Inside
◆ Sex, drugs and gangs P. 2 ◆ Chief Kw’eh P. 8
PHONE: 996-8482 www.caledoniacourier.com
WEDNESDAY, April 11, 2012
NEWS BRIEFS Photo feature
◆ Trapper convention P. 5 ◆ Fashion forward P. 4
VOL. 35 NO. 06 $1.34 inc. GST
Season finale
Local photos of Fort St. James were featured on Global TV on Saturday, March 31. The “Small Town BC” feature asks viewers to contribute photos of their small towns to highlight some of the lesser-known spots in the province. Photos of Stuart Lake and the Caledonia Classic Sled Dog Races were shown off to all viewers, as well as a few from the National Historic Site and Mt. Pope. To view the segment, go to: http://bit.ly/HFsQuR a short link to the Global TV BC video.
Arts & Culture
Arts and culture will be celebrated across B.C. from April 22-28 for BC Arts and Culture Week. Anyone interested in arts and culture in Fort St. James can get involved through some long-standing groups in the area. The Community Arts Council of Fort St. James is always looking for new ideas and volunteers and can be contacted through President Mary Willick at 996-7620 . There are still ongoing craft nights taking place on Thursday nights at 7 p.m. or after in the old Integris building next to Fas Gas. Free craft demonstrations are ongoing, or just bring a project to show or share. For theatre activities, the Music Makers will be gearing up for more shows this year. Anyone interested in getting involved can contact Rosemary Allen 250-996-8997 Other activities or initiatives, let The Courier know and we’d be happy to pass on the information for any free activities taking place.
Jana Gainor looks back on Murray Ridge and Rodrigo Alvarez on the last weekend of the season for the ski hill. The lineups were short, the sun was shining and the snow was perfect spring slush. Ruth Lloyd Photo
Landowner group forms Ruth Lloyd Caledonia Courier A group of potentially affected or impacted landowners by the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline met in Fort St. James last week and decided to formalize. The group will be collectively working to negotiate with Enbridge in regards to impacts on their property related to the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline. The pipeline, which is currently under review, would pass just south of the community of Fort St. James, one of only three communities which the pipeline encounters in B.C. along its route from the Alberta tar sands to Kitimat. The pipeline would also come close to the communities of Burns Lake and Kitimat, so these will be the key areas where private landowners are potentially impacted. There are significant implications for landowners, as there is a right of way in place around a pipeline once it is in place which can impact landowners abilities to move heavy equipment across their property, subdivide, build new structures or dig wells or other below-ground work. There are also possible implications for after the pipeline is no longer in use, and uncertainty as to whether the pipeline company would be respon-
sible to pay for its removal or not. The group, which is hoping to use the name the BC Northern Gateway Landowners Association (BCNGLA), will be joining the Canadian Association of Energy and Pipeline Landowner Association (CAEPLA), a larger Canadian group which has extensive experience with these issues across the country. The local group will also be registering as intervenors in what are being referred to as the Abandonment Cost Hearings to determine liability for abandoned pipelines. These hearings could have huge implications for landowners down the line, as they could potentially transfer liability related to the unused pipeline to the landowner once the company is done with it. The BCNGLA’s mission statement upon their inception is: “To act in the interest of affected and impacted landowners within the B.C. corridor of the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline.” The group is hoping to extend an offer to Burns Lake landowners and Kitimat landowners to join the group to gain more strength in numbers for negotiations and to keep landowners who may be affected or impacted as informed as possible. Landowners interested in more information can contact the group at: 250-996-0194 or bcngla@ gmail.com.
CNC balancing the budget College of New Caledonia’s (CNC) Board of Governors learned Friday the college is well positioned to balance the budget for the 2012-13 fiscal year. The college had been projecting a $2.3-million budget shortfall for next year, if nothing was done to address rising expenses and declining revenues and funding. CNC President John Bowman said there is still work to be done, but things are on track to present a balanced budget for the board’s approval on April 27. “We are still working through some final decisions and options with a number of employees regarding early retirements and voluntary severances,” Bowman said. “Therefore, it’s too soon to say the final numbers of employees actually receiving layoff notices, but the numbers are expected to be small. Most reductions will be accomplished through attrition, early retirement incentives and voluntary severance.” Other cost-saving measures include: reallocating unused budget amounts in a number of areas; including additional and deferred revenues; some consolidation of low enrolment class sections and courses; improved class scheduling; a 2 per cent tuition increase and reductions to equipment expenditures. Colleges are required by provincial legislation to plan for a balanced budget every year.