Inside
u Professors recognized P. 5 u Nak’azdli candidates P. 9
u Humble Pie P. 4 u Basil search continues P. 5
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WEDNESDAY, July 10, 2013
NEWS BRIEFS Slow down RCMP have been receiving calls from the construction crew working on the Dog Creek passing lane on Highway 27. Construction workers and flag persons are concerned for their safety due to drivers maintaining high rates of speed through the construction zone. RCMP are asking drivers to please obey the speed limit signs within the construction zone and reminding drivers the fines for speeding in these areas are double.
Fire at Tl’azt’en Health A fire Wednesday evening left staff unable to enter Tl’azt’en Health Centre on Tache Reserve. Still in the preliminary stages of the investigation at press time, Chief Ralph Pierre say the RCMP were taking statements from people and no one could enter the building until the toxic fumes from the fire diminished. The Tl’azt’en volunteer fire department attended the fire Wednesday evening, and RCMP said all evidence so far indicated the fire was an accident. Initial reports suggested flammable material was left on a still-hot element in the kitchen of the health centre. Pierre said all he knows is there is smoke damage to at least part of the building and some to the outside door, but said he would not know more until administration was cleared to enter the structure.
Why is it still so hard to see a doctor in Fort?
VOL. 36 NO. 19 $1.30 inc. GST
Happy Birthday Canada!
Fort St. James Primary Care Home Society medical clinic update Submitted What a difference a year makes. At this time last year we had one doctor in the community and the impact on available medical services was severe. Fast forward to 2013 and Fort St. James celebrated earlier this year with the arrival of three new doctors and a nurse practitioner, to work alongside Dr. Stent. The clinic hours are now 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. The hospital has a doctor on call 24 hours per day, seven days of the week, 365 days of the year. Residents are thankful for the arrival of additional doctors and the nurse practitioner but, many people are still asking: “If we have four doctors and a nurse practitioner, how come I still can’t get an appointment when I want it?” Currently three doctors are working at the medical clinic, seeing up to 75 patients per day depending on the health issues of individuals. In addition the nurse practitioner sees 22 patients per day at the Nak’azdli Health Centre when she is on site. You may have noticed at times there are only two doctors in the clinic. This is due to annual vacation and outreach clinics at Binche and Tl’azt’en Health Centres. The fourth doctor is on call at both the hospital and medical clinic. Every Wednesday is refill day at the medical clinic and appointments are prioritized to those patients needing refills on their prescription(s). If you have been prescribed any type of long term medication, it is highly recommended you call for a refill appointment at least two weeks before your medication runs out. The pharmacy can provide emergency refills, in most cases, on a short term basis until the patient can book an appointment into the refill clinic. August holiday schedule for physicians: Dr. Meyer, Dr. Marile van Zyl and Dr. Pieter van Zyl will be away from August 12-31. Dr. Paul Stent; Nurse Practitioner, Celia Evanson; and Dr. Dan Cutfeet will be working during that time.
It was another amazing and fun-filled Canada Day in Fort St. James on July 1. From the pancake breakfast to the parade, and hoop dancer to hypnotist and helicopter drop and talent competition to fireworks display, there was something for everyone. More photos on Page 6, 7 and 12 and The Caledonia Courier Facebook page. Ruth Lloyd/Caledonia Courier
Local landowner rejects Enbridge survey crew
Ruth Lloyd Caledonia Courier
Sandra Sulyma, a local resident, was confused and taken aback when visitors to her property requested access for a crew surveying for “a development.” Sulyma was at her home on the Stuart River on Sunday, June 23 with her two children when two unexpected visitors came down her driveway in hi-visibility vests. The visitors eventually identified themselves as being from the Skin Tyee Nation, on the south side of Burns Lake. Sulyma said they requested access to her property to
do some surveying to get soil, environmental and cultural information on the area for a development, which they seemed reluctant to specify. “So I was curious,” said Sulyma, who said she asked them “What exactly do you mean by ‘development’?” She said it took about a half hour of persistent questioning on her part to discover the visitors were working with Enbridge on the Northern Gateway Pipeline Project. “Initially I was thinking, ‘oh ya, that sounds fine,’” said Sulyma, because of the First Nations interest the two stated. But she then changed her mind once she knew the
group they were with was doing work for Enbridge. “It was at that point that the whole atmosphere of the conversation changed,” she said. Sulyma then began asking the pair if they knew anything about local groups such as the Fort St. James Sustainability Group and the District of Fort St. James and their roles in the intervenor process. Sulyma said they indicated no knowledge of the groups or their public opposition to the Northern Gateway Project. “Which shocked me,” she said. While she said the pair were polite and respectful, she was surprised Enbridge had
not informed them of the local concerns and the fact Sulyma herself is a registered intervenor in the process. She also said she would have liked to have had prior warning from Enbridge and there should have been an effort to set up a meeting, instead of showing up unannounced. The entire incident left Sulyma feeling motivated to reconvene with the local landowner group to make sure everyone is well informed about their rights, as she said some people might not realize until the project is approved, or there is a written agreement in place with the landowner,
landowners can deny companies access to their property. Sulyma said she has had little contact with Enbridge in terms of consultation; she and her husband Randy were visited by an Enbridge representative two or three years ago. After requesting further information, she has never heard back from the company or their representative. “It seems like landowners are somewhat of an afterthought,” said Sulyma. She also said landowners should not have to be intervenors in the complicated joint review process in order to have their concerns taken into account. Continued on Page 2