Inside
◆ Mt. Milligan update P. 8 ◆ King crashes P. 7
PHONE: 996-8482 www.caledoniacourier.com
WEDNESDAY, August 1, 2012
NEWS BRIEFS It’s official!
◆ Bridge raises concerns P. 3 ◆ Oily visitors P. 9
VOL. 35 NO. 22 $1.34 inc. GST
Delicious day in Fort
The Guinness Book of World Records has confirmed the record for the world’s largest fitness circuit workout has been set. Fort St. James was one of a number of venues attempting to help set the new world record, and now the final confirmation has come in, and it is one for the books -the record books. The news came last Thursday, so watch for more information once certificates and/or final numbers are in.
To stand or not?
No discussion of the mayor and council taking a position on the proposed Northern Gateway Project has yet taken place as of press time. The topic may be discussed at a special meeting on July 31, but there was still some uncertainty as of last Friday if the issue would be broached then. Mayor Rob MacDougall had pledged to discuss taking a stand on the issue back in May when community members came forward to ask council to take a position against the project. Since then, public opinion was solicited from the community, through an open house and an opinion poll, but factors seem to have delayed the discussion and vote by mayor and council. “I’ve stated all along that unless there’s all of us there, we won’t be making a decision,” said MacDougall. “I did hope to have it done mid-July,” he said. “I just can’t predict people being away and holidays.” Check online for changes at www.caledoniacourier.com.
Winners of the 2012 Salmon Day cook-off at the Fort St. James National Historic Site hoist the salmon trophy on the shores of Stuart Lake. The event drew over 200 visitors and saw five teams attempt to cook the best salmon, judged by the visitors. The winning team was The District of Fort St. James team (L-R) Economic Development Officer Emily Colombo, Mayor Rob MacDougall, and Councillor Dave Birdi (missing Kevin Crook and the Birdi family). For more photos see Page 6 or go to The Caledonia Courier Facebook page. Photo Ruth Lloyd
Good news for Fort
Physician shortage sees a light at the end of the tunnel Ruth Lloyd Caledonia Courier
The current situation The physician shortage in Fort St. James is seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. Three physicians have signed on to come and work in Fort St. James, according to a Northern Health announcement last week. According to Northern Health, as of October, one more physician will be working part time in Fort St. James and two more are scheduled to start full time in January of 2013. “I’m relieved to know that help is on the way and very thankful that the efforts of Northern Health, the efforts of the community and in particular the efforts of Dr. Paul Stent and Kathy Marchal, who through all of the recruiting process also had to carry on with the operation of the clinic in a very stressful situation,” said Mayor Rob MacDougall. “It was a great relief for our community as a whole … being able to fill that void,” said Renada Walstrom, a nurse at Nak’azdli Health.
“October still feels like a long way away.” She said it is hard to continue to have to refer clients to Vanderhoof and Prince George, when they so badly need care. “You constantly hear the desperation in the community and the fear,” said Walstrom. She said she is very grateful for the hard work of Dr. Paul Stent in staying on when he had hoped to scale back this year towards retirement, but instead had to shoulder the load of running the medical clinic alone. “I feel really bad for what he’s had to endure for the past year or so,” said Walstrom. For their part, the Nak’azdli Health Centre has had higher drop-ins and a larger workload and has been bringing in a nurse practitioner twice a month to help. “I think everybody’s just taken on a bit more of a caseload in dealing with the shortage,” she said. “It’s just that general relief in knowing that that follow-through can be done (with the new doctors).” “I think that the people that have been impacted the most are the seniors because they don’t have the ability to travel like the younger crowd,” said MacDougall.
The recruitment This great news came as a result of a campaign to recruit doctors, and Northern Health credits community involvement and recruiter collaboration with much of the final success. “The community was just incredible in how they participated in the recruitment process,” said April Hughes of Northern Health. The concept, new to the area, involves the recruiters for Northern Health and members of the community coming up with a weekend itinerary for interested physicians doing site visits to the area. So far, the three physicians who have agreed to come and two more physicians who came on the weekend of July 21 were greeted by Nak’azdli elders, toured through the medical facilities in the area, taken to community events and shown some of the local attractions like the lake, ski hill, golf course and area trails before being treated to a catered dinner at a local home.
Continued on Page 2