Prince George Citizen April 22, 2021

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CITY ADDING OFF-LEASH DOG PARKS ARTHUR WILLIAMS

The City of Prince George is planning to convert two current city parks into off-leash dog parks.

CITIZEN STAFF PHOTO

Ben and Russella Klassen are all smiles as they greet some of their friends at their farewell party Sunday at Lakewood Alliance Church.

Friends wish Klassens farewell TED CLARKE

Ben and Rusella Klassen’s daughter Sherryne had just arrived with her husband and daughter at the airport Sunday and asked her parents if they could stop at Lakewood United Alliance Church to meet a few people.

That secretive meet-and-greet in the church parking lot for the longtime owners of Homesteader Meats turned into a 35-car parade of well-wishers saying their goodbyes

to the Klassens before they make their move to Vancouver Island at the end of the month.

On a blustery but sunny day, Ben and Russella sat on lawn chairs and waved as their friends, some of whom they hadn’t seen in years, pulled up beside them for a safely-distanced chat as they filled a basket full of goodbye cards and letters.

“I thought it was amazing, it was great to hear them give us their congratulations and a beautiful send-

off,” said Russella. “That was a big long parade.”

“I felt the same way, I was totally surprised,” said Ben. The pandemic prevented a traditional farewell party from happening, so longtime friend Maureen Bilawchuk organized the parade which drew longtime friends, neighbours, fellow church-goers and some of the Klassen’s most loyal customers.

See I’LL MISS THE PEOPLE page 3

City acting director of civic operations Blake McIntosh said the plan is to convert Ingledew Park and Malaspina Park into off-leash dog parks over the next few months.

“Both parks have fencing infrastructure that will be (repurposed) for dog park use,” McIntosh said.

Ingledew Park is a treed park at the intersection of 17th Avenue and Ingledew Street. Malaspina Park is a grassy fenced area, located beside Malaspina Elementary.

The cost to convert the parks for off-leash use was estimated at $25,000, and it was not expected to add significant operational costs. The city’s current off-leash dog park program costs the city about $15,000 per year in addition to normal park-related costs, according to a report provided to council.

The parks will be the first off-leash dog parks in the Miller Addition and College Heights neighbourhoods.

The city’s park strategy calls for the creation of further off-leash areas, city manager of parks and solid waste Sean LeBrun said.

“We’re going to proceed cautiously. We know that people enjoy the off-leash areas,” LeBrun said. “We take it very slowly, and make sure we are not impeding anyone or stepping on anybody’s toes.”

Not all park users feel comfortable sharing a park with off-leash animals, he added.

Coun. Kyle Sampson said the new off-leash areas would be good for dog owners and non-dog owners.

“It is good for the people who have pets, it makes this a bit closer to them in their neighbourhood and makes sure they can have this recreating opportunity,” he said. “But it also means, hopefully, that more folks will be compliant with the not having their dogs off leash in parks that are not for off-leash.”

• Only 4 units left for sale and 5 for rent • YMCA Daycare construction starting soon • Future Phases in planning stages

Learn more at:

ParkHousePG.com

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NEWS

P R I N CE G EO RG E C ITI Z E N

NOTICE OF ALTERNATIVE APPROVAL PROCESS NOTICE OF ALTERNATIVE APPROVAL PROCESS PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to section 86 of the Community Charter, Prince George City Council is proposing to seek approval of the electors of the City of Prince George by Alternative Approval Process. The question before the electors is whether they are opposed to Prince George City Council adopting the proposed “City of Prince George Equipment Financing Bylaw No. 9199, 2021” at the regular Council meeting scheduled for Monday, June 14, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 1100 Patricia Boulevard, Prince George, BC, without first obtaining assent of the electors by a referendum vote.

City of Prince George Equipment Financing Bylaw No. 9199, 2021 The annual replacement and addition of vehicles and capital equipment are financed through the Municipal Finance Authority (MFA) Equipment Financing Program. The estimated cost of the projects associated with this Bylaw is the sum of one million six hundred and fifteen thousand dollars ($1,615,000.00).

The loan agreement with the Municipal Finance Authority (MFA) will be for a term no longer than fifteen (15) years to match the expected service life of the new mobile equipment. The annual debt servicing costs for borrowing the full amounts will be one hundred fifty two thousand one hundred and eighty one dollars ($152,181.00) and would result in 0.13% of future tax levy increases.

The approved projects from the 2021 - 2025 Capital Financial Plan that will be part of the Equipment Financing Program request include: • Project #0431 – Mobile Equipment Replacement - $1,525,000.00 • Project #3208 – Janitorial Equipment - Replace Floor Scrubbers - $40,000.00 • Project #3344 – Firefighter Decontamination / Rehabilitation Trailer - $50,000.00

purposes of the Alternative Approval Process, an elector is a person who would meet the qualifications referred to in section 65 or section 66 of the Local Government Act if assent of the electors were sought, either as a resident elector or non-resident property elector.

To sign an Elector Response Form as a resident elector a person must meet all of the following criteria: • be a Canadian citizen; • be at least 18 years of age; • have lived in British Columbia for at least six (6) months before signing the Elector Response Form; • have lived within the City of Prince George for at least thirty (30) days before signing the Elector Response Form; and • not be otherwise disqualified from voting by the Local Government Act or by other law.

To sign an Elector Response Form as a non-resident property elector a person must meet all of the following criteria: • be a Canadian citizen; • be at least 18 years of age; • have lived in British Columbia for at least six (6) months before signing the Elector Response Form; • have owned property within the City of Prince George for at least thirty (30) days before signing the elector response form, and if there is more than one registered owner of the property only one of the owners may sign an Elector Response Form with the written consent of the majority of the registered owners of the property; and • not be otherwise disqualified from voting by the Local Government Act or by other law.

A copy of proposed Bylaw No. 9199, 2021, a more detailed summary of the Equipment Financing and a copy of the proposed loan agreements with the Municipal Elector Response Form Finance Authority are available for public inspection at City Hall during each business day of the week between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

An Elector Response Form must be in the form approved by the Council of the City of Prince George, or an accurate copy of the form such as a photocopy. Elector Response For any questions, please contact the Legislative Services Department at Forms are available on the 1st Floor or the 5th Floor of Prince George City Hall, 1100 (250) 561-7793 or cityclerk@princegeorge.ca.

Patricia Boulevard, Prince George, BC, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., on Monday to Friday, excluding statutory holidays. An Elector Response Form is also available to be downloaded from the City’s website: https://princegeorge.ca/aap.

Instructions If you are not opposed to the adoption of the above noted Bylaw, you need do nothing.

The deadline for submitting an Elector Response Form to the City of Prince George is 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 1, 2021.

If you are opposed to the adoption of the above noted Bylaw without the Bylaw first receiving assent of the electors by voting, you may sign and submit an Elector Response Form indicating your opposition.

An Elector Response Form must be fully completed and hand-signed. All pages of the completed Elector Response Forms must be submitted in order to be accepted.

A person may not sign more than one Elector Response Form.

Applicable Area The area to which the Alternative Approval Process applies is the entire area of the City of Prince George. The municipal Council may proceed with the adoption of Bylaw No. 9199, 2021 unless before a deadline of 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, June 1, 2021, at least 10% of the electors submit a signed Elector Response Form indicating that Council must obtain assent of the electors by a referendum vote before proceeding with the adoption of Bylaw No. 9199, 2021.

Elector Response Forms may be submitted by hand delivery, mail, facsimile (fax), or email as a PDF document attachment, as follows: Address for delivery or mail: City of Prince George 5th Floor - 1100 Patricia Blvd.

Prince George, BC V2L 3V9 Attention: Corporate Officer Facsimile (fax) number: (250) 561-0183 PDF submission via email: cityclerk@princegeorge.ca

For the purpose of this Alternative Approval Process, Council has determined that there are 58,852 electors in the City of Prince George. The municipal Council may therefore proceed with the adoption of Bylaw No. 9199, 2021 unless at least 5,885 electors submit a completed copy of an Elector Response Form to the City of Prince George before the deadline of 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 1, 2021.

If submitting the Elector Response Forms to the City of Prince George by facsimile (fax) or by email as a PDF document attachment, please ensure that the transmission was completed.

Resident/Non-Resident Property Electors:

DATED this 22nd day of April, 2021 Walter Babicz, Corporate Officer City of Prince George

In order to sign an Elector Response Form, a person must either be a resident elector or a non-resident property elector of the City of Prince George. For the

This is the first of two (2) postings of this public notice.

Tel. (250) 561-7600 • Fax (250) 612-5605 • 1100 Patricia Boulevard, Prince George, BC V2L 3V9 311@princegeorge.ca Visit princegeorge.ca for information about City services and operations. You can even subscribe to receive information directly to your inbox.

Visit news.princegeorge.ca/subscribe to select the categories that matter to you.

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P R I N CE G EO RG E C ITI Z E N

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‘I’ll miss the people’ MP DOHERTY’S FAMILY from page 1

ownership, the business is thriving.

The Klassens will have been married 55 years in July. They met at church in Dawson Creek and Russella was working at a credit union when Ben came by to tell her she should come by the butcher shop to buy some of the house specialty.

“I went down to see that little butcher to see if he could get me some Cervelat sausage and the next thing we knew we were going out for some hot chocolate,” Russella said. “I had a ring on my finger pretty quick. He was a good salesman. He’s been a very good husband.”

The Klassens sold their house a month ago and plan to fly to Victoria April 30 to begin the next chapter of their lives between Lake Cowichan and Qualicum Beach, close to where two of their three daughters now live with their families.

Vancouver Island is also home to three of the 11 Klassen grandchildren. ‘”We really enjoyed raising our family here,” said Russella. “Prince George is very good place to raise a family. We really find it very friendly and the people have been just great. Especially if a person is sick or something like that, the people band together and they really show support, so we really felt loved here.”

“I’ll miss the people,” said Ben. “We’ve really gotten to like Prince George. I always say if our girls weren’t gone we’d be staying right here.”

Butcher shops are more of a rarity and there are fewer jobs in the trade, with some supermarket chains centralizing meat-packing operations. Klassen has no regrets about his occupation, a career path his brother Gerald also followed.

“It’s a lost art, and any young people that I try to talk to today, I always tell them to go into it, because it will be one that will come back,” Ben said. “I did it for 65 years and I would do it all over again.”

“They have given so much to the community and to our church and to me personally, they have been a family that encouraged and loved all of us through ups and downs,” said Bilawchuk. “You want to encourage all the rest of the community, who haven’t been able to do anything, to be able to give back in some way. That’s what the Klassens have done our whole life; they’ve poured their heart and soul into their business and their church and their neighbourhood and their friends.”

Ben has been a butcher since he was 17, a craft he learned from his meat-cutter father growing up in Dawson Creek. Hired on as a teenager by Spittal’s Meat in Dawson Creek in 1955, Ben opened up his own store in Fort St. John in 1968 and ran it for 13 years before he moved to Prince George in 1982. He and Rusella started Homesteader Meats on Second Avenue and were at that location for about a year before they moved the store to the Parkhill Centre – a seven-minute drive from where they lived on North Nechako Road.

Kids got free wieners whenever they visited Homesteader and Ben was known for his hamburgers and steaks and excellent customer service, like the time he got a call at 10 o’clock on Christmas Eve from a woman in a panic because she forgot to pick up the turkey. He drove down to the store and grabbed the bird and delivered it that night and was rewarded every year after that with a box of chocolates. His neighbours on North Nechako always knew they could just knock on the door to dip into the Klassen house freezer if they ran short of meat while hosting a barbecue.

Ben cut and sold the meat and operated the store, while Russella kept everything shipshape at home and was always available for bookkeeping/ banking duties or to help out serving customers when they were short-staffed.

“The staff made things fun,” said Russella. “We had The Legal Programs operated by Seniors First BC offer pro bono lots of laughs at parties, legal services to eligible older adults residing in British Columbia on a wide range of legal matters, including: they’d pin a pig’s tail to Ben’s jacket sometimes and • Preparing wills, powers of attorney, representation agreements they got a big kick out of • Understanding your legal proceedings and what to expect in court that when he’d be walking • Reviewing court documents around not knowing he had • Preparing your own case and submissions a pig tail on him. We did • Representation at certain court hearings in the Supreme Court have a lot of fun together.” of British Columbia, the Provincial Court (Small Claims Division) of British Columbia Customers liked the tai• Assistance with tenancy law matters lor-made products and that • Federal benefits and government pensions (OAS, GIS, CPP, Ei) they could phone in their • Assistance in matters of adult guardianship orders and Ben shared one • General legal advice of the secrets that kept them coming back.

Contact our legal services division Monday-Friday from 8:30 am until 5 pm at 1-866-437-1940 (toll-free number) for further “We gave lots of hugs,” he information or to arrange a consultation with a lawyer. chuckled.

While we do not offer legal services in either family or criminal law, we The Klassens sold Homecan direct persons to organizations who may be able to assist. steader in 2007 but after two For other issues that affect the health and wellbeing of individuals years the new owners were 50+, including questions about booking an appointment for a COVID19 unable to keep it open and vaccine, call our Seniors Abuse and Information Line at 1-866-437-1940 (toll-free number), Monday to Friday, 8 am-8pm, the bank called and asked and on weekends 10 am-5:30 pm, excluding statutory holidays. them to come back as owners. They did that until they With the support of: sold the shop again on Feb. 1, 2020, and under new 1-866-437-1940 | info@seniorsfirstbc.ca | SeniorsFirstBC.ca

TARGET OF THREATS Cariboo-Prince George MP Todd Doherty took to social media to send a message of his own after his family became the subject of a death threat.

“Today I received another threat,” he said in a video posted on Facebook and Twitter. “So I want too send a message - I don’t run and I don’t hide.

“You threaten my family, you approach my family, and I will take appropriate action - and that’s not a threat, that’s a promise.”

In the 20-second clip, Doherty did not go into details regarding what was said in the threat or what it was about.

When contacted by The Citizen, his office issued a brief statement in which Doherty said his family is safe and thanked those who provided notes of concern - as of Tuesday morning, the posting had drawn about 1,700 views and several expressions of support for the MP. “As I mentioned in my video, I have taken appropriate action and notified the RCMP and the House of Commons Protective Services,” he said. “As this case is currently under investigation, I cannot comment further.”

- See editorial on page 9

City’s unemployment rate 5.9 per cent in March The city’s unemployment rate continued its downward trajectory in March.

It stood at 5.9 per cent, according to Statistics Canada labour market survey numbers, compared to 8.8 per cent for the same month last year and when the COVID-19 pandemic took hold.

The rate hit a peak of 11.8 per cent in May. Coinciding with the decline in the unemployment rate, the number of people is up, reaching 51,300 last month, compared to 47,400 for March 2020.

The unemployment rate in February was 6.4 per cent but 52,500 were holding down jobs.

The numbers are based on a three-month rolling average and do not separate fulltime from part-time employment.

SHARE YOUR VIEWS The Special Committee to Review Provisions of the Election Act wants to hear from you about:

ANNUAL ALLOWANCES FOR BC POLITICAL PARTIES Share your thoughts by May 28.

For full details visit our website, email us at electionactcommittee@leg.bc.ca, or call us toll-free at 1-877-428-8337

www.leg.bc.ca/cmt/rpea

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P R I N CE G EO RG E C ITI Z E N

MAN GETS FIVE YEARS FOR SEX ABUSE ARTHUR WILLIAMS

An autistic man who sexually abused and took pornographic images of a girl when she was five to seven years old has been sentenced to five years in prison.

B.C. Supreme Court Justice Sheri Ann Donegan sentenced the man, who can not be named to protect the identity of the victim, to three years in prison for sexual interference of a person under 16, and a further two years for the possession, accessing and making or publishing of child pornography.

Donegan issued a conditional discharge for the charges of invitation to sexual touching of a person under 16 and sexual assault.

“I am satisfied that the aggregate sentence of five years is proportional... It is at

the low end of the sentence range for this crime,” Donegan said. “(The man’s) high level of moral blameworthiness is somewhat attenuated by his mental disabilities.”

Crown counsel had sought 10 to 13 years in prison for the man, while his defence lawyer argued that he should spend just under two years in jail, followed by three years probation.

Based on a psychological assessment done on the man after his conviction on June 12, 2020, Donegan found the man’s mental disabilities, including autism and attentional deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were not a causal factor to him committing the crime. However, she agreed with the submission of the man’s lawyer that his disability did reduce his moral culpability.

In addition, Donegan said she agreed

with his lawyer that he will be a vulnerable person in prison, because of his disability.

One of the man’s parents, who he was living with prior to being sentenced, has a terminal illness and is expected to die during his period of incarceration, Donegan said.

Factors weighing against the man at sentencing was his abuse of trust - he was living in the home of a family member in Prince George and his victim was a member of his extended family – the young age of the victim, and the extended period of abuse, Donegan said. He also engaged in “grooming” behaviour. “(The victim) was at a very tender age during all his offences against her,” Donegan said “(He) befriended this young girl. He manipulated, he preyed on and exploited (the victim). He enlisted (the

victim’s) help to keep this a secret. The burden of keeping this secret from her parents is something no child should bear.”

In addition to the jail time, Donegan ordered the man to provide a DNA sample, as he will be listed as a registered sex offender for the remainder of his life.

Donegan also banned the man from being at public parks, playgrounds, schools, swimming pools, etc. for 10 years; from being within two kilometres of the victim or her mother’s home for 20 years; using the internet to communicate with anyone under the age of 18 for 10 years; and from taking any job or volunteer position working with children for 10 years.

“He was in possession of child pornography not of (the victim), suggesting the risk he poses is broader than (just her),” she said.

RCMP seek homicide help Street crime unit

Prince George RCMP are asking for dashcam footage as part of their investigation into what has become the city’s third homicide of the year.

Specifically, they’re asking anyone who may have images from driving along PG Pulp Mill Road on Sat., Apr. 10 between midnight and 5 a.m. to contact the serious crime unit through the detachment’s main switchboard at 250-561-3300.

One person was found deceased on that day when RCMP were called at about 4:45 a.m. to a report of a disturbance at an 1100-block PG Pulpmill Road home.

Originally deemed a suspicious death, it was upgraded to a homicide.

Information on the victim has not been released.

Two other deaths in the city this year have been classified as homicides.

1685 3rd Ave. Prince George, BC

250-563-6637 www.booksandcompany.ca

Northern BC' s Living room

seizes drugs, weapons Prince George RCMP’s street crew unit scored seizures of drugs and guns from two homes and a motel during the first week of April.

The basement unit of a 900-block Carney Street home was targeted on Thursday, April 1 as part of a drug trafficking investigation.

A search warrant yielded scales, packaging, weapons and ammunition that RCMP say are common with the street-level drug trade.

They also arrested a man wanted on outstanding warrants and who police said was found with a quantity of cash and suspected illicit drug consistent with drug trafficking.

The unit followed up on Wed., Apr. 7 by shadowing three men and a woman known to police as they left a motel in the 2200 block of the Hart Highway and drove to a business in the 5900 block of O’Grady Road.

RCMP saw them leave the business with about $1,500 in items that police determined were stolen.

The four were arrested and a search warrant was executed on the motel room where they found an ounce of suspected methamphetamine and a loaded .22-calibre rifle.

Two more people were arrested at the scene. One of the six arrested was also apprehended during the boost and bust operation at Pine Centre Mall in late March, RCMP noted.

Then, on Thur., Apr. 8, street crew unit members found themselves back at a 2100-block Spruce Street home where they have previously executed a search warrant on Tues., March 23.

This time, quantities of suspected methamphetamine, suspected fentanyl and suspected crack cocaine were seized, along with scales, packaging, cash, and several weapons as well as ammunition and a replica pistol.

Ten people were arrested of which two could faces charges pending further investigation.

Names of the suspects were not released and charges remain pending.

SPORTS

P R I N CE G EO RG E C ITI Z E N

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Young back in the swing of things

TED CLARKE It’s been a long year since Jared Young had the rug pulled out from under his feet, along with thousands of other professional baseball players trying to make the jump from the minor leagues to the majors.

The pandemic cancelled all minor league seasons in 2020 and Young, a 25-year-old Prince George native trying to make that climb in the Chicago Cubs organization, suddenly found himself without a place to play.

Twelve months later, Young is back on the spring training field at Sloan Park in Mesa, Ariz., getting in the swing of things again to prepare for a season that starts May 4.

He’s not sure where he’ll be playing this year but when the dust settles he’ll be ready fpr that opening pitch.

“Things are rolling now,” said Young. “It was definitely strange having a year off.

“There was a lot of uncertainty, a lot of wondering how this is going to be because

Youth baseball ready to go

we haven’t played in a while, but it’s come back to me pretty quick and it’s just so amazing to be here.”

Listed at six-foot-two, 185-pounds, Young spent the 2019 season with the double-A Tennessee Smokies and he would love a chance to return to the Knoxville suburb of Sevierville to stick together with his Tennessee teammates.

“I’m a little bit bigger and stronger and that’s definitely going to help as we get going,” he said. “Having the year off to not play and not really do anything, that was one thing I really focused on and hopefully it pays dividends. I’ve probably gained 10 pounds. I’ve worked on staying limber and getting bigger and that’s going to help over 152 games, you definitely have to have some weight on you.”

Playing mostly at first base and sometimes in the outfield his average dropped to .235 in his first year of double-A, moving up from the high-A level the previous season with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. Young

Barring unforeseen circumstances in the fight to contain the pandemic, Prince George kids will be playing organized baseball this year, The Prince George Youth Baseball Association already has more than 300 players in seven age divisions signed up for the 202 1 house league season, which will begin as soon as the teams are allowed on the city ball diamonds.

“They haven’t shut us down yet, so we’re one

was held to five home runs in 123 games after hitting 16 round-trippers combined with Myrtle Beach/South Bend in 2018.

The Cubs extended Young’s season when they selected him for their Arizona Fall League team – the Mesa Solar Sox – and he played a six-week schedule that ended in October 2019. Dating back to his youth baseball days in Prince George, he has always had the ability to hit well and he’s anxious to prove that again in his fourth season of professional baseball.

“It’s been over a year since I’ve played,” said Young. “This is a whole new year and it’s time to get going. I just keep getting better, I think. You get a little bit better every year and see where it takes you.

“Everyone is pumped, everyone was in the same boat. You take something away from someone for year and obviously they’re going to be pumped when it’s back.

I’m excited to get going and I can’t wait to see where it takes me.”

Chicago’s top farm team, the Iowa Cubs,

step better than we were last year - at this time last year we weren’t doing anything,” said PGYBA president Carmen Martin.

Online registration is available through the league website – www.pgyba - and that will continue until the Thursday midnight deadline.

Registration fees vary according to age. It will cost $90 for kids five and-under (blastball) and 7U (coach pitch); $150 for 9U (tadpole); $200 for

will play in a seven-team Triple-A Midwest Division, the Tennessee Smokies are part of the Double-A South ‘s four-team North Division, the South Bend Cubs will play in the High-A Central’s six-team West Division, while the Myrtle Beach Pelicans have switched from High-A to Low-A in the realignment and will compete in the 10team Low-A East League.

The 6,000 minor league players were not paid in 2020, other than monthly stipends provided by the parent teams. Young stayed in Arizona where he could train year-round outdoors and he used his signing bonus to cover his living expenses.

He lives in nearby Scottsdale with his girlfriend Julia and their apartment is a 15-minute drive from the ballpark in Mesa.

She works in software sales and wasn’t much of a baseball fan before they met.

“She is now,” said Young. “She’s learned a lot in this last year-and-a-half and I’ve got to give her kudos for that because she’s watched a lot of baseball with me.”

11U (mosquito); $210 for 13U (peewee); and $225 for 15U (bantam) and 18U (midget) divisions.

Teams have been working out indoors since January at the Northern Sport Centre fieldhouse.

None of that indoor activity was going on last spring.

Martin is hoping a surge of registered players will bring the league closer to the 521 players it had in 2019.

SPONSORED CONTENT

Explore Coastal GasLink with its Virtual Open House

Coastal GasLink, like everyone else, looks forward to the day we can be together in person. But since we can’t meet at coffee shops, community halls, or at local events for now, we’ve developed a safe, innovative, and convenient way to stay connected.

Coastal GasLink recently launched its Virtual Open House platform and invites everyone to learn more about the 670-kilometre project, and engage with our team from the convenience of their own home.

“Our commitment to engage with Indigenous and local communities spans the life of the project, and we didn’t want to let the pandemic stop us from doing that,” said Kiel Giddens, Coastal GasLink’s Public Affairs Manager for British Columbia.

“The virtual experience can’t replace the relationships we’ve built together, but we hope it continues to keep communities informed and connected with us in a way that prioritizes health and safety,” he added.

Visitors to the Virtual Open House will have the flexibility to interact with content, watch videos, explore the project route, and pose questions and comments when it is most convenient to them.

Key features of the platform include an interactive project map, a flyover of

From your desktop or your phone, the Coastal GasLink Virtual Open House is just a click away.

the 670-kilometre project route, and ‘stations’ where visitors can engage with subject matter experts, much like a regular open house. Information on contracting and employment opportunities, training initiatives, community investments, and current construction progress can also be found on the site.

“The team at Coastal GasLink have always done an exceptional job of ensuring that the communities along the route of this project are well informed,” shared Mayor Dolores Funk from the Village of

Burns Lake. “The virtual open house is no exception. I encourage everyone to explore all the information that has been provided here and reach out to Coastal GasLink staff with any questions and concerns you might have.”

Feedback from Indigenous and local communities has been instrumental in helping to shape the project being built today. Visitors to the Virtual Open House can continue to provide Coastal GasLink with feedback, ask questions, or request follow up discussions as part of

For Kiel Giddens, the Virtual Open House is part of Coastal GasLink’s commitment to stay connected with communities in a way that prioritizes their health and safety.

the project’s commitment to listen and respond to communities.

“Thanks, Coastal GasLink, for going above and beyond in your efforts to be transparent and accountable!” added Mayor Funk.

Explore Coastal GasLink’s Virtual Open House today, or any day, at CoastalGasLink.com/OpenHouse.

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Fire devastates McBride Ranch

CHRISTINE HINZMANN

As he entered the burning building trying to save the horses, Tom Ryan quickly lost his bearings when he bumped into the John Deere Gator blocking his path.

The Gator wasn’t supposed to be there but Tom’s wife Shelly is very happy it was because she’s sure between that barrier and the wind blowing the smoke clear just long enough for light to shine through a familiar window, Tom was able to find his way out before going in again.

It was too late for Tom to save the horses but he did manage to save one puppy on the second trip into the fire.

The McBride Ranch lost six horses, a dog, a puppy, a cat and 20 chickens when their horse barn/arena burned April 12.

It was Shelly’s birthday.

“Tom ended up in the hospital for three hours cleaning out his lungs from all the stuff he inhaled,” Shelley said. “Hours later when the fire was out we went into the barn to take a look and we see the Gator sitting there and it’s burnt to a crisp and we thought let’s take it out because the

tires are still intact and see if it starts. It started. We’re using it to clear the debris from the barn. We feel it saved Tom by getting in his way and it’s still alive so it’s kind of amazing.”

The horse lovers, who are breeders and trainers, also lost their 42 foot motorhome, another family member’s holiday trailer along with all their tack and other tools of a working ranch.

“We are so emotional over this loss,” Shelly said. “We figured we got past the crying stage but just a text or looking at a photo will set us off again.”

They have no idea what started the fire.

What woke them was a vehicle honking its horn in their driveway to alert them to the trouble during the early morning hours.

Since the fire, there have been many woulda shoulda couldas going through the couple’s mind, Shelly said.

“We can’t help but think like that but you can’t do that but you’re human so you do,” Shelly said.

They were going to get their motorhome out of storage the day before but decided to wait because it had snowed. They’re

kicking themselves now because they didn’t move it.

Back in the early days when they first bought the land in 2004 and started to build, insurance was about $1,500 a year.

As time went by it soared to about as much as $15,000 a year and they just didn’t have the extra $1,000 plus a month to manage it. They had no storage insurance because they thought everything was safe in the barn.

The loss is a big hit.

Everything inside was burned.

Four of the beautiful horses they lost in the fire were the Lusitano breed worth about $50,000 each. They also lost a mare that was bred and a horse that Tom had tra,ined that was to be sold during a clinic next week.

Luckily their stallion and another Lusitano were outside at the time of the fire and are alive and well and among the 18 horses that remain on the ranch.

“We’ve still got my mare and the stallion so they can still make more babies so that’s something,” Shelly said. “We have to focus on the positives, right?”

The loss of those lives has left them reeling.

“The barn is a big structure but everything inside is gone and we are picking up the pieces,” Shelly said with great emotion.

“Without all the help and support Tom and I would never be able to do this so we’re just going to do what we can and hopefully we can get some things so we can have a new normal because we ride and train horses and do clinics. And we just thought what do we do now? Where do we go?”

The horse people of McBride have rallied around the family donating what they can, Shelly added.

“We’re going to have more tack than we need, “ Shelly said. “So there is some happiness in this.”

Family, friends and neighbours have gathered to help clean up.

“We’re so grateful to everyone who has helped us,” Shelly said. “We’re staying strong together. We’ll get though this.”

The call is out for donations to start rebuilding what they can.

To donate visit https://ca.gf.me/v/c/yrfc/ help-tom-shelly-ryan

Logan eager to represent Lheidli T’enneh MARK NIELSEN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

As the newly-elected Dayi, Dolleen Logan says she will be taking a steadyas-she-goes approach to leading the Lheidli T’enneh Nation while she works to live up to her promise of generating “real involvement” among the band’s members.

Logan drew 151 votes when the ballots were counted on Thursday, enough to defeat incumbent Clayton Pountney, who attracted 102 votes. Jason Gillis finished third with 13 votes.

In an interview, Logan said she saw a need to improve communication between band council and LTN members and, in particular, wants to better engage the band’s elders.

An effort to get laptops into each of their hands so they can keep in touch online is part of that campaign as the COVID-19

pandemic continues to The lawsuit against prevent LTN from holdEnbridge over the October 2018 pipeline explosion ing in-person meetings. that forced an evacuation Logan said she wants of the Shelley reserve will that communication to remain in play, as will the be two-way, where the efforts, in partnership with rank and file can voice the McLeod Lake Indiand their opinions on what Band, to establish an the council is up to and industrial park southeast make their proposals of Summit Lake and to on how the life for have a member from each band members can be of the bands sit on the improved.

School District 57 board of “I want real involveLOGAN trustees. ment. Not just an annual On the pandemic, Logan had accolades general meeting to say ‘this is what we’ve for LTN members, saying they have addone,’” Logan said. “I want the elders to take pride in it and say ‘yeah, we helped hered to the restrictions on social gatherthem get that done.’” ings and the requirement to wear masks While that’s put into place, Logan said and continue to do so even though the first the band council will continue to pursue round of vaccinations has been completed. the matters already on the agenda.

“We tell them that ‘just because you’ve

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had your shot, you’re not invincible,’” Logan said.

As a result, she said there have been just “one or two cases” among LTN members in the Prince George region.

Logan was a member of the band council for six years prior to Friday’s outcome. She was also the executive assistant to longtime Dayi or Chief Dominic Frederick, who lost to Pountney in 2019 after a 15-year run.

Among those elected to band council, Crystal Gibbs topped the poll with 94 votes, followed by incumbent Helen Lisa Buzas with 90 votes. Frederick was also elected to band council with 74 votes as was Marcel Gagnon with 73 votes and incumbent Joshua Seymour with 70 votes.

Elected to the lands committee were Rena Zatorski, 140 votes, Elaine Gagnon, 137 votes, and Wendy Jael, 106 votes.

All were elected for two-year terms.

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NEWS

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T H U R S D A Y , A P R I L 2 2 , 2 0 2 1 | A7

LUMBER PRICES THROUGH THE ROOF Glacier Media

Record-high North American lumber prices are a good news, bad news story for B.C. industries.

High lumber prices have kept B.C. sawmills busy and allowed forestry companies to bank some hefty profits – a far cry from late 2019 and early 2020, when sawmills were being curtailed or permanently shut down.

But record-high prices for lumber and other wood products are making it hard for homebuilders, especially those companies tied into stipulated price contracts.

“Homebuilding is through the roof,” said Larry Clay, president of Clay Construction and incoming president for the Canadian Homebuilders Association. “Everybody I talk to is exceptionally busy. It’s about as busy as it’s ever been.”

The bad news is that lumber prices are also through the roof.

In recent months, softwood lumber prices have been breaking records. The reason is booming housing starts and home renovations in the U.S. and Canada, and a shrinking timber supply in B.C., traditionally one of North America’s biggest softwood lumber producers.

U.S. housing starts surged to 1.38 million units in 2020 during the global pandemic – higher than the 1.29 million units pre-pandemic in 2019, according to wood products analyst Russ Taylor.

North American sawmills can hardly

keep up with the demand for wood products from new home construction and home renovations, and the U.S. has even been importing lumber from high-cost regions like Sweden.

According to Natural Resources Canada, eastern spruce-pine-fir two-by-fours were selling for $1,400 per thousand board feet in March; Western spruce-pine-fir two-byfours for $1,200 per thousand board feet.

Other products like oriented strand board (OSB) and panel board have been selling for similarly high prices.

One year ago, in March 2020, lumber prices were between $550 and $600 per thousand board feet. Prices then dipped, throughout the spring of 2020, as the pandemic cooled the home construction market.

It resumed with a vengeance in the summer and fall of 2020, thanks to pent-up demand, spiking prices to around $1,200 per thousand board feet, before dipping down again for the winter, and then spiking again around the beginning of this year.

“We have jumped from $11 to $12 a square foot in lumber, to $33 to $35 a square foot right now,” said Vinny Maharaj, president of Taranis Construction, a construction management company that builds multi-family homes.

He added that the price for plywood has also jumped threefold from this time last year.

Prices for lumber, plywood and OSB are

Mackenzie Pulp Mill permanently closed MARK NIELSEN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Paper Excellence has permanently closed the Mackenzie Pulp Mill.

Production at the mill was originally curtailed in June 2020, putting 253 employees out of work in the community north of Prince George.

It said employees from the mill have been relocated to other Paper Excellence facilities where possible and the terms of the collective agreement with Unifor Local 1092 will be respected and severance payments made.

The company attributed the decision to market impacts caused by COVID-19 and lack of local economic fibre.

“Since acquiring the Mackenzie mill in 2010, Paper Excellence has invested more than $360 million in the facility,” the company said in a statement. “However, despite these investments and the committed team of employees in Mackenzie, the facility’s small production capacity and the ongoing lack of local economic fibre meant the mill could not be globally competitive.”

Conversely, Paper Excellence said it is restarting one of the paper machines in its Powell River mill in early May, investing with and establishing jointly beneficial partnerships with First Nations, and making a $13 million capital investment in its Port Alberni facility to “diversify into

higher-value markets.”

The company is working towards a “significant capital investment” in its Crofton facility on Vancouver Island and restarting its facility in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.

Nechako Lakes MLA and BC Liberal forestry critic John Rustad called the development disappointing. He maintained the Mackenzie area is home to one of the “biggest fibre baskets we have” and speculated that uncertainty over what the governing NDP has in store for the industry played a role.

“The big shifts that the government is talking about in terms of forest management and allocation, I think, were too much of a headache for them,” Rustad said.

He also predicted a further closure of a pulp mill and a sawmill north of the Pine Pass as the restrictions on access to fibre in the name of protecting caribou take hold in the Chetwynd area.

In an emailed statement, forests, lands and natural resource operations minister Katrine Conroy said the news has left her saddened.

“My sympathies are with the impacted workers and their families. I spoke with Mayor Joan Atkinson this afternoon and assured her that our government will continue doing everything we can to support the workers, their families and the community,” Conroy said.

so high that Maharaj has been looking into buying Canadian lumber from Bellingham, Washington, for the first time, because even Canadian-made lumber is a bit cheaper when purchased from the U.S. “I’ve been building for 20 years – never been in this situation,” Maharaj said.

For some homebuilders, the increased costs can be passed onto homeowners.

The National Association of Home Builders (NHBA) in the U.S. estimates a 180 per cent increase in lumber prices since last spring adds roughly US$24,000 to the price of a single family home in the U.S. Canadian homebuilders likewise say the higher lumber prices can add $30,000 to $40,000 to the price of a new home. Builders who work on contract with stipulated prices could face losses or at least dramatically shrinking profits.

“If it’s fixed price, you have builders who are losing money, or at least a reduced profit,” Clay said. “If you are a spec builder, and you have a set price, it’s a reduced profit.”

Maharaj’s company builds multi-family developments on contract with developers.

Those developers don’t much like it when he has to tell them the final cost of their project is going way up, due to skyrocketing lumber prices.

“Normally, [when] there’s a shift in lumber pricing, we pull money out of the contingency within our budgets,” Maharaj

said. “Right now, projects are getting put on hold because owners have to go and refinance.

“It’s creating tension because now the blame is going to go on the construction management company. ‘Oh, gee, you underestimated the budget.’ Well, no we did not. That’s what the market is doing. Now we are fighting with developers to cover our percentage on that overrun.”

The question on everyone’s mind in the construction sector is how long these record-high lumber prices will continue.

“The issue is going to become where our clients, the people who are bidding for these builds, will not want to build, or the shift is going to go towards concrete,” Maharaj said.

Taylor said most market analysts expect the current high prices to come down in 2021, but the estimates range wildly, from US$550 to US$865 per thousand board feet.

“I expect prices to peak shortly and then retrench down from the US$1,000 level to the US$650 area in the second quarter before rising again in late second quarter through mid-third quarter before a fourth quarter lull takes prices lower again. [But] while the peak price may be near or about to pass, there are so many wildcards in play that no one knows what is going to happen with lumber prices, as shown by the wide range of people that forecast prices for their business or as a living.”

A&E

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P R I N CE GEO RGE C ITI Z E N

Arts councils accepted into national program The Community Arts Council of Prince George & District and the Northern Indigenous Arts Council (NIAC) have been accepted into the artsvest program that builds capacity in Canada’s cultural sector.

Artsvest is a mentorship training program offering arts and culture organizations resources, expertise and training in marketing, board governance and spon-

sorship, along with incentive funds and peer-to-peer networking.

Founded in 2005, there are 2,200 organizations that have participated and formed 5,150 partnerships with businesses raising more then $23 million in new private sector investment.

Including matching funds the impact sits at $32.2 million to Canada’s cultural economy.

“NIAC is honoured to be a part of the artsvest mentorship training program,” Diane Levesque, NIAC president, said.

“Having access to a wide spectrum of development and fundraising resources will enable us to develop lasting community relationships that will assist us in years to come, not only with sponsorships, but getting to know our community on a much larger scale.”

Having both the regional arts councils accepted into the program shows artsvest recognizes the progress made in developing the North Central sector of the province, arts council president Linda Rempel said.

The 2021-2022 artsvest program gets underway this month with the two area arts councils participating and is approximately one year in duration.

Beading artist offers workshops CHRISTINE HINZMANN

A Dene/Carrier beading artist is offering workshops through Two Rivers Gallery.

Crystal Behn-Dettieh was two years sober some 15 years ago when she turned to her grandmother to teach her the ways of her people and continues to this day to respect her culture as her mother, grandma and Auntie Elaine taught her.

“I needed a new addiction so I would be over at my grandmother’s house beading often and then in the spring it would be beaver skinning time so I learned how to skin beaver and fall time it was time to harvest meat,” Behn-Dettieh said. “As much culture and tradition I could absorb, that’s where I’d always be - at my grandparents’ house.”

When Behn-Dettieh was a child, her mother would craft and sell beaver fur hats, mitts, mukluks and moccasins worldwide so those skills were always familiar to her.

Traditional Indigenous crafting has always been a passion for the artist with her work exhibited at museums, sold out at stores and showcased all across the nation.

After many successes selling her art-

work, Behn-Dettieh decided to start her own business called In Her Footsteps that honours the three most influential women in her life - her mother, grandmother and aunt.

“In my logo, I hand drew the three women as feathers and it’s all in honour of them, they’ve taught me so much,” she added.

It’s important for Behn-Dettieh to pass these traditions along to the next generation.

“I have a daughter and I know I’m going to have grandchildren - a lot of the traditional, cultural things are dying and they need to be preserved, they need to be passed on to the next generation,” Behn-Dettieh said. “Our knowledge is so powerful and I don’t want to see it lost.”

The Two Rivers Gallery Therapeutic Beading Workshops features Behn-Dettieh who offers one, two or three evenings of beading virtually from the comfort of home.

Learn the technique while also experiencing the calming effect of the process.

Materials included with classes are premade kits available at the art gallery.

For more information visit www.tworiversgallery.ca/programs/adults/.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Beading artist Crystal Behn-Dettieh is offering workshops through Two Rivers Gallery.

Association offers help to non-profits CHRISTINE HINZMANN

When it comes to non-profits, fundraising is a priority because without it community organizations don’t exist.

The Northern Interior Communities Association (NICA) helps non-profits with community gaming grant applications, which can be a major part of any organization’s funding.

NICA is celebrating 29 years in the community and has continued to offer their services despite pandemic challenges.

It can be tricky to navigate the process of accessing a community gaming grant and NICA offers guidance during workshops to provide updates and changes to regulations and guidelines and will even assist by reviewing those applications that have been denied. Gaming grants became available only when gambling became legal in Canada when a vice turned into a virtue, Shawn Bartolon, president of NICA, explained. The vast amounts of its profits were then donated back to the community to do some good, she added.

“There’s been that promise since 1906,”

Bartolon said. “It’s turned into a very important industry in provinces and it funds a huge portion of our health sector as well as many other areas of provincial infrastructure.

Bartolon explained that gaming dollars have taken a hit because of the pandemic so there’s less available to those in need.

“There are about 6,000 community groups that get grants but there are many more that apply,” she added. “It’s a very competitive process. If you’re a non-profit or a charity and you’re trying to understand the gaming grant process when you’re new to it, it can be kind of unwieldy to understand the guidelines and the nuances of it.”

It’s important to make an organization stand out from the rest during the acceptance and denial process.

Bartolon said it’s a challenge and a continual one as an organization reaches out for the same grant dollars year after year, especially during these uncertain times.

“Those accessing gaming grants are the foundation of every community,” Bartolon

said. “We are the hospices, the search and rescues, we are the boy scouts and the community centres. We are part in parcel of every day life and we rely on the charitable gaming sector.”

The Northern Interior Communities Association has more than 1,100 members that are from more than half of the province from Prince Rupert to Chilliwack and all communities in between.

“We’re all over the region because people are asking us to come in because they need help,” said. “People tell us they don’t understand the terminology and they don’t know what they want, they ask us how best they can put an application forward.”

Sometimes it’s a challenge to get it uploaded, she added, especially in rural communities with unreliable internet service.

“We’re asking the public at large to understand that without these charities, groups and non-profits in their communities they’re way of life is going to greatly differ,” Bartolon said. “We are an important piece of ensuring that every Prince George person... has a better quality of life.”

LOCAL ARTISTS FEATURED IN NEW KIDS BOOK Huble Homestead is celebrating the upcoming release of Ceepee and the Fish Camp, the fourth in a series of children’s books.

Ceepee and the Fish Camp is illustrated by water colour artist Cliff Mann and Lheidli artist Jennifer Annais Pighin.

The book is set in the early 1900s and celebrates Lheidli history and incorporates vocabulary in Dakelh, the traditional language of the Lheidli people.

The book will be made available to Lheidli members in early May, with a general release scheduled for May 22, the first day of Huble Homestead Historic Site’s 2021 season.

This project was made possible by the participation of the Lheidli T’enneh and the generous financial support of the Province of British Columbia, Northern Health and the Fraser-Fort George Endowment Fund (Area G).

OPINION

P R I N CE G EO RG E C IT I Z E N

T H U R S D A Y , A P R I L 2 2 , 2 0 2 1 | A9

THREATS ARE ALSO A VIRUS T here are stories throughout history, from Shakespeare’s Hamlet to the excellent 2013 movie Prisoners, directed by Canada’s Denis Villeneuve and starring Hugh Jackman, about how people can lose their humanity in moments of crisis.

The transformation from decent and caring to cruel and evil happens quickly, yet the person it happens to is completely blind to it.

Their pain, anger and fear, however justified, consumes them so fully that they fail to see the tragic irony of how much pain, anger and fear they are now causing others.

It is all explained away as fighting for oneself and having the courage to do whatever’s needed to make things right and normal again.

Or maybe too many people are just plain selfish jerks who think their hissy fits are freedom of speech and expression.

Either way, threatening a local Member of Parliament and his family with harm and even death is wrong and unacceptable.

Cariboo-Prince George MP Todd Doherty took to social media Monday with a short but firm message.

He won’t stand for it and he will do what is necessary to protect himself and his loved ones.

Threats are not protected speech. They are a criminal offence. “I was just joking around,” “I was having a bad day” and “my life sucks” aren’t accepted as excuses.

Threatening to harm any other individual, whether it’s done verbally or in writing, is a crime, both legally and morally.

Making threats is taken so seriously because they are incredibly destabilizing to an otherwise peaceful society. Threats are just like viruses – invisible social germs able to quickly spread sickness through the population, sparking stronger threats and then violence.

How well do you think Doherty and his wife are sleeping these days? How vigilant do you think they now are when they go to the store or go to work? How nervous do you think they are when approached by someone they don’t recognize? How safe do you think they now feel in their own home?

Now they are angry and scared.

And for what?

Do the bullying idiots, frightened fools or pathetic crybabies – take your pick – really believe the Member of Parliament in the opposition party, not even a member of the ruling government party, has the authority to solve their problems with a snap of his fingers?

As with every crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic shows humanity at its best and worst. Individuals reveal who they really are. They meet the challenges head-on and offer help to others or they feel sorry for themselves and lash out at anyone and everyone not hurting as much as they think they are.

Which one are you? Are you a symptom of the disease or a dose of the cure?

Be honest.

It’s OK to be angry if you’ve lost your job in the last year and now you might lose your vehicle and your home. You have good reasons to be mad and you’re not alone.

It’s OK to be upset if you’ve lost a loved one in the last year, to COVID-19 or some other health issue. You have good reasons

COVID hitting students hard

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ooking around my school this year, I notice that there are fewer students. There are also fewer disciplinary issues and it has become even more difficult to establish and maintain contact with our at-risk students and their families. I did not realize until recently, however, that this is a global issue.

There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted student learning. A recent UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) report states that in every part of the world, student achievement has been negatively impacted by school closures and reliance on remote learning.

A CBC feature pointed out that at least six per cent of students in Canada have no access to online learning and that 200,000 young people have lost touch with their schools. Globally the number is estimated to be 12 million, but at this time it is difficult to determine if that is accurate.

This issue is being examined by the Institute for 21st Century Questions, which states: “This is arguably the most underap-

LESSONS IN LEARNING GERRY CHIDIAC

preciated, time-urgent catastrophe of the entire pandemic period. If these children are not found and reintegrated into schooling with the greatest possible speed, they simply cannot succeed.”

UNESCO recognizes that many students have been able to continue learning throughout this crisis, but learning inequalities have clearly been exacerbated. The students in Canada and around the world who were already disadvantaged have fallen further behind.

We now have several pressing questions.

Where have all of these students gone?

Why are they no longer attending school?

For those students who have stopped attending, how will we get them back? For those who have fallen behind, how will we get them caught up?

In answering some of these questions,

one can do little more than speculate.

Given the difficult economic times, it is likely that many families have moved and have thus lost contact with their school communities. For others, there has been a legitimate fear of going to school due to the risk of illness. The lack of technology may have led to frustration for other students, and frustration often leads to non-attendance.

What is more important is figuring out how to re-connect with these students and their families once the current crisis is over. This will take a community effort involving school administrators, teachers, support staff, as well as others who provide broader services to children and families.

Once we reconnect with students, we need to design programs that will help them catch up.

With this in mind, it is important to recognize that a crisis can also be an opportunity. Educators have long acknowledged that not every student fits into the K to 12 model. Some students, especially those deemed to be at-risk, simply need more time to complete their studies and earn

PRINCE GEORGE

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NEIL GODBOUT EDITORIN-CHIEF

to be sad and you’re not alone.

It’s OK to be frustrated with political and health leaders about the pandemic restrictions and the vaccine rollout. You have good reasons to be ticked off and you’re not alone.

Your neighbours are scared and worried, too.

Canadians from coast to coast are frightened, too.

Your Member of Parliament and other health and political leaders are afraid enough already without having to be terrified of the very people they are trying to help.

Look past your pain to the people who can inspire you, who can help you in ways small and large, with their words and their actions. Look for ways to offer support, in words or actions, to others who are in an even worse situation than yours (and be inspired by the strength and resilience they are showing).

Don’t surrender your humanity at the very moment our individual and collective capacity for kindness, caring and sacrifice for one another is needed the most.

— Editor-in-chief Neil Godbout

their high school diploma. If we are willing to extend the timeline for school completion and we can offer programs that will be effective and attractive to these students, we can potentially improve our graduation rates. If we do nothing, however, we risk failing an entire generation.

The bottom line is that we will need to invest more in education due to the COVID-19 crisis. Some may argue that given the state of the global economy, the necessary funds are not available. That, however, would be a very short-sighted perspective.

If we do not invest in these young people now, we will have a large segment of the population that is under-educated and difficult to employ.

By showing willingness to invest and to adapt our educational systems to the needs of our children and youth in the post-pandemic era, we will ensure a welltrained workforce of active, tax-paying citizens.

The path beyond the educational crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic is not clear, but now is the time to begin planning our way forward.

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OPINION

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P R I N CE GEO RGE C ITI Z E N

COVID story targets Mennonite women

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ld Colony Mennonites are the kind of Mennonites where, by religious conviction, the men dress in blue-collar clothes, and the women in kerchief head-coverings and long dresses. This makes the women members of a visible religious minority. Keep that in mind as you read.

As my regular readers will know, I grew up in an OC Mennonite community in Alberta, just across the border from Fort St. John. I have extended family in the Old Colony Mennonite community of Prespatou, which is about one hour north of Fort St John.

Last year, Prespatou made the news. For a people group who prefer to live quietly, don’t get involved in politics, and keep to themselves, they didn’t enjoy the attention when COVID swept through their community early last summer.

In October, the OC Mennonite Church in Prespatou quietly decided for the sake of their member’s mental and spiritual health to resume regular, non-distanced, non-masked church services. Their COVID cases had resolved, schools had reopened and they hoped that no one would be interested.

I would have argued that they should have expected a pandemic research team.

After all, COVID-19 is a new strain of virus which we need to know more about. The nearly closed community of Prespatou provides an opportunity to study the spread,

THINKING ALOUD TRUDY KLASSEN

impact and herd-immunity possible by being exposed and contracting COVID-19.

It is possible that this has happened, or is happening, but it’s not making the news.

Another thing I would have expected is media interest in the fact that this community has had only one case of COVID since they restarted normal church services.

That’s one case, they were told by Public Health, which was contracted outside the community and didn’t spread to anyone else.

Isn’t herd immunity what we are after with vaccines?

Isn’t the fact that a community like Prespatou has achieved significant immunity after an outbreak a thing to celebrate?

Weren’t many of us initially terrified that this novel coronavirus could wipe out a significant portion of the world?

Prespatou, a community of close to 600 people, had only one COVID death and has resumed normal life.

That is newsworthy.

That is encouraging.

The OC Mennonite Church in Prespatou decision to resume regular church services was not carelessly made.

In fact, when the community was expe-

riencing its COVID outbreak last summer, they practised socially distanced visits and shut down church services.

When they made the decision to begin church services in October, school had resumed, so their children were already together unmasked in school and on buses.

Large families mean grandparents and aunts and uncles take care of children when needed, in their homes. They rationally assessed that COVID danger for their community was past.

Instead, what we got was a hit piece.

CJDC, Dawson Creek’s largest media outlet, conducted a paparazzi-like ambush on the church and their pastor on Easter Sunday morning.

But CJDC didn’t stop with simply publishing their story.

Here is what Energetic City, a different Dawson Creek media outlet, reported on April 14: “The Fort St. John RCMP received a phone call from a local media outlet on April 3rd, investigating a tip about a church in the Buick area planning to host an in-person service that weekend. The following day police received a report of a church service from the same media outlet that had located the Old Colony Mennonite Church in Prespatou celebrating an Easter Service. The media outlet provided the RCMP with a video documenting the incident, which showed a parking lot full of vehicles and people exiting the church building without wearing masks.”

Not only did CJDC report the church

to the RCMP, they then drove two hours to find this isolated community to create their paparazzi-style story.

To make sure their reporting did not go unrewarded, they sent the video to the RCMP. Since then, a $2,300 fine has been levied to the church.

The behavior of CJDC is newsworthy to me.

Since when does a media outlet report their sources to authorities? Since when is it right to expose visible religious minority women to discrimination?

They took it even further.

In the CJDC report, they reveal that their reporter asked Fort St. John Mayor Lori Ackerman if she feared Mennonites coming into the city to shop. Wisely, she didn’t answer.

Nothing in the CJDC news piece suggests that the OC Mennonites were refusing to wear masks when in town or refusing to obey public health orders when outside their community. OC Mennonites are not activists. CJDC seems to have ignored simple common sense and fairness in their reporting.

We have been hearing about increased attacks on visible minorities since the pandemic started. When they go to town to buy groceries, pick up parts, take their kids for medical appointments, these women are visibly OC Mennonite. OC Mennonite women will be exposed to discrimination, regardless whether they are from this community, or any other.

Canada is a climate change problem

H

ow do we change our economy to be more environmentally friendly? What do we need to do to mitigate our greenhouse gas emissions and climate impact?

I respectfully suggest the first thing we need to do is recognize the problem. The Conservative Plan to Combat Climate Change was released by Erin O’Toole last week. It starts with a quote: “We will fight climate change and protect the environment but we won’t do it on the backs of working Canadians”.

Good start but what exactly does the “backs of working Canadians” mean? And why then does the document come back on page 13 to the tired old mantra: “However, since Canada only produces less than two per cent of the global emissions…?”

Let’s consider our emissions. The document is right. We do produce just under two per cent of global emissions or just a bit more than two per cent depending upon how you count it. That doesn’t sound like a lot but it puts us seventh in the world and among the G20, trailing only Saudi Arabia.

Put another way, our annual per capita emissions are 20.94 tonnes, which is more than the USA (19.9 tonnes) and over double the UK’s (8.45 tonnes). The world average is 6.27 tonnes. In other words, we might be only two per cent of the world’s

AS I SEE IT TODD WHITCOMBE carbon dioxide equivalent emissions but we are full value for being gluttons.

To put it another context, according to the UN, between 1990 and 2018, the UK has seen its emissions drop from 797.8 Mt to 465.9 Mt with twice the population of Canada! The USA has remained roughly constant – 6,437.0 Mt to 6,676.6 Mt. But Canada has increased our inventory from 605.2 Mt to 729.3 Mt. For B.C., the numbers increase from 53 Mt to 66 Mt. Saying we are “only 2% of the global emissions…” misses out on the fact that not only are we energy hogs but we aren’t really doing anything about it. Under both Liberal and Conservative governments, we simply do not have the vision or the leadership to truly transform our economy.

And as the Conservative Plan points out, we will pay the price.

It says: “Climate change increases the risks of fires, droughts, flooding and extreme weather events. Canada is already demonstrably feeling the impact of this given the fact that insurance payouts due to environmental events – particularly

flooding – have dramatically increased in the last 12 years.”

But to unpack that statement a bit, it recognizes the human damage occurring as a result of climate change but fails to understand the environmental damage. It is bit like someone saying: “I lost my 52-inch flat screen television when my house burnt down. Don’t know how I am going to live without my television.”

But at least the Conservative Party tried to recognize climate change is going to impact us all.

It will make life more difficult. It will impact working Canadians.

And it will do so in a way that will make it harder for the average working Canadian to maintain a North American standard of living.

So, if we want to keep living the life we have now, we need to look at countries like the United Kingdom, Sweden, Norway, and the rest of Europe. And, I would argue, stop looking at the United States.

We need to consider changes to the building code, which would see new houses moving to better insulation standards.

For example, passive house architecture can provide a warm, comfortable house with minimal heating.

Even moving the bar to ensure all new homes meet more than the minimum standards would be a major step in the right

direction.

And it would stimulate economic growth through the construction industry.

We also need to invest in transportation infrastructure. Effective mass transit in larger cities and communities is critically important but the movement of freight between cities could also be more efficient.

The difference between road, rail, marine, and air are significant. Road is 62 gCO2/ tonne-km while rail is only 22 and marine is 8.4. Air is through the roof at 602 gCO2/ tonne-km while utilizing pipelines is the most environmentally friendly option at 5 gCO2/tonne-km.

We should also be investing in developing capacity for the production of batteries and electric vehicles. If the free market won’t lay out the capital, maybe it is time for Canada to create a crown corporation to do so.

At least that way we know the profits would come back to the taxpayers instead of being shipped overseas to avoid paying taxes.

My favorite lines in the Conservative Plan are on page 4 where we are assured carbon pricing will be affordable: “$20/ tonne and increasing to $50/tonne but no further” but on page 6, we will “be prepared to set industrial carbon prices on a path to $170/tonne by 2030.”

Really?

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Limits on Google, Facebook essential

I

n public policy terms, it’s called “generals fighting the last war.”

It’s the doomed — if entirely understandable — default tactic of using the same strategies and weapons that won previous battles in an entirely new setting against a new foe.

As Canada joins other democracies in responding to Google and Facebook’s predatory monopoly practices, it is perhaps the greatest risk of all: using the tried and true policy instruments of the past to resolve an unprecedented threat to local news across Canada.

It’s important to note that the “generals” this time around — especially Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault — understand that what’s at stake this time is clearly unlike any threat that news media, and the millions of Canadians who rely on it, have ever faced before.

In his public pronouncements, he has indicated that you can’t call in the cavalry to fight a high-tech war, especially when the other side has nukes.

But not everyone sees it that way. Some are tempted to look at a new problem through an old lens.

Over the last half century in particular, successive Canadian governments have effectively responded to threats to the Canadian cultural sector — including to news media — with innovative and comprehensive policies of special funds and Canadian content and production requirements.

Purists have sometimes chafed at these policies, but they’ve been instrumental in nurturing and sustaining a vibrant cultural sector in the face of constant bombardment from the world’s dominant cultural

GUEST COLUMN JOHN HINDS

superpower across the border. The fact is that our geography — a relatively small population strung sparsely along our border with the US — our broad cultural affinity with Americans, and the tremendous economic clout of American cultural industries all combined to make Canada uniquely vulnerable.

The success of the Canadian response to this challenge is all around us: a cultural sector more confident and globally successful than anyone could have dreamed of 50 years ago.

And the case for these kinds of public supports for smaller news media, particularly in rural and remote areas, still makes a lot of sense.

The Aid to Publishers (ATP) component of the Canada Periodical Fund is an excellent example of a relatively small, but highly effective fund for small news media.

It’s been around for decades and it supports important voices.

Maintaining and expanding it make a lot of sense.

But the challenge that Canada faces from Google and Facebook is not just the latest battle in an ongoing “Cancon” (the industry argot for “Canadian content”) war.

And it’s not about protecting Canada from a US cultural onslaught. It’s about protecting democracy itself. Because it is the lifeblood of democracy — local news — that is under attack from the web giants’ practices.

In fact, the News Media Alliance, representing nearly 2,000 news media organizations in the US, has defined the problem well: “The marketplace (is) controlled by a few dominant platforms that decide and impose unfair terms that benefit the platforms and ensure that they reap the vast majority of digital advertising revenues. These platforms use their power and algorithms to act as de facto regulators of the news publishing industry, including by determining how, when, and what news content readers can reach, and by collecting and controlling user data and digital advertising.”

Reporting real news costs real money.

And in democracies around the world, regardless of the medium, journalism is financed by advertising or paid subscriptions, or a combination of the two.

Google and Facebook have broken that model.

In the US, a quarter of all newspapers have gone out of business in the last decade and a half, resulting in vast “news deserts” across that country.

In Canada, during a similar period, according to the Local News Research Project, over 300 newspapers have closed since 2008.

Economists have a technical term for what Google and Facebook have wrought: market failure.

And it can’t be fixed by a government fund or other Cancon tools.

One-off deals and care packages from Google and Facebook won’t do the trick either — though it hasn’t stopped them from trying.

Either approach only provides a temporary, cosmetic fix, while the web giants further consolidate their stranglehold and

local news further atrophies.

The fact is that market failure can only be reversed by the state forcing an end to monopoly practices and restoring market fairness.

That’s what the Australian government is doing, forcing the web giants to negotiate collectively with all of the country’s news media as a group.

In this country, the publishers of the daily, regional, community, and ethnocultural news publications that account for more than 90 per cent of news media readership in Canada have come together to urge Canada’s Parliament to adopt the Australian solution.

It’s the key recommendation of the report we released last fall: Levelling the Digital Playing Field.

And we’re not the only ones.

The CBC and the country’s private broadcasters have also joined our call to adopt the Australian model.

News media around the world are urging their governments to do the same, including the News Media Alliance in the US and the major European news media associations.

They all recognize what we do.

That this is about something more important than the survival of an economic sector.

It’s no coincidence that disinformation, polarization and political extremism are flourishing in democracies around the world at a time when local news media are disappearing as a result of Google- and Facebook-induced market failure.

When the stakes are that high, it’s time to bring out the big guns.

John Hinds is the president and CEO of News Media Canada.

The man in the booth

T

he following is an abridged interview with Theatre NorthWest’s production manager, the inimitable John Reilly.

How did you get into theatre originally?

“I fell in. I got into it the usual way… I fell in love with a girl in Grade 9 and she was in theatre, so I went into theatre.”

That’s the way to do it. So were you performing or were you backstage?

“I got into acting first. Played Daddy Warbucks in Annie.”

Was that your first role?

“That was my first big role, yeah, that wasn’t just standing there. And at the same time the drama teachers just grabbed me and said, ‘Okay, you’re into this. Help us build the sets. You’re not afraid of heights, climb this ladder.’”

Favourite play of all time?

“My favourite play… I love Midsummer Night’s Dream. And I love The Black Bonspiel of Wullie MacCrimmon.”

Are you a big Shakespeare guy?

“I think it’s really important. I’m not a frothing fan, but I think it’s vital and important for companies to be doing Shakespeare still. It gives us our history.”

TNW PASSAGES SOLOMON GOUDSWARD What was the most challenging show you ever worked on?

“All shows have their challenges, but one of the more challenging ones was Drowning Girls with getting working showers onstage.”

How did you do that?

“Great creativity… and leaning on professionals in the community…But that was one that I probably spent the longest time noodling on beforehand, trying to figure out the best ways to do it.”

Can you speak more on the collaborative aspect of theatre?

“Well, I mean the technical director or production manager is judged on their phone book, on who they can pull in.

Because theatre uses every single aspect of community that’s out there, from pipefitting to electrical, you can’t know it all. And you can’t have all of that expertise

in-house, you know, unless you’re Stratford. You rely on your community around you that you can call up and go, ‘Hey, can I bounce some ideas off you? Can you show me how to do this?’ or, you know, ‘Can we borrow something?’”

How long have you been working at Theatre NorthWest? “(Laughs) I can never remember. I think nine seasons I’ve done. This might be my tenth.”

And before that, give us a brief history of where you’re worked.

“Coming out of theatre school I worked at Western Canada Theatre for about eight years; I’ve done trade shows for a couple of years; I did corporate events in Vancouver for ten years which is where I was before I came up here.”

How have you seen Canadian theatre change since you started working in this field?

“I’ve seen a number of interesting changes. One is theatre companies have gotten smaller for sure. Less staff… audience also.

We have a core and it’s always a challenge finding the younger generation to come in and start picking it up. Prince George is a very supportive community for us and

we love them for it. …I’ve found more and more theatres getting away from a cowboy mentality on treating their staff. On actually understanding what an eight-hour day is, on understanding burnout...When I started it was a little bit wild west.

What do you think people will want from a night at the theatre after the pandemic?

“I think people are going to be really looking for a good giggle. I think a musical would do really well. I think a good slap-your-knee comedy will do really well.

Coming out of the pandemic people want something that they can get out and get behind and enjoy. Because we’ve all been watching Netflix, and something live with other people around you laughing, crying, whatever, is what people are going to be after.”

Last question, what do you miss most of all about doing shows in this time?

“The camaraderie. The coming together.

The group of people coming in from out of town, forming a temporary family with those of us who are here, and creating something, putting it together, and the panic of getting it together and then… all of a sudden it’s there and you’re doing it for an audience.”

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Why I left social media

S

ocial media is largely about perspective generation and very little about truth seeking and truth telling. It is, for the most part, an electronic replacement for the erstwhile village gossip. And like the old construct, this new modern version, that carries with it a tinge of sophistication, flourishes among those who have time to spare and views to broadcast with little consideration for virtue and fact. Plainly put, social media, like its counterpart of old, the vulgar and vagrant preoccupations of busybodies, is for the most part simply gossip.

And because it is simply gossip and perspective generation, the most popular social media platforms do not have strict qualifying standards. Anyone can participate and opine on anything under the sun with little or no consequence. People also operate on this new platform in groups, fiercely peddling their own positions with no regard for ethical and professional standards in the pursuit of fact. Fact often isn’t what is being considered at all. Personal agendas are what is foremost.

Opinions made on social media, even when done with the best of intent, are to a large extent far from reality. Public policy, lifestyles, ideologies, and other overarching subjects with a contemporary affect get vigorously scrutinized and often scathingly commented on. Yet in spite of the passion and effort, much of what went into the making of a policy, lifestyle, or ideology and its expression in society remains unknown to the volumes written on it by stargazers on social media. These can and do sometimes have dangerous effects as the world observed recently when the Capitol buildings in the U.S. came under mob attacks and when stock investments in the U.S. came under the influence of shady advisors on social media.

If this is what social media is, should we then consume ourselves through a deep investment of our time in it? The time we have isn’t in endless supply. And the more sensible and educated one is, the more purpose one has in one’s life, the

GUEST COLUMN

REUBEN LOUIS GABRIEL, PHD

less time one feels one has to do all the important things that must be done before the curtains fall. As the clock keeps ticking, we waste away and will soon be dead. The investment of our time hence is crucial to the making of our lives and the lives of those we love and the things we consider important.

I spent a good portion of my time in 2020 sitting at the desk with my MacBook and trying to save the world through social media. In the bargain I put on weight, had high blood pressure because of my emotional surges and dives into volatile environments, irregular heartbeats, cramps in my left arm, fainted twice and was rushed twice to emergency at UHNBC, very high blood sugar (constantly between 9 and 16 on a scale on which my sugar should have been maximum 7), and above all the lost time with my wife and children.

Joshua is in the second year of an engineering degree and will leave for another city in a matter of months to continue his studies. Life will most probably never again bring him back home as a little boy dependent on his father. Jemima too will leave home in a year or two either to pursue medicine or a masters in molecular biology and biochemistry. She will marry and make her home and cannot be expected to return to my care as a child.

Amita has been by my side for 29 years and we both are aging and recognize that our days are numbered. The next few decades if we are lucky will pass like the wind. If I do not make conscious effort to spend more time with her and the children now, it will all be gone before I realize it.

Social media can wait or even be gone for good from my life. But these relationships are vital and most lovely. There’s no comparison between spending time with them and spending time on social media.

Social media is like being married to the mob. You don’t know who relates with you with what intentions and when things

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will bommerang. The slightest error of judgment could have horrendous consequences for you. Being deeply involved in social media exposes one to the world, and this world that’s full of all kinds of people can easily get into the nooks and crannies of your life and your private spaces. The result could be awful – a web of perennial discomfort.

As you relate to the mob on social media, your tolerance levels gradually drop and your sensitivity to provocation rises.

Prolonged engagement with others on social media can alter character and make one angry, impatient, upset, depressed, and of a negative mindset. To succeed with social media, one must constantly ride the wave and be a winner, which means that there is a good possibility that one would be a loner at the top provoking others to jealousies and hatred. That’s not the best way to live.

Social media is an arena in which millions are looking for some fun at others’ expense. Too much engagement with social media could easily put you on the slippery road of becoming the despicable other.

Jealousies, competition, hatred, bickering, leud behavior, and all kinds of uncomely expressions are rife on social media. It is a very high price to pay for no gain at all.

It is often impossible to choose one’s group on social media. One is likely to be in the company of those who do not share the same culture, ideas, learning, beliefs, values, and behaviors. But one is likely not to know till they find out the hard way when things go wrong.

Social media isn’t one’s day job. But it can easily compete hard in a person’s mind to replace their day job. And that could soon turn into a nightmare adversely affecting primary responsibilities, relationships, and livelihood. It is simply not worth it.

Those who uncontrollably seek life-satisfaction through social media look for happiness in the distance. This usually happens because life in such people’s immediate vicinity isn’t that inspiring. Social media however isn’t reality. It is a virtual reality that creates an imagined hype in the participant’s mind. It is a hype that quietly pinches out of the participant a valuable

price for which in return it provides imagined and shallow satisfaction which in the long run leaves for one a hollow and empty space with no tangible benefits. Social media is a drug for those who have a deep sense of dissatisfaction with their sitz-imleben (life situation).

A productive and fulfilled individual is intrinsically motivated. Such an individual is fully aware of their life-situation and because self-preservation is a fundamental trait of human persuasions, they will always keep their interests in mind and work to achieve their goals. While occasionally extrinsic motivation can be helpful and does inspire one to consider tasks and achieve them, a slavish dependence on extrinsic motivation makes one emotionally reliant on factors on the outside which cannot be controlled and are highly unreliable.

Those who operate well only because of external stimulus tend not to be at peace with themselves and might suffer from poor self-esteem. Living a quiet life; being mindful of one’s immediate duties and responsibilities; loving and serving one’s near and dear ones instead of reaching out to the unknown and trying to create a huge impression in the distance is the right way to live. Social media often unfortunately feeds the insatiable hunger of those who crave for attention from a distant world. It isn’t indicative of healthy minds at work.

Social media however has brought the world unimaginably closer. Childhood friendships have blossomed once again and long forgotten and distant relatives have come close.

What happens in one part of the world gets transmitted within seconds all over enabling mindboggling scrutiny and the possibility of greater accountability from people in positions of power. Good information and relevant knowledge to seekers comes effortlessly because of algorithmic arrangements the deep dark web has make of every individual mind’s preferences.

There are still some good reasons for keeping one’s ties with social media to a qualified minimum.

- Reuben Louis Gabriel, PhD, is an instructor in philosophy and history at the College of New Caledonia.

wait too long to exit as maybe the bear was coming back and I would miss my safe exit.

My left foot on the way out stepped into the centre of a muddy grizzly bear track.

The grizzly track was about a foot wide and a longer distance from front to back. I did not look around just in case I made any eye contact with a possible grizzly, which would mean a confrontation challenge for any grizzly bear. My buddy was still in his camper oblivious to what just took place.

The next day, hunting alone, I came across the grizzly over the hilltop from the forestry campground. I was hunting from my vehicle and about 300 yards away watching the back end of the grizzly wandering away from me.

As soon as the grizzly sensed my

presence he turned around and the hair on the back of my neck defied gravity. It was a sweet feeling knowing the situation could have been a lot worse for me the day before.

Miles Thomas, Prince George

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Grizzly encounter

I had a grizzly experience a few years ago when a friend and I pulled into the Merton Lake forestry campground in early September. We were getting set for the start of Bullwinkle season.

The Merton forestry campground gets very few campers so the bush there was usually quiet for most of the camping year. They have two outhouses there. The first one on the way in I didn’t like because it was too sunk into the forest. The other one had more of the bush cleared around the front and sides.

My buddy got to work in his camper preparing a bite to eat. Experiencing that sinking feeling that you gotta go real

soon, Iwandered with a little pace up to the outhouse. After getting my gear down and in the seated position, Icalmly latched the door with that feel insecure little hook thru the round eyelet. As soon as I hooked the latch, I heard some rustling behind the back of the outhouse.

Thinking my buddy was trying to scare me, I yelled out “what are you doing, Marcel?”

No reply and now the rustling was at my right side and I knew immediately it was the big bad bear. The bear now was in the front and that little latch was all I had for my defence.

I remained quiet trying to hear if the bear was still out front. I waited until I could not hear any movement. I did not want to

Team effort

I’d like to thank the Prince George Citizen for the great interview about Arts North and take this opportunity to recognize the efforts of the entire team - Kate Ames, Philomena Hughes, Harshpreet Kaur, and especially Lisa Redpath.

This is a team effort and without their contributions we would still be just thinking about Arts North.

Michael Kast, Prince George

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GROUND BREAKS ON SPIRIT HOME For the third year, CopperFalls Custom Homes offers the public a chance to purchase one of their homes with net proceeds going to the Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation to support better health outcomes in the North.

This year’s model will be similar to the first house they built for the charitable organization. The house is a collaboration with about 45 contractors and suppliers who will help create a 3,085 square foot rancher at 130-4393 Cowart Road in the

Forest Park subdivision.

“We live and raise our children in Prince George and want the best healthcare services available if and when it is needed,” Jeff Stewart and Brent Scheck, co-owners at CopperFalls, said. “Healthcare has touched us in many ways already and it is our way of doing what we do best and working with those who support us to collectively have an impact. It shows collaboration in the biggest way.”

In the last two years, $190,000 has been

donated from the Copper Project. The proceeds from the first home built in the Aberdeen subdivision of $90,000 went to breast health imaging, a dedicated maternal operating room and the purchase of four ortho video operating room towers.

Last year’s donation of $100,000 supported pediatrics, mental health and wellness and cardiac care.

COVID is top of mind now while there are also other health concerns as well.

“We are delighted to enter into year

Be careful burning outdoors With a drying trend in the forecast, the B.C. Wildfire Service is urging people to exercise caution when conducting any outdoor burning.

“As the temperature increase, the grass cures and dries, becoming extremely flammable,especially in windy conditions,” the BCWS said in a press release.

While there are no prohibitions on open burning currently in place in the Prince George Fire Centre, the BCWS said people are still responsible for conducting burns in a safe manner.

“Before lighting any fire, it is advised to monitor the upcoming weather forecast and check with

your local governments to see if any local burning restrictions are in place,” the BCWS said.

Anyone conducting an outdoor burn must adhere to the following precautions: - Ensure that adequate resources are on hand to control the fire and stop it from spreading; - Never burn in windy conditions. Weather conditions can change quickly, and the wind may carry embers to other combustible material and start new fires; - Create an appropriately sized fireguard around the planned fire site by clearing away twigs, grass, leaves and other combustible material, right down to the

mineral soil; - Never leave a fire unattended; - Make sure that any fire is completely extinguished, and the ashes are cold to the touch before leaving the area for any length of time; Anyone wishing to light a Category 3 open fire time by calling 1-888-797-1717. A Category 3 fire is defined as any fire larger than two metres high by three metres wide, three or more concurrently burning piles no larger than two metres high by three metres wide, one or more burning windrows or stubble or grass burning over an area greater than 0.2 hectares.

three with such amazing support,” Judy Neiser, CEO for Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation, said. “CopperFalls’ vision, shared with their sub trades, contractors and suppliers, together building a first class home is innovative and so generous.

We are so very grateful for this partnership. It’s humbling to have so many very incredible people come together for such an amazing project in the community.”

Those interested can watch the progress on the project at www.spiritofthenorth.ca.

Hospice walk set for May The third annual Colour Walk for the Prince George Hospice Society takes place in May.

Due to the pandemic, people are once again encouraged to walk with their bubble friends to raise funds for the society.

This year, hospice partnered with Tourism Prince George to invite participants to explore other walking destinations around the city. People can post their photos of their walking adventures to the Facebook group PG Hospice Colour Walk and one lucky walker who visits all featured parks and raises the most money will win the grand prize of a family staycation package from the

Treasure Cove Casino.

The ultimate challenge is to walk 100 km during the month of May with a team or solo.

There is a weekly sponsor that will offer games like I Spy, a sidewalk chalk drawing competition and plenty of other things to encourage participants along the way.

The funds raised will directly support the Rotary Hospice House and the gardens on site.

Registration is free and Tourism Prince George is offering swag bags to the first 100 registrants.

For more information visit the Facebook page, email info@hospiceprincegeorge.ca. To register, visit www.hospiceprincegeorge.ca.

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PUZZLE NO. 78

25. Grow more 39. Kitten’s sound mature 40. Confused 26. Hospital 41. Religious division order 27. “____ and Let 44. Lard Die” 46. Pig’s abode 28. Meat dish 47. Touch lightly 31. Protect 48. Tell a tall tale 35. Avenue 36. Honestly 49. Certain 37. Ship’s bottom railroads

WEEK OF APRIL 25 TO MAY 1, 2021 THE LUCKIEST SIGNS THIS WEEK: CAPRICORN, AQUARIUS AND PISCES

ARIES You’ll feel a strong urge to make changes in your life. You might be getting bored of your daily routine; a few transformations will help make life more exciting.

TAURUS It’s never easy to please everyone, but somehow you’ll manage to pull off a miracle. At work, you’ll be able to complete a task or close a deal that you thought was impossible.

GEMINI This will be a stressful week at the office. You’re strong though, and you’ll manage to handle any mess that comes your way with tact and a bit of empathy.

CANCER You’ll be cheered on by a large group of people, both at work and in your community. You’ll stand out from the crowd, and you’ll be surprised to find that others put you on a pedestal.

LEO People will gather in your home this week. If you have young children, don’t be surprised if they invite several friends to join in on activities you planned.

VIRGO You’ll have plenty to talk about this week. You might run into friends you haven’t seen in a long time. One thing’s for sure, you’ll chat with people for hours on end.

LIBRA You’ll spend a lot of time in stores, even if it’s just to spruce up your summer wardrobe. Your friends will persuade you to splurge, leaving a big hole in your budget.

Copyright © 2021, Penny Press

ACROSS 32. Walking rhythm 1. Not slumbering 33. Benefit 6. San Antonio 34. Stockpile site 36. Robber’s 11. Shakers’ crime partners 38. Morning 13. Man’s dampness accessory 39. Mas’ mates 14. Goober 42. More 15. Important disrespectful 16. San Diego 43. Functional athlete 45. Snuggle 18. River, in 50. Bring back Tijuana 19. Chicken-to-be 51. Itemize 52. Tattered 22. Drift 23. False names 53. Sorts 25. Hole punches DOWN 29. Hair lock 1. Electric unit 30. Carried out

2. Suffering 3. Actress Gardner 4. Barbie’s guy 5. Blows up 6. Broadcast 7. Relay section 8. Copycat 9. Skirt style 10. Wise about 12. Gazed 13. Swerve 17. Wanted 19. Every 20. Adhesive substance 21. Young woman 24. High peak

ANSWER TO PUZZLE NO. 78

CROSSWORD PUZZLE ANSWERS USE AMERICAN SPELLING

PUZZLE NO. 814

SCORPIO Feeling enthusiastic, you’ll propose a number of good ideas and promising initiatives. You’ll successfully bring together several people to complete a major project.

SAGITTARIUS Don’t turn down an invitation to go to a spa or anywhere else that’ll help you relax. In order to restore your vitality, you need to take time to recharge your batteries.

CAPRICORN Stress can be contagious, but you’ll enjoy the opportunity to be around others. You’ll make progress at work by getting the job done as part of a team. You’ll appreciate the peace and quiet at home.

AQUARIUS All of your activities make time management a must. A lot of responsibilities will fall on your shoulders. You’ll also have a realization about your career.

PISCES Some friends will invite you to go on an outing or vacation in the near future. You might get closer to your spiritual side; a pilgrimage would be an enriching adventure.

LEVEL: ADVANCED

HOROSCOPES & PUZZLES

A14 | T H U R S D A Y , A P R I L 2 2 , 2 0 2 1

HOW TO PLAY: Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9 only once.

Each 3x3 box is outlined with a darker line.

You already have a few numbers to get you started.

Remember: you must not repeat the numbers 1 through 9 in the same line, column or 3x3 box.

ANSWER TO PUZZLE NO. 814

CLASSIFIED ADS

P R I N CE G EO RG E C IT I Z E N

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2021

| 15

THE PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

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REMEMBRANCES Obituaries

Theresa Soltis (nee Deroche) April 24, 1928 - April 16, 2021 Theresa Gertrude Soltis passed away peacefully at Rotary Hospice House in Prince George, BC, on April 16, 2021, shortly before her 93rd birthday.

Theresa, the youngest of the nine Deroche children, was born in Mission, BC and was raised on a farm on Nicomen Island at Deroche, B.C. which was named after her grandfather, Joseph Deroche. Theresa was predeceased by her parents: Isadore and Kathleen (Birmingham) Deroche and her beloved husband, Andrew Soltis, her spouse of sixty-three years. She was also predeceased by her three sisters - Margaret, Corrine, and Frances - and by her five brothers - Oliver, Thomas, Ernest, Desmond, and Wymond. Theresa will be sadly missed by her children Allen Soltis (Kathleen) and Robert Soltis (Carla) and her grandchildren Katie (Braden), Andrew (Susy), and Marie (Paul).

From an early age, Theresa did farm chores such as milking cows and driving a team of horses to plant and harvest crops. She liked to tell the story of riding the family’s herd bull bareback twice a day to get water for him from the slough. When she was 17, Theresa went to Victoria to attend Normal School. She liked living in Victoria and was proud of becoming a teacher. Theresa’s first teaching job was west of Quesnel.

Upon arriving to the area by train, Theresa was picked up and taken on a 30 plus mile wagon journey to the Webster Ranch at Narcosli Creek. She also taught in the Big Lake area and on the Jacobsen Ranch, which is east of 150 Mile House. In those early years, Theresa taught in one room schoolhouses and occasionally had students who were almost as old as she was. Her duties included chopping wood, starting the fire for heat, carrying water, providing janitorial service and, of course, teaching.

In 1952, Theresa married the love of her life, Andrew (Andy) Soltis. They raised their sons, Allen and Bob in Hope, BC, and when the boys were old enough, Theresa returned to teaching. She taught at Silver Creek Elementary School and then at CE Barry and Hope Secondary Schools. Theresa loved teaching - she was passionate about preparing students for their lives after school and she was an advocate for children who were struggling, putting a great deal of time and effort into helping them pass their courses. Theresa’s friendships with her “fellow” teachers and many students lasted forever. When she was not teaching, Theresa was active in the Hope community, and had many fond memories of the times she spent with the Eastern Star and Hospital Auxiliary ladies.

After she retired, Theresa spent many happy years travelling “the world” with Andy. They both loved their grandchildren, Katie, Andrew, and Marie, deeply and took immense pleasure in spoiling them. Theresa was sad to lose her soulmate, Andy, five years ago. As her health was beginning to deteriorate and she needed some help to continue to live independently, Theresa moved to the Prince George Chateau. She liked living at the Chateau and became friends with many of the residents there. Theresa held a special place in her heart for her neighbour, Joyce, with whom she was inseparable.

As has been the case for many people, the COVID-19 pandemic was difficult for Theresa. She was a very sociable person and missed being able to see her family as often as she previously had and enjoying the camaraderie of the Chateau residents when doing Tai Chi, playing Bingo, listening to music recitals, and participating in church services. As Theresa’s health declined, she received excellent and compassionate care from her physician, Dr. Ian Schokking, and from the Northern Health Homecare nurses who were led

by Sara. The Soltis family appreciates the many medical professionals who cared for Theresa over the years and gives special thanks to the Hospice House “angels,” especially Cynthia and Mara. The family is extremely grateful to Rev. Alexis Saunders who prayed at Theresa’s bedside just hours before she passed.

Mom and Grandma - we know that you were happy to rejoin Andy and fully expect that you will be socializing, organizing, and teaching others for an eternity. All the people whose paths you crossed during your lifetime will have different and interesting stories to tell and your legacy of teaching, helping others, and strong leadership will not be forgotten. Go in peace - we love you and miss you.

A Celebration of Theresa’s life will be held in Hope when COVID restrictions lift. In lieu of flowers, those who wish are asked to consider donating to the Hope Hospital Auxiliary in Theresa’s name.

God saw you getting tired and a cure was not to be so he put his arms around you and whispered “come to me.”

To p l a c e a n a d c a l l 2 5 0 - 5 6 2 - 6 6 6 6 o r e m a i l c l s @ p g c i t i z e n . c a

Obituaries

Beverly Smith February 2nd, 1945 to March 31st, 2021 We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved Mama, Wife & Nama.

Bev was an extraordinary woman with boundless love and warmth to share with those around her.

She was born in Kamloops to Josephine and Jim Raymond.

Her maternal grandparents had emigrated from San Stefano Del Sol, Italy to Nelson, BC. She spent many wonderful summers on the family farm in Nelson with Pops, her Mom, brother Al and cousins. In 1967 Bev graduated from nursing training at St. Paul’s hospital in Vancouver.

She arrived in Prince George to work at the local hospital where she met her adoring husband, Darryl Smith, marrying into a large and energetic family.

Together they had three daughters who she gifted with so many blessings. She was a patient, kind, gentle woman who loved boldly and opened her arms to her daughters friends wholeheartedly. Bev was one of the original Edgewood Moms and there are so many fond memories we will hold close to our hearts forever.

Bev was dedicated to her nursing profession and provided her patients with the same care and kindness she gave so freely to those close to her. She worked at the Prince George hospital for many years and finished her career doing what she seemed to love most, homecare nursing. In her career she developed many special friendships that continue to this day. As we grapple with the loss of our sweet Mama we are struck by the many circles of friendships and connections Mom had developed over the years. Bev had a gentle nature and was dedicated to her family and friends.

She remained close to her 45’ers group (friends she first met in elementary school), friends from her nursing career, close connections that first grew in Edgewood and the special friendships she developed through her children and their families. Struggling to make sense of her loss are her three daughters, Kristi, Shannon & Trinity, her heartbroken and beloved husband, of 52 years, Darryl and her 8 granddaughters, Ella, Josephine, Tilly, Sadie, Isla, Tessa, Kate & Jane along with her loving son -in- laws, Parker & Chris.

Nama made every granddaughter feel special, loved, and appreciated.

Bev had a close relationship with her brother, Al and we are so grateful for our family trips to Nelson with him joining in the chaos. Those many summers in Nelson will be some of the ones we cherish the most. We are so incredibly grateful for those angels among us that helped us to get Mom to Vancouver and back home again. Bev wanted a diagnosis, and she wanted more time. She was officially diagnosed with advanced ALS March 22nd. Sadly, the time was far too short, and we are grateful to have been able to bring Bev home and to take care of her in the way she wanted. We are so very thankful to the Parkinson’s Society of BC, especially Tricia Wallace, the medical teams at UBC, VGH and GF Strong, especially the nurses & social worker on the respiratory ward at VGH. We wish to extend our gratitude to Dr. Denise McLeod, our angel on earth and Father Gilbert whom walked beside Bev in these final days with such kindness, compassion and care along with the palliative nurses, homecare and rapid mobilization team. Also, her diabetic team in Prince George and her Outpatient Dietician, Lindsay Kraitberg. We are forever grateful. Special thanks to her niece, Leah also a gifted nurse.

Bev was so happy to have a nurse by her side, helping her husband and daughters to care for her in these final days. Bev’s extraordinary love for family and friends, her grace and strength will continue to inspire us. She was the centre of our family and an amazing matriarch. Love never ends. A private service will be held April 10th at 11 am at St. Mary’s.

We look forward to celebrating her life at a future date with more family and friends. In lieu of flowers please consider donating to the ALS (www.alsbc.ca) society in her name. We would be profoundly grateful. The private mass can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZoWF8s9hhxFNj7vCMUt47Q or follow the links that will be posted at https://www.facebook.com/groups/bevsmithmemorialpg to view the slideshow and service.

16 |

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2021

CLASSIFIED ADS

P R I N CE G EO RG E C IT I Z E N

REMEMBRANCES Obituaries

Ruth Hansen 1939-2021 On Friday, April 16, 2021, Ruth Hansen of Prince George, BC, died peacefully at home at the age of 81 with her husband of 59 years by her side. She had battled Parkinson’s with dignity and tenacity.

After a full life, well-led, Ruth is survived by her loving husband Ejvind (Ivan) Hansen. Her siblings Alice and John and their children. Her three children (and spouses) - Annette (Greg), Mark (Laura), and Tanya (Jason). And her cherished grandchildren; Griffin, Justin, Ryan, Gemma, Dannika and Nathan.

Ruth was born in Denmark in 1939. She came to Canada at the age of 21 for a short adventure with every intention of returning home, however she fell in love (with a Dane ironically, yes the two Danes met in Prince George), and stayed a lifetime. She never forgot Denmark and travelled back often to visit her family.

Ruth ensured that her children and grandchildren enjoyed Danish traditions (including pastries and the famous smorgasbord - skal!).

She loved her homeland, but she also loved Canada. She drank in all best Canada could offer with a penchant for it’s wilderness, vastness, scenery and peace.

Ruth was always busy and subsequently achieved much but she is probably best known as an artist.

Working in many mediums that included painting, sculpting, weaving, felting… - art was her true passion. She truly did this for herself with passion (or perhaps obsession) but this combination did net some notoriety (wanted or not). Some highlights include: Ruth Hansen artworks have been sold internationally; she was proud to be founding member of the Milltown artists; she was chosen among a select group of artists to document and interpret the history of Mackenzie Trail culminating with resulting artworks being displayed at the Royal BC Museum.

“We will miss you - Ruth, Wife, Mom, Sister, Bestemor”.

Our promise to your legacy is to ‘lead a good life’.

No service or event is planned at this time.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Parkinson Canada.

Bradley Darin Richard Kempster May 15, 1988 - Apr 5, 2021 Bradley Darin Richard Kempster passed away suddenly on April 5, 2021 at his home in Prince George. Bradley was born on May 15, 1988 in Prince George, BC to Darin and Hayley. He grew up in Prince George surrounded by his family and friends where he loved playing baseball and going to the lake.

Bradley graduated from Kelly Road Secondary School in 2006 and began his journey in post-secondary studies. In 2012, Bradley graduated with honours from Thompson Rivers University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. Upon graduation, Bradley explored additional educational and career opportunities that led him back to Prince George where he would find the love of his life, Elisha. Bradley spent the next years as a loving partner to Elisha and stepfather to Tanner and Hailey. While spending time with Elisha and raising his stepchildren, Bradley spent time coaching and playing pool as well as playing softball. Bradley also volunteered at the Prince George Regional Correctional Centre, where he spent time connecting with and supporting local youth that were navigating challenging situations. Bradley met every situation with empathy and would always strive to help anyone, especially the underdog.

Most recently, Bradley was studying to become a high school teacher at the University of Northern British Columbia. Throughout his studies and practicum experiences Bradley was exhilarated. He was a very reflective educator who demonstrated leadership among his peers as well as care, compassion and respect towards his students.

Bradley is survived by his wife Elisha and stepchildren, Tanner and Hailey; his parents, Hayley (Sean) and Darin (Alison); his brother Cody (Suzanne, Grace, Samuel and Henry); his step siblings Tiffany (Colin, Olivia, Jake and Ava), Samantha, Krysten (Joel); his great grandmother Molly Eberle; his grandparents, Heather and Roy Potts as well as Dorothy and Reginald Kempster; his auntie Veronica (Jacob and Ashley), uncle Royden (Kayla, Hudson and Georgia), uncle Dean (Marie) and uncle Randy (Patty, Kaidy and Erica); along with numerous great aunts, great uncles and cousins. He is preceded in death by his great grandparents Casper Eberle, James and Nova Kempster, Alvin and Margaret Brawn, and Rose and Oliver Potts.

Listen Linda, Listen

Obituaries

Obituaries

Nedeljka Brkich (Neda)

David Arthur Western

October 16, 1932 April 6, 2021

Jul 29, 1943 Apr 8, 2021

It is with great sadness and sorrow that we announce the passing of Neda Brkich, the pillar of the Brkich Family in Prince George. She was born Nedeljka Vukusic in Vrpolje, Slavonia in Croatia. She married the love of her life, Milan Brkich in 1950 and together they had 3 sons before immigrating to Canada in 1957. Soon after, they welcomed the birth of their daughter.

Predeceased by her husband in 1990, she is survived by 4 children, 8 grandchildren, 9 great grandchildren and a brother in Croatia.

Her unselfish and always giving nature, gentle ways and a comforting presence gave love, hope, inspiration and confidence that everything will work out for the best.

A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.

Ouellette Tex Russell Dec 12, 1947Apr 11, 2021 Tex left earth and is now with his Lord & Savior. His battle with Cancer is over. He is survived by His wife Cheryl; son John & (Tanya) of Maple Ridge B.C; daughters Corinne of Mission, B.C, Kelly of Gibson’s & Tanya (Jason) of Prince George, B.C; grandchildren Kyle, Cameron, Braydon, Nathan & Brianna, Amanda, Erin & Christopher, Matthew, Mitchell, Mariah & Malachi; great Grandchildren, Gage, Valerie Rose, Levi Jordan, Logan William, Blake Martine & Blaine Patrick; sisters Gwen (Tom) Vernon, B.C & Grace (Dennis) Kamloops, B.C. Predeceased by parents Agnes Beck, Lucien Ouellette, brothers Jerry & Ronnie, son Trent in 2018.

A graveside service was held on Fri April 16, 2021. Donations may be made to PG Rotary Hospice House.

Philippians 1:21: For to live in Christ, and to die is gain.

Till we meet again.

We would like to thank Dr. Inban Reddy for the many years he served Tex, Dr. Lodi for the time he has served him. Your kindness, support through difficult times as Tex finished his earthly journey.

Also Simone- A big thanks to you as well for your encouragement & serving heart.

Thank you to all the staff of Rotary Hospice House Tex so enjoyed your caring help& compassion, Faye & Kathy you went beyond what was expected!

Church family for you Love & Support & Pastor Marlo for doing the graveside Prayers and Service. Pastor Danny & Donna for your kindness& support and prayers. Thank you to all the pallbearers.

Thank you to Assman’s and to Glenn Johnston for all your help.

-Thank you Tex, Cheryl & Family

It is with deep sadness that David Arthur Western passed away April 8, 2021 in Prince George, British Columbia after a long battle with cancer. David was born on July 29, 1943 in St. Anne’s Park, Bristol, England. David was a trained engineer who had spent some of his early years travelling to places like New Zealand, Hong Kong and Iran. He settled in Canada with his wife, Susan, where they raised their family and made many friends. All who knew David, knew him for his caring nature, loyalty and amazing sense of humour. Some will remember him from the rugby pitch, the tennis courts, and from the golf course. He is also remembered for his musical abilities, playing guitar. He will be greatly missed by those who knew him and were lucky enough to call him Dad, Papa, Husband, brother, uncle, and friend.

He is survived by his wife, Susan, his daughter Tiffany, his granddaughter Ysabelle, his sister Rosemarie, and his brother Bill. He is predeceased by his daughter Sarah and his sister Patricia.

There will be no service held at this time. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Prince George Hospice Society who gave such amazing care and comfort during this difficult time.

Maria Charlotte Opitz 1934-2021 It is with great sadness that we announce Maria’s passing April 11, 2021 after a brief illness.

Maria was born in Neukirchen, Germany on November 30, 1934, immigrating to Canada with her husband, Adolf, in 1955. They arrived in Prince George in 1957.

Mom loved Prince George and many people will recognize our Mom from her many years working in delicatessens. Mom was a long standing member of the German Community and she had many life long friends who will greatly miss her loyalty and support. This strong spirited woman found joy in reading, her flower garden and baking the most wonderful specialty cakes. She was a force in the kitchen and outside of it.

Maria was predeceased by her husband Adolf in 2008 and by an infant daughter, Sylvia. She will be forever missed by her daughters Angela (Lloyd), Caroline (Brendon) and her son Rick (Debbie). She was a loving Oma to Lori, David, Alexa, Amy and Sydney. Also survived by her family in Germany is her brother Guenter, nieces and nephews, as well as her extended family of John and Katie Francis, Matthew and Braeden, Aaron and Lindsay Hughes, Shannon Higgins, Ryan Higgins and their families.

Our family would like to express our gratitude to Mom’s neighbours Tammy and Trevor Thompson as well as Allan and Linda Anderson-they were always there for our Mom. She leaves a huge void in our lives.

She will be forever loved and missed.

No service by request.

May the Sunshine of Comfort Dispel the Clouds of despair

Condolences may be offered at www.AssmansFuneralChapel.com

P R I N CE G EO RG E C IT I Z E N

Shakti Nandan Sharma CLASSIFIED ADS

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2021

| 17

(November 4th, 1926 - March 14th, 2021)

in Canada, he happily vowed never to ride a bicycle again! Instead he enjoyed long walks and took pride in striding past youth. Quite surprisingly, in all of his years of living in the North, Papi ji did not shovel the snow, cut the grass, or paint the house! In recent years, Papi ji, enjoyed his walker, wheelchair and a reclining stationary bike which he proudly used to strengthen his legs. He maintained a strict regimen for his medications and meticulously monitored his lab results. He never hesitated to get multiple opinions before making his final decision. Our sincere gratitude to Dr. Iqbal, Dr. Reddy (both), Dr. Javed, Dr. Lakhoo & Dr. Hampole.

I

t is with heavy hearts that we honour the passing of our patriarch, Shakti Nandan Sharma. By almost all he was regarded as ‘Papi ji’ (respected Father) and by close friends Pandit Ji. Papi ji was born on November 4th, 1926, in the village of Kharaudi, District Hoshiarpur, Punjab, India. At the age of 6 he lost his father to the plague, leaving his Mother, Vidya Wati, widowed at the age of 24. Both were taken in, protected and guided by Chaudhary Hukam Chand Parmar and family. His paternal Grandfather, Kishan Chand, who operated a confectionery shop, kept a doting and watchful eye on his grandson. His closest childhood companions were his maternal uncles, Balak Ram, Ganesh Dass, Om Parkash, and Benarsi Dass Parashar.

Upon completion of highschool, Papi ji gained employment as the High School’s tuition fee collector and could proudly recall the names of all 800 students, their siblings and their parents! He quickly advanced as a Bank Auditor at the Cooperative Bank in Mahilpur.

Shortly thereafter, he was married in December 1944 to Kamla Devi from village Sahri. They settled in Nadalon where their 5 children were born.

In 1959, at the age of 33, Papiji was sponsored by his maternal Uncle Ganesh Das and Aunt Shanti Devi to immigrate to Canada. Initially, he took a leave of absence from his employer, intending to make just enough money to return home to India to start a financing company and purchase a cinema hall! On November 14th, 1961, with only $8 in his pocket, Papi ji arrived in Prince George. By 1962, Papi ji began a very prosperous career working as the Accountant of Thompson Construction Ltd, a leading construction company of the era that built hundreds of apartments, schools and homes throughout Northern B.C., including the Sharma’s home! Papi ji always spoke highly of Wayne Thompon’s kindness & generosity.

In 1963, the morning after JFK was assassinated, struck by the fragility of life, Papi ji went straight to the immigration office to apply for his family to join him in Canada. His wife, Kamla Devi Sharma, and children, Kumar (Parshotam), Surrindar, Jiwan, Ravindar and Jasdeep, arrived in Prince George in 1966. Papi ji’s mother joined them in 1967. After a short four years together in Canada, Kamla Devi, was unexpectedly diagnosed and within one week succumbed to terminal cancer. This was the greatest loss Papi ji would endure.

Papi ji was one of the first pioneers of Indian origin to Prince George, and began to forge lifelong companionship with the Khare’s, Gupta’s, Madhok’s, Goel’s, Sethi’s, Patel’s, Vohar’s, Miller’s and Manhas’. With respect for cultural diversity, they formed a tight knit community preserving their faith and traditions. As President of the Prince George Hindu Cultural Society (PGHSC), the society established an annual scholarship for graduating high school students. PGHSC’s final donation was made to the Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation to be directed to the Northern Clinical Simulation Centre at UHNBC. As a keen philanthropist, Papi ji made annual donations to various charities, foundations and institutions, including UNBC. At the age of 61, Papi ji retired in Prince George, a city that he proudly called “God’s Country”. His eldest son Kumar, and daughter in law Parmod, remained by his side along with their three children, Purnima, Anand, and Shobha.

Papi ji was determined to maintain his lifestyle, and Kumar and Parmod continued to faithfully care for him at home. He received frequent visits from his youngest son Jasdeep, daughter Jiwan & sonin-law Mohinder, grandson Anand and friends Rani & Nirmal. Gordon Pearson & grandson-in-law Sagar were always available to lend Papi ji a helping hand. By far his keenest hobby remained managing his stocks and investments with daily 6 AM calls to his banking and financial institutions, which kept the advisors on their toes! This passion was second only to enjoying phone conversations with family and playful banter with his great grandchildren living in Prince George, Samanyu, Saranya, and Janav.

Through his constant guidance and protective prayers, Papi ji wrapped his love and strength around his most cherished gift, his family.

Discharged from hospital on March 13th, Papi ji passed away at home in the embrace of his sons, grandchildren and great grandchildren. At 93, with final prayers and responsibilities fulfilled, Papi ji’s puzzle was complete. With a razor-sharp memory, and an ability to perform complex calculations in his head with ease, it is a great coincidence that he died on Pi day 3.14. On March 19th, 2021, performed by Parshotam (Kumar), we held our beloved Papi ji’s Antam Sanskar-his final rites and cremation. Over a hundred intergenerational families, from various time zones around the world, joined us online to bear witness to the beginning of Papi ji’s spiritual journey.

The relationships that our Papi ji cultivated, will continue throughout the generations and his blessings will remain with us all. Let us honor his legacy, raise our glasses, and toast in Papi ji’s own words “To good health, happiness, and prosperity!”

He watched CBC news and voraciously read the Citizen and Time magazine to remain abreast of current events. He also loved to travel!

Papi ji could always be counted on to vividly recount stories of his early life in India, professional achievements in Canada, and stories of friends and family from his travels around the world.

This included visits to each province of Canada and trips to faraway destinations such as Trinidad & Tobago, Qatar, London, Alaska, Mexico, New Orleans, Las Vegas, New York, Hawai’i, Hong Kong, and Singapore. He also made regular trips to visit family in Toronto, California, Seattle, India and Bahrain. The most extravagant of his travels was the Palace on Wheels train tour throughout Rajasthan, India. He possessed an absolutely phenomenal recollection of birthdays and anniversaries and specific times and dates of important events in his own life, which allowed him to publish his memoirs in 2007. Papi ji never missed an opportunity to share with others the virtues that he lived by: • Always work hard, hard work doesn’t kill you • Always tell the truth • Be fair, dont cheat • Always have faith & gratitude Papa ji believed in a balanced lifestyle. An integral part of his daily routine was prayer. He always reminded us to join our hands and recite Om Namah Shivaya. When Papiji traveled, he carried along his collection of nuts and grains and was never without his allopathic and naturopathic supplements. While riding his bicycle in India as part of his daily lifestyle, he recalled “accumulating a lot of mileage”. Once

Papa ji will be dearly missed by his children and their spouses: Kumar (Parshotam), Surrindar, Jiwan, Ravindar, Jasdeep; Grandchildren: Purnima Kumari Sharma-David, Deepak Angl, Anand Kumar Sharma, Arun Angl, Shobha Kumari Sharma, Jayanth Angl, Sheila Angl, Rajeev Kumar Sharma, Shelly Renu Sharma, Mila Renu Sharma, Ajay Nair Sharma, Shonit Nair Sharma, Shay Nair Sharma; Great grandchildren: Samanyu, Saranya, Rohan, Jia, Alexis, Austin, Miles, Cameron, Ashton, Janav; He is preceded in death by his - Paternal Grandfather: Kishan Chand, Father: Dina Nath (d.age 24 in 1934), Maternal Grandfather’s nephew Chacha ji: Pandit Gian Chand (d. 1983), Mother: Vidya Wati Parashar (d. 6/25/1987), Wife: Kamla Devi Sharma (d. 6/29/1970).

18 |

CLASSIFIED ADS

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2021

BRIAN CHOW Chow, Eleanor E. 2x40.1 April 28, 1922 - April 01, 2021 Eleanor Evangeline Chow passed away peacefully on April PGC002172

1st, 2021, just one month before her 99th birthday.

Eleanor was born in Regina, Sask and moved to Victoria, BC, where she spent her formative years as the eldest of 11 siblings. Eleanor married Wayne O. Chow in 1954 and moved to Prince George where they owned and operated the Shasta Cafe, the premiere eatery in PG at the time. In 2005, Eleanor moved to Vancouver to be closer to her children. She was a skilled seamstress and enjoyed playing bridge, reading and travelling. Predeceased by her husband Wayne and daughter, Darlene (Henry Ngo), Eleanor will be greatly missed by her surviving children: Marlene (Rod), Brian (Kim) and Bruce (Mandy); grandchildren: Travis (Chantelle), Kevin (Lyndsay), Keenan, Jade, Bailey and Benjamin; and greatgrandchildren Elara and Elyse. Eleanor was blessed with a long and wonderful life and was an amazing mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, friend.

Always positive, caring and loving.

MARY ANN MIDDLETON 2x42.8 PGC002173

BERG, Dieter January 27, 1942 - April 02, 2021 Dieter came to Canada from Germany, in his youth in search of adventure. Dieter married Carol Berg in 1974, and moved to Takla Narrows in 1975. Dieter and Carol were the proud owners of Takla Rainbow Lodge, and BC’s Remotest Pub for 44 years. Dieter is survived by his wife Carol, and daughter Dr. Mary Ann Middleton (Mike).

His favourite quote that he wholeheartedly embraced: "May you live in interesting times."

Takla Lake has lost a legendary character: Dieter Berg, who passed away April 2, 2021

DENISE WADDLE 2x81.3 PGC002175

KIDD, Wayne S. March 11, 1944 - March 30, 2021 Our family is sad to announce the passing of Wayne Stuart Kidd, on March 30, 2021, at the age of 77, due to complications from Diabetes. Wayne brought his beautiful wife, Marlene, and his young family to Williams Lake in the early ’70s after falling in love with the Cariboo lifestyle. He was proud to contribute to the community through his work as a Millwright, a Business owner (Airport Limousine Service) and an Entrepreneur.

Wayne was born on March 11, 1944, in New Westminster BC to Ruby and Crawford Kidd. He grew up in humble circumstances in Surrey with his eight siblings and has lived, travelled, and worked all over BC. Wayne was known as a Jack of all trades with specific skills in Carpentry, Mechanics and Millwrighting. From a young age, Wayne showed an aptitude for mathematics and puzzle-solving; he especially loved to tinker with machines. Wayne always had several projects on the go, even in his final days.

Wayne has gone on to join his beloved wife of 50 years, Marlene. Wayne often spoke of his loneliness since the unexpected loss of Marlene six years ago. Wayne is survived by his three children, Korene (John) Murchison, Denise (Chris) Waddle, and Bruce (Kathy) Kidd; his six grandchildren, (Diggory and Perry Waddle) and (Mitch, Nic, Kate, and Lisanna Kidd); and his five greatgrandchildren. Wayne is also survived by four sisters, Sharon, Lyndy, Colleen, and Cleo; and two sisters-in-law, Hertha and Lil. Wayne was a long-term member and soldier of the local Salvation Army Church. In lieu of flowers, the family would encourage a donation to the Williams Lake Salvation Army in Wayne’s name.

P R I N CE G EO RG E C IT I Z E N

REMEMBRANCES Janice Vireen Griffin April 7, 1939 to April 15, 2021 We are sad to announce the passing of our grandmother whom has joined her daughter, Kim in heaven. She is survived by grandchildren, Jessica (Andrew), Jennifer, Darren and Camron (Arielle); great grandchildren, Abigail, Alayah, Ray, Lincoln, William and Wyatt; sister, Jean; and many nieces and nephews. No service as requested.

CUNNINGHAM, Brent

In Memoriam

In Memoriam

5 years ago we lost you unexpectedly, our Neil, a most precious Husband and Father.

Sometimes it still feels like yesterday, sometimes it feels like a lifetime ago.

Our world has not been the same without you here.

October 16, 1950 April 26, 2011

Ten years have passed since heaven called on you and your guardian angels took you from us.

You have been missed so much by all whom you touched with your graceful, unselfish, thoughtful and caring nature. We all loved you dearly in our own special way. Thank you for the precious time we shared together and the endless memories to cherish.

In Loving Memory of

June 25, 1963 - April 26, 2016

It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of Brent Cunningham after a brief battle with cancer. Born in Grouard, AB, he grew up in Prince George, BC. Brent was predeceased by his parents John and Frances, sister Dolly, sister inlaw Sharon and nephews Darrell-Wade and Victor. He is survived by his daughter Brenna and son Robbie, grandchildren Dominik, Isabella and Declan as well as his siblings, nieces and nephews. As per his request, there will be no service. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Canadian Cancer Association.

Marie “Annette” Krushell

Forever in our hearts and our minds and our lives.

We love you and miss you beyond words.

Neil Husband

September 11, 1959 April 11, 2021

In Loving Memory of

Love you always, your wife Mary xxoo Your children, Andrew, Victoria & Nicholas

In Memoriam

In Memoriam

In Loving Memory of our Mom

Svend Serup

Always in our hearts and thoughts, Roger, Sons, Grandsons, Granddaughter Family and Friends.

1924 - 2018

Forever in Our Hearts

Agnes Louise Rokitjanski Mackenzie BC It is with sadness that we announce the passing away of a mother, sister, grandmother and friend on March 19, 2021.

She was born in Rosetown Saskatchewan (the 5th of 7 children). The family moved from Rosetown to Chilliwack, BC. She married Victor Rokitjanski in 1952, had 6 children. Her family moved throughout the province, settling in the lower mainland. She was widowed in 2000 and eventually moved to Mackenzie, BC. She loved working with numbers, crocheting, knitting, cross-stitch, reading, singing (until her voice started crackling, she would say) camping in her tent trailer and having little lap dogs. Her greatest love was that of sharing her faith and the wisdom found in God’s Word, to all who would listen.

Survived by her siblings: Dora (Ed) Becker, Peter (Irene) Dueckman and Anna (Hans) Krueger.

Children: Lori (Dave) Richard, Paul (Heather), Don (aka Rocky), Vera Donald, cousin Lena Hooten along with 6 grandchildren and 5 greatgrandchildren. She leaves behind a large family of many nephews, nieces and a worldwide brotherhood of friends.

Predeceased by: husband Victor, children Allen and Tanya, parents Anna & Jacob Dueckman, siblings: Leo (Betty), John (Louella), Jake (Mary), David (Louise) and Mary.

She passed away with the unwavering faith in God’s promise of a resurrection to life on a paradise earth in the future. (John 5:28, 29 and Revelation 21:3, 4) This is a promise that we keep close to our hearts as we remember her strength, love, loyalty, patience, friendship and laughter.

The family would like to thank those special friends who helped with her care near the end, delivering meals, checking on her welfare, calling her daily to chat and the doctors and nurses who cared for her in the Mackenzie Hospital.

Due to the pandemic and social distancing, a memorial will be held virtually on Saturday, April 24, 2021 at 1:00.

Eileen Hoagland Oct. 13/28 to Apr. 28/19 Two years and not a day goes by when we don’t think of you.

Miss you more then words can say and we will love you forever.

Alway with us Darlene, John, Candee and Mark

Three years have gone since your passing on April 22.

We trust you are enjoying the God you strove to serve.

Exactly two years ago God comforted us with the birth of little Julfa, which we can celebrate, on the day we remember your departure.

Your loving family.

Celebrate the lives of loved ones with your stories, photographs and tributes

Logan Whitmer August 2,1993 April 25, 2013

CLASSIFIED ADS

P R I N CE G EO RG E C IT I Z E N

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2021

EMPLOYMENT

REMEMBRANCES ASSMAN’S FUNERAL CHAPEL R0011781593 4.00x56.0-4C PG11 / PG000001

General Employment

Celebrate

CONFIDENTIAL SKILLED LABOUR Wanted: carpenter/plumber.

Six weeks work, in Bear Lake, Hwy 97. Phone/text to: 1-250-719-4288

A Life Lived With the opportunity for great personalization, the funeral service can truly reflect the uniqueness of the life it honours.

Trucking & Transport

Contact us to find out more.

Experienced Class 1 gravel truck driver required in PG area (250) 614-6667

ASSMAN’S FUNERAL CHAPEL

Personal Messages ANYONE with a drinking problem?

Alcoholics Anonymous, www.bcyukonaa.org 250-564-7550

Toys/Games/Puzzles PUZZLES Never $5-$10 each. 778-675-4716

opened.

Your Community Newspaper

1908 Queensway St.

www.dignitymemorial.ca

Business Opportunities BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

Established Franchise Photography Business Serving Northern B.C for over 35 years Gross Revenues of $150.000 plus annually from seasonal work Lots of opportunity to expand the business.

Transition support available to the right buyer

Serious Enquiries Only Office 250-596-9199 Cell 250-981-1472

SERVICES Health Services GET UP TO $50,000 from the Government of Canada. ALL ages & Medical Conditions Qualify.

Have a child under 18 instantly receive more money. CALL BRITISH COLUMBIA BENEFITS 1-(800)-211-3550 OR Send a Text Message with Your Name and Mailing Address to (604) 7395600 For Your FREE benefits package.

Top Soil CRUSH Rock, shale, garden soil, cow manure. Delivered by dump truck loads, 250-614-6667 or 250568-2338

Tree Services

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

BC TREE WORX

Established Franchise

Pruning, hedging and tree removal For free estimates call or text Brian at 250-649-8447

Tax Preparation Business servicing Mackenzie and McLeod Lake area for over 30 years.

Gross Revenues of $85,000 to $90,000 Annually and Potential to expand revenues in a growing economy.

Transition support available for the right buyer.

call to place your ad 250.562.6666

Serious Inquires Only Office (250)997-9003 Home (250)997-5538 Cell (250)990-0152

Community Notices

Will pay competitive wages steady Work

250-564-4431

A division of Service Corporation International (Canada) ULC

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Lumber Graders

R0011781593

Full range of pre-arrangment services

Dollar Saver Lumber has openings for the following position:

Please apply in person to: Dollar Saver Lumber Attn: Ken 9359 Northern Cres Prince George, BC or email keyles@lumber.ca Fax: 250.561.2111

Glenn Johnston - Director

Funeral Service Association of BC

| 19

Yard Services Man with Truck and safety gear available for yard maintenance, chain saw work, winter gravel yard sweeping, dethatching, aeration. Also winter clean up rubbish removal, includes rubbish of any sort you may need hauled away.

Openings available for spring and summer season lawn care, weed trimming lawn cutting, tree branch limbing for both high and low branches.

Ask for: duncan ph. 250 552 1937

BE A ROLE MODEL, BE A PEACE OFFICER JOIN BC CORRECTIONS – HIRING NOW! For more information please contact a recruiter at BCCorrections.Recruiting@gov.bc.ca or phone 250-961-2735

gov.bc.ca/bccorrectionscareers AGRICULTURE Hay/Bales For Sale

Horses & Tack

5X5 1300-1500 lb round hay bales, $150 each net wrapped in barn. 250-614-6667 or 250-5682338

Heavy Equipment 2011 8400 QUAD Lamtrac Mulcher. M11 Cummins engine, 4000 hrs. $165,000. 250-614-6667 or 250-568-2338

www.northernica.org

COMMUNITY GAMING GRANTS

Steel Buildings / Granaries

DATES AVAILABLE CATEGORY ARTS & CULTURE SPORT PUBLIC SAFETY ENVIRONMENT HUMAN & SOCIAL SCIENCES

APPLY BETWEEN NOTIFICATION BY Feb 1 - Apr 30, 2021 Aug 31, 2021 Mar 1 - May 31, 2021 Sep 30, 2021 July 1 - Aug 31, 2021 Nov 30, 2021 July 1, - Aug 31, 2021 Nov 30, 2021 June 1 - Nov 30, 2021 Feb 28, 2022

INTEGRITY POST FRAME BUILDINGS since 2008. Built with concrete posts. Barns, shops, riding arenas, machine sheds and more.

Adam.s@integritybuilt.com.

1-250-351-5374. www.integritybuilt.com

PLEASE RECYCLE

QUANSIT Future building, 35’X50’, 18’ high. $20,000 obo.

250-962-8302

Tools 14” steel chop saw, used very little, $750. 250-963-8419

Registered 12 yr Morgan Gelding Sire: Blue Diamond Hawk, Dam Sun-West Omega Chestnut, tail flaxen, mane mixed red/flaxen. $4,500.

Located in Hazelton, BC Calm, yet inquisitive, and enjoys both the arena and trail.

250-842-5560 email:dtahouney@gmail.com

To p l a c e a n a d c a l l : 2 5 0 - 5 6 2 - 6 6 6 6

20 |

CLASSIFIED ADS

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2021

Look Who's Celebrating

Anniversary Happy

Birthdays, Anniversaries, Graduation or Any Special Occasion Look Who’s Celebrating runs every Thursday (Deadline Fridays at 3pm).

To book your spot call 250.562.6666

P R I N CE G EO RG E C IT I Z E N

60

A th Anniversary April 22nd

Euc & Gladys G

Mom and Dad (Grandma and Grandpa) We love you lots Diane, Robert, Michelle and Sarah

CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES! Share Birthdays, Anniversaries, and other occastions Call 250-562-6666 or email cls@pgcitizen.ca to place your announcement MERCHANDISE Antiques

Art & Collectibles PAINTINGS AND WALL ART

Worldwide Limited Editions/Master Editions

7 Replica Oil Paintings: * 5 Group of 7 * 2 Tom Thomson Best Offer 250-967-4215

Jewellery

Antique Superb Dutch drop front Secretary, 140 years old, in excellent condition, $6500.

250-964-3794 Prince George

Find BIG Savings...

When You Place Your Ad in the Classifieds!

REVOLVING TRAY JEWELRY DISPLAY CABINETS Top lock and locking back slide doors 36” wide X 42” high 5 Available. $350 each Negotiable on all five.

Bedroom/Bedding

Antiques AVON $3600, 1934

COLLECTIBLES, asking $1500.

Valued 250-617-

Art & Collectibles A LOT Of 45 records $5 - $20 each, also Christmas LPs $10-20.

778-675-4716 COLLECTOR PURCHASING COINS & COIN COLLECTIONS! BUYING OLD COINS, ROLLS OF COINS, BANK BAGS OF COINS, RARE COINS, COLLECTOR COINS, OLYMPIC COINS, OLD PAPER MONEY, PRE 1968 COINS, ROYAL CANADIAN MINT COINS, US MINT, COLLECTIONS +. WANTED CANADA, USA & WORLD COLLECTIONS! Todd’s Coins 1-250-8643521

Adjustable Hospital bed : ETUDE-HC bed kit. Very lightly used. includes: Beech head and foot board, power operated head and foot deck sections, 4 function control pendant with function lock outs (mattress not included) $2000 250 964-9417 pics at http://invacare.ca/doc_files/Etu de_Booklet.pdf

Firewood

Sheds/Outbuildings

BIRCH Firewood in 20 foot lengths. Delivered by dumptruck load. $800. or bucked to length $950 per load delivered 250-6146667

NEW 30’ x 50’ All Steel Commercial shop, never assembled, c/w complete set of drawings and engineer cert. Has straight outside walls, 1 12’ x 14’ service door opening, 1 3’ man door opening, inside clearance 16’, roof has 3/ 12 pitch that is 20’ high at peak.

Outside wall cladding painted tan. $30, 000 Call Bob 250-983-3372

Mills/Equipment

250-612-1828

1998 KENWORTH with mixer trailer, white. $120,000. 617-3373

To place an ad call 250-562-6666 or email cls@pgcitizen.ca

SAWMILL, 48” head rig, hand set, completely rebuilt, $8000 obo plus parts. 250-441-3242

Wanted

BUYING OLD JEWELRY Gold, Silver & costume jewelry!

Charm bracelets, rings, chains, necklaces, pocket watch chains, watches, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, brooches, coins, all old jewelry WANTED, QUALITY, ESTATE, EVEN UGLY & BROKEN JEWELRY, ALL THE BITS AND PIECES YOU NO LONGER WANT! CALL OR TEXT Todd’s Coins 1-250-864-3521

WANTED 999 BULLION bars & coins!ENGELHARD, JOHNSON MATTHEY, RCM, Maple leafs + All other mints. Also Buying old money, all gold & silver coins, coin collections. + BUYING all things made with gold or silver.

Todd’s Coins 1-250-864-3521

PLEASE RECYCLE THIS PAPER

CLASSIFIED ADS

P R I N CE G EO RG E C IT I Z E N

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2021

AUTOMOTIVE Collectibles & Classic Cars

REAL ESTATE

Boats

Sports Utilities & 4X4s

WANTED COIN COLLECTIONS, old money, all gold & silver coins, Royal Canadian Mint coins. Also BUYING 999 BULLION bars & coins. ENGELHARD, JOHNSON MATTHEY, RCM, MAPLE LEAFS + ALL OTHER MINTS. + BUYING all things GOLD or SILVER! Todd’s Coins 1-250-864-3521

11.26 acres manicured sub-lakeshore at Cluculz Lake, finest location by owner Only $399,000 end of Meier Rd. 604-908-0313

2009 FORD 4X4

4 Door, black, fully loaded, leather interior and more.

Lady driven - very clean. Mint interior.

$8000 obo.

250-963-9550

22-foot aluminum river boat With 115hp Jet and boat trailer included ‘Good used’ project boat - ready for a fall hunting expedition

2016 Chrysler 200- 15,830 km, well maintained, several scratches, 4 mounted summer tires $13,000.00 (250) 596-8505

Trucks & Vans

Asking $4900 obo Must sell!

2010 FORD F150 SUPERCAB 4X4

778-349-4839

2007 Ford Focus, 159014 km, silver, 2 sets of tires on rims/regularly serviced. $3990.00 obo (250)612-1808

Domestic Cars

Motorcycles SUZUKI Bandit 1200, shape, recent tune-up brakes. (250)613-5981

Findit inthe Rentals Section.

RENTALS Out Of Town

Ranch house with 9 acres irrigated pasture great and

163,000 KMS, 3 MONTH WARRANTY, 5.4 V-8 Auto, with Tow pkg, POWER WINDOWS & LOCKS, TILT STEERING, AC, Headache Rack, RHINO LINING

2006 HARLEY DAVIDSON Wide Glide. Low mileage. 250-6170443

Asking $15,900 Stock # F1737 4x4 HEAVEN TRUCK SALES DEALER # D40178

2005 HARLEY DAVIDSON FAT BOY Anniversary Edition. 22,000 km $14,500 613-8567

Call 250-640-0996

2002 BMW 1150 RT motorcycle, excellent cond. $5500. (250)5643152 (250)640-8267

Sports Utilities & 4X4s 2012 RAM 1500 4X4 short box, loaded, maroon. Extended 7 yr 160k warranty. 21,000 kms, too much to list. Equity. $39,000 owing. Take over payments. 250301.0221, 250-967-4268

Trucks & Vans 2006 DODGE Cummins diesel, 4x4, 4 dr, Lb, auto, 2 owner, receipts since new, no accidents, 107K, $27,900 obo. 596-5434 1998 FORD F250 Diesel w/ plow.

Exc. cond. $10,000.

250-3980720 1977 FORD 1 ton, $2500. 250-306-2292

Recreational Property 1000sq m building lot, #L72NCorintoPearleco-development Honduras.

Contact Recap Investments, Toronto 1-888-212-8584 for more info and owner 250-5634999 $35,000 Canadian

QUICK PAY For all gold, Estate jewelry, scrap or unwanted, coins & currency, antiques, Rolex.

Unbeatable pricing, privacy assured. (250) 612-1808 24/7

Domestic Cars

| 21

renovated,

Autos / Trucks & Vans 2006 F150 4x4, longbox, white, single cab. 151,564 km $7990.00 obo, must sell, moving (250)6121808

Parts Trucks Chrome tailgate, fits 3/4 ton GMC, cover top fits GMC 6 1/2 ft box, chrome rails. Shop vac 250-963-6898

REDUCED- 2013 Fiesta Titanium sedan for sale by owner *Ultra low Kms (36500 only) * Comes on great Studded winters. * Satellite radio * CD player * USB drive player * Bluetooth connectivity* Automatic transmission * Power windows * Power steering * Power mirrors * Remote starters (2)* Keyless entry (2 key fobs) * Air conditioned. * Synthetic oil.

Got a newer car and now am short of space.

Note: Will give older Summer tires on wheels (saving of $1200 to $1500) if paid and bought before the month end. $9750 (firm) Call 250-612-9991 to setup a test drive

250-612-9991

Sports & Imports $3000 now $2500

REAL ESTATE Apartments / Condos-For Sale

Property For Sale

Spacious, 3 level 4 bdrms, 4 baths, superb location. $277,500.

250-561-1255 Ready to sell!

“DUNSTER PROPERTY FOR SALE” 115 acres with 1/2 mile Fraser River frontage. 10 acres Island. 15 acres cleared. Mixed forest.

100% reliable water source. Log cabin attached to mobile home. Water line and hydro.

Easy access.

Mountainscape views. Private. 250-479-5545

Property For Sale 2294 Queensway St. Fully service, C6 zoning, will take partial trade of motorhome, trailer or pick-up. $130,000.00 (250) 981-3583

Houses for Sale

1999 MAZDA PROTEGE

Spring Cleaning?

PHONE 250-699-1072 ONLY $255,000 (HOME) $105,000(MACHINERY) FOR MORE INFORMATION GOOGLE: ACREAGES FOR SALE IN BC TOWNPOST

Property For Sale

Price $29,000 obo.

Phone 250-964-6610

GROOVY

Your Clunker is someone’s Classic.

LONGWORTH

remove your clutter! call 250-562-6666 to place your ad.

Place your ads online anytime! princegeorgecitizen.adperfect.com

Cabins

Compost toilet for 2 - brand new never used $1200.00 obo (250-967-4215)

Duplexes for Rent 705 Ahbau - 3 bdrm, fridge, stove, w&d $1500/mo + util. Ref req’d.

(250) 614-6667 or (250) 568-2338

Furnished Apartments BACHELOR & 1 bdrm units, weekly rates, apply in person 867 17th Ave.

Get MORE INVESTMENT & OPPORTUNITY FOR EMPLOYMENT ORMOND CREEK (NORTHSHORE FRASER LAKE BC) ON 8.1 ACRES/HOME MACHINERY/SHOP/GREENHOUSES

Fully Loaded, two tops.

Red exterior, black interior.

Never winter driven.

669 Ahbau St-3 bdrm, fridge, stove, washer, dryer and utilities included.

References required. $1350/mo (250) 614-6667 or (250) 568-2338

Upper floor- 2 bdrm, own bath & living room, shared kitchen. (250) 612-9200

250-612-9321

2002 THUNDERBIRD REPLICA

Basement Suites

Shared Accommodation

Lots of recent work, have receipts. 1.8 L 5 Spd standard. Momo rims w/ summers & studded winters, power locks & windows w/ tint. Looks good, runs good.

228,000 kms.

Vans V.I.M. Wheelchair conversion van.

Side entry power ramp, removable front seats, loaded 2003 Grand Caravan Sport, 139,000 miles. $15,500. Will accept trades 250-981-0055 or 236-423-2297

45.5 ACRES Corner of Upper Fraser Rd & Beaver Forest Rd. with good driveway & building pad. $155,000. 250-614-6667

All Amenities Next to Eagle Point Golf (Kamloops) 985K Will carry mortgage View Realtor.ca 250-573-3346 e-mail biffsbenson@yahoo.ca

160 Acres, 72 miles East Prince George, all weather road access year around, mixed timber, 250 feet from river frontage, creek flows through property. Electricity and phone.

250-564-4684

LIVING ROOM Find it in the Rentals Section.

To place place your your adadcall To call To place your ad:

classifieds.

604-630-3300 250-562-6666 burnabynow.com

To place an ad call 250-562-6666

PERSONALS Adult Personal Messages

***Please Note: Ads running under this classification will appear in print only and will not run online***

LEGALS Legal/Public Notices NOTICE OF LEGAL PROCEEDINGS To: Karen Cindy Ghostkeeper TAKE NOTICE THAT on February 12, 2021 an order was made for service on you of a Notice of Application issued from the Vancouver Registry of the Supreme Court of British Columbia in proceeding number 158647 by way of this advertisement.

In the proceeding, the Applicant seeks to have the matter dismissed for want of prosecution.

You may file a response within the period required under the Supreme Court Civil Rules failing which further proceedings, including judgment, may be taken against you without notice to you.

You may obtain, from the Vancouver Registry, at 800 Smithe Street Vancouver, BC, a copy of the application and the order providing for service by this advertisement.

This advertisement is placed by the defendant/applicant whose address for service is 301 - 2642 Main Street, Vancouver BC V5T 3E6.

Email: cberry@hartmehl.com.

Telephone: 604-708-3775 ext. 230

22 |

CLASSIFIED ADS

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2021

P R I N CE G EO RG E C IT I Z E N

BUSINESS DIRECTORY

COLLECTOR PURCHASING COINS & COIN COLLECTIONS Collector Purchasing Coins & Coin Collections! Buying Old Coins, Rolls Of Coins, Bank Bags Of Coins, Rare Coins, Collector Coins, Olympic Coins, Old Paper Money, Pre 1968 Coins, Royal Canadian Mint Coins, Us Mint, Collections +. Wanted Canada, Usa & World Collections!

Todd’s Coins 1.250.864.3521

MISC. CHORES Man with Truck and safety gear available for yard maintenance, chain saw work, winter gravel yard sweeping, dethatching, aeration. Also winter clean up rubbish removal, includes rubbish of any sort you may need hauled away.

Openings available for spring and summer season lawn care, weed trimming lawn cutting, tree branch limbing for both high and low branches.

Ask for: duncan ph. 250-552-1937

TREE SERVICES

QUICK PAY

FIREWOOD

BIRCH FIREWOOD In 20 foot lengths.

CASH FOR GOLD & SILVER

For all Gold, Estate Jewelry Scrap or unwanted Coins & Currency, Antiques & Rolex.

Unbeatable pricing, privacy assured.

(250) 612-1808 24/7

Delivered by dumptruck load. $800 or bucket to length $950 per load delivered

BUYING COINS

HAY FOR SALE

BUYING OLD JEWELRY

SAND & GRAVEL

WANTED COIN COLLECTIONS, old money, all gold & silver coins, Royal Canadian Mint coins. Also BUYING 999 BULLION bars & coins.

ENGELHARD, JOHNSON MATTHEY, RCM, MAPLE LEAFS + ALL OTHER MINTS. + BUYING all things

5x5 1300-1500 lb, round hay bales. $150 each net wrapped in field.

Gold, Silver & Costume Jewelry!Charm Bracelets, Rings, Chains, Necklaces, Pocket Watch Chains, Watches, Bracelets, Necklaces, Earrings, Brooches, Coins, All Old Jewelry Wanted, Quality, Estate, Even Ugly & Broken Jewelry, All The Bits And Pieces You No Longer Want! Call Or Text

CRUSH ROCK, SHALE, GARDEN SOIL, COW MANURE

BC TREE WORX Pruning, hedging and tree removal.

For free estimates call or text Brian at 250.649.8447

GOLD or SILVER! Todd’s Coins 1-250-864-3521

250.614.6667 or 250.568.2338

GROW YOUR BUSINESS

CALL

250-614-6667

Todd’s Coins 1.250.864 3521

WANTED 999 BULLION BARS & COINS! ENGELHARD, JOHNSON MATTHEY, RCM, MAPLE LEAFS + ALL OTHER MINTS. ALSO BUYING OLD MONEY, ALL GOLD & SILVER COINS, COIN COLLECTIONS. + BUYING ALL THINGS MADE WITH GOLD OR SILVER. TODD’S COINS 1-250-864-3521

Delivered by dump truck loads.

250-614-6667 OR 250-568-2338

R0011831601

For only $50 + TAX, you get 4 Display Ads in Thursday’s Business Directory plus a Classified Ad for 4 Issues Call 250.562.6666 to book your space now.

Grow Your Business

Call 250-562-6666 or email cls@pgcitizen.ca to place your ad

MAN GETS FIVE YEARS FOR SEX ABUSE – PAGE 4 LUMBER PRICES SOARING – PAGE 7

PRINCE GEORGE 0

58307

00200

LOGAN EAGER TO REPRESENT LHEIDLI T’ENNEH – PAGE 6

5

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Thursday, April 22, 2021

PGCITIZEN.CA

PRINCEGEORGECITIZEN

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STONE WORK RETAINING WALLS, PONDS & WATERFALLS FENCES DECKS & PATIO’S SCREW PILES IRRIGATION SYSTEMS DRAINAGE SOD & SEEDING

PAVING STONE PATIOS & DRIVEWAYS

15% OFF SPECIAL ORDER VINYL WINDOWS *MIN ORDER $750

15% OFF

SPECIAL ORDER ENTRANCE SYSTEMS

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*MIN ORDER $750

SPECIAL ORDER VINYL WINDOWS & ENTRANCE SYSTEMS COMBINED *MIN ORDER $1250

MAINTENANCE SERVICES: Whether it’s a commercial office complex, business or a prestigious hotel, Suntree Landscaping Ltd. provides professional grounds maintenance services that keep properties looking their very best.

CALL FOR YOUR CUSTOM QUOTE Installation services available.

CENTRAL DOOR AND WINDOW A division of Home Building Centre

250-562-0365

OR STOP IN AT 1552 S. LYON ST.

2019 Readers Choice

Landscaping Ltd. Russ Hill • 250.563.7062

Landscaping Company

Voted Prince George’s best Landscaping Company for the past four years!

R2 |

P R I N CE G EO RG E C IT I Z E N

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2021

GO FOR GOLD.

Melissa Pineay Shawn McLaughlin Shawna Kinsley Sales Representative *PREC Owner/Sales Associate Broker Representative Sales Representative, Serving Mackenzie 250-997-1054 250-640-5478 Home Girls 250-552-2757

Elisha Flynn Gurinder Paul Tanner Kinsley Sales Representative Sales Representative Sales Representative 250-981-9898 250-613-1333 250-961-8700

Welcome to the face of Century 21 Energy Realty Please meet our amazing team.

Whether you are buying or selling, we would love to hear from you and make your home dreams become a reality.

Lee Foulds RBC Mortgage Specialist 778-349-7099

Nicole Wiseman Keisha Rochon Angela Baranowski Gordon Langer Jessica Davey Property Management Property Management Sales Representative Sales Representative Sales Representative Unlicensed Assistant Unlicensed Assistant 778-349-1290 250-565-4663 250-301-6398 250-617-4864

Joe Postnikoff Carla Hamborg Tyson Witala Rick Mayhew Paul Wilson Rob Clarke Sales Representative Sales Representative Sales Representative Sales Representative Sales Representative Sales Representative Home Girls 778-675-4663 250-981-8084 250-613-3158 250-552-3559 250-719-8080 250-612-7968

Our Property Management Department offers a wide range of rental properties available to rent, as well as we can provide management services for your investment and strata properties. Please contact Keisha Rochon at 250-617-4864.

1310 5th Avenue | Prince George, BC V2L 3L4 | 250-564-2100 | www.century21.ca/energyrealty

Blissfully float in a hanging chair It’s nearly impossible to resist the carefree allure of hanging chairs. Is it because they remind us of our childhood days spent swinging at the park? Whatever the reason, we love them!

Many different styles of hanging chairs are available on the market to fit every decor trend. Made from wood, resin, cloth, wicker, metal or rope, these floating seats can take the shape of hamacs, water droplets, eggs and cocoons. Make sure to secure your hanging chair to a ceiling beam that’s strong enough to support your weight. If your ceiling isn’t solid enough, choose a model equipped with extra support. For the finishing touch, add some comfortable cushions and stash a few of your favourite magazines nearby. You’re now ready for an afternoon of pure bliss!

Ready to add a heavenly touch to your living space? Tour your local furniture stores to find the perfect hanging chair!

Make home inspectiona priority this spring The arrival of spring sometimes leads to unpleasant discoveries, like damages to your home caused by winter’s wrath. Next time the sun is shining bright, take the opportunity to inspect your property, checklist in hand.

• Are your outer walls faded or cracked? Do they show signs of erosion?

• Do any metal structures (fences, banisters, garage doors, etc.) show signs of rust?

Here are just a few issues to look out for:

When in doubt, consult a specialized contractor in your region. Thanks to their knowledge and expertise, they’ll be able to precisely assess the problem and carry out any necessary repairs.

• Is there debris obstructing your gutters?

• Does your roof show signs of damage or premature wear?

• Does your foundation show signs of water infiltration?

Get your inspection done early and take full advantage of the splendours of spring!

P R I N CE G EO RGE C ITI Z E N

1

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2021

| R3

Real Estate Services Ltd.

250-562-6228 .95% FULL FULL SERVICE SERVICE MLS AT A LISTING* FAIR FREE MARKET EVALUATION PRICE ®

16 years MLS Award Winner 96, 97, 2000-2007, 2009-2014

Carling Groves Realtor® 250-570-7439

6344 MIDLAND $49,900

NDING

LOT 4 BLUME Road - $89,900

Mobiles allowed! - Nice flat 5.01 Acre Lot cleared and ready for your new home or mobile. Call Mike!

SOMALRDCH IN

2388 QUINCE ST $139,900

This clean formally owner occupied half duplex at the end of the cul-de-sac and overlooking the Hudson’s Bay Wetland Nature Trail Park is in a nice quiet VLA location. Call Mike!

A12 2131 Upland Street - $79,999

I

D73 2131 UPLAND Street - $89,900

This 3-bedroom 1.5-bathroom townhouse is a treat!

The property has been well taken care of. Call Carling!

Nice three-bedroom condo with some updates. Fenced yard with patio. All measurements approximate. Call Jeff!

SION MLADR

SION MLADR SION MLADR SOLADR IN M

4602 GANNETT Road - $140,000

This well priced lot is 1 of 5 remaining lots available in Tyner Ridge Estates. 69.37 feet wide on the corner of Tyner & Gannett. Call Mike!

SION FLED B

SION MLADR SOLPDT

SION JLAD N 905 1501 QUEENSWAY Street - $99,900

This updated upper-floor unit is well kept, has a newer European style kitchen, redone laminate flooring throughout. Call Mike!

SION DLEDC 1121 MONARCH Court - $150,000

This oversized 9139 SF building lot is 1 of 5 remaining lots available in Tyner Ridge Estates. GST not included. Call Mike!

IN SE

NEW LISTING

1208 1501 QUEENSWAY Street - $156,400

This bright 2 bedroom top floor corner penthouse unit with balcony is the largest in the complex and flaunts stunning panoramic views of Connaught Hill and the western side of the City. Call Mike!

1135 ABRUZZI Place - $160,000

Boasting wonderful views of tabor mountain this 7556.27 SF fully serviced building lot is 1 of 5 remaining lots available in Tyner Ridge Estates. Call Mike!

SION MLADR

111 3644 ARNETT Avenue - $169,900

This bright freshly updated 2 bedroom unit in Signature Point will really impress. Updates include new paint and flooring throughout, redone bath, and even updated light fixtures. Call Mike!

N PENDI 2145 - 2147 E BITTNER Road $299,900

This cute starter duplex in Blackburn is nicely renovated on one side and is perfect way to break in to the market. Call Mike!

N I D N E P

Jeff Wanless Realtor® 250-640-1614

F35 1900 Strathcona Ave - $82,000

This nice clean unit in Alpine Village is located in the best part of the complex & is a perfect option to get in to the market. Call Mike!

SON FLED B

Matt Petkau Realtor® 250-617-8179

SINOALPRDIL

SINOMALRDCH

2.75 Acre lot in city limits. AR2 zoning allows for single Family Housing. Gently sloping up from the road with Creek on property and lots of mature trees. Call Mike!

PE

Chris Hurrell Owner/Broker 250-565-1761

G

1370 Ewert st $379,900

Suite Deal! - This charming 5 bed 2 bath home with suite has lots of updates and is in a great central location. Call Mike!

5455 COURVAL Road - $679,900

This stunning updated estate is a sprawling true rancher with everything on one floor. Call Mike!

8180 W 16 Highway - $299,900 PER ACRE C6-zoned commercial property on busy corner of Hwy 16 West and Western Rd, with municipal services. Call Mike!

N I D N E P

3791 ALDERWOOD CRT $330,000

Tucked away in a quiet cul-de-sac, in the Hart. This home has four bedrooms and two bathrooms. The bathrooms have been nicely updated.Call Carling/Jeff!

2809 OAKRIDGE CRST $399,900

SINOALPRDIL

2367 - 2369 Quadrant - $689,900

This owner occupied 4-plex has been top to bottom renovated and is in an excellent location close to everything. Call Mike!

10 years MLS Sales Award Winner 2007, 2009-2019

SION FLED B A16 2131 UPLAND Street - $89,900

Updates include flooring and paint throughout, redone kitchen and bathes, light fixtures and more. Call Mike!

SINOMALRDCH 207-1501 QUEENSWAY ST $119,900

This bright updated 2 bedroom corner end unit with balcony is over 876 SF and will really impress. Call Mike!

SION DLEDC 1127 MONARCH Court - $150,000

This 7522.00 SF “pie” shaped building lot has a view over college heights and is 1 of 5 remaining lots available in Tyner Ridge Estates. Call Mike!

SION FLED B

4160 KNIGHT Crescent - $199,900

This 1992 mobile has a nice open plan with vaulted ceilings and is on a huge 1/4 acre lot backing on to green space. Call Mike!

G

9158 OLD SUMMIT LAKE Road $369,900

Two houses for the price of one! This updated custom log home is set on a beautiful 1 acre private lot. Call Mike!

G

This well kept 5 bed 3 bath home backs on to greenbelt and has perfect suite potential with outside basement entrance. Call Mike!

Mike Hurrell Realtor® P.R.E.C. 250- 981-3100

445-1444 20 TH AVE $369,900

This top floor freehold 2 bedroom unit in the RiverBend 55+ Seniors Community is in fantastic shape and offers some of the best views in the complex. Call Mike!

N I D N E P 1123 CHILAKO Avenue $399,900

Spotlessly clean, with a beautiful south facing yard, this well laid out 4-level split has lots of updates and is in a great central Lakewood. Call Mike!

1470 - 1478 MILBURN Avenue $419,900

Large updated 4-plex in good VLA location. Close to schools and downtown. 1 unit completely renovated within last year. Call Mike/ Matt.

G N I D N PE 11735 CARMEL DR $699,900

This stunning 2-story home with a huge shop is on 5.68 acres and boasts a 20’ ceiling open concept great room. Call Mike!

2212 Redwood - $699,900

This property has 2 - 1 bedroom units, 4 - 2 bdr units, Total income is currently $50,112 including coin laundry.Call Mike!

G

4182 NEHRING AVE - $438,000

Get in this fantastic HOME close to everything and on a quiet street.Tons of chic renovations recently done on this 5 bedroom/ 2.5 bathrooms. Call Mike!

SINOMALRDCH

2821 VISTA RIDGE CRT - $949,900

This stunning custom built home is on a nearly half acre lot in the most sought after area of town that is close to all amenities and the top rated schools. Call Mike!

R4 |

P R I N CE G EO RG E C I T I Z E N

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2021

Aspire Realty Independently Owned and Operated

DAVID BLACK Associate Broker 250-961-9205

ROD MCLEOD Owner/ Managing Broker 250-961-3325

MELANIE LUPUL Associate Broker 250-614-6955

Lesley Pressacco COURTNEY STEINBACH Property Manager Office Manager Terrace 778-675-4965 250-635-2404

Michelle Gibson RBC Mortgage Specialist

250-960-0031

Debbie Austin CIBC Mortgage Specialist - Terrace

Patricia Adamson Dawson Creek 250-467-2400

Robin Annis 250-640-1217

Kerstin Aspa 250-692-0492

Harry Backlin 250-961-3671

John Bailey 250-631-6769 Terrace

Carmelita Beaugrand 250-640-5955

Darren Beaulieu 250 615 1350` Terrace

Irene Berndsen 250-569-7397 McBride

Adriana Billings 778-675-4222

Dean Birks 250-612-1709

Randi Bitner 250-981-6470

Dennis Bock 250-692-3530 Burns Lake

Anthony Boos 250-719-5454 Chetwynd

Karen Boos 250-788-6598 Chetwynd

Kenzie Brown 250-961-7458

John Bucur 250-961-0001

Devon Budd 250-961-7833

Curtis Burbee 250-991-2255 Quesnel

Robin Choi 250-617-0321

Dean Coleman 250-565-5452

Breanne Cote 250-640-2486

Clint Dahl 250-981-2070

Rob Desmarais 250-614-4982

Joyce Douglas 250-301-9099

James Duffy 250 615 6279 Terrace

Denise Dunn 250-612-2061

Denise Dykes 250-981-4208

Jessica Dykes 250-613-9825

Chris Fancy 250-961-0688

Kirk Gable 250-981-3535

Darren Gibson 250-640-5585

Ron Gallo 250-617-9268

Dave Graham 250-719-4663 Dawson Creek

Jen Higham 250-613 -7207

Kristin Houghtaling 250-640-1950

Lorie Hunter 250-565-7724

Violet Hurko 250-255-5065 Quesnel

Harry Johal 250-981-3574

Hans Johansen 250-960-9339

Eddy Kam 250-612-8888

Kevin Kurjata 250-719-3538 Dawson Creek

Taggart Lansall 250-960-8425

Ken Laursen 250-552-0839

Helen Leckie 250-565-4668

Sherri Malone 250-566-1022

250.564.4488 • 1625 4th Avenue www.royallepageprincegeorge.com

P R I N CE G EO RGE C ITI Z E N

Marcie Matthews 250-565-1177

Wanda Maundrell 250-219-9993 Dawson Creek

Daryl Muchowski 250-960-9956

Julia Nelson 250-788-6707 Chetwynd

Helena Samzadeh 250-975-1818 Terrace

Linda Warren 250-565-5133

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2021

Gaetano Mauro 250-960-9519

| R5

Leah Mayer 250-961-0153

Rick McDaniel 250-615-1158 Terrace

Cara McLeod 250-614-3992

Brad Messum 250-552-9860

Meghann Miller 250-961-5805

Mike Moseley 778-258-0064

Cindy Oldfield 250-784-6900 Dawson Creek

Doug Phair 250-692-7288 Burns Lake

Darcy Porsnuk 250-565-5036

Madison Porsnuk 250-961-7151

Cary Reed 250-719-1040 Dawson Creek

Rob Richard 250-301-9885

Jeff Rushton 250-640-4474

Rylee Schlamp 250-617-7731

Brandden Shandler 250-401-8262 Dawson Creek

Vince Smallwood 250-612-9293

Tara Tom 250-719-6028 Dawson Creek

Kyle Todoruk 250-552-4844

Nick Van Rensburg 250-301-5385

Tammy VandeNobelen 250-566-1025 Valemount

Rod Walker 250-617-8090

Dalin Weaver 778-349-1409

George Weinand 250-960-9556

Andy Wilhelmsen 250-565-1170

Thinking of a Career in Real Estate?

Speak with Owner & Managing Broker, Rod McLeod or Associate Brokers, David Black and Melanie Lupul at Royal LePage, the largest Real Estate brokerage in Northrn BC. We have a comprehensive training program to kick-start your career.

Helping you SUCCEED is what we do!

OVER

100 YEARS OF SUCCESS

Aspire Realty

R6 |

P R I N CE G EO RG E C I TI Z E N

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2021

KIRK GABLE 250.981.3535

Welcome John Bucur

kirkgable@shaw.ca

Aspire Realty

Independently Owned and Operated

2361 Hart Highway $359,000

(Prince George Office) Owner & Managing Broker Rod McLeod, Associate Brokers David Black and Melanie Lupul are pleased to welcome John Bucur to our outstanding team of REALTORS®

Small business opportunity - 3 bdr house zoned commercial and residential with easy access and good visibility

Clear Lake Sawmill $2,200,000

120 acre former sawmill site with office, warehouse, shop, mobile home park, all services

1399 – 6th Ave $8.00 net lease

2595 Queensway St $1,200,000

5498 sq ft good quality office space downtown

5368 sq ft commercial building on busy arterial, ample parking, easy access, zoned for a variety of business and retail uses, new roof, washrooms, lots of recent renos.

Aspire Realty

Independently Owned and Operated

250-961-0001 bucur70@hotmail.com

180 River Road

$3,601,400 or lease for $600/acre/month

211 Main St McBride $549,000

PRICE REDUCED

a LindWARREN 250-565-5133

Aspire Realty Independently Owned & Operated

lindasellshomes@outlook.com

80.64 ACRES - MCRINNEY ROAD

Quiet and private 80.64 acres south of town, just minutes to downtown Prince George. This property offers 2 small creeks meandering through the property and a small clearing on the property to enjoy. Great propery to build your dream home. Call me for full details.

Development opportunity! 16.36 acres at the confluence of the Nechako and Fraser Rivers close to downtown. Current zoning: industrial.

Turnkey business opportunity! Fully equipped grocery store on large lot downtown McBride, paved parking, lots of recent renos.

970 Terminal Blvd. $2,700,000

2375 Burrard Ave Vanderhoof Lease from $850/month gross

SALE I NG PE N D 15420 sq ft industrial on 1.67 fenced and mostly paved acres in BCR. Close to Hwy 97, minutes from downtown.

Modern, well maintained office building in downtown Vanderhoof. Lots of recent updates, includes 2 parking lots. Some office space available for lease.

960 – 5th Ave $988,000

466 2nd Ave $1,250,000

Attention investors! Quality light industrial/ office/retail building downtown with long term tenants. Recent updates.

15,624 sq ft light industrial on 5 city lots, long term tenant.

2385 Hart Highway $129,000

265 Main St McBride $99,000

Small house of little or no value on commercial/ residential corner lot. Ideal for home based business.

1475 sq ft office or retail building on large lot in downtown McBride, recently renovated.

2854 Northwood Pulp Rd 2.5 acre corner lot at Northwood Pulp Rd & Clubhouse Drive zoned residential $179,000

P R I N CE G EO RGE C ITI Z E N

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2021

GEORGE

ROD

250-960-9556

250-961-3325

WEINAND

MCLEOD

| R7

Aspire Realty

Independently Owned And Operated

FOR SALE 1589 - 7TH AVE. Quality 9,900 sq ft corner lot on 7th and Vancouver St. High traffic area.

Zoned C-7. $449,000 MLS C8037128

JOHN HART PEACE RIVER HIGHWAY CHETWYND

52 unit Days Inn good occupancy and with 50 unit RV park beside the hotel for sale as well. Great location on the highway an attractive investment opportunity with all the economic activity in the Peace. For further information on financials and contact listing realtors. $7,000,000 MLS 184582

1602/1642/1656 VICTORIA ST

Excellent opportunity for commercial land spanning several lots. C5/C6 zoning with city services. $2,390,000 MLS#C8036369

900 BRUNSWICK ST FOR LEASE

4,000 sq ft Restaurant space located in the Marriott Courtyard, Prince George’s newest full service Hotel.

JOHN HART PEACE RIVER HIGHWAY

50 unit RV park on 7 acres great highway exposure beside the Days Inn. The RV has lots of room for expansion to expand this investment and grow your cash flow with servicing available.For further information contact listing realtors for financials and occupancy an well worth looking at.$1,300,000 MLS 184583

1466 3RD AVE

6,744 sqft (3,372 sqft each floor) freestanding fully renovated concrete block building located in the downtown Business District, 1/2 block off Victoria St. Also available for lease. More details available. $949,000 MLS C8036404

757 PRESTON RD.

1.76 Acres in City Limits. Zoned RM1 (Multiple Residential).

Price $499,000 MLS #C8033659

2222 NICHOLSON ST FOR LEASE

Industrial zoned 5,733 sq ft, was previously operated as a pool hall for the past 20 years. Paved yard, high ceilings & partial second floor office/lounge area. Located in prime Light Industrial area. Net-Lease. MLS #C8027687

NORTH CITY DONAIR & POUTINE

20 seat full service operation. Profitable, fully equipped restaurant, trained staff.

Business ONLY, includes equipment and Inventory.

Please DO NOT contact staff or owner directly.

R8 |

P R I N CE G EO RG E C IT I Z E N

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2021

Meghann Miller 250-961-5805

Cara McLeod 250-614-3992

Aspire Realty Independently Owned and Operated

meghann.miller@royallepage.ca

mcleod.cara@gmail.com

3072 WALLACE CRES $459,999 MLS #R2567734 This 6 bedroom 3 bathroom on a 1/4 acre within city limits is a gem. This nicely updated home has all the perks for a large family or with an outside basement entry it has serious suite potential. The backyard has pull through RV parking, patio, and a shed.

The whole upstairs has fresh new paint and updates to the kitchen along with new countertops. Just off the kitchen is a large solarium which could be used for many things...workout room, yoga anyone? This home is a must see!

7480 CARIBOU RD $559,999 MLS#R2567723

This nicely renovated home sits on a .35 acre corner lot with a pull through double garage and RV parking. 2 bedrooms and 1 bath upstairs with a new kitchen with corian countertops is a stunner! In the basement is 1 bedroom and 1 bath with a large rec room and living room great for entertaining. The sunroom is full of windows and has doors into the garage and the backyard for an oasis within the city! The large deck and patio are great for entertaining with a beauty view! New furnace, all new windows and doors, new led lighting, and many more upgrades this is a must see!

28710 CHIEF LAKE RD $569,999 MLS R2537413 This 19.9 fully fenced acreage with year

905 LA SALLE $324,999 MLS R2526348 This nicely updated, three-suite, multi-family home on a large lot is steps away from the river and Paddlewheel Park. These units have been updated in the past five years with newer hot water tank. This large lot with two sheds makes for a great outside space.

round Aquaponic greenhouse is a must see to appreciate! The 4 bedroom 2 bath home is just the start to this amazing property!

Upgrades include insulated exterior walls, newer windows, newer roof, newer hot water tank (2012) and well pump (2012). Many outbuildings include insulated chicken coop, 16x24 shed, 24x24 shed, separate area fenced for goats, fenced area for horses or cows...this could be the ultimate hobby farm. The aquaponic green house is 40x100 with attached building that includes work station, biomass boiler and a space upstairs that could be made into a suite. This is a true hidden gem!

Do you dream of having a healthy green lawn and gardens filled with bright blooms?

1

2

CONSIDER PLANT WATER AT PLACEMENT THE RIGHT TIME Make sure each plant is in a spot where it’ll get the sunlight and nutrients it needs to thrive. Additionally, think about how the plant will look in terms of its appearance and size.

On hot days, water your plants early in the morning or late in the evening.

This way the roots will have time to absorb the moisture before it evaporates.

3

4

FERTILIZE AS NEEDED

APPLY MULCH

Test the soil, then select a fertilizer or soil amendment that’ll provide the right balance of nutrients for your grass and plants to thrive. Avoid nitrogen-rich fertilizers after mid-July.

Cover the ground with a generous layer of mulch to enrich the soil, improve drainage and suppress weeds.

P R I N CE G EO RG E C IT I Z E N

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2021

“Stress-Less” Real Estate Services #StressLessRealEstate

Selling ¨Buying ¨Relocation ¨Referrals ¨

#PrinceGeorgeLife

Call or Text: 250-612-1709 Visit: DeanBirks.com Check out 360 Tour link on all my home listings BRAND NEW & SUITE POTENTIAL

Call Dean

2018 - 2019

3907 RICHET ST $493,000

Brand New - Higher end materials and workmanship by Gord Janz of Pineview Developments in this attached, threespacious-bedroom home. Each side has it own 1/2 acre lot. Open-concept kitchen & living area. Spacious master walk-in closet & 5-piece ensuite.

Vehicle access to backyard and tons of room for a future shop. See 360 Tours at DeanBirks.com.

#204-3363 WESTWOOD DR - $288,800

Check out this move in ready 2 bedroom & 1 den home! With distinctive style and convenient, carefree strata living, this home is a must see! You will love the hard surface flooring, natural gas fireplace, central air conditioning & more... Visit DeanBirks.com for details.

5

| R9

474 LYON ST S - $379,800

Nicely finished and fully updated home, 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom spacious living room and family room. Only minutes to major shopping and Bus routes. Elementary schools within walking distance, large fenced yard and RV parking. Room for future detached shop/garage.

368 CINNAMON ST (BEAR LAKE) $185,800

Save over $100,000 plus by being 40 minutes from the city! Bright 2 bed 2 bath home built in 2007 in community minded Bear Lake. Sunny main floor is an open concept with vaulted ceiling, tons of windows and lots more. Visit DeanBirks.com for details.

303-1638 6TH AVE (THE COURTYARD) $259,800

Downtown Location is great! This 3rd floor one bedroom - one bath unit in The Courtyard is close to absolutely everything and boasts a bright closed in solarium/porch with views North towards the city and cut-banks. Courtyard complex boasts underground parking, elevators, a storage space for each unit, and a club and exercise room. For more details visit DeanBirks.com

IF SO, FOLLOW THESE TRIED-AND-TESTED 8 TIPS

6

7

8

ATTRACT POLLINATORS

AVOID PESTICIDES

RECYCLE GRASS CLIPPINGS

COLLECT RAINWATER

Opt for nectar-rich plants and choose species with varied bloom times so your garden will flower from spring until fall.

Cultivate your garden without using pesticides by creating a diversified habitat and choosing insect and disease-resistant plants, among other things.

Leave grass clippings on the ground after you mow the lawn so they can serve as a natural fertilizer.

Set up a few rain barrels on your property to conserve water. This will ensure you can continue to water your garden in times of drought.

R10 |

P R I N CE G EO RG E C IT I Z E N

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2021

Finding Homes for Families

Your Real Estate Needs are my Priority!

Karen Thompson

RE/MAX Core Realty

250-981-2008

2655 Ridgeview $737,000 New Listing

independently owned & operated

3880 Naismith Cres $409,000 New Listing

2502 Laurentian Pl $560,000 New Price

SOLD

SOLD

SOLD

5748 Lehm man St $329,0 000

1191 Bowron $350,000

7048 Hillu Rd $514,000

THINKING OF SELLING?

New Listing

GIVE ME A CALL! New Price I’M NEVER TOO

LDYOUR SOLD FOR SOLD BUSYSO REAL ESTATE NEEDS 2620 Ew Ewert Cres 4819 Sooke Rd

7919 Roch hester $364,900 900 90 New Listing

SOLD

$418,900 New Listing

SOLD

$439,000 New Listing

SOLD

How to paint a high-rise ceiling Housing contractors frequently purchase derelict factories, churches and schools to convert into swanky living space. The condos and apartments in these repurposed buildings are highly sought after thanks to their unique architectural characteristics. High ceilings are among the most visually striking of these features, but they can be quite the challenge to paint. If yours is in need of a fresh coat, follow these ten steps to success.

1. Cover floors and furniture with plastic tarps or newspaper.

2. Open the windows to help the paint dry faster.

3. Install scaffolding or a stable ladder tall enough for the job.

4. Fill in holes and cracks with plaster and sand down the repaired areas to even out the surface.

5. Wipe down the entire ceiling with a non-abrasive cleaning solution and a lint-free cloth.

6. Carefully section off the area with painter’s tape.

7. Prepare your paint by stirring it thoroughly with a wooden stick. Apply a coat of primer first if needed.

8. Start by painting the borders with a regular paintbrush. Make sure to always have a damp cloth within reach to clean up little messes or mistakes made along the way.

9. Apply paint to the main surface area

DIY Add a footrest to your kitchen island Many modern kitchens are equipped with a multipurpose island fit for the whole family’s needs. Whether you congregate around yours for drinks, snacks or three-course meals, you can easily enhance the practicality and comfort of your kitchen island with little more than a drill. How? By adding an elegant metal footrest to its base!

Carefully note your kitchen island’s measurements before making your way to your local hardware store, where you’ll find everything you’ll need (connectors, rods, brackets, bolts, etc.) to carry out this low-

using a roller in nice even strokes.

Don’t press too hard, and follow the room’s natural lighting for a better view of your progress.

10. Let the paint dry completely before applying a second coat.

If you’re afraid of heights or if painting isn’t your forte, don’t hesitate to call in the professionals!

THANK YOU PRINCE GEORGE FOR MAKING US THE #1 FRANCHISE IN 2020

cost task. The only delicate decision you’ll need to make involves selecting the right type of metal to match your existing decor.

Will you choose stainless steel, brass or cast iron? The choice is yours!

Before you dive headfirst into the installation stage, double-check your measurements. Installing your footrest at the right height is crucial to achieving optimal comfort. As a rule of thumb, your feet should naturally rest on the bar. If you struggle to find your footing, chances are your footrest needs adjusting.

Time to grab your tools and get started!

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