Caledonia Courier, December 24, 2014

Inside

◆ P. 2 Moola Matters ◆ P.4 Mental health

◆ P. 5 Daisy the dog. ◆ P. 8 Christmas cheer.

Publications Mail Contract #: 40007759

WEDNESDAY, December 24, 2014

PHONE: 996-8482 www.caledoniacourier.com

VOL. 37 NO. 43 $1.30 inc. GST

NEWS BRIEFS

David Hoy class gets $1,000 for garden project JESSE COLE Caledonia Courier

Grade seven students at David Hoy Elementary were award $1,000 from BC Hydro last week to help support the schools conversation project.

The conservation project in question is a proposed garden used to teach students how to care for different vegetation including plants, herbs and vegetables.

The money comes from BC Hydro’s Community Champions Program which benefits non-profit organizations in the province with a focus on environmental sustainability.

Winners are chosen by a panel of students from kindergarten to Grade 12 who vote on video submissions outlining the conservation projects.

Winners are judged by which video inspired the most children to take action.

In total, 25 projects are chosen to receive the $1,000 grant including this years winners of Fort St. James and Fraser Lake.

The Kora Lee Prince Memorial Tournament has been held for the last 10 years in honour of Prince (above) but after a decade the family feels the time is right to end the tournament on a high note.

Submitted Photo.

Ten years in the making, KLP tournament comes to an end JESSE COLE Caledonia Courier

Ten years ago Kora Lee Prince and Matt Karey tragically lost their lives when their snowmobile went through the ice on Stuart Lake on Christmas eve.

Since their tragic passing, Prince’s family have honoured her memory and love for sports through a volleyball tournament aptly named the Kora Lee Prince Memorial Volleyball Tournament. After 10 years of tournaments, 2015 will mark the final time the memorial tournament will take place.

The idea to host a tournament came from Prince’s love for volleyball and since her passing the tournament has become a huge success, drawing players from as far as Terrace and Prince George.

Prince’s family has decided to end the annual tournament feeling that the 10 year anniversary was the appropriate time to finish it and citing the immense amount of work that goes into putting the event together each year.

“It seems like a good number to end on,” said Kristi Howell, Prince’s identical twin sister. “I think my mom was just ready for us to end it on a good term.”

Given that it is the final year that the memorial tournament will be held, the Prince family want to make 2015’s tournament extra special and to do so they have started a crowd-sourcing fundraiser on www.gofundme.com to

raise $5,000 to help finance the event.

“We want to have a dinner,” Howell said. “We’ve had teams that have come and participated for 10 years… We were really touched to see people who move away but still manage to make it back for the tournament, so we want to give back to them and say thank you for helping us to remember Kora.”

In addition to a dinner, the Prince family hopes to raise enough money to make commemorative t-shirts for all of the players.

While typically open to any players who want to compete, this year only players and teams that have previously competed in the tournament will be eligible to be entered into the tournament.

Howell says that the tournament has been a healing process for her and her family.

“To me, personally, its meant so much. There is so much sadness in losing her but for us to be able to have this volleyball tournament in her honour has meant a lot.”

Adding that the tournament has for her been a way of carrying her sister in her heart.

“This is what she would have wanted, pushing on for her and her memory.

I think it was a healthy outlet for our family to come together.”

The tournament will be held in April of 2015 and as of press time has raised $120 of its $5,000 goal.

A2 www.caledoniacourier.com

Wednesday, December 24, 2014 Caledonia Courier

NEWS Moola Matters: is your merry Christmas going to Courier

lead to a New Year’s hangover?

A well celebrated New Years can clearly result in a hangover as you move into 2015. For many of us the real hangover will be financial. The holidays are definitely a time of excess. There are many ways to help alleviate a financial hangover before it happens.

I don’t know about you but I find December to be an expensive month even before I start to look at my Christmas wish list. My bike is parked (okay buried in snow) so I am paying more in fuel to get to work, my house seems to have sprung leaks everywhere as -25 winds whip off of the lake, upping the gas bill. The days are shorter, up goes the hydro bill. Added to that is the desire to celebrate Christmas with family and friends and a budget can get stretched to the limit.

If you find yourself over-extended at Christmas here are some things to consider: Choose the type of Christmas debt you want to enter into: As you rush through the mall with that mile long Christmas list it might seem like the easiest option is to use a store credit card. In fact you will often be encouraged (pressured) to apply for and use these types of cards. The headlines scream save 20% by applying for ‘xxx’ card today. A great deal IF, and only IF you are actually going to pay the card off in full before it is due. Otherwise you are going to be looking at hefty interest rates. Sears 25.24%, Home Depot

28.80%, Walmart 25.99%, Future Shop 29.90%. Let’s consider that 50’ flat screen TV that your spouse has been hinting at for the last 3 months. You find the perfect one, smart screen, LED with all the bells and whistles, for only $898.99 SOLD! The only question left is how to pay?

In store credit card at 29.99%: Paid in full over one year this TV will actually cost $1,051.68 ($152.69 interest) Major Credit card at 19.99%. Paid in full over one year $999.24 ($100.26 interest) Low rate credit card at 12.99%. Paid in full over one year $963.48 ($64.49 interest) Line of credit at 6.5%. Paid in full over one year $930.96 ($31.97 interest) And that’s not including fees. The type of credit you have access to will impact the price you end up paying. Store cards run at a higher interest rate because they are easier to obtain. Just walk up to the counter and you can be approved in a matter of minutes. A line of credit requires an appointment with your financial institution and a good credit history. But it can save you thousands if used correctly.

Gifts from the Heart There are numerous ways to reduce the amount you spend on Christmas gifts. Millions of creative minds (clearly not mine) have made life much easier for those non-crafty sorts like me, by posting pictures and instructions for all kinds

of homemade ‘made with love’ projects on the internet.

Turns out these gifts are fun to make, fun to give, and really, honestly, they don’t have to be hooky. Best of all, straight from my penny pinching heart to your pocket book, they can really stretch your Christmas budget.

Plan ahead Christmas has been celebrated on Dec 25th for more than 1500 years, so it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. While it may be too late to plan ahead for this year, there really isn’t a good excuse for not planning for next year; trust me it’s coming: consider keeping track of how much you spend this year, this will serve two purposes: first, you will know how much you have spent and that is a necessary evil. Second, you can now plan for next year. How about starting a separate Christmas savings account and setting up an automatic transfer on paydays into this account. A small payment each payday is much more manageable than trying to squeeze every penny out of an already stretched December paycheck.

The heart of the matter To quote Winston Churchill, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” I am not for a minute suggesting that you turn into Scrooge this Christmas.

The joy of giving is truly wondrous. With a bit of foresight and a creative spirit it is possible to have a generous heart and avoid a financial hang over. Merry Christmas!

District of Fort St. James Calendar December, 2014

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY 24

THURSDAY 25

FRIDAY

CHRISTMAS DAY

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District Office Closed

BOXING DAY

SATURDAY 27

District Office Closed

District Office Closed

Municipal Website: www.fortstjames.ca

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District Office Closed

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District Office Closed

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District Office Closed

The District is seeking volunteers to participate in Winterfest 2015!

District Office Closed

Please contact Mel at 996-8233 for more info.

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District Office Closed

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5:30pm Public Skating

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Please submit all events by Wednesday for the next Wednesday paper distribution. ofIJce@fortstjames.ca

District Office Closed

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5:30pm Public Skating

Wishing you and yours the very best for the Holiday Season!

Office: 477 Stuart Drive West

Telephone: 250-996-8233

Follow us on Twitter: @DFSJames

Like us at Facebook: District of Fort St. James

Email: office@fortstjames.ca

Caledonia Courier Wednesday, December 24, 2014

www.caledoniacourier.com A3

Courier

NEWS

Diesel price stays stubbornly CNC engages hockey fans high as crude drops

JEFF NAGEL Black Press

Pity the poor diesel truck owner.

While regular gasoline prices have dropped significantly with the plunging price of oil, the pump price for diesel has remained stubbornly high.

According to bcgasprices.com, regular gas fell below $1 a litre at a Costco station in Prince George this week, with other prices around the B.C. Interior nearly as low. One of the best deals on diesel was $119.9 at the No Frills station in Port Alberni, with diesel prices as high as $145.9 at the Esso and Shell stations in Kitimat.

“It shouldn’t be that high,” said John Whittall, a West Kelowna

retiree who bought his diesel pickup for the fuel savings. “Typically, diesel hasn’t been more than gas. When gas was low it was lower.”

That’s historically true.

But early 2009 – when diesel was 85 cents a litre and gas was nearly $1 – is the last time diesel drivers enjoyed big savings.

The price gap closed and since 2012 diesel has cost a few cents a litre more than gas most of the time, according to statistics maintained by petroleum industry analysts MJ Ervin and Associates.

For the last three years, diesel has been stuck between $1.30 and $1.50 in Vancouver, costing a few cents more than regular gas for most of that time.

Jason Parent, vice-president of consulting at MJ Ervin, says the reason for the disparity is diesel and gasoline are two very different commodities that don’t move together in lockstep.

“They each have their own supply and demand fundamentals and they can move in different directions,” he said.

Unlike gasoline, which jumps in price towards summer as more drivers hit the road, diesel tends to rise in the winter.

The reason, Parent said, is that diesel is virtually identical to heating oil, which is in high demand to heat homes in the winter.

“In the winter season when it gets colder, demand for heating oil spikes and that causes a demand pull on both heating oil prices and diesel prices.”

The drop in crude oil prices has put downward pressure on diesel, he said, but that has been largely offset by the increase in winter demand – much to the irritation of diesel users.

“The guys who use diesel are all wondering why they’re not seeing the same benefit as everyone else.”

Whittall said he has difficulty believing Parent’s explanation.

He said diesel prices never seem to budge, no matter if it’s summer, winter or crude oil prices are collapsing.

“I bet you it hasn’t moved a penny up here,” he said.

JESSE COLE Caledonia Courier

College of New Caledonia (CNC) hockey fans will find their wallets a little fatter now that CNC has partnered with the Prince George Spruce Kings to provide cheaper ticket prices.

CNC students will be eligible for nearly a 50 per cent discount on junior hockey tickets.

To qualify for the discount CNC students and employees are required to show their student or employee ID when they are purchasing tickets.

In addition to the discount, CNC students can vote for their favourite Spruce Kings player throughout the season. The player with the highest CNC votes at the end of the season will be given the CNC fan favourite cup.

2015 COUNCIL MEETING SCHEDULE The District of Fort St. James Regular Council Meeting Schedule for the year 2015 is now posted on the notice board at the Municipal Oɉce, 477 Stuart Drive West, Fort St. James, BC. The schedule will remain posted until December 31, 2015. The schedule is also posted online: http://bit.ly/1a9SuEp. Kevin Crook, Chief Administrative OfÄcer

SEASON’S GREETINGS from Spectra Energy

Wishing you a safe and happy holiday, and a wonderful 2015!

www.spectraenergy.com

www.EnergyForBC.ca

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Wednesday, December 24, 2014 Caledonia Courier

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• Column

From normal blues to debilitating depression: recognizing the signs and symptoms to help your child or teen DR. DAVID SMITH Submitted

We all feel sad from time to time. It is a normal and appropriate response to disappointment and loss. But how do you tell whether your child or teen is experiencing normal sadness or suffering from clinical (or major) depression that may need expert help?

Telling the difference can be difficult as the symptoms of depression can be different in children and teens from adults. In young children, it may express itself by being excessively clingy, frequently crying, expressing fear that they or others will die, losing interest in toys or friends, losing interest in school or refusing to go, frequent headaches, stomachaches or feeling sick.

In older children and teens, along with many of those symptoms can come others like withdrawal and social isolation. Other symptoms can be a lack of energy, extreme boredom, inability to concentrate or communicate, loss of friends, or lack of desire to see friends. Changes in patterns of eating and sleeping (either too much or too little) are common signs, as is being unable to get out of bed or off the couch. If your teen has previously been involved in sports and hobbies, depression may show up as an inability to enjoy or partake in activities that used to bring pleasure. Also common are feelings of excessive regret, guilt and remorse and increased irritability, aggression and hostility, as well as extreme sensitivity to rejection, criticism or failure. Sometimes untreated anxiety can turn into depression when the child or youth feels overwhelmed by their fears.

One or two such symptoms usually aren’t enough to make a diagnosis, but a pattern of sadness or loss of interests or pleasure combined with three or four such symptoms extending over two weeks or longer is more suggestive of clinical depression.

For parents, some of these symptoms can seem at times like normal teenage angst, lack of motivation or even misbehaviour. In fact, up until about two decades ago, it was thought that depression was primarily an adult disorder that rarely affected children or teens. Any symptoms displayed were put down to “a phase,” moodiness, over-dramatization, or self-indulgence. “Snap out of it!” many a parent would bark — thinking erroneously that cajoling or scolding might help.

Now we know much better. Depression is a serious mental health issue that affects about two per cent of BC children and adolescents every year. It is more common in girls, but it may be that depressed boys and teenage males display other behaviours like aggression, substance use, and delinquency, which can mask the depression.

Look for us online at : caledoniacourier.com

The risk of experiencing an episode of depression rises with age and with family history. While sometimes depression comes seemingly out of the blue, it can also be triggered in susceptible youth (with a genetic predisposition or with low self-esteem, perfectionist tendencies, for example) by trauma, anxiety, guilt or regret, or the death of a loved one or other significant loss.

On its own, depression is bad enough, but its hopelessness and despair, with the inability to see a brighter future, can also lead to suicide, which is the second leading cause of death among 15-24 year olds.

Fortunately, depression is highly treatable and youth are more likely to respond well to treatment if they receive it early. Treatment can consist of psychotherapy to teach youths how to address thoughts and behaviours that can lead to depression. Also, antidepressant medication can be very effective at reversing depression and keeping relapses at bay.

If your child seems to be showing symptoms of depression, talk to your family doctor, a mental health professional or the mental health clinicians through the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD).Call Service BC at 1 800 663-7867 to find the MCFD office nearest to you. Their experts will screen for depression and help your child access the most appropriate treatment if needed.

We do know that healthy diets, regular exercise, good sleep, and the ability to talk about problems with people who care are all protective against depression or relapses.

Information and support are available through a number of websites, such as: ok2bblue. com, dwdonline.ca, heretohelp.ca; mindyourmind.ca; keltyresources.ca, mindcheck.ca, openmind.ca.

For youth with suicidal thoughts please call the BC youth crisis line 1-800-suicide, visit youthinbc.ca to chat with a counsellor in real time, or go to the Emergency Department of your nearest hospital.

Dr. David Smith is an adolescent and adult psychiatrist and the medical director of the Okanagan Psychiatric services for Interior Health. This series of columns on common child and youth mental health issues is a project of the Child and Youth Mental Health and Substances Use Collaborative. The Collaborative involves multiple individuals, organizations and ministries all working together to increase the number of children, youth, and their families receiving timely access to mental health services and support in the Interior Health and Vancouver Island regions. The Collaborative is jointly funded

by Doctors of BC and the government of BC.

E-mail us at : newsroom@caledoniacourier.com

Caledonia Courier Wednesday, December 24, 2014

www.caledoniacourier.com A5

NEWS

Courier Dog found on Necoslie Road gets a second chance at life JESSE COLE Caledonia Courier

There is little in this world more infuriating than someone hurting a dog. Man’s best friend holds a special place in many a heart, so when Lionel Conant and his wife Rosemaire came across a bleeding and mangey dog walking down Necoslie Road they decided to rescue the animal.

Daisy is a 10 month old white, great pyrenees cross.

When Daisy was found she was was bleeding from a bullet wound to the shoulder and nearly half of her body was without fur.

Suffering from open wounds and what was initially thought to be mange Daisy was given over to the Fort St. James Humane Society and transported to the Vanderhoof veterinary clinic.

Despite her severe condition, this is not the first time they have seen Daisy as she had been brought in less than a month earlier for treatment, “We first saw [Daisy] on Nov. 19 for her skin problem,� said one of the veterinarian technicians. “We kept her here for about a week.�

Upon assessment, Dr. Ebbott the veterinarian tasked with treating Daisy, said that the skin condition is not mange but rather a bacterial infection. “It’s most consistent with a bacterial dermatitis,� Dr. Ebbott said. “It started on the head and when their coat thickens it can spread underneath it.�

Dr. Ebbott said that when they first treated Daisy for this illness, she was given back to her owners who seemed, at the time, content to treat the dog. “We sent her home with them and they sounded like they were genuinely interested and wanted to care for her,� Dr. Ebbott said. “They took all the medicine, they actually bought things on their own, a nice big bed and some other stuff.�

As Daisy’s illness progressed, her body became littered with open sores, “They were all open, pussy wounds that were weeping,� Dr. Ebbott said.

It is for this reason, they believe that Daisy was shot.

While it is not yet known who shot Daisy, it is believed that she was shot in an attempt to put her down and out of her suffering. However, the shot missed it’s mark and entered and exited through Daisy’s right shoulder. “It’s very superficial, she was very lucky,�

Dr. Ebbott said.

There has been no contact between the veterinarians and the owners of Daisy since they initially sent her home.

Dr. Ebbott has been treating Daisy with antibiotics and anti-parasitic drugs and says that she is recovering well. “[Her fur] is coming in in patches here and there. Fully it will take probably another couple months until her furs totally grown back in.�

Daisy is currently being fostered by one of veterinarian technicians and will be up for adoption when she has recovered.

As of press time the Caledonia Courier was unable to get in touch with Daisy’s previous owners and it is not yet known whether or not animal cruelty charges will be laid against those responsible.

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RESCUED: Above: Daisy was found on Necoslie Road in Fort St. James after having been shot. Right: When found she was suffering from a skin infection.

“It’s [the bullet wound] very superficial, she was very lucky,�

-Dr. Ebbott.

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Community Events

Community Events are free of charge as they are sponsored by the Caledonia Courier COMING EVENTS...

Will appear as space is available, free of charge in this section.

Coming events are available to non-profit organizations only. This area is not intended for thank you submissions or selling products.

It is simply a place for nonprofit organizations a place to announce upcoming free activities. You can e-mail your item to advertising@ ominecaexpress.com or by fax: 567-2070. Your organizations’ announcement can also be dropped off at our office located at #111250 Stuart Drive, Fort St. James.

Decision of the publisher is final. *** ST PATRICK’S ANGLICAN CHURCH...will be holding a Christmas Eve service at 7.00pm on December 24, 2015. We invite you to come and join us for this special occasion. Merry Christmas to all from Rev’s Roy and Gwen. *** THE DATES FOR THE NECHAKO VALLEY FESTIVAL OF THE PERFORMING ARTS ARE...March 9-20,2015. It will culminate with the festival concert on Mar. 22. Registration ONLINE opens on Dec. 8, 2014 and closes on Jan 15, 2015. The venue for all disciplines is Vanderhoof Christian Fellowship Church. You can view the syllabus and look for any other information on the website at www.musicfestivalweb/ nechako. *** VOLUNTEER WITHIN YOUR COMMUNITY!...Are you or anyone you know interested in becoming a volunteer? No matter your age or your interests, there are plenty of opportunities for you or your family members to volunteer within our community. At Volunteer Fort St. James we assist local nonprofit organizations in recruiting volunteers and assist volunteers to find an organization(s) they want to work with. If you chose to become a volunteer you are in control.

You get to choose the event(s) you volunteer for, how often you volunteer and how much time you’d like to volunteer. Volunteers are not obligated to volunteer for any opportunities, no questions asked.

It is as simple as that! If you’d like to become a volunteer, when opportunities become available you have the option to be notified by email, or you can check out our Facebook page at www.facebook. com/volunteerfsj or stop by the Volunteer Fort St. James Office Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 11:30 – 12:30 pm. You can sign up today to become a volunteer at www.volunteerfsj.ca. For more information you can e-mail us at volunteerfsj@telus.net or call us at 250-996-8284 (Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 11:30 – 12:30 pm). *** ST PATRICK’S ANGLICAN CHURCH...Services at St Patrick’s Anglican Church will now take place only on the first Sunday of the month except for special occasions. *** STUART LAKE OUTREACH GROUP FOOD BANK SCHEDULE... is the third Wed of each month: January 21, 2015, February 18 and March 18 from 10:00 am to noon at the Food Bank behind St. Patrick’s Anglican Church, Stuart Drive. Volunteers needed. Call 250567-6744. Food Bank needs canned meals, beans, stews, soups, tuna, salmon, sandwich meats, pasta and sauce, tea, coffee, toilet paper, canned milk, cereals, etc. At this time we have lots of sugar! Thank you for your generosity. *** UNTOLD TRAUMA...author seeks contributions from nonFirst Nations students and staff who experienced Catholic residential or day schools abuse in Northern BC. For more info email Kathyhansen1@gmail.com *** FIREWEED STOPPING THE VIOLENCE & OUTREACH SERVICE For those who believe all is possible!...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) 9961214 Fax: (250) 996-7647 Email:

fire.or@telus.net *** STUART LAKE OUTREACH GROUP... hosts a free hot lunch each Tuesday from 10.00am to 1.00pm in the space behind St. Patrick’s Anglican Church. Meals are served by members of area churches and other volunteers from the community. We wish to thank all those who assist by cooking, serving, and cleaning up. Your help is invaluable. We also host a free Christmas Dinner on Christmas Day to all who are lonely or in need.

Volunteers for these programs are needed. Please call Gwen at 250567-6744. *** ST. PATRICK’S ANGLICAN CHURCH SERVICES... will now take place only on the first Sunday of the month except for special occasions. *** FORT ST. JAMES SEARCH & RESCUE... steering committee meetings first Tuesday of every month. 7:00 p.m. above the Fort St. James Firehall. Training is the third Tuesday of every month at the Firehall at 7 p.m. New members are welcome and training is provided.

For more information please contact Paul at 250.996.7478 or Rod at 250.996.3231 *** FIREWEED CLOTHES DRIVE...The Fireweed Safe Haven is doing a winter clothes drive. We are looking for jackets, boots, snow pants, mitts, hats, scarves, fleeces, etc, for men, women and children.

The items will then be given to families in the community that need them. If you do not have anything at home that you can part with but still wish to contribute, you can purchase mitts, socks, or thermal underwear.

Please drop items off at the Fireweed Safe Haven. For more information please contact Talia at (250) 9968081. Every little bit helps. *** FORT ST. JAMES PUBLIC LIBRARY HOURS...

Tuesday 11:30-8:00 Wednesday 11:30-4:30 Thursday 11:30-4:30 Friday 11:30-8:00 Saturday 11:00-3:00

A6 www.caledoniacourier.com

Wednesday, December 24, 2014 Caledonia Courier

NEWS

Courier B.C. urged to end ‘shadow RDBN asks district for system’ of substandard help on foster care

Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond is B.C.’s Representative For Children and Youth. Her latest report titled ‘Who cares?’ is critical of the province’s handing of children in care with complex needs.

Submitted Photo

JEFF NAGEL Black Press

B.C.’s Representative for Children and Youth has issued yet another stinging rebuke to the province for allowing substandard conditions in 31 cases where youths in care ended up critically harmed or dead.

Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond latest review of children in care focuses on those with complex medical, psychological or behavioural needs and paints a tragic portrait of a system she says is “in disarray” because of government’s failure to fund an adequate model.

“We’re compounding their challenges by isolating them and giving them this kind of substandard treatment,” she told reporters Wednesday.

One youth dubbed Dean came from a violent, unstable family and mentally ill mother who considered killing him, according to the new report.

He was diagnosed with various behavioural disorders and hospitalized for self-harm before entering government care and being placed in a foster home at age 15.

The foster father didn’t want his own kids exposed to Dean so the youth was kept in a separate rental home that the dad staffed with workers he met through Narcotics Anonymous or the local coffee shop, with no criminal record checks conducted.

One night worker turned out to be a sex offender who abused the boy, Turpel-Lafond STUART LAKE OUTREACH GROUP FOOD BANK SCHEDULE... is the third Wed of each month: January 21, 2015, February 18 and March 18 from 10:00 am to noon at the Food Bank behind St. Patrick’s Anglican Church, Stuart Drive. Volunteers needed. Call 250-567-6744. Food Bank needs canned meals, beans, stews, soups, tuna, salmon, sandwich meats, pasta and sauce, tea, coffee, toilet paper, canned milk, cereals, etc. At this time we have lots of sugar! Thank you for your generosity.

said, calling it an example of a “shadow system of care” where kids who need the most attention are cast aside.

“When we put the neediest kids in these ad hoc group homes that are one-offs where someone can hire someone from the Starbucks lineup or from their Narcotics Anonymous group to care for a child, that’s not good care.”

It’s particularly troubling the province knew of that care plan and agreed to it, Turpel-Lafond added.

Of the cases reviewed, seven children were sexually assaulted, eight were physically assaulted, while others were suicidal, had drug overdoses or self-inflicted injuries. Two died.

She noted the Ministry of Children and Family Development continues to use hotels in all regions of the province to house some children in care who have not been placed elsewhere.

“You basically go to sleep in a hotel with one worker and wake up with another worker,” said Turpel-Lafond, who wants the province to disclose each time hotels are used.

“Sometimes the kids sleep overnight in the after hours office [of the ministry], which isn’t even as good as a hotel – they’re sleeping in an office.”

Her chief recommendation is the province stop putting children with complex needs in inappropriate placements and that new residential services be created that aim for a loving family-style environment, not institutionalization.

Letting at-risk kids drift toward poverty, homelessness, jail, abuse and untreated mental illness is much more costly than a comprehensive, fully funded and properly supported residential care system, she said.

She’s also urging a hybrid approach of shared guardianship that lets parents and other family continue to participate in the upbringing of a child who must be in government care.

Minister of Children and Family Development Stephanie Cadieux issued a statement saying the review doesn’t reflect her ministry’s latest improvements, including the new six-bed Maples Adolescent Treatment Centre in Burnaby.

Cadieux called Turpel-Lafond’s proposed three-month timeline for action “unrealistic” because the ministry is tackling other priorities, including the hiring of 200 more front-line child protection staff.

Turpel-Lafond said the government has had adequate time to act – it’s been nearly two years since she issued similar recommendations after an 11-year-old boy with complex needs was tasered by police.

“I’m certainly not happy that I continue to see children in this state,” she said. “They need to get on this.”

Of B.C.’s nearly 9,000 children and teens in care, 1,300 have complex needs and nearly 900 of them are in contracted placements that often have inadequate oversight.

water crisis JESSE COLE Caledonia Courier

Regional representative for Area C, Tom Greenaway, is looking for help from Fort St. James municipal council to address a water shortage for rural residents.

Greenaway attended municipal council on Dec. 10 on behalf of some of his rural constituents who are currently, or will be come spring, without water.

“The Stuart Lake is extremely low and the river is low as well,” Greenaway said. “I think in the spring a lot of the people who draw their water from the lake and river will be without water.”

Currently there are a number of water-filling stations in town, including ones at Overwaitea and the Goodwin building, but none of these are equipped to handle bulk-volume water needs.

Previously, a bulk-volume filling station was available at the Fort St. James fire hall but due to misuse of the facility and damage to the building it has since been closed to the public.

Greenaway wants to implement a bulk-filling station in Fort St. James to serve those who are running out of water but said he doesn’t want to do so alone.

“I’ve managed to put a lot of money into Fort St. James and I have quite a bit more proposed for the area, so I’m proposing that the district could help a bit in terms of my constituents who are without water,” Greenaway said.

Greenaway said that while he could use revenue from the provincial gas tax to fund the building of a bulk-water station, doing so would take away his ability to put money into other local projects.

Council agreed to work jointly with the regional government to find a solution to the problem, but no definitive decision was made on how to move forward.

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“Sydney is not afraid of taking on big projects and seems to thrive on the challenge.”

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NEWS

Christmas cheer in Fort St. James

Left to right, top to bottom: Santa brings a little holiday cheer to a toddler at the Historic Site.

A youngster looks in awe at a Christmas diorama at the Historic Site. Students from Fort St. James Secondary School take part in the “fill the bus” fundraiser for the toy and food drive.

Two kids play Mary and Joseph for a reenactment of the nativity scene.

All photos by Jesse Cole, except fill the bus courtesy of the Fort St. James Secondary School’s Facebook page.

OUR LADY OF THE SNOWS ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH (Across from the Petrocan Station)

SUNDAY LITURGY: Saturday 7:30 pm & Sunday 10:30 am DAILY MASS: Monday - Friday 9:00 am PASTORAL TEAM: FATHER FRANK SALMON 250-996-8343 SR. MAURINE BARZANTNI, SR.RENEE RICHIE

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THE CHURCHES OF FORT ST. JAMES