Inside
u Pipeline hearings P. 4 u Traffic detour up north P. 3
u Cardboard creativity P. 7 u Foreign correspondence P. 16
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WEDNESDAY, October 17, 2012
NEWS BRIEFS Arrests made in GUF arson
Two suspects have been arrested this week in relation to the arson of the recycling centre back in May. The suspects have since been released on their own recognizance until charges can be laid. Two more arrests are outstanding, with RCMP hoping to make arrests in the near future. RCMP are still waiting to hear from the Crown Prosecutor in order to lay formal charges against the four suspects. No names can be released until charges are read. The Greening Up Fort St. James’ Integris Recycling Centre burned to the ground May 21 after years of work by the organization to have the facility built. The fire took place nearly one month to the day from their grand opening.
Watch for secret agents! On Friday, October 19 between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., watch out on Fort St. James streets for secret agents. Fort youth will be participating in a massive game of Mission Impossible, trying to slip past guards on their route between Kwah Hall, Spirit Square and the high school. While participants should be wearing “Be Seen, Be Safe” armbands, keep an eye out for youth on the roads while driving after dark.
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Getting a Strong Start
Suzanne Lorimer (right) facilitates learning through play with two children at the Strong Start drop-in. Fort St. James is home to the highest numbers of vulnerable children entering kindergarten in the Nechako Lakes District, and Lorimer is one of the people in the community working to change that. Story Page 5.
Ruth Lloyd/Caledonia Courier
Sikh Temple sale in limbo Ruth Lloyd Caledonia Courier The sale of the Sikh Temple on Ash Street is in limbo, with Nechako Valley Community Services (NVCSS) waiting on the side. The sale of the building by the committee which manages the unused property was supposed to go through in August. Instead, just when the final signing was supposed to take place, the committee did not go through with the deal. The sale of the temple had been a plan in the works for some time, according to Dave Birdi, who had been acting as somewhat of a liaison between the committee and NVCSS. The Sikh community was in agreement the building should go back to the community of Fort St. James, as it was originally built to help provide a gathering place for community members after the old community hall was no longer around. The building, built in the 80s, had fallen into disuse due to the shrinking Sikh population, with elderly Sikhs moving away. “It served the purpose well,” said Birdi Originally, he said a deal with Nezul Be was agreed upon, with the Sikh community wanting to see the building going to a nonprofit in Fort St. James and the funds of the sale going to help out volunteer organizations. When the rezoning wasn’t approved by the mayor and council at the time, the group then looked to other organizations which could use the space and be interested in a similar arrangement. The building was then agreed to be sold to NVCSS as a “family hub” with a daycare and counselling facilities, for $200,000. The proceeds of the sale would then be donated equally to the Fort St. James Hospital Auxilliary and NVCSS. But just as the final signing was about to take place, no quorum was able to be reached within the temple committee.
The Sikh community in Fort St. James had been consulted, according to Birdi, due to the large scale of the deal, and the community was reportedly in agreement with the deal. “I have a hard time understanding what happened,” said Birdi. He said he cannot speak for the committee, and cannot speculate as to exactly what happened. Tyrell Arnold, executive director of NVCSS, said he is in regular contact with the committee to see where things are at, and his organization is still optimistic the deal may go forward. “Hopefully we’ll know within a week or two on their definite decision,” said Arnold. His understanding is at this point, there is no agreement between the signing authorities. He said his organization is comfortable where it is for the time being, but the primary goal of purchasing the large Sikh Temple property was to find a location for the daycare. Therefore, the organization has begun exploring other options as a backup, given how important a daycare is for Fort St. James. But the organization is not only concerned with finding a home for the daycare, but also with recovering the costs they had so far invested in the purchase of the temple. Engineers had been hired to look at the structure and make some preliminary plans as well as a septic engineer who inspected the septic to make sure it would be suitable for the proposed use of the facility. Rezoning applications to council had also already gone through, a $500 process. Arnold said NVCSS had approximately $5,000 invested in the structure so far, however, they had only a verbal agreement with the committee. NVCSS has also lost significant money in the past year, with over $400,000 in losses leading the organization to ask for tax exemption from the District of Fort St. James. Members of the committee who were reached by phone were not willing to comment on why the deal stalled.