AHN FEB 11 2021

ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2021 | SPORTS | A5

Artist’s work grabs attention of sports world Dillon Giancola sports@ahnfsj.ca Patrick Hunter is having a bit of a moment, thanks to a number of high profile collaborations with NHL teams and sports media.

The indigenous artist from Ontario, and a regular Fort St. John visitor, was recently featured during a Chicago Blackhawks land acknowledgement ceremony ahead of their home opener on Jan. 22, and during the TSN documentary The Unwanted Visitor, about former Buffalo Sabres coach Ted Nolan.

Though Hunter isn’t from the Peace region, he’s been here twice in the past five years as a guest of School District 60, leading workshops for indigenous and immigrant students through the Settlement Workers in Schools program.

During that time, he’s grown to love the community, and has seen its similarities with Red Lake, the remote small northern town where he grew up.

“I love Fort St. John. It reminds me of Red Lake a bit, a bit bigger. I like the people that make up the community and I’ve met a lot of really great folks, people who love their job and their community,” Hunter said.

When SWIS program coordinator Jane Drew, who lived in Red Lake before moving to Fort St. John, first asked Hunter to come lead

workshops here five years ago, he was a bit nervous. He hadn’t done a lot of teaching before.

“Teaching reveals to you your process as an artist. I hadn’t done a lot of teaching, and, after doing a couple classes a day, it felt like boot camp for becoming an art teacher,” he said.

Hunter was most recently in Fort St. John last March, and had plans with SWIS and Northern Lights College to come back later in 2020 before the pandemic interfered.

Over the past two years, Hunter’s been incredibly active. He collaborated with Rogers last year for Orange Shirt Day, raising $100,000 in an effort to include the history of residential schools as part of school curriculums.

Hunter was first contacted by the Chicago Blackhawks on New Year’s Eve 2020. He admits he had some trepidation, and was unsure how genuine the team was with its intentions.

“They told me their intentions are not just to change the name or change the logo, but that they want to keep the name, and work with the community and local indigenous groups to make sure they honour the name and where it came from. I can get on board with that,” said Hunter.

The digital feathers and flowers Hunter created were displayed on the United Centre scoreboard dur-

SUPPLIED PHOTOS

Patrick Hunter’s digital artwork featured during a Chicago Blackhawks game, Jan. 22.

ing a video recognizing the traditional inhabitants of the land, and Black Hawk, a band leader of the Sauk in the 1700 and 1800s to which the team’s name can be traced.

“A land acknowledgement is just one step, but I hope it’s a positive act toward reconciliation. I think for the stage that the Blackhawks have, this can go a long way, and there’s nothing that compares to a kid or elder seeing their culture on screen for the first time,” Hunter said.

“Hopefully this helps other young Indigenous artists see what can be done.

A couple million people watch hockey every night and that’s not something to be taken lightly.”

Stingrays fold, Inconnu becomes year-round club Dillon Giancola sports@ahnfsj.ca

DILLON GIANCOLA PHOTO

City staff bundled up as best they can to set up for the High On Ice festival, which goes Feb. 12 to 15.

Volleyball club finally hits the court Dillon Giancola sports@ahnfsj.ca Finally, the NBC Ice Volleyball Club is playing volleyball again. Well, teams are holding practice anyway, which more than they could say for the past 12 months.

Since the club’s 2020 season was cancelled in early March of last year, the club was attempted to find a place to play, to no avail. Now, the Ice have use of the Ma Murray school gym on weekends, and are renting the Fort St. John Soccer Club’s half of the curling building, and its new futsal pitch, during the week.

“Everyone is really excited, we had an overwhelming response from people wanting

to play,” said Ice president Jen Heinrichs.

Teams held their first practice last Saturday, February 6. The club is able to use Ma Murray thanks to School District 60’s decision to open up the gym for weekend use.

However, that is the only school facility open to community groups right now.

The club is starting with a six-week session, which will be largely based around skill-building.

It will be a recreational-development league. We have four training age groups, and will focus on skills and dryland training, but we’ll have a competitive approach to training,” said Heinrichs.

It’s far from ideal, but play-

ing some volleyball is better than no playing at all. And it’s not without its costs. Though the Ice are using the futsal pitch, they have had to buy new, portable nets, as they can’t use normal nets that go into the floor.

“They were expensive, and not the quality we’re used to, but we’re working with what we have,” Heinrichs said.

Heinrichs said they are also paying to use schools for the first time, due to SD60 staff who are required to be present during practices for sanitization purposes.

“We’ve at least been fortunate to not have to pay as much in the past, compared to other volleycall clubs,” Heinrichs said.

After more than 30 years, the Fort St. John Stingrays Summer Swim Club is no more.

The Stingrays and the Inconnu swim club were separate organizations under different governing bodies (Swim BC for Inconnu, and BCSSA for Stingrays), but as both clubs increasingly had the same executive members, parent volunteers, and swimmers participating in both clubs, it no longer became viable to run both.

The Stingrays have folded, and the Inconnu has become a year-round swim club. Inconnu swimmers would traditionally be off from late spring until early fall, with some joining the Stingrays in the summer so they could stay active. However, there was some overlap when both clubs would share the North Peace Leisure Pool at the same time.

With the Stingrays, being part of the Summer Swim Association did allow kids who played other sports during the school year to try out swimming, go to meets, and stay in shape, and the Inconnu plans to carry that over.

“Even though the Stingrays are no longer operating, Inconnu Swim club is still committed to offering a very similar summer swim experience for all its new and returning swimmers,” said Inconnu president Alexa Rogers.

“Now, instead of swimmers, parents, volunteers and officials having to split time between two clubs we can commit our time to one

year round club with one executive, one coaching staff and one set of rules. It’s a better use of our time and energy to focus on the opportunities that better suit our swimmers.”

No Stingrays means there is no longer a club in Fort St. John that’s part of the BCSSA. Though Rogers thinks there are benefits to both governing bodies, the different rules, age groups, and qualifying times between the two made it difficult to run both clubs.

According to Rogers, Inconnu swimmers, especially older ones, regularly practice more than 10 hours per week in the winter, whereas BCSSA swimmers can only practice two hours a week during that same time. So that the kids who came over from the Inconnu didn’t have an advantage over kids who only swam for the Stingrays, these year-round swimmers would compete in a separate category (OCATS) from the rest of their teammates during swim meets.

“This led to many of our local swimmers only getting to compete against their teammates from our home club since there are much fewer OCATS in the BCSSA program. This was not really a great competitive experience for the kids and it took a lot of volunteer work from parents to help out at meets that our swimmers weren’t really benefiting from,” said Rogers.

“Folding it was not a decision we took lightly, but it boiled down to the benefits of the swimmers not outweighing the commitments of the parents running the club.”

ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2021 | OP-ED | A11

Part 3 in a series

Wildlife management in B.C. - Whose science do we follow?

B

ritish Columbia is unique in terms of the range of our ecosystems and biodiversity. B.C. could also be considered North America’s melting pot in terms of how our environment is organized and the diversity of wildlife that use it.

B.C. is where the north (cool) meets the south (warm), east (prairies) meets west (mountains), wet (coastal) meets interior (dry), low (sea level) meets high (alpine), with everything in between.

We also have the unfortunate reality that the Supreme Court of Canada decided that human population numbers equate to political representation. B.C., like most of the world, sees our cities growing faster than rural areas, resulting in political representation increasing in urban areas and declining in rural areas. As most “good” politicians tend to do, they support decisions and budgets favouring their urban ridings, leaving fewer and fewer scraps for what is required to manage sparsely populated rural areas.

As I wrote in Part 2, we also have the centralization of government and their statutory decision making powers being slowly transferred from a diverse B.C. into a single building in Victoria where everyone is encouraged to think and act the same.

Taken together, these factors lead to an inadequate understanding of what is required to effectively manage the 90% of B.C.’s landmass that is considered rural, and outside of our population centres in southwestern B.C. An insufficient budget to fund the ministries that regulate our rural landscapes and lack of understanding by our elected representa-

EVAN SAUGSTAD tives leads to the current mismanagement we now experience.

Countering this is the call by many organizations that we need to follow the science and get back to managing things for the betterment of our critters and not just for what is political expedient for our masters.

I agree, but… Whose science do we follow?

Our biologist world is just as mixed up as our political world.

Don’t believe this? Then pick one issue relating to wildlife management, go online and try to make sense of the dozens of differing views by biologists, at least from those who call themselves biologists, experts, or scientists.

Hard to pick whose science to follow.

Unfortunately, this mishmash of so-called expert or knowledgeable biologists is not going away anytime soon.

Biologists that lived their lives looking after our critters are mostly gone from our wildlife management branch (retired), and are now being replaced by a new generation who believe we need to do things differently.

Decisions like killing moose to see if that works to increase caribou, or create another park to see if that works, or only focus on endangered species (orca, caribou) thinking they are more important than other species populations (i.e., moose, mule deer), have now become the norm.

Most of B.C.’s biologists

EVAN SAUGSTAD PHOTO

Hunting in the South Peace.

receive their education in B.C.’s three big universities: SFU, UBC, and UVic. In years past this was not an issue as students were trained by instructors who knew and understood what they were teaching.

Today’s biologists get much of their training from political activists masquerading as professors. Activist instructors who detest the rural B.C. we currently have with active forestry, mining, ranching, gas and oil development, and pipelines.

They now preach to our children, their students, that all this must stop if B.C. is going to maintain our biological diversity.

They also teach that it is not a biologist’s job to figure out how to balance human needs with those of our critters.

This new type of employee they create is now populating our ministries and becoming our natural resource decision makers.

Combine the political decisions to not fund or pro-

vide the resources required for proper management with biologists more interested in shutting things down rather than managing, and then throw in the mess we call land claims, which others will call “rightful ownership.”

Not hard to figure out why not much managing is occurring, other than the ‘shut’er down’ or ‘stop what you are doing’ mentality.

Also, not hard to figure out why we see large parts of B.C. being barricaded to hunters and fishers when the prevailing beliefs are that there are insufficient resources to meet local needs, never mind everyone else’s. When we believe government is not looking after what we currently have, need, or cherish, those that can will begin to protest and protect what they deem as theirs, irrespective of government.

We also see the politically active ENGO organizations working double-time lobbying that B.C. must stop

what we are doing. Hence the ‘all or nothing’ solutions they espouse, which are meant to divide those of us who care, as their intent is not to have a diverse rural economy that uses our natural resources wisely.

Their intent is to have a playground to visit where consumptive users of our environment are absent.

The reality is we need to meet on some type of common ground and convince government to be there with us.

In some places we will need to protect and conserve more, in others, focus on the values that support our communities.

As the old saying goes: Nero fiddled while Rome burned.

I just hope that does not apply to our great province.

Evan Saugstad is a former mayor of Chetwynd, and is one of hundreds of thousands of B.C.’s hunters and fishers.

He lives in Fort St. John.

Alien Messages

Fort St. John for pedestrians, the ultimate challenge

M

y apologies to St John, who is the Patron of this city, but when undertaking the adventure of going out on foot to run errands, or just for a walk, I’d rather entrust myself to the protection of St. Christopher, Patron of perilous travels, or occasionally to St. Bernard, Patron of mountaineers. Or, what the heck — to both!

Last winter, I had an appointment with the dentist and my car was at the shop, so I had to call a taxi. I did this early in the morning, even though my appointment was in the evening, because I am aware that taxis in Fort St. John are always either too early (which irritates them lots) or too late. Maybe they fear that if they arrive on time, they might find out they are already there, thus creating a space-time paradox that could potentially destroy the Universe.

In any case, there was no taxi waiting for me at my workplace at the scheduled time. I called again and was told they would be there momentarily.

Twenty minutes later, knowing there was no alternative transportation service to take me to my appointment, I decided to walk to the dentist’s office.

I started walking 100 Street from the Lido towards the Pomeroy. At first, there was

SOLANGE SANHUEZA ILLUSTRATION

a sidewalk, so the -20C temperature didn’t deter me.

There I go.

A couple blocks into my walk, the sidewalk either disappeared or was not plowed. The second possibility was scarier, because if there was no sidewalk, I could potentially fall into a ditch hidden by the snow.

But I was too much into my adventure to abandon, even though it crossed my mind.

So I kept walking gingerly, with the snow up to my knees. Turns out, there was no sidewalk, because I stumbled on something and landed on my bum. Now I was cold, irritated, and my clothes were wet.

That’s when I received the phone call from the taxi driver telling me he had arrived and asking where I was. I admit my vocabulary might not have been very

ladylike when answering that one. I hung up and kept walking.

A couple blocks further, I realized the walk was longer than I had anticipated. I called the dentist’s office.

They were not very happy and they said they would try to keep my appointment but could not assure anything and… did I mention I had a pretty bad toothache?

I tried to walk faster

but, by now, the snow was getting into my boots, and maybe upon arriving I would find the dentist’s office closed. I understood how Captain Scott must have felt when his expedition arrived, exhausted, at the South Pole only to find Amundsen’s Norwegian flag there.

I must admit that as I walked by the liquor store I was tempted to give up, get myself a mickey of something, and build an igloo to rest while I drank myself out of my toothache. But I persevered and eventually, bushed, wearing wet pants and bordering on hypothermia, I made my appointment.

I often think about people who do not own a car and need to walk long distances in winter in this unmerciful weather, and I wonder why the transportation system so painfully insufficient in this city.

Many Fortsaintjohnians can’t afford owning a car, paying insurance, etc. If a more reliable transportation was offered, there would be lots of users that would, in turn, make it cost-efficient in time.

Charo Lloret is from Spain. She writes about global issues and her experiences immigrating to Canada and living in Fort St. John.

ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS

A12 | NEWS | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2021

Women’s Institutes share proud history in North Peace

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From left, Norma Beaudoin , Baldonnel Women’s Institute; Marla Belziuk, Flower Hut; and Norma Currie, Baldonnel Women’s Institute.

TOM SUMMER PHOTO

Dalton Brown is ready to tackle the snow on 96 Avenue, Feb. 3, 2021

Employment holds steady Matt Preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca Employment in northeast B.C. grew by 100 in January as job growth flattened across the province to start the new year .

There were 40,100 employed and 1,700 unemployed last month, dropping the unemployment rate to 4.1%, according to the latest estimates from Statistics Canada on Friday, Feb. 5. Unemployment was at 4.3% in December, with 40,000 employed and 1,800 unemployed.

Year-over-year, unemployment is down from 4.2% at the start of 2020, when 39,000 were working and 1,700 were unemployed.

The northeast continues to have the lowest unemployment in B.C. for the sixth-straight month, with the Cariboo region reporting the highest at 8.8%, followed by the Lower Mainland at 7.5%.

Employment in B.C. expanded by 2,800 jobs in January — down from the 3,800 jobs added in December.

Growth the past two months is a far cry from mid-2020, when B.C. was adding anywhere from 15,000 to 120,000 jobs each month as the economy rebounded from the pandemic.

It appears the low-hanging fruit — jobs lost temporarily in sectors such food services and retail — has been mostly picked.

Instead, the province saw its biggest gains in professional, scientific and technical services (+10,100 jobs) and information, culture and recreation (+10,200 jobs), as activity in both

the tech and film sectors remained buoyant. Losses were most deeply felt in educational services (-7,700 jobs), and accommodation and food services (-7,600 jobs).

Altogether, the province added 4,500 full-time jobs and lost 1,700 part-time jobs last month. The unemployment rate, meanwhile, grew 0.8 percentage points to 8% as more people entered the workforce.

While B.C.’s gains were muted in comparison to previous months, Canada lost a total of 213,000 jobs in January, while the national unemployment rate grew 0.6 percentage points to 9.4%.

BMO chief economist described the national numbers as “awful” but said there were a few mitigating factors: most losses were in part-time jobs, concentrated in a few sectors (retail, hotel, restaurants), and occurred in Ontario and Quebec.

“Looking ahead, it’s tough to imagine that February will look much better as there have yet to be any big changes in overall restrictions since mid-January,” he said in a note, referring to the tighter restrictions in Ontario and Quebec that saw nonessential stores close.

“This disappointing result, alongside an earlier report of a deep dive in auto sales last month, shows in vivid detail that activity can only deal with so many restrictions before sagging meaningfully. While the job losses are highly concentrated, they are unlikely to see any improvement until restrictions are relaxed.”

—with BIV files

Ruby McBeth Alaska Highway News

of February as a celebration of WI Month.

Nor’ Pioneer Nor’ Pioneer the Cecil Lake branch of WI, founded in 1933, is the largest WI in the Peace River District. They support local activities: 4-H, Emergency Fund, Cecil Lake Fall Fair, Cemetery Committee, and funeral teas. They hold the copyright for the Cecil Lake History Book: A Community Remembers.

This fall before the lockdown they were able to have a wreath making session. With leftover greenery they made gnomes. The money made from selling the wreaths and gnomes was donated to the Women’s Resource Society.

This year Nor’ Pioneer WI gave a gift card to the first baby girl born in Fort St. John Hospital in the month

Baldonnel The Baldonnel WI branch, founded in 1935, takes a special interest in education.

Their members learn about topics of interest at the monthly meetings.

This includes learning about a country, agricultural news, nutrition and something about Canadian industry.

They support Baldonnel, Taylor, and Freedom Thinkers Schools.

In the past couple of years they have enjoyed craft meetings where they have learned to paint and do ceramics. In July 2020, they donated flowers for the tables at Peace Villa.

The Colpitts Memorial Sports Ground, which they own, is used by the Baldonnel School and by community groups.

SUPPLIED

Dawn Bellamy, president of the Nor’ Pioneer (Cecil Lake) WI, presents a cheque and gifts to the Women’s Resource Centre in December 2020.

COURT DOCKET • Todd Michael Long (born 1968) was given a six-month conditional sentence with 12 months probation and ordered to pay a $100 victim surcharge for break and enter, committed in Fort St. John in June 2020. Long was given a suspended sentence with 12 months probation and ordered to pay a $100 victim surcharge for assault, committed in Fort St. John in October 2019. Long was sentenced to one day jail and ordered to pay a $100 victim surcharge for possession of stolen property under $5000 committed in Fort St. John in August 2019. Long was fined $200 for breaching probation in Fort St. John in November 2019.

Long was sentenced to time served and ordered to pay a $100 victim surcharge for breaching probation in Fort St. John in March 2020.

• Michael Robert Corris (born 1987) was given a six-month conditional sentence with one year probation, issued a mandatory lifetime firearms prohibition and ordered to submit a DNA sample for robbery, committed in Dawson Creek in August 2019. Corris was sentenced to time served for theft under $5000, committed in Fort St. John in February 2021. Corris was sentenced to

time served for breaching a release order in Kamloops in March 2020.

• Murray Dennis Albert Hughes (born 1987) was sentenced to time served and given one year probation for assault, committed in Fort St. John in March 2018.

• Lindsay Nicole Johnson (born 1983) was granted a conditional discharge with nine months probation for fraud under $5000, committed in Fort St. John in October 2019.

• Jennifer Lee Zammit (born 1977) was fined $2000 and issued a two-year criminal driving ban for refusing to provide a blood alcohol or drug sample, and fined $500 for driving while prohibited, both committed in Fort St. John in September 2020.

• Tyrell James Collins (born 1988) was given a six-month conditional sentence with 18 months probation, and ordered to submit a DNA sample and pay a $100 victim surcharge for assault causing bodily harm, committed in Chetwynd in August 2019.

• Brian Alexander Mooney (born 1987) was given a 60-day conditional sentence with 12 months probation, and ordered to submit a DNA sample for uttering threats, committed in Dawson Creek in February 2019.

— Matt Preprost