AHN August 24, 2023

FSJ’s XY Ranch celebrates 100 years of raising livestock

The Bouffioux family of Fort St. John is being honoured this year with a Century Farm Award from the province of British Columbia, recognizing its contribution and dedication to agriculture in British Columbia since 1916.

The family-run XY Ranch, named for the XY cattle brand of the time, began its farming story more than 100 years ago. Through the years, the ranch has won multiple awards for quality, including Best in BC at the AgAware BC competition and others, such as the BC Agricultural Council, Canadian Bison Agribition Show and Wildrose Bison Show.

It all started in 1913, when family patriarch George Bouffioux travelled through Fort St. John on his way to the Klondike from his home in Wisconsin. Old George is known to have said: “Anyone can see there is a gold mine in farmland here.”

In 1916, he made good on his statement and bought a quarter of land (65 hectares) for $10 and began raising cattle. Through trading and borrowing, he acquired 14 more quarters (910 hectares) of Peace River land. With money

hard to come by in those days, George made ends meet by trapping, and used the money he earned to make improvements to the farm. In 1939, George married Elaine Cooper and raised four children: Betty Anne, George (Bill), Joyce and John.

At a young age, George (Bill), knew he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps. After obtaining a diploma in farm mechanics at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and a second one at the University of British Columbia in agriculture, he and his wife Fayette purchased the farm from his father in 1965. Though the new couple struggled to pay the farm credit loan, they raised Hereford cattle, hogs, chickens and grain. They also sold milk, cream, butter and eggs to help support the growing family, which in 1964 and 1965, respectively, welcomed the next generation of ranchers, daughters Cyndy and Sandy.

With a keen mind and shrewd business sense, Bill acquired 530 hectares of land in 1984. He expanded the ranch, shifting its focus from cattle to bison, which require less labour, create less waste and are more disease-resistant. Bill’s knowledge and community leadership led to his

election to the executive committee of the Canadian Bison Association, where he served as president for two years. Bill was instrumental in uniting the Peace Country Bison Association, BC Southern Bison Association and BC Interior Bison Association to create the provincial BCBison Association. Bill was also a major contributor to the original Bison Code of Practice Manual, of which he is very proud.

In 2006, Sandy and husband Cole Busche bought 160 hectares from her father and began their own farming venture, while serving as the ranch’s bookkeeper and technician, respectively, and ever-present ranch hands. They were joined as landowners and ranch hands in 2009 by sister Cyndy, who serves as ranch manager, and her husband, Monty Donally.

“My father truly exemplified hard work and entrepreneurship,” said Bill Bouffioux in a release.

“I am grateful to him for struggling through the lean, mean Depression era to build something for himself and for the legacy of our family. I am proud of all we have accomplished, but my proudest achievement is having four

generations continuing to live and work on the ranch, which I hope it will continue for another 100 years.”

XY Ranch continues its enduring legacy and the family hopes that it lives on for many more years with grandson Trent, daughter-in-law Kristen and their children Kohen and newborn Brielle at the helm.

“British Columbia’s agriculture industry is built upon the foundation of hard-working farming families,” added Pam Alexis, Minister of Agriculture and Food in a release.

“Congratulations to the Bouffiouxs on over 100 years of farming and ranching, and for being pillars in the community. My sincere thank you goes to the family for all they have done to feed our province and I wish them many more years of success.”

Century Farm Awards honour farms, ranches and agricultural organizations that have been active for 100 years or longer, as well as those whose farms and ranches have been in families for 100 years or more. Each Century Farm Award celebrates the rich heritage of farming and ranching in BC.

Todd Buck Reporter/Photographer

Pink Mountain’s Fallyn Mills ropes a calf last week at the Dawson Creek Exhibition and Stampede. BROWN

Where to find us? Not on Facebook but we’re still here

Facebook blocks Alaska Highway News posts

Rob Brown Managing Editor Dawson Creek Mirror

Readers of the Alaska Highway News and Dawson Creek Mirror may have noticed they cannot find us on Facebook – and may have received this message:

“In response to Canadian

government legislation, some content from news publications, like posts, can’t be viewed in Canada. This does not include your ads.”

This means most of you are not able to see link we post –and we will not be allowed to post in Canada.

We encourage you to en-

courage Justin Trudeau to correct this error. You can reach the office of the Prime Minister at justin.trudeau@parl.gc.ca

Here are some options to get around the Facebook block:

1. Visit our website alaskahighwaynews.ca and then save it to your cell phone home screen.

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3. Visit our website on your desktop computer, and laptop as well.

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Educating the public on Charlie Lake greening

Todd Buck Reporter/Photographer

alaskahighwaynews.ca/ account/mailinglist

“Canadians now less safe on many levels,” says Canadian Police Report, a westernfocused police report website this week in response to the block. editor@dcdn.ca

We’re still here!

If you were still able to see our Facebook page and stories last week, you can’t now. Our page went dark on Wednesday like all other news sites in Canada have or will.

Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, is no longer allowing Canadian news of any kind on its sites in response to the federal government’s Bill C18, Online News Act.

We hope the government and Meta will reach an agreement before the act comes into force in the new year so that we can be restored on these sites. But for now, all news is banned.

The aim of the bill, it says, is to “enhance fairness in the economic relationship between news businesses and online platforms” by having companies like Meta and Google pay a fee for hosting our news stories.

The ban on Canadian news that has resulted is not helping us or any other community news organization.

We want to be easy to find on as many platforms as possible so that you get as much local news as possible.

So, having us removed from social sites hurts us — and you.

But the fact is we are still here.

How can you find us?

We are at alaskahighwaynews.ca, where you can read all our stories — and comment under them.

Please bookmark our homepage so you can come back easily.

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Please pick up a copy of the Alaska Highway News at or at our office at 9916 98 Street, Fort St. John, and the Dawson Creek Mirror at our office at 901 100th Avenue, Dawson Creek.

The Alaska Highway News and Dawson Creek Mirror have been your source for local news for decades, and we still are.

Thank you for your ongoing support!

Another road closed for construction

Charlie Lake was the topic of discussion on Tuesday night at the North Peace Museum, where the Charlie Lake Conservation Society was educating the public on the ‘greening’ that occurs.

They discussed potential issues and multiple factors that impact the lake, such as the low-gradient landscape, the nutrient-rich soils, as our region is well known for its fertile soils and algae uses almost the same elements as land plants and crops.

The lake also has a slow flushing rate of 5-years, which means the nutrients entering the lake take a long time to flush out, such as phosphorus accumulating in the bottom sediments.

Some of the health impacts are that blue-green algae blooms are capable of producing chemicals

that are poisonous if swallowed by people, livestock, and pets.

Other blooms can have no noticeable effect on pets and livestock.

They also discussed their cyanobacteria study findings, which showed the toxicity levels (microcystin in recreational waters) were acceptable, and the lake had good dissolved oxygen levels for fish habitats.

Officials said Additional potential cyanobacteria toxins such as anatoxins and saxitoxins should be included in future testing.

Left - Riley Rivey takes a closer look at a tank of plants and water, taken from Charlie Lake.

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tbuck@ahnfsj.ca

Goats hired for the pipeline?

Petro Canada fuel price hikes 24 cents, in 24 hours

BC Hydro is planning to fill the Site C reservoir this fall

YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR HOUSE IS

Todd Buck

Reporter/Photographer

On August 7, the Goat Grazing Project was successfully piloted. Currently, there are about 30 goats that are penned in a parcel of land that is located near the Pine Pass, north of Macleod Lake and approximately 200 km south of Fort St John.

“When these goats are penned in an area, they will overgraze on shrubs. The best-case scenario is the goats eat everything. They eat the leaves, they eat the little branches, and they graze it right down to the ground,” says Dan Tisseur, Senior Environment Advisor for Operations and Maintenance at Enbridge.

“This is going to be a multi-year project to assess the efficacy over time. So we’re actually going to bring these goats back to the same location to repeat these treatments to see if over time we’re witnessing a reduction in the shrub biomass and invasive plants on site.”

Wearing their Company bandanas, the goats grazed the area for a week enjoying their favourite meal.

Invasive plant clearing is critical for the components of the company’s commitment to integrated vegetation management along the pipeline right-of-way.

Right-of-ways need to have a herb dominated

ecosystem, with only smaller plants like grasses and legumes growing in the area as shrubs and trees make it harder to access the sites for maintenance on its pipeline infrastructure.

The company has been utilizing the herbivores as a biological method to control vegetation as traditional vegetation management methods were inclusive to chemical applications of herbicides and the mechanical cutting of shrubs and trees.

Goats have already been used for effective and sustainable ways to control the vegetation, all though more research is needed in order to be able to determine the efficacy of the approach.

“It’s truly a win-win scenario for both Enbridge and our adorable four-legged friends. While they munch away their favorite buffet meal, we are able to control targeted invasive plants in an eco-friendly way -- a graze-ful testament to our commitment to sustainability,” says Michelle Furlong, Area Manager, T-South, Enbridge

The Goat Grazing Project will run for years, and the goats will be brought back for further study and grazing every year to repeat the treatment and properly observe their effectiveness.

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tbuck@ahnfsj.ca

Addicts, more impact downtown core: DC struggles continue

Rob Brown Managing Editor Dawson Creek Mirror

Parents of children attending KPAC’s daycare and more have concerns about their neighbours across the street. The challenges of a daycare being neighbours with a three-storey drug/addictions recovery complex on 104 Avenue are many and daily.

One parent whose child attends the daycare adjacent to the apartments has concerns about the safety.

“I shouldn’t have to explain to my kids why that guy is either amidst of a withdrawal, or an overdose.”

KPAC executive director Johanna Martens agrees.

“The current situation with the BC housing unit is in direct violation of our children’s rights and I would like to see a reform to how the building is managed,” she said.

“We would like to see the BC housing unit turn from a wet facility that operates under the BC residential tenancy agreement into a dry facil-

On August 15, local Petro-Canada gas stations seen a 24-cent increase in fuel prices over the last 24 hours without warning.

Petro Canada operates more than 1,500 retail stations across Canada, as well as 300 wholesale Petro-Pass locations according to Suncor.com.

Summer Reading Club wraps up 2023

Snap Up a Deal

ity that offers a road to recovery with the proper supports in place to help the residents.”

Duncan Malkinson, executive director of the DC and District Chamber of Commerce says the issue is complex, and not one to be solved easily.

“We’ve got to work together as a community to confront and understand addiction, crime, and make sure there’s a path for the road to recovery.”

One facility resident said Thursday afternoon they were a resident to get help.

“I’m not here by choice.”

Martens said as it relates to KPAC and daycare parent concerns – the concern is clear, and hoped for a public meeting on the matter with key downtown stakeholders.

“I believe that our children have the right to grow and thrive in an environment free from harm and violence. editor@dcdn.ca

Todd Buck Reporter/Photographer

NewThe Summer Reading Club (SRC)

is a free province wide program, which encourages kids ages 2-12 to continue reading throughout the summer.

Kids and families who were registered with the program, were given a reading tracker which was used to keep track of their self-assigned daily reading goals over the summer.

“They check in with us weekly for incentives like stickers, badges, and prizes to reward them for meeting their goal and reading every day,” says Alisa Lurie, Program Coordinator & Children’s Services at the North Peace Public Library.

“This year, our SRC theme was ‘Journey Through Time’ which was all about time travel and exploration, so each week’s reading theme was something cool like: Dynamic Dinosaurs, Ingenious Inventions, and Rollin’ with Retro.”

This program keeps kids engaged with the library, reading, and learning throughout the summer and tries to make reading as fun as possible, so the kids and families have the freedom to pick what they want to read.

“Having a free program like this that is available to all families to participate in keeps people connected. Especially for newcomers to the community, it gives them a chance to make new friends and make connections with other families during the summer,” says Lurie.

“As Library Director, I wanted to thank our Summer Student Puneet, and our Children’s Services and Programming Coordinator Alisa Lurie for their incredible hard work in getting the Wrap Up Party together,” said Matthew Rankin, Library Director.

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tbuck@ahnfsj.ca

how

tips

1. Speak to your audience and no one el S e. Attempting to connect with everyone will only weaken the message you’re trying to convey.

2. c raft a powerful headline to capture the attention of your target audience.

3. Select one main image for your design, and make sure that it ties in with the ad’s overall message.

4. o ptimize your copy. Choose the right words to clearly communicate why the product or service you’re selling is exactly what your audience needs.

5. e mbrace white S pace. Don’t let superfluous clutter distract your audience from the key points in your ad.

6. l imit your offer S to two. Less is more when it comes to advertising. Including too much information will only confuse your audience.

7. m ake your ad vi S ually appealing by grouping similar ele

ments together, limiting the number of typefaces you use and choosing colours wisely.

8. Stand out with colour. A full-colour ad on an otherwise black-and-white page is sure to draw the eye, and the opposite — monochromatic in a sea of colour — is equally true.

9. a lway S include a call to action. What do you want people to do after they’ve read your ad? Sign up for your service? Visit your showroom? Let them know!

10. k eep contact information cry S tal clear. Potential buyers need to instantly know how and where to reach you.

Kalia Resources fined for dumping human waste without a permit

Charlie Lake business owner Joseph Kitzke of Kalia Resources Corp. has been issued a $35,000 fine with a 15 percent victim surcharge, payable over ten years, and a five-year ban on non-licensed use of a commercial lagoon system after being caught disposing residential human waste without a permit.

The ruling was made by Justice Darin Reeves in Fort St. John Provincial Court on July 31. Kitzke is the sole shareholder of Kalia Resources and acquired the lagoon for his business after it was no longer needed by the Charlie Lake Elementary School.

The site was originally engineered for the school to provide a septic lagoon, but was made redundant after the Charlie Lake regional municipality switched to a central sewage system.

After using the property to

dispose wastewater, Kitzke was informed that with the transfer of the property the preexisting permit was no longer valid, and therefore no longer permitted to dump waste into the lagoon.

It’s noted that Kitzke did commission a soils and hydrogeological assessment of the site, confirming that the lagoon system could safely accept 22.7 cubic metres of domestic waste under the law.

However, it was determined that it was the responsibility of the Ministry of the Environment and not the Ministry of Health, to issue a new permit, which the Ministry of Environment declined for undisclosed reasons in 2016.

Despite performing additional work to make the lagoon safe, Kitzke decided to continue using the lagoon to dispose of residential human waste within the Charlie Lake and Fort St. John area under Kalia Resources, knowing he was in breach of the regulations.

Kitzke entered a guilty plea to one count of unlawfully introducing or causing or allowing to be introduced into the environment waste produced by a prescribed activity or operation, contrary to the Environmental Management Act.

It’s estimated that Kalia Resources avoided paying approximately $118,000 in waste discharge fees that would have been collected by using the regional commercial dumping station - a gross revenue of over $180,000 from 1,305 cli-

Public artwork coming for the community

ents, and a volume of 1.29 million litres, or 129 cubic metres, of human waste.

Justice Reeves noted that the offence was administrative in nature and not a real threat to the environment.

“No real environmental harm was created,” writes Reeves.

“Mr. Kitzke used a well-prepared lagoon facility that he had confirmed would meet or exceed provincial requirements and had done just that for decades while servicing the local elementary school.”

“This was not an offence of introducing domestic human waste directly into the environment – this offence falls closer to an administrative offence than such conduct. His conduct was serious, however not as serious as it could have been,” he added.

Tom Summer, Alaska Highway News, Local Journalism Initiative. Have a story idea or opinion? Email tsummer@ ahnfsj.ca

Your acces s to lo c al , p rov in cial a n d nat ional n ew s is going to b e revoked on G o ogle, Faceb o ok a n d I ns t a gr a m .

An d it ’s not b ec ause of a ny t hing we’ ve don e.

Recent ly, C a nada pa s sed t he O nlin e N ew s Ac t , also k now n a s B ill C-18 , w hich ha s led to a s t a n doff b et ween t he gover nm ent , G o ogle a n d M et a t he pa rent compa ny b ehin d Faceb o ok a n d I ns t a gr a m

B ot h G o ogle a n d M et a have s ai d t hey p la n to cu t t ies w it h t he n ew s in dus t r y in C a nada a s a result .

Lambert has been awarded commission projects over the years to represent Indigenous Carvers for northeastern BC, with his work is featured in the head offices of the First Nations Health Authority in Prince George and Vancouver.

This means Meta will block the posting and sharing of our news ar ticles on Facebook a n d I ns t a gr a m G o ogle w ill also remove link s to our sites a n d a r t i c l e s i n G o o g l e N ew s , D i s cove r a n d s ea rc h re s u l t s . T h ey ’l l a l s o c a n cel signi fic a nt content licensing a greem ent s alread y in p lace w it h our pa rent compa ny, G lacier M edia

of her father, Eduardo. Using familiar materials, she alters the finishes and repurposes metals to create her sculptures which can be found in Metro Manila, Cagayan de Oro, Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the USA, and Canada.

Castrillo-Hill has entered and been awarded in multiple art competitions, including a public art design and an award trophy design for the City of Fort St. John as well as an art competition in South Korea.

cited to watch as they develop temporary art installations for our community to enjoy while growing their skills,” shared Eryn Griffith, Arts and Culture Manager for the City of Fort St. John.

John Lambert is the Public Art Resident selected by RECLAIM, which supports mid-career artists in their pursuit of public art practices. They focus on the use of up-cycling art or construction materials in the creation of new work for exhibition.

Lambert is the Founder and Chairman of “Project Thunderbird” which focuses on the mentorship of at-risk youth and is heavily involved with the recovery process. He is currently running the Indigenous Carving program which takes place at the Fort St John Association for Community Living.

Some of the public carvings he has been commissioned to work on are the mother bear and baby cub located in the Fish Creek Community Forest, which honours the memory of Amanda black who was a victim, and tragically passed due to domestic violence.

U n doubtedly, t his w ill have a huge impac t not solely on us b u t , more i m p o r t a n t l y, o n p e o p l e l i ke yo u r s e l f w h o m ay u s e t h e s e p l a t fo r m s to dis cover w hat ’s hap p ening in your com munit y a n d to get contex t to event s hap p ening in your ow n back y a rd .

We’re not p la nning on going a ny w here, b u t here’s how you c a n help:

1 . Si gn u p fo r o u r fre e d a i ly n ews l e t te r by sc a n n i n g th e Q R co d e . (An d en cour a ge your f a mily a n d fr ien ds to do t he s a m e.)

2 . Fo l l ow u s o n Twit te r.

Todd Buck Reporter/Photographer

Two new Artists in Residence have been selected for Fort St John and will support the development of new temporary public artworks.

Ovvian Castrillo-Hill has been selected by CreateSpace as their new Public Art Resident.

Our Roots

Glacier

This opportunity provides emerging or mid-career Black, Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) and other racialized artists with skills, practical experiences and relationships needed to build and advance community-engaged public art practices.

Castrillo-Hill trained as a designer and began sculpting in 2003, under the tutelage

While in Canada, Castrillo Hill has been participating and curating the EX-SITU Art Exhibit held at the Peace Gallery North since 2019, as well she has begun film making projects and received two grants to create a documentary series.

“We are thrilled that two incredible local artists have been selected as our new Artists in Residence in partnership with STEPS Public Art. We are ex-

A 3-dimensional temporary art installation will be completed by Lambert, who will be leading small group of youth and young adults and will feature reclaimed and up-cycled materials.

Lambert, who is of Cree, Carrier and Métis descent is a third generation First Nations Carver who resides in Fort St John.

Types

● Geofencing Types

Geofencing is the fourth tact c of programmatic It del vers offl ne-toon ine metrics

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STEPS has demonstrated their commitment to amplifying the voices of Indigenous (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) Black, LGBTQQIP2SAA, racialized, disabled, and equity-deserving artists.

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tbuck@ahnfsj.ca

3 . B o o k m a rk o u r we b s ite a s th e h o m e pa ge o n yo u r d evi ce s .

4 . Co n s i d e r b eco m i n g a m e m b e r i f yo u a re n’ t a l rea dy. Yo u r s u p p o r t wi l l h e l p u s co nti n u e to cove r l o c a l s to ri e s , by l o c a l s .

5 . I f yo u ow n/o p e rate a l o c a l b u s i n e ss , co n s i d e r s u p p o r ti n g l o c a l by p l aci n g a d s with 10 0% C a n a d i a n - ow n e d m e d i a o utl e t s , l i ke u s .

Wit h your help, more p eop le w ill b e ab le to get t heir lo c al n ew s from a t r us ted source. I n to day ’s a ge of misinfor mat ion , t hat ’s more imp or t a nt t ha n ever.

Tha nk you . We ap p reciate you .

Sin cerely, The Ala ska H ighw ay N ew s tea m

S I G N M E U P

Proud Parents Josh and Amy Wiebe

North Peace dominates at Canadian Death Race

LEAH GRACE WIEBE

June 27, 2023

Length: 20 inches

Weight: 8 lbs 2 oz

Time: 8:49 pm

This week at the Senior’s Hall: a tribute to Bonnie Martin-Collins

Pamela den Ouden Columnist

On Monday, Aug. 14, a Celebration of Life for Bonnie Marie Martin-Collins was held at Charlie Lake Community Church. It was a special service with music and fellowship. It is very difficult to believe that on June 14, 2023, she took the minutesfor the SONS—Save Our Northern Seniors meeting, said good-bye, and now leaves us with our memories of her dedication to her family, friends, and community. She passed away at the Fort St. John General Hospital on August 5, 2023.

As a long-time member of SONS—Save Our Northern Seniors, Bonnie was the glue that kept the notes/minutes while keeping us on track during the meetings. Reading the minutes she took was just like being at the meeting.

Everything had to be just right! Being a fierce advocate for Seniors’ issues, Bon-

nie played an important role in advocating for Peace Villa, improvements to Heritage 1 and 2, as well as helping to lobby for the Third House at Peace Villa.  We could always count on Bonnie to keep us informed with the latest news and looked forward to seeing her posts on Facebook.

It has been said that the best and noble life is one lived in such a way that it can be said of a person as they pass on to the next life, that while they were here, they brought joy and comfort to all they touched

Bonnie lived her life to the fullest and gave her all to her family and friends. Our memories of Bonnie will continue to be a treasure. (Thank you to SONS—Save Our Northern Seniors for this tribute.)

The Seniors’ column has been absent for the past month or so. was away and my travels took me to many places,

including Kelowna, Osoyoos, Toronto, Madrid, and Barco de Ávila, Spain. The rain in Spain does not stay mainly on the plain—the weather for the 10 days I was there was beautiful, with clear skies and high temperatures. I was a volunteer at an English language program, where I met many interesting people: journalists; chemical, mechanical, and pharmaceutical engineers; professors; a veterinarian, a historian, an eye surgeon—all interested in improving their language skills and boosting their confidence in speaking English. The conversations were wide-ranging and thought-provoking!

In Osoyoos, I met up with three friends that I’ve known for more than half a century. We stayed at the Observatory B & B, run by Alice and Jack Newton. He’s a world-famous astronomer, with more than 200 supernovae discoveries to his credit (in fact, he’s Number 1 in the world). We looked through his huge telescope at deepsky objects and were wowed

by the Milky Way in the midnight darkness. In the morning, we observed the sun through a special telescope. Amid all the fancy computer-controlled equipment, there was an odd assortment of ladders, cardboard, duct tape, and bungee cords! It was a fantastic experience and a memorable time with friends.

I want to give a shout-out to the BC Wildfire Service and the smoke-jumpers (including my

grandson, Noah) based at the Fort St. John airport. They’ve had a busy fire season and it’s not over yet. We’re all thankful that there are those who want to do this job!

I’m here in Fort St. John till the end of August, and then gone again for the first half of September. I hope you all are staying safe and enjoying summer. Contact me at phbeav@gmail. com.

TAU RU S – A P R 21/M AY 21 Ear y on this week you may star t out n a b t of a funk , Taurus That al wi l change with some words from a fr end that wi l help your mood bounce in the other d rec t on

G E M I N I – M AY 22/J U N 21 Gemini the side of your bra n responsible or pragmatism has been work ng over time You are ready to so ve any prob ems and find answers to most quest ons

C A N C E R – J U N 22/J U L 22

Cooperation from others has been hard to come by lately Cancer

That cou d lead to some confl c ts along the way Co lec tively you wi l have to find some middle ground

L E O – J U L 23/AU G 23

You cou d be focused on th ngs in the past th s week Leo This cou d star t you on a trek to track down mementos in a home or to visit an antiques shop to make some purchases

V I RG O – AU G 24/S E P T 22

V rgo there s sti l a ot to learn but you have the t me r ght now to pay attent on to ever yone around you to glean what you can Never stop gathering in ormat on

L I B R A – S E P T 23/O C T 23

Even f others make suggest ons use your own judgement regarding how to spend time this week L bra You may want to eschew a l responsib l ties for something fun

S CO R P I O – O C T 24/N OV 22

Seek new places for any sor t of nsp rat on, Scorpio You never k now what you may uncover unless you v sit new p aces instead of your o d haunts Star t exp or ng th s week

S AG I T TA R I U S – N OV 23/D E C 21

Some outs de energy has muted your normal y bo sterous personaity Sagittarius You may want to sk p out on social scenes and spend some t me at home n the com ng days

C A P R I CO R N – D E C 22/J A N 20

Strong opinions rule the day so conv nc ng others could be especia ly difficult in the days ahead Wait some t me and they tr y again Capr corn AQ UA R U S – J A N 21/F E B 18 Aquar us there wi l be some measure of publ c speak ng or per formance n your near uture and it is l kely g ving you a bit ner vous No one w l udge you so tr y to l ghten up

P I S C E S – F E B 19/M A R 20

P sces, you cou d encounter more oddbal s than norma n your da ly rout nes From customers mak ing scenes to quirk y coworkers you m ght need to be patient and open-minded

The Canadian Death Race was held in Grande Cache, Alberta on August 5 and was a 118km race with five legs varying by 20 to 36 km.

According to officials, it’s more of a soloist event with around 250 individuals attempting the challenge, and around 100 teams competing each year.

Over the last few years, Wendy Giesbrecht has been entering teams and competing in these ‘ultra’ races, however this was the first time entering with the all-female team, Nanny Goats.

The Nanny Goats finished the female relay first with a time of 16 hours and 20 minutes, and consisted of Wendy Giesbrecht, Theresa Loeseken, Amanda Kermosta, Melissa Fitzpatrick, and Kristen Guys.

Results for the top five in the female relay were as follows,

Shaw: Eby slowly but surely susses out his ministers’ intentions

Nanny Goats with a time of 16:12:23

The Sweat Box 3 with a time of 18:06:58

The Sweat Box 1 with a time of 18:40:12

Fierce Females with a time of 18:43:01

Chicks with Kicks with a time of 19:10:02

The fourth-place team, Fierce females is a group of five students from North Peace Secondary School who were also competing in the relay, and this was their first time they had done any event like this.

The Billie Goats are the ‘husband version’ of Giesbrecht’s team, and managed to finish 7th overall, with the Nanny Goats finishing 10th overall.

Get news delivered to your inbox six days a week, subscribe to our newsletter. tbuck@ahnfsj.ca

Rob Shaw Columnist

Will Premier David Eby shuffle his cabinet this fall to get his troops into fighting shape for next year’s provincial election?

It’s a question being pondered in the corridors of Victoria, as New Democrat strategists start asking MLAs whether they intend to run again in 14 months.

Former BC NDP campaign director Bob Dewar is stickhandling calls to MLAs to begin sussing out which ones intend to retire rather than stand for re-election on Oct. 19, 2024.

Mike McGee, who served as chief of staff to former Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson, is also helping in early pre-election planning. Plus, the premier himself is slowly gauging cabinet ministers, trying to figure out their intentions.

Usually, all of this is a pre -

lude to some major changes on a government’s front bench. MLAs who aren’t running again normally get bounced from cabinet and replaced by politicians in battleground ridings to give them a higher profile for voters.

But nobody is quite sure if Eby plans to do this. After all, the new premier just rolled out a complicated and ambitious agenda for his ministers when he took power a mere eight months ago. He has everyone working at a break-neck pace to show what he’s promised will be “visible results” on healthcare, housing, affordability and public safety next year.

Does it make sense to yank ministers who aren’t running again off priority files now and replace them with rookie backbenchers who will need months to get back up to speed on the reforms the premier has promised?

Then again, does it make sense to leave MLAs who have one foot out the door to retirement stickhandling key cabinet posts? Tradition says no, though former Premier John Horgan set new precedents by leaving ministers like Carole James in key cabinet positions even after they declared their intent to retire.

All of this is a bit of a conundrum for the premier. And it’s probably why, so far, no hard deadlines have been issued on when MLAs need to make final decisions.

That time, however, is coming soon.

Conventional wisdom would put a pre-election cabinet shuffle on one of two timelines: Next month, in September, before the fall session of the legislature; or December, when new ministers can use the slower holiday period to get up to speed on files and still influence February’s provincial budget.

All political parties will want to know the intention of their MLAs at some point this fall, if for no other reason than to know where to start recruiting new candidates over the coming year. Plus, electoral boundary changes and the addition of six new ridings mean parties need to shuffle some people around as ridings are redrawn.

There’s also the issue of setting fundraising targets for ridings to start building party election warchests — a task departing MLAs will have little interest in undertaking.

The governing New Democrats also haven’t picked their next election campaign director yet.

Dewar would be the safest bet, having already run successful campaigns for the BC NDP under Horgan in 2017 and 2022. His position is strengthened by the fact Eby doesn’t appear to have anyone from his sphere of influence waiting in the wings to take over the party reins.

But Dewar has previously expressed a desire to retire, and make way for new faces. Another potential could be Marie Della Mattia, Dewar’s deputy in previous NDP campaigns and a key figure in reshaping Horgan’s image. She’s currently serving as Eby’s deputy minister of government communications. The election may seem far off, but these are the kinds of discussions swirling through the capital these days. It all starts with a simple question: Are you in, or are you out? From there, all eyes are on the premier to see what he does next.

Rob Shaw has spent more than 15 years covering B.C. politics, now reporting for CHEK News and writing for Glacier Media. He is the coauthor of the national bestselling book A Matter of Confidence, host of the weekly podcast Political Capital, and a regular guest on CBC Radio. rob@robshawnews.com

TOP PIC - Wendy Giesbrecht, Melissa Fitzpatrick and Amanda Kermosta accept their new running shoes.

BELOW - (Left to right) Amanda Kermosta, Theresa Loeseken, Melissa Fitzpatrick, and Wendy Giesbrecht.

photos by Dennis Giesbrecht

Trial moved to 2024 for Kelly Lake murder suspect

Tom Summer Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Trial has been postponed for homicide suspect Morgen Lambert-Bouma, who stands accused of killing 54-yearold Owen Cardinal in 2019 in Kelly Lake, and won’t continue until next year.

The Dawson Creek Law Courts confirmed that the continuation has been set for March 11, 2024. The matter was seen in Dawson Creek Supreme Court on August 14 this week to fix the date.

Trial began earlier this year, commencing in January.

27-year-old Lambert-Bouma was arrested Aug. 16, 2019, after RCMP were called to a home after reports of an assault.

After arriving at the scene, officers found Cardinal, 54, fatally wounded, along with Lambert-Bouma. Both were known to each other, according to police. Lambert-Bouma was taken in custody and charged with second-degree murder.

In March 2022, Justice Marguerite Church ruled LambertBouma was mentally fit to stand trial, though he was ordered to stay in custody at the Coquitlam Forensic Psychiatric Hospital during the proceedings.

Tom Summer, Alaska Highway News, Local Journalism Initiative. Have a story idea or opinion? Email Tom at tsummer@ahnfsj.ca

BC requires all new homes have a temperature-controlled room

In Switzerland, strict environmental laws set at the canton level make it difficult to purchase an air conditioner; in Geneva, for example, a homeowner must prove that they have a legitimate need for one. Other cantons require that air conditioners meet certain energy-efficiency standards.

Ms. Loftness said it would be wise for B.C.’s updated Building Code to include some conditions so that builders don’t simply default to air conditioning, which relies heavily on electricity generated by burning fossil fuels and contributes to the emission of greenhouse gases.

are already being built with cooling devices or the required hookups if the devices are not installed at the time of construction.

“More energy use is not desirable, of course; there’s emissions associated with the electricity use,” Mr. Bernhardt said. “Shifting that demand from the winter, where it’s currently peaking, to the summer, is a really sort of different way of thinking about our grid.”

A forthcoming change to B.C.’s Building Code that will require all new homes to have at least one temperaturecontrolled room presents an important opportunity to build creatively for the future, says an expert in environmental design and sustainable architecture.

The government is proposing that all new homes have a minimum of one living space that is designed not to exceed a temperature of 26 C, through either passive cooling measures, such as shading, or a cooling appliance.

Two years ago, a deadly heat wave killed 619 British Columbians. A coroner’s death review panel found that the majority of victims were older adults with compromised health, who lived alone in homes without adequate cooling systems.

“Mandatory requirements for new buildings will help ad-

dress the effects of extreme heat events on building occupants to improve public safety and better prevent future fatalities,” said a statement from the Ministry of Housing, provided by communications manager Tasha Schollen. The updated building code is expected to be implemented in December.

Vivian Loftness, a professor of architecture at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, with 30 years of focus on environmental design and sustainability, said there are proven design strategies to help cool the home.

These include “cool roofs” designed to reflect more sunlight than conventional roofs, strategic window placement and retractable awnings and other window coverings. Rainscreen facades – a cladding layer separated from the exterior wall by a small gap – offer additional protection against rain, heat and cold.

New condo towers can be built with quiet, high-efficiency heat pumps and dynamic shading devices over balcony windows. Transom windows with exhaust fans can pull cool nighttime breezes through the condo unit.

“The design professions, and the building professions, are perfectly capable of delivering a house that does not overheat as long as the outside air is 30 degrees Celsius or less,” Ms. Loftness said.

“It gets tough to do it when it’s 40 outside, but think the important thing for the design profession is to not let them get sloppy, not let them just say, ‘Oh, well, we’ll just put in an air conditioner.’ They really have to be held to account for keeping that cooling load just to the hours and the days when the outside is really too hot.”

Mark Bernhardt, vice-president of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association of B.C. (CHBA BC) and a licensed builder and developer based in Victoria, said recent updates to the Building Code regarding energy-efficiency requirements have already spurred changes in how homes are built and designed. These have included extra insulation, strategic window placement and slightly bigger overhangs on the south side of a single-family home to shade windows.

Exterior roller blinds on eastand west-facing windows is another cost-effective solution that requires little to no maintenance, and basements would likely stay relatively cool, he said. Mr. Bernhardt said condos will be more difficult, citing as an example smaller units with one bedroom, one living room and not many options to reconfigure.

In parts of B.C.’s Southern Interior, where temperatures regularly exceed 30 degrees in the summer, most homes

BC Hydro set a new record for highest August peak hourly demand on Monday when 14 daily temperature records were set and consumption reached more than 8,400 megawatts. That is about 1,000 megawatts more than usual, and the equivalent of turning on about one million portable air-conditioning units, according to the energy supplier.

Mr. Bernhardt said where he foresees challenges is with the existing housing stock.

“You can’t force people to spend money on their homes, as much as we’d like to, in the name of saving people’s lives,” he said. “The hope is that over time, these buildings will go through an upgrade process and solve that problem. But in the meantime, I think we’re going to see a lot of portable air conditioners and things like that.”

Andrea Woo The Globe and Mail

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PRRD report: climate change fuelled spring wildfires

Tom Summer Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Peace River Regional District has received an after-action report detailing the response to wildfires this spring. The regional district is generally well-equipped to deal with incidents, noted Chad Pacholik with Logic League Consulting, who authored the report.

Pacholik appeared as a delegation by video to deliver the report at their August 17 board meeting and says local wildfires are being fuelled by climate change. He acknowledged it’s not limited to just the PRRD - 20,000 people have been ordered to evacuate Yellowknife, in the wake of 240 fires burning in the Northwest Territories.

“While many people I think are calling this an unprecedented wildfire season, I think it’s really reflective of our new reality and what will become our new normal,” said Pacholik, noting that a drought year in 2022 exacerbated conditions, coupled with a hot and dry spring in 2023.

Providing the public with information remains critical to running any emergency operations centre (EOC), added Pacholik.

“The public information role is critical. And in recent years, the scope of that function has been increasing,” he said.

“The PRRD was lucky to have someone, who in my opinion, is one of the best public information officers around during this emergency.”

In May, evacuation orders were made for the Red Creek

and Stoddart Creek wildfires due to immediate danger and threat to life. More people are needed as public information officers, said Pacholik, with three to five more suitable for running an EOC.

“When properly managed, the information section, it really relieves pressure on the whole rest of the response. During this activation, information to the public started a little bit rocky, but improved as the response went on,” said Pacholik.

He added that having the EOC located in their downstairs office hasn’t been effective for the PRRD, disruptive for both non-emergency and emergency operations, with a dedicated space needed. The EOC was moved several times after activation.

The wildfires were largely handled by external contractors, noted Pacholik, cautioning that local knowledge remains most important part.

“So far, the solution that seems to have worked the best is that hybrid model, that bolsters that internal capacity and local knowledge, with the external contracted personnel,” said Pacholik. “As you know, we pointed out that in some of the past after action, we’ve used that dependence on external contractors, really can lead to inefficiencies due to the insufficient of the local geography, the relationships in place.”

While resourcing can be tough in the North, PRRD CAO Shawn Dahlen said he has confidence in how their EOCs have been operating, despite leaning on contractors, most of them are locals, or have local knowledge, and they rarely change - the same people are

employed year after year.

“The contractors at the regional district brings back on a regular basis, are normally the same contractors, we rarely have a lot of new people in the EOC,” he said. “Our contractors are local for the most part, and the ones that aren’t local have been here multiple times, and probably have more local knowledge than a lot of the employees in the regional district, when it comes to administering an EOC.”

Fort St. John Mayor Lilia Hansen asked whether the PRRD has downloaded some EOC responsibilities from the province.

Pacholik said local governments should continue to train internal staff, reiterating how the hybrid model is used.

“Every local government, every organization, should be training their internal staff,” he said. “That’s not to say that external contractors can’t help increase the capacity, but it shouldn’t be a fully contractor model in my opinion.”

Taylor Mayor Brent Taillefer said he doesn’t want lose the hard work and commitment of volunteers who keep many Emergency Support Services (ESS) running.

“I just don’t want to lose sight of ESS, and we have some great volunteers. The District of Taylor has had an ESS team for 25 years. While it has fluctuated up and down, it’s always been a very committed and good team,” said Taillefer.

“There is some talk about regionally what happens there, and I think those are good ideas, whether it’s a regional ESS or we come into it some

Death prompts RCMP investigation

Rob Brown Managing Editor Dawson Creek Mirror

BC RCMP have notified the Independent Investigations Office of British Columbia (IIO BC) of an incident in MacKenzie where one man has died.

On August 15, Mackenzie RCMP received a call of a man attending a pipeline site where he was said to have made

threats towards the site workers, and reportedly had a rifle and ammunition in his vehicle. Due to the nature of the interaction, the worksite was evacuated.

Officers with the MacKenzie RCMP and the RCMP North District Emergency Response Team attended the man’s residence and set up containment.

Officers reportedly made multiple attempts to have the

man surrender, but while they were outside a bang was heard in the home. When officers entered the home one man was located deceased.

The IIO BC is investigating police actions in the incident.

editor@dcdn.ca

way, but I do think there’s a lot of people in this area in the PRRD that want to step up and help when there’s emergencies,” he added.

Area E Director Dan Rose says the after-action report echoes 2016, and noted there was no real interaction with the BC Wildfire Service.

“We ran through the same thing again this time. They don’t show up for the debrief, so we’re going to have to go seek them out and then figure out - this report is incomplete without everybody there,” he said. “There were no community meetings that gives the people an opportunity to talk about some of their frustrations and their opportunities, as far as what they saw that worked and didn’t work.”

Rose added he feels the PRRD did their best to manage the wildfire season with the resources they do have, and that there could be an opportunity to develop capacity for local experts.

However, convincing members of the community to work for the BC Wildfire Service might be a tough sell, noted Rose, with more lucrative pay to be found in the oil and gas sector.

“Our BC Wildfire major

BC electricity demand record set for August

Rob Brown

Managing Editor Dawson Creek Mirror

BC Hydro set a new record for the highest August peak hourly demand – the hour customers use the most electricity

command centre is in a different time zone than us for half the year,” added Rose. “I mean, if they’re not going to commit to resources to actually service this area and have the people in place of the local knowledge this year, so they’re not sending up teams from somewhere else that we got to try and lead around by the hand and teach them where to go and what to do.”

Furthermore, with new fire legislation expected by the province, it may be time for the PRRD to step aside and let the province manage to avoid downloading on local municipalities, says Rose.

PRRD Chair Leonard Hiebert said he feels that he’s been left in the dark many times by the BC Wildfire Service, despite signing evacuation orders and alerts. He’d like to see their communication improve.

“A lot of times felt I was left out in the dark. And I’m getting calls from directors, I’m getting calls, you know, who can I actually speak to - and have nothing to give them, because I don’t know,” he said.

Tom Summer, Alaska Highway News, Local Journalism Initiative. Have a story idea or opinion? Email tsummer@ ahnfsj.ca

ICBC supports BC facing wildfires

With many areas of our province facing the threat of wildfires right now, ICBC is here to support British Columbians through this difficult time. We’re closely monitoring active wildfires in our province including the Kelowna area and we’re ready to assist impacted customers and communities.

We’re sharing important information on insurance, safety tips, and essential documents and items to pack in case you’re evacuated from your home.

Make a plan

Pack your essentials into a grab-and-go kit and create an emergency plan for your household. If you’re preparing for a possible evacuation, locate and pack important documents to avoid having to replace them if they get damaged. These documents may include:

Identification such as your B.C. driver’s licence, B.C. identification card, B.C. Services Card, passport, and original copies of your birth certificate, marriage certificate and Canadian citizenship documentation.

A copy of your vehicle registration, licence and Autoplan insurance documents.

Other documents such as a copy of your home insurance policy and banking/financial information—or anything you may not be able to access remotely or online.

Replacement identification

If a wildfire forces you to evacuate and you lose your B.C. driver’s licence, BC Services Card, or other B.C. identification, ICBC can issue free replacement identification without the need to present additional identification documents

The latest on wildfires in the Northwest Territories

Officials say more flights are scheduled for today that could take about 1,800 people out of the city.

(some exceptions may apply).

Visit your nearest ICBC driver licensing office to get replacement identification. You can find office hours and locations here. If you’re unable to visit a driver licensing office, we’ll try to assist you by phone at 1-800-950-1498. We’re available Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. or Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Report a claim

If you need to report an auto insurance claim related to wildfire damage, you can do so online or by phone at 1-800910-4222. We have dedicated teams to handle claims from wildfire damage. Our contact centre is available 24/7 to support you.

editor@dcdn.ca

– on Monday night when temperatures soared across much of the province.

onday Aug. 14 saw consumption reached over 8,400 megawatts as British Columbians turned to air conditioning (AC) and fans in an effort to beat the heat. On average, heat waves can result in an addition of over 1,000 megawatts, which is the equivalent of turning on about 1 million portable AC units.

Electricity demand is expected to remain high until temperatures decrease. While the demand for power is higher-than-average with the hot temperatures, BC Hydro wants to assure its customers that its renewable and reliable, hydroelectric system can meet the additional demand. While the demand on the electricity system will be higher, it is about three-quarters of winter peak loads. BC Hydro records the highest demand for electricity in the winter months during the coldest and darkest days of the year.

BC Hydro encourages customers looking for ways to keep cool and save money during the heat wave to consider:

Closing the drapes and blinds: Shading windows can block out up to 65 per cent of the heat.

Shutting doors and windows: If the temperature outside is warmer than inside, keep doors and windows closed to keep the cooler air in and the warm air out.

Using a fan: Running a fan

nine hours a day over the summer costs just $7.

Cooling with a heat pump: Because BC Hydro generates 98 per cent of its electricity from clean, renewable resources that are mostly powered by water, using a heat pump to cool in the summer and heat in the winter is more environmentally friendly than a system powered by gas. It is also more energy efficient than using multiple portable AC units. BC Hydro offers up to $3,000 in rebates for switching from a fossil fuel-based system, which can be combined with provincial and federal rebates for a total savings of up to $11,000 on cost and installation with some municipalities adding additional rebates on top of that.

Going ductless: If a central heat pump system is not an option for your home, ductless heat pump units are a great option while offering the same benefits of a central system.

editor@dcdn.ca

Officials in the Northwest Territories are urging thousands of residents remaining in its capital to leave by noon today before a nearby wildfire could cut off access.

The evacuation of Yellowknife was ordered late Wednesday and sprinklers, water cannons and fire guards are

being set up to protect the city of 20,000 people.

Convoys of vehicles have steadily been leaving for hotels and evacuation centres in Alberta.

On Thursday, in additional to commercial planes, about 1,500 people left on evacuation flights.

They say inmates have already been sent to jails in Alberta and Yukon and there will be a full evacuation of the hospital.

Several other communities in the territory, including the town of Hay River, ordered residents out earlier this week.

Shane Thompson, the N.W.T.’s environment and communities minister, told a news conference late Thursday that the fire situation remains critical.

There were 236 fires burn-

ing and it was last reported that flames were about 16 kilometres from Yellowknife.

“I urge all residents under evacuation orders to please adhere to them as they are issued,” Thompson said.

“These orders are never issued lightly and always consider our collective health and safety. You could be jeopardizing your safety and that of others.”

Beatrice Bernhardt, 70, arrived with her husband at the Calgary airport Thursday. She said all they could see in Yellowknife over the last three weeks was smoke.

“It’s just a relief to feel safe,” she said. “But it’s also very

painful of what you’re leaving behind.”

Alice Liske said she drove out of Yellowknife with her six kids on Tuesday because the air quality was so bad. She was set to reach an aunt’s home in Edmonton on Thursday.

She said the thought of getting so many people out of Yellowknife in only a few days is nerve-racking.

“Not only that, but when we go back what will be there for us?”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 18, 2023.

First Nations councillor split from man charged with her murder: Chief

Janis Cleugh

The Kwikwetlem) First Nation councillor killed last week was once married to the man who is now accused of her murder.

Kwikwetlem Chief Ron Giesbrecht said Coun. Stephanie Patterson was separated from David Hall, 57.

Yesterday (Aug. 17), Hall was charged with second-degree murder after the body of the mother of three was discovered in a rural part of Mission on Aug. 15.

Patterson, who was elected to council in March, transferred from Musqueam First Nation in 2016 to become a Kwikwetlem member, like Hall.

Described as a survivor of

the 60s Scoop — when Indigenous children across the country were stolen from their birth families — Patterson, 44, grew up in foster homes and was adopted twice.

“Her past created a resilient and dedicated spirit which she brought to her role as a Councillor and to her family and to her community,” Giesbrecht wrote in a statement.

On council, she held the Community Services Division portfolio that includes housing and maintenance, health, education, careers and training, and culture and language.

Patterson was a keen learner, the chief said, and excited about her new political role.

“She was passionate about helping all members of our community — our children, youth, adults and Elders — and to improving community participation and engagement to help create a vibrant and selfgoverning Nation.”

Added fellow Kwikwetlem Coun. George Chaffee, “Stephanie’s vision for the future was to create greater cultural knowledge and economic prosperity for the people of kʷikʷə əm First Nation. She will be deeply missed by kʷikʷə əm Leadership and to all who knew her.”

Before the election this spring, Patterson worked on the reserve for six years at Saskay Land Development. She was also involved in the Nation’s work with Brown & Oakes Ar-

chaeology, as well as helped the Nation’s Elders.

Giesbrecht said the Kwikwetlem won’t be commenting on Hall’s arrest and charge and is asking for privacy to mourn.

Patterson was reported missing to Coquitlam RCMP last Saturday (Aug. 12) after leaving the reserve with Hall in a truck the night before.

The pair was last spotted at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 11 at the Meadowvale shopping centre on Lougheed Highway in Pitt Meadows.

The next court appearance for David Frank Hall is on Aug. 23 in Abbotsford.

Photo courtesy KFN

It was a blustery but fast night on the Baldonnel 16 k time trial circuit.

Eight riders out to the Baldonnel Time Trial!

1.Nigel Wray 23:15

2. Kevin Hunt 26:48

3. Barb Jarnagin 28:29

4. Calvin McCracken 28:32

5. Pat Ferris 29:24

6. Madison McCracken 32:50

7. Richard Wood 35:52

8. Hunter & Robin 42:00

Thanks Heather McCracken for timing.

- Pat Ferris

Bonnie Marie (Kirkpatrick) Martin May

She organized and was a big part of the school annual when she was in grade 12, the year she graduated. She went to the Baldonnel Christmas concert every year.

She started her working career at a local finance company, later working for Pomeroy and Harrison Law office. The Pomeroy families were a big part of her family’s life, all owning adjacent farmland and one of the closest to her was Phyllis, with whom as teenagers, would sneak a smoke in her bedroom, with the door closed, and the window open .... no one will know, right?

She moved to Yellowknife in 1970 and worked for an airline company that hauled freight to Arctic communities. In 1972 she moved to Whitehorse and worked for a federal judge. She ran into an old friend Clayton Martin from Fort St John who was a big game outfitter and originally from Montney. They married on Oct 2nd, 1973. Bonnie loved the outfitter lifestyle - Being out at camp, the wilderness and her wild game cooking was always top drawer. Son Chance Allen was born on November 18, 1975 who was the apple of her eye and she devoted all her love and attention to him. She was a very active volunteer with Chance’s sports interests score keeper at baseball and also archery. Bonnie loved the Yukon and made many trips back to visit friends and family after she left in 1977 and moved to Grande Prairie AB. Bonnie and Chance made several trips to Disneyland, the last including granddaughter Xenovia. Xenovia was born March 8, 2013 and Grandma Bonnie loved to travel to Edmonton to watch Xena perform in her musicals and plays, and also watching her play hardball. Grandma Bonnie was one proud Grandma!

In 1978 she moved with Chance to the North Peace where she has lived ever since. When Chance was grown, Bonnie was running the Northern Lights College bookstore and had a knack for selecting the coolest retail products with a high sales volume. She met Jim Collins in 1993 and they got married February 14, 2001. They enjoyed many happy years together, loving Jim and her life on the farm in Montney, never missing a Montney dance. They also travelled to Ireland, Hawaii, Mexico and spent many winters as snowbirds in Arizona. She enjoyed showing her llamas, as well as taking baking and horticulture entries to the North Peace Fall Fair. Bonnie had a love of horses and her first horse was Rocker. She often rode in her younger years including square dancing on horseback as a teenager. Later, she would convince Dad to look at another horse for them to buy, more for the fun of looking, and spending time together, than buying. Only 9 months older than her cousin Joann, they have been inseparable from the start, speaking every day, at least by telephone and were more like sisters than cousins.

Bonnie made friends wherever she went, showing a genuine interest in the people she met, and what made them tick, she had a healthy sense of humour, loved a good joke and laughed, even if one was played on her. You were always surprised when the remote fart machine went off under your seat at their house.

A hard core country music lover, Bonnie also loved the guitar and would chord along with her favourite songs in her living room, jamming with Chance, or around the campfire with friends.

Bonnie was a great volunteer, helping out with issues affecting seniors and was very active with SONS from its beginning. She was very active in the struggle to save the Peace Valley from Site C, fighting it with all her heart and soul.

She was very pleased, at the hospital when Chance told her it had been cancelled.

Anyone who had a baby that she was friends with or related to received wonderful blankets that she made with great care. She made rag quilts for the family as well, custom made to the recipients liking.

Bonnie loved the North Peace River country and would never consider moving away, and she also loved animals. She volunteered at the SPCA, raising money, walking the dogs and helping with “Bottle Sundays” (organizing the cans and bottles that were donated). She had many pets over the years, Tufty, Jingles, Buddy and Bandit, her dogs and Murphy, Willie, Waylon and Rocky, her cats.

She did like the casino, a trait most of the Kirkpatricks share. She made many trips to Las Vegas and a good time was always had by all.

Stefan Labbé

An energy drink branded as Mindblow has been recalled across Canada due to an ingredient that may pose a serious risk to human health, according to a federal recall notice.

Federal authorities warned people to avoid distributing, drinking, selling, or serving the Mindblow energy drink.

“Do not consume,” warned a recall notice posted Thursday.

The drink is known to be distributed online, in Quebec and “possibly in other provinces and territories.”

Both the original and pink lemonade versions of the drink are included in the recall. Both are said to contain non-permitted ingredients, including Mucuna Pruriens Extract (98% L-Dopa) that may pose a serious health risk.

“L-Dopa, also known as levodopa, is a prescription drug that is combined with other drug ingredients in antiParkinson’s medications,” notes the recall.

“It should be used only under the supervision of a health care professional.”

Levodopa could negatively interact with drugs prescribed for high blood pressure. Those warned to avoid the drug include women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Other groups who could be negatively effected include those:

with narrow angle glaucoma; untreated heart, liver, kidney, lung or hormonal diseases; a history of melanoma; or who should not take drugs such as isoproterenol, amphetamines or epinephrine.

Side effects of the drug can include uncontrollable movements of the face, eyelids, mouth, tongue, neck, arms, hands, or legs. It has also been known to cause severe or persistent nausea or vomiting, and an irregular heartbeat or fluttering in the chest.

Feeling lightheaded when standing quickly and unusual changes in mood or behaviour have also been reported.

Those who think they have become sick are urged to call a health care provider.

Any recalled products should be returned to where they were bought or thrown out. Anyone who is aware of recalled products being sold can report it to the Canadian Food and Inspection Agency.

She received a devastating diagnosis in July in Vancouver and passed away Aug 5th in Fort St John. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

She is predeceased by her father Neil and brother Bryan. Survived by her loving husband Jim, son Chance and granddaughter Xenovia, her mother Marie, brother Glen (Myra) and sisters Kelly (Chad) and Sandi (Trevor), 2 aunts Lillian Leiner and Annabel Brekkas, many nieces, nephews and cousins in Canada, Northern Ireland and Switzerland. 540398

Application No. 106934

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION NOTICE

Amendment for a Permit Under the Provisions of the Environmental Management Act

I, Mr. Dan Stoffman, Director, Facilities & Integration, for PETRONAS Energy Canada Ltd., (#1600 215 2nd St SW, Calgary, AB, T2P 1M4), intend to submit this amendment application to the Environmental Management Of cer, Environmental Stewardship Group, at the British Columbia Energy Regulator to authorize the discharge of the air emissions from an existing compressor station. The updated sources of air emissions are:

• Two Waukesha L7044 GSI Compressor Engines, 1253 kW each (upgraded capacity/previously L7042 model), existing

• Two Caterpillar G3608 LE Compressor Engines, 1767 kW each, existing

• Two Cat 3612 LE Compressor Engines, 2796 kW each, new

• Two Waukesha L7042 GSI Generator Engines, 1104 kW, one back-up, replacement

• One Mitsubishi Generator Engines for Cascade, 600 kW, existing

• Two Propak Dehydrator Packages, 200 kW, each, existing

• One Dehydrator Package, 366 kW, new

• One Fuel Gas Line Heater, 293 kW, new

• One Emergency High Pressure Flare (including a pilot and purge), replacement

• One Continuous Low Pressure Flare (including pilot and purge), replacement

• Two Electric-Driven Vapor Recovery Units (VRU), new The land upon which the facility is situated and the discharge occurs is b-32B/94-B-16, located at (surface location) Lat./Long.: 56° 46’ 30.1” N / 122° 08’ 50.4” W; located within the Gundy Field, approximately 137.7 km northwest of Fort St. John (driving distance).

The total volume of gas through-put processed by this facility will be approximately 2,832,000 m3/day (100 MMSCFD). Two electric-driven vapor recovery unit will be added to reduce the emissions during normal operations. There will be no SO2 discharged from this facility as it combusts and produces sweet gas (0.0% H2S) from the Montney Shale Production Zone. The maximum rate of air emissions discharged from this facility will be approximately 9.97 g/s NOx, 36.44 g/s CO, 0.96 g/s PM, and 6.21 g/s VOC during maintenance and emergency facility blow-down (for approximately 30 each blowdown, 3 times per year). Continuous average daily emissions rate, cumulatively from equipment, will be approximately 3.96 g/s NOx, 20.07 g/s CO, 0.50 g/s PM, 1.95 g/s VOC. The operating period for this facility is 24 hours/day, 7 days/week with one week of shut down for turn around each year.

Any person who may be adversely affected by the proposed discharge of waste and wishes to provide relevant information may, within 30 days after the last date of posting, publishing, service or display, send written comments to the applicant, with a copy to the Environmental Management Of cer, Environmental Stewardship Group, British Columbia Energy Regulator at 6534 100 Ave. Fort St. John, B.C., V1J 8C5. The identity of any respondents and the contents of anything submitted in relation to this application will become part of the public record.

Dated this 13 day of August,