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ALL CANDIDATES FORUM P. 3 EDITORIAL P. 6
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FIRE PREVENTION WEEK P. 5-9 POLICE UPDATE P. 12
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Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Arrests for Vanderhoof murders
Flying discs for spinal cord research
VIVIAN CHUI photo
Students from grades four to six gathered at W.L.McLeod Elementary School on Oct.1 for the annual ultimate tournament to fundraise for ICORD, an interdisciplinary research centre on spinal cord injuries. See ULTIMATE, page 10
Blackwater: safety milestone, 2018 expected start Vivian Chui Omineca Express Three years of mining exploration for the Blackwater Project has yielded no lost-time incidents, including two years of no reportable accidents, New Gold said. Celebrating the safety milestone with employees and contractors on Oct. 6, along with a $5,000 donation to the Nechako Valley Search and Rescue (NVSR), project director Tim Bekhuys said it’s an opportunity to show appreciation for the 500,000 work hours in the past three years from staff — 70 per cent of which were locally hired. “We try to make sure that we walk the
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talk and hire locally, along with that comes the responsibility of making sure that those people are safe as well,” said Bekhuys. Located 110 km southwest of Vanderhoof, the Blackwater Project will be an open-pit gold and silver mine with an estimated 17-year lifespan and the potential to produce 485,000 ounces of gold per year for the first nine years, according to New Gold. As the project takes place in a potential wildfire location, with a short-term evacuation in 2014 that did not harm workers or structures, the camp team had provided ongoing camp services such as housing and meals to wildfire crews, helicopter pilots, and engineers as well.
“Certainly in New Gold, we see it as our responsibility to get every worker home safe,” Bekhuys said. “So we take safety very seriously, and we monitor the safety in all of our sites very closely on a daily basis.” According to New Gold, Blackwater will employ between 1,200 and 1,500 workers during the construction of the mine and 500 workers to operate the mine once construction is complete. As the project shuts down for the winter and continued its environmental assessment process, New Gold is looking to meet with the local community through a series of open house sessions before Christmas, he said. See SEARCH, page 2
Over the Oct. 3 weekend, Vanderhoof’s RCMP charged Shaun Keith Goodwin, 21, of Vanderhoof and a 21-year-old male — who was 17 years old at the time of the offence and so his name cannot be released — with two counts of second degree murder in the deaths of 29-yearold Blaine Albert Barfoot and 40-year-old Tara Lee Ann Williams. On January 13th 2013, the Vanderhoof RCMP responded to a complaint of two persons been found deceased in a residence. Due to the circumstances surrounding these deaths, the North District Major Crime Unit (NDMCU) was called in to assist. As a result of a very intense investigation, the NDMCU is announcing that arrests have been made in this double homicide. Investigation continues and anyone with information that has not been reported is advised to contact the Vanderhoof RCMP at (250) 567-2222 or if you would like to remain anonymous please call CRIMESTOPPERS at 1-800-222TIPS (8477).
Fort Fraser fatal crash At about 2:36 a.m. on Oct. 3, a singlevehicle accident on Highway 16 in Fort Fraser resulted in the death of a male passenger on scene and the driver sent to the St. John Hospital in Vanderhoof with serious injuries. Travelling westbound, the car had lost control, crossed the eastbound lanes, went off road, and struck a power pole. By press time on Monday, investigation still continues, though speed and alcohol are being considered as factors at this time, said Sgt. Al Steinhauser from the North District Traffic Services.
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