Inside
u Sowchea hall expansion P. 7 u Power projects pulled P. 9
u Old bldg new life P. 3 u Thefts from vehicles P. 3
Publications Mail Contract #: 40007759
WEDNESDAY, September 4, 2013
NEWS BRIEFS
PHONE: 996-8482 www.caledoniacourier.com
Legebokoff trial delayed
MoM 2013
Meth may be on the rise Methamphetamine (a.k.a. meth or crystal meth) may be on the rise in Fort St. James. RCMP say there have been increasing reports of meth in the community. Crack cocaine is normally the most common hard drug they deal with, but more incidents involving meth have been reported. While crack cocaine is a dangerous drug, meth can be an even bigger concern, because of the dangerous ingredients it contains and the nature of the manufacturing. Meth is also incredibly addictive, which could potentially lead to more drug problems. “I don’t want to see it become the drug of choice,” said Staff Sergeant Paul Thalhofer. Anyone using illicit drugs should consider the dangerous nature of methamphetamine use an the toxic chemicals used to manufacture it.
School resumes School staff are busily getting ready for the return of students to the classroom and are looking forward to welcoming them on Wednesday, September 4, 2013. Wednesday will be a half day for students and they will be dismissed three hours earlier than the normal end of day dismissal time for their school.
VOL. 36 NO. 27 $1.30 inc. GST
Ruth Lloyd Caledonia Courier
It was another great year to be on the mountain at Murray Ridge to catch Music on the Mountain (MoM). More on pages 6, 12 and online. Ruth Lloyd/Caledonia Courier
The trial of accused serial killer Cody Legebokoff has been postponed until Oct. 7 to face four charges of first-degree murder. Originally slated for trial to begin Sept. 9, Cody Alan Legebokoff, 23, will now appear in October in B.C Supreme Court in Prince George in front of a judge without jury. Legebokoff, originally from Fort St. James, is accused of the murders of four women: Loren Donn Leslie, Jill Stacey Stachenko, Cynthia Francis Maas and Natasha Lynn Montgomery. Legebokoff, was stopped by chance in November 2010 by a passing RCMP member who was driving on Highway 27 toward Vanderhoof and saw Legebokoff pulling off of an unused logging road onto the highway at night. When pulled over, Legebokoff raised enough suspicion a conservation officer was contacted to search the area, looking for possible illegal hunting activity. During his search, however, the conservation officer discovered the body of 15-yearold Loren Leslie, who was from Fraser Lake and attending high school in Vanderhoof at Nechako Valley Secondary School when she disappeared. Her parents reported she had told her mother she was going for coffee with a friend and never returned.
Legebokoff was subsequently arrested and charged with her murder. After further investigation, RCMP allege they have linked Legebokoff to three additional women’s deaths. Stachenko went missing in October 2009 and was found only days later in a gravel pit outside Prince George. Maas went missing in September 2010 and was found in L.C. Gunn Park in Prince George within a couple of weeks. Montgomery went missing at the same time as Maas, but her body has not been recovered. At the time of his arrest, Legebokoff was living in a house in Prince George with high school friends from Fort St. James.
Fire chief Community hall creation resigns Ruth Lloyd Caledonia Courier
Ruth Lloyd Caledonia Courier In a late press-day release, the District of Fort St. James announced Fire Chief Rob Bennett has resigned from his position, effective August 31 of this year. Bennett had been the subject of an independent investigation after two female volunteer firefighters had filed sexual harassment complaints against him with the District in July. The District has now confirmed Bennett was suspended with pay on July 23 while the matter was under investigation. While the District admits they agreed with the conclusions of the report in the release, they will not be releasing the contents of the report and they also included in their release the information Bennett “denied all of the allegations but has decided to resign in the best interests of the department.” The release also mentioned plans for new personnel policies and additional training to employees as recommendations from the report which will be implemented.
Progress may not be visible on the new community hall for Fort St. James, however it is happening, and an additional grant of $250,000 will certainly help. The facility will hopefully open before the end of next year. Planning has been going on for months, but slowed a bit over the summer, and preliminary plans have been made, with an architect working on drawings and more exact cost estimates. The rough cost estimates so far are a further $1 million, above the purchase of the building, based on initial plans. The committee working on developing the plans had been trying to determine what would be possible within the existing structure of the building (previously the Victory Christian Centre and Birch Theatre). While there was enough money in place, this also included a long-term loan for $300,000 over 20 years by the District.
The additional funds from Northern Development Initiative Trust could also help to provide for contingencies. “That gives us a nice extra cushion,” said Kevin Crook, chief administrative officer for the District of Fort St. James, who is spearheading the committee. With so many user groups hoping to utilize the facility and different fire code constraints, it was initially unclear whether the cinema would be able to be kept in place and there was also uncertainty around a racquetball and squash court. However, the theatre will be kept and moveable walls are in the plans in order to meet fire code regulations and to make the spaces more flexible for different users. The one shortfall so far however, is the lack of funding for the digital projector the theatre will need to be functional. There will also the addition of some seating to the theatre, so it is more usable for arts council performances and other productions, and it is expected it will seat around 130 people, if plans move forward as
they hope. On the other side of the moveable wall will be a large hall with a capacity of around 250 people. There will be meeting rooms, possibly as many as three, depending on the space the bathrooms end up requiring. The kitchen was a major discussion point for awhile, but the committee is working with Northern Health to determine what is required to provide an adequate kitchen for the size and capacity of the building when it is done. Look for further information on the plans as the committee continues into the detailed design stage. The committee is hoping to be able to put out a request for proposals for construction contracts later this year. The facility will be a great addition to the economic potential of the town, according to Emily Colombo, economic development officer for the District. “It gives us the opportunity to host conferences, forums, and large-scale events we’ve been previously limited from hosting,” she said.