THURSDAY, MAY 26 2016 VOL. 73, NO. 68
SERVING FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES
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Arctic weather lends hand in wildfire fight
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Jessica Wilson and Ellissa Bodenham are frustrated by the illegal dumping that takes place on Alcan Street behind Edgewood Trailer Park in Baldonnel, where their children ride their bikes and residents walk their dogs.
Garbage problem piling up From oil barrels to rusted metal, young mothers frustrated by illegal dumping behind their homes BRONWYN SCOTT peacereporter@ahnfsj.ca
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A massive junk pile, complete with rusted kitchenware, a futon and even barrels of oil, has fanned the ire of two young mothers fearing for the safety of their kids and pets, and who want to see the mess cleaned up. But despite making countless calls, the junk pile on Alcan Street behind Edgewood Trailer Park remains, with each authority they contact telling them it’s not their problem. “My husband has tried to get a hold of quite a few
people to report this ... everybody basically said that it wasn’t their jurisdiction,� said Ellissa Bodenham, a mother of two who lives in the Baldonnel-area park. “We walk by with my dogs and my kids, and the first thing they do is run into that and start going through that. It’s not good for them, the wildlife around there. There are barrels of oil, that’s bad for everything around there,� Bodenham said. “People are just stopping in the middle of the road and throwing garbage out.� She and her husband have been trying to catch the cul-
prits, who drive down the public road, ditch their garbage and vanish down the street, but they’ve had limited luck. “We never really see the people dumping it, we always just see them just leaving. Me and my husband try and take a picture of them when they’re dumping it, but with both of us working and kids ‌ it doesn’t really happen very well,â€? she said.The junk pile has recently come to the attention of friend and neighbour Jessica Wilson after her children found the pile while riding their bikes. See GARBAGE on A14
Gagnon stepping down from CDC After nine years of growth, last day will be May 27 BRONWYN SCOTT peacereporter@ahnfsj.ca
After nine-and-a-half years of guiding the Child Development Centre on its course of expansion and growth, Executive Director Penny Gagnon is resigning from her post. Gagnon—who oversaw Project Build-A-Fort, a complete renovation that doubled the size of the centre, taken the lead on the organization’s annual talent show, and overseen numerous projects and initiatives—is taking her talents to greener pastures. “I’ve been part of a lot of growth with the Child Development Centre, so it’s difficult to let
Penny Gagnon
that go, but I know whoever (becomes) the new executive director will be forward thinking and take the organization to a new place with different thoughts and ideas and directions,� Gagnon said in an interview with the Alaska Highway News.
Gagnon will be transferring her skill set to the Churchill Park Family Care Society, which provides early childhood development and care programs for children in Calgary. She will be the chief executive officer there. While excited to start somewhere fresh, the decision to move is not without mixed feelings. Gagnon has seen the centre—which now serves 1,200 children and their families a year—transform under her direction. “My time here at the Child Development Centre has been probably one of the richest periods of my career,� Gagnon said.
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See GAGNON on A5
Three days of wet, Arctic weather last week brought more than 20 centimetres of snow and another 15 millimetres of rain and have helped wildfire crews increase containment on the three major wildfires in the region. As of Tuesday press time, the Siphon Creek fire—the largest at an estimated 85,300 hectares—was 40 per cent contained. The BC Wildfire Service said 123 firefighters were continuing to work the fire with the help of four helicopters and five pieces of heavy equipment. “While a significant amount of precipitation and snow was observed on the Siphon Creek wildfire over the weekend, we are now entering a drying trend. The fuel type for this area is fast to dry out, allowing fire risk to rebound quickly,â€? the agency said in a report, noting fire activity had the potential to flare up Tuesday due to southerly winds. Crews continue to extinguish hotspots and build containment on the western and northwestern flanks of the fire, which has seen the biggest growth. The Beatton Airport Road wildfire, meanwhile, is estimated to be 80 per cent contained, with crews continue to press forward. The size of the fire remains an estimated 15,460 hectares. According to BC Wildfire Service, 134 firefighters, one helicopter and five pieces of heavy equipment were working the fire Tuesday. The public is reminded to be cautious of crews working in the area. Lastly, the Halfway River fire is around 70 per cent contained, its size an estimated 5,636 hectares. “Fire growth occurred over the past few days on the northwest side of the fire, along the west side of the Halfway River and west of Farrell Creek,â€? the Service reports. “Crews are continuing working on the fire doing patrol and extinguishing hotspots around the perimeter of the fire and continued work on establishing containment lines.â€? Environment Canada says the wet weather came from a cold upper low-pressure system from the Bering Sea. “It’s a slow moving, ponderous blob of cold air that drops out of the Bering Sea north of Alaska,â€? meteorologist Lisa Coldwells said. “It settles over the province and slowly ‌ it almost oozes when you watch the clouds. It sort of slithers it way down toward the south and just opens up.â€? —Staff
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