January 12, 2012 - Vol.9 - No.2
RCMP crack down on street drugs
Inside
By Kyla Corpuz
New Year’s Baby - Page 3
Kyla Corpuz photo
Counc. Bruce Christensen, Mayor Lori Ackerman, Councillors Trevor Bolin, Larry Evans, Dan Davies, Byron Stewart and Gord Klassen attended the Official Opening of the Kids Arena Fieldhouse on Jan. 5.
Site C Dam Sign - Page14
Fieldhouse opens new opportunities
Horse Extravaganza - Page 22
Scan Me to Check Us Out Online!
By Kyla Corpuz
FORT ST. JOHN – What was once an ice rink is now green turf and on Jan. 5 the Mayor, city councillors and staff cut the ribbon for its official opening. The Kids Arena Fieldhouse brings the opportunity for seasonal sports to be accessible throughout the year. “There are some sports where this will make them a year-round thing rather than six months when they’re just outside,” said Coun. Larry Evans. Evans and Counc. Trevor Bolin were the duo that lead the charge in working with user groups to determine the end result of the facility, said Mayor Lori Ackerman. “The transformation has opened the door for this community for a lot more opportunities to come and a lot more memories,” she added. The opening of the Fieldhouse is a positive change for Jason Miller’s 11-year-old son who plays soccer.
“It’s great to have something like this,” said Miller. “They’ve been playing in the gyms for long enough.” He said having an indoor field is one reason why parents have enrolled their kids into indoor soccer. “It’s been a lengthy process to get us to this evening here, but as you can see … it’s fabulous and we’re pretty excited about this,” Ackerman said. The Fieldhouse was originally set to open its door at the end of October, but it was postponed until the middle of November. The delay came from a whole range of issues that Bolin said couldn’t be pin pointed to one specific area. “It wasn’t one thing or another, it was the overall adding a new facility,” said Bolin. But after meeting with the user groups, it was understood how important it was to stick to the original timelines, which Bolin added: “In the end is what we pulled off.” Despite the hold up, Evans said it
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was important not to overlook the time frame it took to renovate the space. “That’s the shortest amount of time I’ve ever seen a building [renovated] in Fort St. John. It was fairly short when you look at some of the things we took on,” said Evans. It took approximately seven months to update the arena that now has artificial turf, retrofitted rink boards, new netting, heating units, accessibility changes to the washrooms and entrance and improved lighting. Stacey Miranda, the city’s recreation manager, said the entire soccer club, including mens and ladies, are occupying the field; and interest from rugby, lacrosse and softball groups have stepped forward. Miranda added that renting out the space is also available. The budget to upgrade it was $500,000, and the city came in under that amount according to Jim Rogers, director of facilities and protective services.
FORT ST. JOHN – Police called the latest drug bust the largest crackdown in 2011. On Dec. 13, 2011, members of the Drug Section targeted a male suspected of trafficking cocaine in the community, according to a press release. Cocaine, ecstasy, marijuana, mushrooms, weapons and cash were allegedly found at the male’s residence following a Controlled Drugs and Substances Act search warrant. Michael Telford, 31, is the Fort St. John resident charged with possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, possession of a controlled substance, failing to comply with previous release conditions and possession of a weapon contrary to a prohibition order. Telford is currently in custody and his next court date is scheduled for Jan. 18. On Dec. 31, 2011 RCMP arrested a 41-year-old male who was also suspected of trafficking cocaine. According to the press release, the male allegedly had cocaine in his possession when he was arrested. This sparked a search warrant for the male’s residence where over one kilogram of cocaine was allegedly seized said police. Numerous CDSA charges were recommended for the individual, one being possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. The Judicial Justice of the Peace released the 41-year-old male on several conditions. His next court appearance is scheduled for Mar. 7. The investigations that led to these busts meant a step closer to safer and cleaner streets. “That kilogram didn’t get to people on the streets, which will have a positive impact because a lot of people do a lot of property crime in order to fuel their habit,” said Cst. Jackelynn Biller. “So if we can take drugs away, hopefully we can
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