sweden and Britain to keep people in place with unprecedented wage subsidies in the hope their economies will recover much more swiftly.

The latter course is basic common sense. Why make people idle, detach them from their work, and make any rebound more remote, when they can lend their hands to the hardship but also creatively contribute to a company’s crisper return to form?

For 20 or 25 percentage points atop the employment insurance benefits, this is the price of a stillproducing, still-retained workforce.

We don’t need another Great Depression. We need a Great Expression.

We can quarrel on whether the strategy to suppress COVID-19 was the right one. Might we have averted this walk off the cliff had we shut the country down earlier for a couple of weeks, quarantined the most vulnerable beyond that, and dealt with the emerging cases as part of a mitigated health problem that didn’t take the economy down?

It’s too late to be the Monday morning quarterback – we are where we are – but in moving ahead our economy cannot be in permafrost when the thawing can resume.

We have to think far enough ahead to be where we need to be when the world opens again for business.

It’s important that these funds not be captured by slow-moving

TOM SUMMER PHOTO

Not a soul could be found at the Totem Mall on March 23, 2020 as businesses all across town were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

task forces to take weeks and months from transferring into businesses. Other countries enacted their measures in relative light speed. Ours can, too.

It was heartening to see what the John Horgan government was able to do today to apply funds now and later, to defer taxes now and later, and to make clear that it will be listening now and later. But this is a Justin Trudeau matter of national employment consequence; his is the treasury with the extra zero at the end of the budget, so the order of magnitude is his order to give.

We know that many businesses are pressed with staffing levels that will be hurt by sickness in the weeks and months to come. They need the flexibility to operate, to find people to backfill if the numbers we expect

of those afflicted come true, and they will often need to step in that morning from home and not that week from recall.

Moreover, the brightest ideas to regenerate our economy are going to come from workplace teams in collaboration. We are a small country with a finite talent pool and can’t afford to sideline experienced, committed workers to the monumental tasks that await businesses that will need to get on their feet quickly.

A displaced workforce will be a distanced workforce when it returns, with its relationships in need of repair. There is no need for that when you examine how little additionally is needed to preserve it.

We have the strongest economy of any of the G7 in entering the COVID-19 crisis. We can emerge

as the strongest, too, if we are able to regain that form months, even weeks or days, faster than other jurisdictions.

So, yes, accept that the economy is roughly at a standstill. But give it a standing start when it has to start running again. Keep the country on the payroll.

We want a successful operation that doesn’t unduly hurt the patient.

As miserable as this time feels, the time will come when we have to reignite. We won’t regret doing too much as we will too little.

Kirk LaPointe is publisher and editor-in-chief of Business in Vancouver and vice-president, editorial, of Glacier Media.

MATT PREPROST PHOTO

Gas prices fell back below a dollar last week as the COVID-19 pandemic pushed prices downward.

Coronavirus and your investments

I

have been a professional financial planner and investment advisor for 25 years, and I really can’t say I have ever seen anything quite like this.

Don’t get me wrong, I have seen all the bear markets over the last quarter century and, for at least some of them, I think we had more to worry about then than we do now.

And I have seen epidemic scares too.

In fact, this is the fifth one in the last 20 years, so that’s not new either.

But it seems like this one is just so melodramatic.

In early March we had multiple times that the markets move by 10% in a day. That’s an entire year’s worth of work in a single day! We saw 10% moves in both directions, during the same week!

I must admit, I don’t recall the toilet paper hoarding before. I don’t understand that one. I saw on social media that one guy socked away 500+ rolls, much to the dismay of his more pragmatic wife, who began giving the stuff away. In my house 500 rolls of toilet paper would last more than ten years, so not quite sure what this fellow was preparing

BRAD BRAIN for.

It seems like everyone has something to say about Coronavirus. I am not a medical expert, so I have been getting my info from Health Canada, not from Karen on Facebook. Also, because I am not a medical expert, I am not going to tell you how the virus will play out.

I am a financial expert though.

And I can tell you what to do with your money as we go through these very interesting times. Before I get into that I want to be clear on one thing: there is no such thing as onesize-fits-all financial advice.

I am going to talk about how ideally a long-term investor will respond to a bear market like we are in now. Its important to pay attention to who this is directed towards.

If you do not have a long-term horizon, or if you are not really an investor, then what I am about to

say is not for you.

Here is what I mean. As the legendary Warren Buffett says, “The time to be interested in stocks is when no one else is”, and “the time to be greedy is when everyone else is fearful.” This means that some people should be looking to take advantage of this situation by buying more. High quality investments are on sale!

But even though wonderful investments have come down in price, if you have a short time frame that doesn’t mean this is right for you. We don’t know how long it will be before the inevitable recovery happens, and you don’t want to be an owner of long-term investments if you have a short-term time horizon.

Also, this is not directed to the speculators in the crowd. There is another word that I use interchangeably with speculation, and that is “gambling”. If you are taking risky bets looking for a big payday, then good luck to you, I have nothing to offer.

Using history as a guide, and really that is the only guide we have, this is where we get the opportunities

to potentially do really well. In bear markets. We just have to be patient for a while to see how well.

If you have a long-term time frame, and you own high quality investments, then this is not a time to panic or mourn. This is a time of potential opportunity. At worst, just ride it out and you will see better days ahead. But at best, you have some additional cash kicking around and you can put it to work, taking advantage of the current bargains, Mark my words, the big sale won’t last forever.

Again, there is no one-size-fitsall financial advice, so speak with a professional financial advisor to see how this relates to your situation.

And wash your hands!

Brad Brain is a Portfolio Manager with Aligned Capital Partners Incorporated (ACPI). The views expressed are those of the author and may not necessarily be those of ACPI. Content is prepared for general circulation and has been prepared without regard to the individual financial circumstances and objectives of persons who receive it.