Inside
● ●
POLICE UPDATE P. 3 EDITORIAL P. 6
● ●
ELECTION CANDIDATES P. 4 BC RIVERS DAY P. 9
E xpress OMINECA
Publications Mail Contract # 40007840 Published by Black Press Ltd., 150 West Columbia Street, Vanderhoof, BC
$1.30 Inc. GST Vol. 38 No. 31
Serving Vanderhoof ● Fort Fraser ● Fraser Lake & Area www.ominecaexpress.com
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Parents: bus route change at children’s expense
Weekend Vanderhoof fire
Vivian Chui Omineca Express
VIVIAN CHUI photo
As heavy smoke filled the skies of downtown Vanderhoof’s west side, bystanders were evacuated from Douglas Street between Church and Lampitt Avenue on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. Vivian Chui Omineca Express Flames and heavy smoke emerged from 280 Douglas Street West at about 11:00 a.m. last Saturday. Including damage from smoke and water, 50 per cent of the house was lost to its five residents of three adults and two stu-
dents, said Fire Chief, Ian Leslie of Vanderhoof. The older house’s use of wood shavings as insulation had made the fire more difficult to extinguish, Leslie added. 18 firefighters were on scene for five and a half hours, including post-fire cleanup, for the incident. At press time on Monday, Leslie said the cause of fire is still unknown and investigation continues.
Parents from three changed school bus routes in Fraser Lake and Vanderhoof voiced out safety concerns for their children at School District No.91’s board meeting in Vanderhoof on Sept. 21. With those bus route portions cancelled, elementary and secondary school students will be walking through long roads frequented by wildlife and logging trucks, and at times far from the nearest residence in case of emergencies, said Erin Miller, who resides on Hargrave Road in Vanderhoof along with four other families. “[The school board] say they couldn’t use wildlife [as a reason for bus pickups] because wildlife is everywhere, but when you’re in a rural setting and it’s dark with no street lights, no houses to run to, our children have no safety.” Miller said. “To us it shouldn’t even be a question,” she said. “We’ll pay to have our kids picked up.” Miller added that it’s challenging for working parents to adjust schedules around pickup times. “It’s their job to pick our kids up safely, it’s our job to get our kids safely to the bus,” she said. “I understand that.” In fact, the bus route portion on Hargrave Road was cancelled at the beginning of the last school year as well, and had been reinstated after the school board verified that logging trucks and gravel trucks would be accessing the road, Miller added. “That was a safety concern and our children can be picked up,” she said. “And this year, I don’t know why it would be different.” For Trina Evans on Fraser Lake’s Clearview Road and another parent on Aspen Drive in Vanderhoof, the cancelled route portions will be particularly concerning in winter when the cold air could See BUS ROUTE, page 2
To help celebrate
CUSTOMER APPRECIATION DAYS Here’s your chance to do something special for your valued customers! Please call ...250-567-9258 or Fax: 250-567-2070 to book your ad space or for more information