Inside
◆ Tea for six P. 4 ◆ Warren Constantine P. 5
PHONE: 996-8482 www.caledoniacourier.com
WEDNESDAY, July 18, 2012
NEWS BRIEFS
◆ Turning the page P. 12 ◆ Opinions on Enbridge P. 3
VOL. 35 NO. 20 $1.34 inc. GST
The boat is calling
Medical clinic update The Fort St. James Medical Clinic will be closed in July and August on the following dates: July 18, 19, 20, 23, 25, 27, 30, 31 August 1, 3, 6, 7
Salmon Day Free admission to the Fort St. James National Historic Site on Salmon Day July 21! Come and see our incredible salmon cook off, judge it for yourself, watch as your mayor and council compete and simply see a whole bunch of great fishing and salmon related programs for all ages. The salmon judging will take place from noon until 1 p.m., and the site will be open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Free counselling for women Fireweed Safe Haven provides free confidential, safe, and supportive counselling and outreach services for women. Hours of Service: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and every other Friday Location: Room 203, 349 Stuart Drive, Fort St James, BC Phone: (250) 996-1214 Fax: (250) 996-7647 Email: fire.or@telus.net
It’s hard to imagine a better place to be in the hot summer weather than out on beautiful Stuart Lake, and boats in the Cottonwood Marina have likely been calling loudly to their owners. The docks are pretty bare on the weekends, and the beaches, on the other hand, are full. Ruth Lloyd Photo
Fatal accident at Conifex Ruth Lloyd Caledonia Courier A fatal accident at the Conifex mill in Fort St. James has left a 44year-old Prince George man dead. According to RCMP, they received a call reporting a sudden death at the mill at just after 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 11, and members attended the scene. Upon investigation, it appears something heavy inside a building the man was helping to deconstruct slid, crushing him in his midsection. He was an employee of a contractor, and no Conifex employee was injured in the incident. When coworkers found the man unresponsive, they conducted CPR until the ambulance arrived, but the man was declared dead at the scene. RCMP helped to conduct an investigation on behalf of the Coroner Service in which they ruled out foul play and a Coroner attended the scene as well from Fraser Lake, because the coroner in Vanderhoof was unavailable. Victims Services was called in to assist the coworkers. Work Safe BC was also on site to conduct an investigation into the incident. Chief Operating Officer Kevin Horsnell said it was probably the hardest day of his entire working career and “all of us here at the Conifex Group were heartbroken.” “We’re in shock, to be honest,” said Horsnell, sending out condolences to the family. The name of the victim had not been released before press time.
Close call in firearm incident Ruth Lloyd Caledonia Courier Three young men are lucky not to be facing charges after an incident with the RCMP and a firearm. On July 10 at 1:40 a.m., RCMP responded to a call of suspicious persons around a residence at 341 Morice. Upon arrival, RCMP found three intoxicated males, all approximately 18 or 19 years old. While two officers were in conversation with two of the young men in the living room, they instructed one of the men to bring his
hands out where officers could see them. The young men then pulled what looked like a 9 mm handgun from behind his back. Both officers then drew their sidearms and instructed the young man to drop the gun. While it was determined the young man actually held a BB gun, the device was designed to look exactly like a 9 mm handgun, and he was lucky the officers did not mistakenly fire in self-defence. Staff Sergeant Paul Thalhofer said he hopes the incident will be a lesson to people to think before making similar mis-
takes. He gave credit to the members on the scene for the situation not having a more negative outcome. “They showed a lot of restraint,” he said. All three young men were taken into custody and held until sober, but it was decided the incident should be resolved informally. All of them were given a second chance and released without charge after serious discussions with officers. One of the young men was from Fort St. James, one was from Takla and one was from Prince George.