PRINCE GEORGE THURSDAY November 7, 2019 Your community newspaper since 1916
PRINCEGEORGECITIZEN
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PLASTIC BAG BAN PLAN ON HOLD MARK NIELSEN Citizen staff
Members of the Rocky Mountain Rangers at the Hill 70 Memorial near Lens, France.
rangers remember at france memorial MARK NIELSEN Citizen Staff
It’s known as Canada’s Forgotten Battle. Over 11 days in August 1917, three divisions and one reserve of Canadian troops took what became known at Hill 70 near Lens, France, fending off five German divisions in the process. The battle took place four months after the Battle of Vimy Ridge, regarded as the day Canada became a nation and so, has overshadowed Hill 70. But thanks to an eight-year campaign that raised $12.5 million in donations and gifts in kind - almost all of it from private sources - a memorial is now in place to commemorate the battle. On Oct. 2, more than 30 Rocky Mountain Rangers were among those who attended a day of commemoration to formally open the memorial and also to remember the sacrifices of one of their own. Private Frederick Lee was a member of the Rocky Mountain Rangers’ forerunner, the 172nd Battalion. Lee, who grew up in
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Kamloops and was a Canadian-born soldier of Chinese heritage, died in the battle. “At the time, Canada didn’t recognize Chinese Canadians as citizens,” noted Adam Davey, an officer in the Rangers’ Bravo company in Prince George. Alpha company is based in Kamloops. At the centre of the Hill 70 Memorial is a striking white limestone obelisk, overlooking an ampitheatre partly surrounded by an elevated walkway. It is named after Lee, who came to symbolize the 1,877 Canadians who died in the battle. Following the main ceremony, a Ranger honour guard marched along that path and to a pair of park benches made possible through donations from the Rangers’ retired members. “The whole site is quite fascinating,” Davey said. “The Frederick Lee walkway is supposed to resemble the trenches, so it’s concrete on either side and as you’re walking up this hill, it then opens up to the cenotaph at the top.” For Davey, who served in Afghanistan, the walk brought home something the
history books simply cannot deliver - how daunting the task was for the troops. “As an infantry officer, I’m looking at the ground and thinking ‘wow, it would’ve been nearly impossible to take the position tactically,’” he said. “It was certainly quite emotional.” But take it they did, and then fended off 21 German counterattacks after doing so. Much of the credit has gone to a Canadian-born commander – Arthur Currie. By then the portly real estate speculator from Victoria had gained the respect of the high command as the chief planner for Vimy and had been promoted to lieutenant general and given command of the Canadian Corps. He had then been ordered to attack and capture Lens, a small industrial city north of Vimy, to divert the Germans from reinforcing Ypres. Currie refused and had he been a newlyminted British lieutenant general, he probably would have been sent home, historian John Cowan said in an account posted at Hill70.ca. continued on page 3
City council’s quest to formally rid the Prince George’s checkout stands of plastic bags has been put on hold. City council members unanimously agreed during the Oct. 23 meeting to wait until a provincial government public consultation on the issue has been completed before taking any concrete steps. The consultation was launched after the Canadian Plastic Bag Association convinced the B.C. Supreme Court to overturn a ban imposed by the City of Victoria. The court found the ban was outside municipal jurisdiction because the purpose is to protect the natural environment and that is a provincial responsibility. “It’s expected that by late 2019, further direction and guidance will be given by the province on the jurisdiction and powers of local government in regulating plastic waste and single-use plastic bags,” Engineering and Public Works General Manager Dave Dyer told council. “City staff will prepare a report to council once this direction is announced to consider next steps.”
MURRY KRAUSE In July, council unanimously endorsed Coun. Murry Krause’s proposal to direct staff to draft a report on how best to “regulate” single-use plastic bags. In deciding to take a wait-and-see approach, council also directed staff to develop a public education campaign on the issue. Cost of such a campaign is estimated at $10,000 to $15,000. According to a staff report, Prince George residents go through an estimated 14.8 million plastic checkout bags a year.