Inside
◆ COUNCIL NOTES - PG 2 ◆ SOWCHEA FIRE HALL - PG 3
◆ LITERACY DAY - PG 7 ◆ A LOOK BACK - PG 12
Published by Black Press Ltd at 150 West Columbia Street, Vanderhoof, BC V0J 3A0 Publications Mail Contract #: 40007759
PHONE: 996-8482 www.caledoniacourier.com
WEDNESDAY, February 3, 2016
VOL. 38 NO. 49 $1.30 inc. GST
NEWS BRIEFS January is Crime Stoppers Month BARBARA LATKOWSKI Caledonia Courier
January is National Crime Stoppers Month and the program continues to be a success in Fort St. James according to the R.C.M.P. Crime Stoppers is a not-for-profit program that empowers regular people to fight back against crime. Anyone can submit an anonymous tip and if that tip leads to an arrest, the individual will receive a reward for their efforts. Tips may not necessarily give police the evidence they need to make an arrest but any tip can help put them on the right track to solving a particular crime. Today there are about 1,200 Crime Stoppers programs in communities worldwide and all sorts of crimes are being solved including: homicides, robberies, sexual assaults and drug trafficking. Police can link 1,469 arrests to information received via Crime Stoppers. These tips have also led to almost $3.1 million worth of stolen property recovered and $33 million in drugs being seized. Fort St. James is part of the Prince George chapter which also includes: Fraser Lake, Vanderhoof, McBride and Valemont. Since 1991, the Prince George chapter has received 11,067 tips and this number continues to grow. If you have any tips call: 1-800-222TIPS(8477) You remain anonymous. If you see a crime in progress call 911 immediately.
A model of the Veolia Fort Green Energy Plant. The plant will be up and running by Dec. 2016. Submitted by: Rick Peterson
Veolia Fort Green Energy Plant: presentation answers local questions BARBARA LATKOWSKI Caledonia Courier
It was almost a full house at the Community Centre in Fort St. James as people gathered in the theatre room to hear a presentation from Rick Peterson, plant manager at Veolia Fort Green Energy. Community members were eager to learn more about this new local edition, its impacts environmentally and future prospects including possible job opportunities. The Fort St. James Veolia Fort Green Energy Plant is planning to be ready for operation in December, 2016. Veolia is considered to be one of the leading providers of environmental solutions and they are looking forward to a future in Fort St. James. Veolia’s mission is to resource the world in helping their customers address their environmental and sustainability challenges in energy, water and waste. According to Veolia, this means improving their client’s efficiency
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“Our intent is to hire locally as much as possible. We don’t want this being a fly in and fly out operation,” - Rick Peterson by better managing their water and wastewater and recovering resources from their wastes. Community members were curious. How will this affect Fort St. James? What are the benefits and mostly, what are the environmental issues associated with Veolia? After a brief presentation, Peterson was able to address many of these questions and concerns. Iberdrolia is the main contractor of the facility and Veolia North America will be the operator. The Fort St. James facility will operate 24/7 and consume 200,000 metric tonnes of biomass per year.
But how will this impact the environment? According to Peterson, the biomass is burned in a high efficiency boiler that ensures that biomass is burned as completely and as efficiently as possible. All dust is controlled in the plant. “We are not allowed to make smoke,” Peterson said. “What’s being discharged into the air from the stack is carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and water vapour.” “The wood is not carcinogenic. It’s just wood,” he said. Veolia uses green and recyclable products only. The ash is considered to be a good natural fertilizer and Pe-
terson hopes that this can eventually be utilised by local farmers. In terms of job opportunities, there will be various positions available including power engineers and electrical and instrumentation technicians. “Our intent is to hire locally as much as possible. We don’t want this being a fly in and fly out operation,” Peterson said. Contract and support potentials will also be available in: maintenance including mechanical and electrical labourers, suppliers, (parts and materials) general services (such as cleaning and work clothing) and biomass supply including fuel and ash hauling. Veolia also intends to set up apprenticeship programs with local colleges. “We intend to be a good, responsible corporate citizen,” Peterson said. “We’re here for the long haul”. For more information on Veolia and future job opportunities visit: veolianorthamerica.com
Community Telephone Directory 2016 Serving Vanderhoof, Fort St. James, Fraser Lake, Fort Fraser, Cluculz Lake, Tachie and area ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS OR SERVICE IN THE TELEPHONE DIRECTORY. There are several options: * Choose from a Line Listing, Bold Line Listing or Super Bold Line Listing in the white pages * choose from a Line Listing, Bold Line Listing or a Super Bold Line Listing in the back section of the directory listings * or choose a display advertisement in the directory. You can also combine two or a package of all three options.
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For more information call the Omineca Express: 250-567-9258