Prince George Citizen, Thursday October 23, 2025

Nuisance house owners ordered to clean up their act

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

The owners and tenant of a Quentin Avenue property were ordered to control their own behaviour, rein in the behaviour of their dogs, clean up garbage and put an end to backyard camping by Prince George city council at its Monday, Oct. 20 meeting.

The orders are addressed to both owners Sau Wu and Josephine Lau as well as their tenant, Beverly Cote, who occupy one half of a duplex at 4235 Quentin Ave.

That property is located just a short distance away from the intersection of Tabor Boulevard and Fifth Avenue.

The city’s bylaw services department requested the order, noting in a report to council that its own personnel have visited the property 25 times and the RCMP 19 times since July 2024.

The report included a long list outlining the details of these visits and complaints by neighbours.

The issues included alleged noise disturbances, people living out of a travel trailer parked on the property, a “tent city” in the backyard, noisy dogs, drug use, assaults, wellness checks by police, loud arguments and the accumulation of garbage.

Included with the report are photos of the property taken by bylaw officers at various dates in January, August and September of this year.

They show piles of garbage and accumulated possessions in the driveway and backyard as well as tents and tarps.

A first nuisance abatement notice, according to the report, was mailed to the owners and presented in person to the tenant on July 16 of this year. At that same time, an excessive noise letter was mailed to both parties.

Since then, bylaw services noted eight more complaints regarding the property.

Under the city’s nuisance abatement bylaw, the city can address the issues noted in the order and recover the costs from the owners and tenant if they do not address them themselves.

It wasn’t included in the online

version of the agenda presented before the meeting, but city staff passed out a package in council chambers containing additional items.

That included a letter from Wu and Lau dated Oct. 16 in which they apologized for their tenants’ behaviour.

“I repeatedly advised the tenants not to cause any nuisance and to keep the premises clean,” they wrote. “They consistently promised to do so but subsequently ignore their commitments.”

They go on to say that they issued an eviction notice for their tenants as of July 1, but they had not moved out until two days before they sent the letter.

They wrote that they promise to properly maintain the property going forward.

At the start of council’s discussion, manager of legislative services Ethan Anderson said that the general public would not be given a chance to speak. Administration would be able to present its information on the matter, followed by a presentation from the property owners and a debate by council.

Anderson noted that council could consider the letter added late to the agenda.

Director of administrative services

Eric Depenau outlined the information included in staff’s report.

Coun. Brian Skakun asked why it had

in chambers, saying he was sorry for what they had to go through and said they would try to expedite future cases so others don’t have to go through the same thing.

Coun. Tim Bennett said he agreed with Skakun and thanked the community for their advocacy on the file.

Coun. Kyle Sampson said he agreed with his colleagues and thanked the neighbours for their patience.

Ramsay put forward a motion on the floor for city staff to review the thresholds of the nuisance abatement bylaw as well as the cost recovery elements. She said this file represented a lot of work from city staff and if someone receives 20 or more nuisance calls like this, they should be fined.

taken so many calls before the city took action. Depenau said that while the bar is set lower than what was being presented that night, the bylaw has only been enforced a few times since it was established in 2018 and the other cases involved more calls to police and bylaw services.

Skakun then asked whether the city could recover any enforcement costs from before that night’s hearing. Depenau indicated that it could not.

Coun. Garth Frizzell asked whether Prince George Fire Rescue had expressed any concern with access to the property in case of a fire. Depenau indicated that Fire Rescue had not provided input on the matter.

Coun. Cori Ramsay asked if the nuisance abatement bylaw could be amended to fine property owners in the case of repeated calls as the city can do in the case of false alarms for fires. Depenau said the current framework allows for some amount of escalation. Anderson then said if the owners were present, they could come to the centre table in council chambers to speak. They did not and Anderson once again referenced their letter.

Council voted unanimously to approve the compliance orders.

Afterwards, Skakun addressed neighbours of the property present

Coun. Garth Frizzell asked whether a review of the bylaw was already in the works. Depenau said staff in the early stages of gathering feedback on the bylaw but substantial work has yet to start. However, it isn’t currently planned as a full bylaw review.

Coun. Trudy Klassen asked how the nuisance abatement bylaw interacts with tenant rights and whether the city is putting landlords in a difficult position. Depenau said that staff use their discretion as much as possible when carrying out work with nuisance property and try to work with landlords.

Coun. Ron Polillo said he lives not too far away from the property in question and agreed that a review is needed.

Vote summary

• City council orders the owners and tenants of 4235 Quentin Ave. to cease activity that contravenes the nuisance abatement bylaw and if they do not, the city has the authority to abate the behaviour and recover the costs from them — approved unanimously

• Council refers the thresholds of the nuisance abatement bylaw to staff for review — approved unanimously

Mayor Simon Yu was absent from the meeting. Coun. Ron Polillo chaired the meeting as acting mayor in his place.

CITY OF PRINCE GEORGE PHOTO

City of Prince George bylaw services took this photo at an alleged nuisance property at 4235 Quentin Ave. on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025.

First step taken towards hospital rezoning by council

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

The first three readings of a bylaw were approved at the Monday, Oct. 20 Prince George city council meeting that will eventually enable the acute care tower expansion at the University Hospital of Northern BC.

On behalf of Northern Health, PlanIt First Consultants were looking to rezone 1472 Edmonton St. from P3: Major Institutional to a new zone called P7: University Hospital of Northern British Columbia.

This item was previously scheduled to take place at the Oct. 6 council meeting before being rescheduled due to the Canada Post strike.

The new zone would have larger allowance for site coverage (100 per cent compared to 50 per cent), a larger maximum height for buildings (100 metres instead of 15 metres) and small front, exterior side and rear yard setbacks.

“The Northern Health Authority is proposing the construction of two new acute care towers to expand healthcare services in the north,” said a report from city staff.

“The area identified for the acute towers is the current site of the Northern Interior Health Unit building, which is situated on the southeast corner of the subject property. The development of the acute towers is planned to be carried out in two phases.

“Phase 1 will focus on the construction of an eleven-storey acute care tower, along with underground parking. Construction is expected to commence in the fall of 2026.”

The new zone, the report said, would allow for the future development of the hospital site, including the two towers.

Before final reading of the bylaw is held, staff said the applicant will submit a traffic impact study that will include details on parking demand. That demand, theoretically, will be accommodated by the new parkade at the hospital currently under construction.

Staff recommend final reading be withheld until that study is completed

and the Ministry of Transportation and Transit grants approval as the property is within 800 metres of a highway.

Ahead of the item coming to council, staff said a public information session was held at the Coast Inn on Aug. 14, which 20 people were said to attend.

A summary provided of the session said that attendees asked about the impact of the tower construction on sidewalk infrastructure, traffic, parking access, transit and more.

The traffic concerns included questions about how the pattern would be changed when Edmonton Street is closed permanently where it meets 13th Avenue during construction of the new buildings. City staff said homeowners on the street would continue to have access to their back alley.

Also ahead of the council meeting, a letter from Alward Street resident Tina MacLean was submitted. She expressed concern over the new 100-metre towers towering over nearby residences on several streets as well as the impact of the new building size and setbacks on the area.

“There is no other residential neighbourhood that is being infringed upon with these monstrous building heights

approve the rezoning given local contributions to the project but would refer further discussions on area improvements to staff for further consideration. The councillor is vice-chair of the Fraser-Fort George Regional Hospital District’s board of directors, which is covering a significant portion of the care towers’ cost.

Coun. Brian Skakun said he thought it was disappointing that the project won’t lead to free parking near the hospital but lauded his council and regional district colleagues for getting the work done.

Coun. Garth Frizzell asked about the changes to setbacks. Wasnik said the changes were intended not just to facilitate the hospital construction, but buildings that frequently accommodate hospitals.

and sizes,” MacLean wrote. “This is not even bringing into the discussion items such as property values, traffic changes, noise, utilities, and items such water and sewage impacting infrastructure in this older Crescents neighbourhood.”

A late addition to the agenda were additional emails from Rod Duncan and Jeff Shannon, residents of Laurier Crescent, expressing concern with the traffic, noise, pedestrian safety and parking impacts of the zoning change and development.

Staff recommended the approval of the bylaw, saying it aligns with the city’s Official Community Plan, the Crescents Neighbourhood Plan and the long-term vision for the hospital site.

During council’s discussion, Coun. Kyle Sampson asked director of planning and building Deanna Wasnik what mechanisms the city has at its disposal to get investments in nearby infrastructure like development cost charges.

Wasnik said development cost charges will be levied during the building permit phase and improvements for sidewalks would only occur along the property’s frontage, likely only around Winnipeg Street.

Sampson said he would vote to

Sampson then put forward his referral motion. Wasnik asked whether staff could report back on what is already in the works for the area in the city’s capital plan to which Sampson agreed.

Coun. Cori Ramsay asked who is responsible for repairing city infrastructure damaged during the construction process at the hospital. Wasnik said that for a service connection, it would be on the contractor, but she wasn’t sure regarding damage to other infrastructure like sidewalks.

Director of civic operations Blake McIntosh said that if something like that is reported, the city would follow up with the contractor in question regarding remediation.

Vote summary

• Council grants first three readings of the rezoning bylaw for 1472 Edmonton St. — approved unanimously

• Council directs city staff to prepare a report on potential infrastructure improvements in and around the project area including sidewalks, street lighting, on-street parking and bus stops — approved unanimously Mayor Simon Yu was absent from the meeting. Coun. Ron Polillo chaired the meeting as acting mayor.

CITY

The property with a thick black outline in the middle of this map represents the University Hospital of Northern BC, which was subject to a rezoning discussion at the Monday, Oct. 20 city council meeting.

Revised Official Community Plan given final approval

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

After months of revisions and three nights of public hearings, Prince George city council granted final approval to a new version of the Official Community Plan at its Monday, Oct. 20 meeting.

The provincial government is requiring all local governments in BC to update their OCPs by the end of 2025 and again by the end of 2028 to include items relating to housing construction.

OCPs are high-level land use and planning documents that local governments use to plan the growth of their communities.

Prince George last approved a largescale update to its OCP in 2012, though it has seen smaller amendments over the years.

Council ordered city staff to start working on a revised version of the plan in December 2022, after the last municipal election.

First reading of the bylaw establishing the new OCP was passed by council on Feb. 3.

A public hearing was held over two nights in March and April, leading to some amendments being proposed and adopted.

Those amendments included incorporating the Prince George Airport Authority’s role in land-use decisions near

the airport, more elements relating to food security, changing Prince George’s description from a winter city to a yearround destination, language changes regarding climate change adaptation and more.

Though it was deemed to be separate from the OCP itself, city council has started the process of closing the road dedication through Ginter’s Green and turning it into officially-designated greenspace in response to vocal support for the area to be protected during the first public hearing.

Because of the amendments, council rescinded second reading of the draft approved on Feb. 24 and approved second reading of the new draft on

Sept. 3.

Then, a second public hearing was held on Wednesday, Oct. 1 after which council immediately approved third reading.

However, Prince George routinelymakes minor amendments to the OCP to facilitate development and construction, meaning the new document isn’t set in stone.

Vote summary

• Council grants final reading to the revised Official Community Plan — Ramsay, Scott, Skakun, Polillo, Frizzell, Bennett and Sampson voting in favour and Klassen voting against

Council tweaks language of UBCM grant application

It involves funding for the renewal of Carrie Jane Gray Park

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

For the second meeting in a row, Prince George city council amended a motion from an earlier meeting to fix language used in a grant application.

At the July 28 meeting, council approved a grant application to the Union of BC Municipalities’ strategic priorities fund for funding to develop a renewal plan for Carrie Jane Gray Park. However, the city was told after the application was submitted that

the motion needed to include a line acknowledging that it would be responsible for any cost overruns beyond the funds that the UBCM would provide if it is successful.

A similar thing happened at council’s Oct. 6 meeting, when it amended a previous motion approving a grant application to the UBCM for funds to develop a civic facilities master plan to include acknowledgement that it would be responsible for cost overruns.

Director of civic operations Blake McIntosh said during the Oct. 20 city council meeting that though work is still in the early stages, cost overruns are not expected and if any popped up, staff would come back to council to request

$45,955*

additional funding.

When it came time to vote on the final portion of the item regarding cost overruns, Coun. Kyle Sampson asked if council could mandate that staff return to council for approval in that case.

City manager Walter Babicz said it was his understanding that the motion was written with the language that UBCM requires and the application may not be successful if it’s not followed.

Coun. Ron Polillo pointed out that council passed a very similar item at the last meeting.

Coun. Cori Ramsay asked about the delegated authority policy for projects under a certain threshold. Babicz said the motion on the floor wouldn’t supersede that policy.

Vote summary

• Council directs administration to complete a grant application to UBCM’s strategic priorities fund for funding for a renewal plan for Carrie Jane Gray Park — approved unanimously.

• Council supports the proposed the Carrie Jane Gray Park renewal plan and for the city’s parks and solid waste services division to manage the grant — approved unanimously.

• Council supports any project cost overruns — approved unanimously

Mayor Simon Yu was not present at the meeting. Coun. Ron Polillo chaired the meeting in his place.

$111,700*

Mayor asks king to let Prince George ‘take command’

Simon Yu suggests a ceremonial role with the Rocky Mountain Rangers when the royal heir turns 18

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

Mayor Simon Yu is making a pitch for Prince George, the heir to the throne, to eventually become the colonel-in-chief of the Rocky Mountain Rangers.

Though Yu was not present for the Monday, Oct. 20 city council meeting, included on the agenda was a letter the mayor wrote to King Charles III.

After speaking about Queen Elizabeth II’s connection to Prince George through visits in 1986 and 1994, Yu says that members of the Royal Family routinely accept the patronages of

City one step closer to making electric scooters street-legal

Prince George city council took the first step towards amending its highways bylaw to allow for electric kick scooters to legally drive on local roads at its Monday, Oct. 20 meeting.

At its Wednesday, Sept. 17 meeting, council approved a motion directing administration to apply to the Province of BC’s pilot project for kick scooters and other micro mobility devices.

The pilot project ran between 2021 and 2024 and was then reviewed until 2028. Currently, it’s not legal for kick scooters and similar devices to operate on public roads on municipalities not participating in the pilot program.

A report on the Oct. 20 meeting agenda written by manager of transportation and technical services asks council to amend the City of Prince George’s highways bylaw to align with participation in the pilot project.

The bylaw amendments add a definition for kick scooters and change the definition of traffic to include kick scooters.

Council did not discuss the motion

various military organizations.

“To this end, I would respectfully invite Your Majesty to consider appointing your grandson, His Royal Highness Prince George of Wales, as the future Colonel-in-Chief of our city’s proud infantry regiment, the Rocky Mountain Rangers,” Yu wrote.

“Naturally, this appointment would not take affect until His Royal Highness attains military age or at such time as may be deemed appropriate by the Palace.”

The 12-year-old Prince George is the eldest child of William and Catherine, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and the second in the line of succession after his father.

NEWS NOTES

other than voting to approve it and no update was provided on the status of the city’s application to the electric kick scooter pilot project.

September building permits hit almost $9M in value

The value of building permits issued by the City of Prince George this September were worth almost $3 million more than the same month in 2024, according to documents presented at the Monday, Oct. 20 city council meeting.

This September, 48 permits worth $8,936,736 were issued, an increase from 32 permits worth $6,164,060 in September 2024.

Of those permits, 33 were for single-family homes, eight were for multi-family dwellings and 7 were for commercial, industrial or institutional properties. Together, the permits represented 19 new dwelling units.

The year-to-date value and number of permits are also increased compared to

Concluding, Yu says the City of Prince George feels a kindship with the Royal Family and particularly with the prince with whom it shares a name.

A report written by Yu attached to the agenda package said that BC Lieut.-Gov. Wendy Cocchia will be visiting Buckingham Palace from Nov. 1 to 3, where she will hand-deliver a Mr. PG doll wearing a Rocky Mountain Rangers cap and badge as well as the mayor’s letter.

“The Lieutenant Governor will also deliver a similar letter from the Rocky Mountain Rangers Regimental Association (Prince George Branch), which respectfully requests the same consideration of His Majesty,” the letter said.

“Together, these items symbolize the strong civic and regimental pride shared by the community of Prince George.”

The Rocky Mountain Rangers are a primary reserve unit of the Canadian Forces with presences in both Prince George and Kamloops.

the same point in time last year.

At the end of this September, Prince George had issued 328 permits worth $240,739,95 so far in 2025. At the end of September 2024, Prince George had issued 316 permits worth $213,432,468.

Of the permits issued so far this year, the majority of the dollar value comes from commercial, industrial or institutional permits.

In that category, 56 permits worth $143,606,840 had been issued by the end of September.

There have been 62 permits for multi-family properties with a total value of $55,745,235 and 210 permits for single-family detached properties worth $41,387,877.

City staff’s report notes that the estimated value of the construction projects do not include the value of mechanical equipment involved in development.

Speaking during the meeting, director of planning and buildings Deanna Wasnik told council that on top of the building permits, there were also several development permits issued that indicate future building permits that will

This photo distributed at Monday’s council meeting shows a stuffed Mr. PG wearing a Rocky Mountain Rangers cap that Lt.-Gov. Wendy Cocchia will present to King Charles III.

eventually come across her department’s desk likely in 2026 or later.

Economic development added to committee’s role

Prince George city council voted at its Monday, Oct. 20 meeting to change the terms of reference for its Standing Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs to explicitly include economic development as part of its mandate.

At its August meeting, the committee passed a motion requesting the change, which would allow it to invite the city’s manager of economic development, Deklan Corstanje, to discuss matters under his purview at its meetings.

During the Oct. 20 meeting, committee chair Coun. Garth Frizzell submitted a report requesting that the terms of reference be amended to say that the committee “makes recommendations to council on issues regarding Prince George’s economic development.”

Frizzell said that the economy is front and centre as a concern at present and asked for his colleagues’ support on the matter.

The motion was passed unanimously.

Prince George

New Chief Lake Road development closer to approval

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

Prince George city council approved the first three readings of a rezoning bylaw that would allow for a mixed residential development on Chief Lake Road at its Monday, Oct. 20 meeting.

Kidd Real Estate Holdings wants 4922 Chief Lake Rd. rezoned from RS1m: Suburban Residential to RM1: Multiple Residential and a restrictive covenant removed so that it can develop a multiple residential development with a mix of single-detached, two-unit, four-unit and row homes.

The items was originally supposed to be heard by council at its Oct. 6 meeting before being delayed due to the Canada Post strike.

The RS1m zone allows for up to four units per lot while RM1 allows for up to 30 units per hectare.

The restrictive covenant currently in place limits the housing density of the property to 22 units per hectare as well as the number of multi-unit homes, the construction of apartments and secondary suites.

Some of the restrictions in the covenant conflict with changes to zoning adopted in the wake of provincial legislation promoting the construction of small-scale, multi-unit housing.

City administration recommends that council approve both the rezoning and the removal of the covenant.

One letter of opposition was included with the documents associated with the rezoning. Shae Presley of Greenwood Street said she was “extremely against apartments in my backyard!”

A late addition to the agenda was several letters regarding the development.

Cory Bleich of Greenwood Street, who wrote a letter outlining concerns with city infrastructure, public transit access, traffic safety and lack of nearby amenities when it comes to the proposed development.

“While I understand the city’s intent to support residential development, I believe this amendment remains premature due to several unresolved infrastructure and community planning issues,” Bleich wrote. “This was rejected in the past for all these reasons.”

Leon and Fay Mosure of Greenwood Street said that if the development is to be approved, the city needs to improve safety for the bus stops and sidewalks in the area.

“This proposal will take away the

rural beautification of the rural setting,” they wrote.

Finally, Darryl and Rita Kyte of Greenwood Street wrote a letter identical to the Mosures’.

Speaking during the meeting, Coun. Brian Skakun referenced a completed traffic impact study attached to the application and asked whether the city was considering adding an extra lane to Chief Lake Road anytime soon.

Director of planning and buildings Deanna Wasnik and director of civic operations Blake McIntosh indicated that there aren’t, but that could change based on future road utilization.

Coun. Trudy Klassen said she sympathizes with residents’ concerns though she would vote to approve the application. She asked how the city could ensure that some of those concerns

would be addressed through the development process.

Wasnik said some of the items, like drainage ditches, would be difficult pieces of infrastructure to implement.

Coun. Cori Ramsay asked about recommendations that were made during a previous application for the same property. Wasnik indicated that they weren’t followed through with as it did not pass through council.

Vote summary

• Council grants first three readings to a rezoning bylaw for 4922 Chief Lake Rd. — approved unanimously

• Council approves the discharge of a restrictive covenant on 4922 Chief Lake Rd. — approved unanimously

GOOGLE STREET VIEW IMAGE

Prince George city council considered a rezoning application for this property at 4922 Chief Lake Rd. at its Monday, Oct. 20 meeting.

OPINION

What you’re feeling is called ‘compassion fatigue’

KENNEDY GORDON Citizen Managing Editor

There’s a house in Prince George that’s had dozens of police and bylaw visits in less than two years. Night after night, there are loud parties, louder fights, vicious dogs, garbage everywhere, with people living in tents and the broken-down trailer on the property.

Now imagine living next door. You call police, you call bylaw, you call again and again … and still, nothing changes. Imagine owning a downtown business where you have to clean up discarded needles and human waste every day while overnight you hope your building won’t be vandalized or torched. You call the police, you call bylaw, you call again and again … and still, nothing changes.

Then imagine voicing your frustration, only to be told to be more compassionate, because homelessness, addiction and mental illness are complex issues. To be told the people committing these crimes are victims themselves and deserve your empathy, not your condemnation.

If that doesn’t sit right, you may be feeling “compassion fatigue.”

It’s been described as a sense of exhaustion triggered by the relentless cycle of crime and disorder linked to homelessness, addiction, and mental illness. It’s not just here — it’s a national trend — but it’s hitting hard in Prince George.

That may help explain why hundreds

SUE BLOOMINGDALE/FACEBOOK

A local Facebook user posted security footage of a man trying to break into her business on Oct. 18, and praised Prince George RCMP for their quick response.

of people gathered at the CN Centre last week for the Safe Streets Rally, hosted by the Chamber of Commerce and Downtown PG. The event featured expert speakers and a live audience poll on what needs to change.

One of the questions was about what governments should do to make residents feel safe.

As people voted on their phones and answers appeared on the arena’s giant scoreboard, the crowd’s reaction was clear:

• More police and Crown prosecutors? Big applause.

• Stricter sentencing and longer incarceration? Big applause.

• More treatment and support services? Polite, tepid clapping.

These weren’t fringe voices. They represent the average Prince George taxpayer, and their message was unmistakable: They want action. They

want real consequences. They want offenders held accountable and kept off the streets.

What voters don’t want is more failed “solutions” like drug decriminalization or multi-million-dollar projects to turn dilapidated motels into housing that changes nothing on the ground. They want change, like the recent announcement of the return of involuntary care to Prince George.

That’s a start. We need more. BC’s catch-and-release justice system is broken and needs fixing at the provincial level, something Solicitor-General Niki Sharma should make a bigger priority.

At the local level, we need strong leadership — something that’s been missing. Fortunately, the next municipal election is just a year away. That’s our chance to ensure that downtown safety is front and centre for every candidate who wants to represent us.

It’s also important to point out that one of the questions asked at the Safe Streets Rally was whether audience members had lost a loved one or friend to addiction, and the majority answered they had.

We agree that people who seek help should absolutely be able to access it. That’s not who we’re talking about. Many of the individuals driving the crime know help is available, but they’re simply not interested. For those people, enforcement and incarceration is the only answer.

It may be easy to consider this a “right-wing” response to crime. It isn’t. It’s common sense.

Besides, we’re past the point where our responses to public safety concerns can, or should, be politicized. Just like there are conservatives who quietly donate to social justice causes and there are liberals who refuse to give change to panhandlers, we can make our own decisions about how we give back to our communities. Charity is a personal choice.

This isn’t charity, though, and it’s OK to say something that may be considered uncharitable when it comes to theft, downtown fires or out-of-control neighbours.

Compassion fatigue is real. And it’s time for our elected leaders to recognize that taxpayers shouldn’t feel guilty for wanting to be safe, and stop using that as a means to justify a lack of stronger action.

editor@pgcitizen.ca

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OPINION

Considering a ‘citizens on patrol’ plan for safer streets

ALBERT KOEHLER Guest Columnist

The time for meetings is up!

Our community is being held hostage by criminals and others who are sick and need help. People have often posed the question: What actions are possible, and in what ways and at what times can they be taken?

I am, like many in our community, very disappointed about the ongoing crime in our city.

Who are the criminals and who are the mentally ill, and who are both?

Leaving the answer open: Did council make the right decisions fast enough and what should have been implemented earlier, like the camera surveillance downtown for instance?

Would it have been better if additional funding for the RCMP had been provided sooner?

It is essential that our society recognizes and accepts its responsibility to support individuals who are ill or unable to care for themselves.

This means that those who break the law are subject to legal consequences, while individuals with illnesses should receive care through our health system. Since there is no quick solution to reduce the crime rate in our city, it is essential for citizens to act. I do not see

A state of emergency is justified in Prince George’s downtown

The recent fires in the downtown area prompt me to write.

I work in the downtown. I see every day people aimlessly wandering and suffering from addiction and mental illness. The fires have destroyed businesses — and alarm businesses and people who are in the downtown area of Prince George.

The situation is a crisis. There is a means to deal with this crisis: the declaration of an emergency in the downtown area.

There is statutory authority for this

any positive chance considering ongoing thefts and vandalism, as well as fires. We citizens must take our city back and patrol the streets ourselves from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. daily.

I suggest that three or more groups of volunteers, consisting of four

LETTERS

EDITOR to the

— the Emergency and Disaster Management Act.

The local government can declare an emergency. Based on such a declaration, the city can create a curfew which would require people without a fixed address to be off the streets between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. This will require resources to police the terms of the declaration.

The city can reprioritize its use of funds. Bylaw enforcement officers and RCMP can detain those people and take

individuals each, patrol our city, sharing three shifts. No one is armed; they only have phones so they can call the police if necessary.

A minimum of 12 individuals is required for each shift, resulting in a total staffing need of thirty-six personnel

them to a place of detention.

All weapons and drugs should be confiscated. There should not be any tolerance for stolen property.

The province has finally seen the light, and the premier has promised a facility in Prince George to treat those suffering from addiction and mental health issues.

However, we do not know when this will occur.

In the meantime, we have a crisis that must be managed. People who are suffering from addiction need treatment — and hopefully this is part of the province’s plan.

for a single night.

This approach is required now because everything else is failing, despite providing housing availability for the homeless.

It would be necessary to set up a committee organizing everything about patrolling, like scheduling and routes to be covered, etc.

We should not delay action until permanent funding for an ongoing comprehensive monitoring program is officially secured and the program implemented.

The development of a treatment facility in Prince George, designed to accommodate one hundred patients, is anticipated to require a multi-year construction timeline.

Council complied with legal requirements by closing Moccasins Flats and housing the homeless. However, that guaranties in no way that someone is not a criminal anymore or is suddenly healthy or mentally healed.

Our problem is common in cities here and abroad. Action is needed to resolve the situation.

Until appropriate policies, laws, and staffing are established, it is recommended that Prince George residents consider this plan to help protect the city.

Albert Koehler, P.Eng., is a former Prince George city councillor.

Mental health issues can be handled under the Health Act: a person can be evaluated by two physicians and can be certified for such illness and involuntarily detained for evaluation and treatment.

This will require resources, which are presently in short supply.

However, the health authority can reprioritize its funding to help deal with this need.

The local government and the health authority need to address this crisis as a priority.

Roy Stewart

Prince George

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO

A Prince George RCMP officer walks by a vehicle that was boxed in on Fourth Avenue during the arrest of three people in August 2022.

OPINION

Business owners want state of emergency after repeated downtown fires

I worked downtown for over almost a decade doing nightwatch video monitoring for an RV business. Stopped working because it became too dangerous.

During my last two years, I must have stopped (or been a part in stopping) at least half a dozen fires in or around 1st/2nd Avenue by Ontario and Ottawa Street.

Stopped working temporarily in 2023 due to stress months before the building explosion on August 22, 2023.

Returned briefly for a few months but stopped again since it was risky and I lacked resources the RCMP and other security firms have to keep themselves safe.

TrevorR

Crime

in downtown

Prince George: Safe Streets Rally pushes for change

As Foley says, “Those folks in Victoria — they won’t have any reason to respect you unless you are showing them that you’re going to fight for the people of your community,”

Eoin Foley said.

“Until you guys prove that you’re going to be a constant thorn in the side of the folks in Victoria and the folks in Ottawa who can make a difference — we’re all going to be a constant thorn in your side.”

This is what our local politicians need to do. Be loud, pestering, constantly squeaking wheels.

Quietly working with other levels of government in the background and allowing for their slow action will guarantee their slow action.

PGLocal

It may soon cost more to take your trash to the Foothills landfill

I’ll be looking for alternative ways to get rid of garbage as things are getting too expensive to live here.

Taxing rainwater next? Give your head a shake.

It’s actually mind bogging how much things have increased in 20 years. Way surpassing inflation.

ScrappyDoo

Editorial: AI can be a powerful assistant ... but it’ll never be the boss

AI will have a resounding impact on many aspects of our lives and postulating anyone knows what the outcome of opening this Pandora’s box of artificial intelligence will be, is arrogant.

We don’t even understand the full ramifications the internet has had on our culture and society.

Humans are marvelous at hurdling forward, with brazen bravado, never stopping to fully understanding the consequence’s of our actions. But how can we stop, while there is certainly a sort of AI arms race in the making?

Now AI can make artwork and music in an instant, with very little human input. Why would companies pay a human artist for this work in the future?

AI can be used to make fake misleading videos. And there are absolutely no constraints in place to prevent this. In a time where our own media can already be very deceptive. It will certainly be used to eliminate many administrative jobs, because why wouldn’t you?

And it will advance at a fantastic rate.

Zangief

Prince George business deals with crime on an almost daily basis

We have a body shop on Third Avenue.

We have had trucks burned to the ground, our building set on fire, constant break ins to vehicles, every morning our garbage or recycling has been emptied or rifled through.

it’s really tough trying to run a business and paying for all these damages when it happens.

b86

Family calls for attempted murder charge after suspected arson

Hopefully she has a neighbor with a doorbell or security camera nearby to see what happened.

The easiest setup for a first security camera would be a $30 WiFi camera (Amazon or something similar locally) pointing out a main window. You don’t need an NVR.

The camera can record 24/7 or just motion events onto an sd card and there’s no monthly fees. You can use your phone or computer to view the live feed and play back footage.

More advanced criminals can use cheap wifi jammers that cost around $60 that can be wired directly to the internet router if that ever becomes an issue.

TrevorR

Defibrillators to be in all SD57 schools by December

Enrolment is down, this year, trustees hear as board meets in Valemount

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

New defibrillators should be in all School District 57 schools by December, Supt. Jameel Aziz says.

At the Tuesday, Oct. 14 meeting of the district’s board of education held in the library of Valemount Secondary School, trustees discussed a provincially mandated policy requiring the placement of automated external defibrillators and naloxone at every school.

Trustees ended up postponing approval of the policy until their Tuesday, Nov. 18 meeting so that staff could investigate potential changes to the wording.

When The Citizen interviewed Aziz about AEDs back in May, he said that all high schools in the district as well as Spruceland and Lac des Bois elementary schools already had them as well as the board office, maintenance building and John McInnis Centre.

Reached by phone the next day, Aziz said the existing defibrillators in the district are reaching the end of their lifespans. The plan is to replace the existing units and place new ones in each of the district’s elementary schools by the end of December.

As for naloxone, he said all schools already have the medication that temporarily relieves the opioid overdose symptoms in their offices.

“We have to do a little bit more training with some of our staff just to make them a little bit more up to date,” Aziz said. “Of course, with the new Grade 10 (physical education) curriculum, there is training … around AED usage, CPR and naloxone usage that will be part of the instruction that they have.”

Aziz said he didn’t know for sure whether any SD57 schools have had to use their naloxone yet, but he wouldn’t be surprised if they had. When he was

Defibrillators simliar to this one at Kopar Memorial Arena will soon be installed at all SD57 schools.

a principal in another district nine years ago, he said he had to administer naloxone to someone who had used an opioid and then passed out at one of his school’s doorsteps.

Nutrition programs

During the board meeting, Aziz mentioned in his report to trustees that access to nutrition programs for schools in the Robson Valley was being greatly increased by Nov. 1.

For example, in the 2024-25 school year, Valemount Secondary School served up to 30 breakfasts and 20 lunches each day. This year, the plan is to increase breakfast availability to all students and serve between 70 to 95 lunches a day.

In Prince George, Aziz said, there is a centralized kitchen that can deliver meals to schools across the city rather than rely on prepackaged foods.

As that’s not available in the Robson Valley, he said it was important to upgrade the kitchens and food preparation areas in schools so they can provide their students with the same

kind of meals.

Those upgrades have included additional staffing to serve the food, various small appliances and grocery funding.

Aziz said similar upgrades have happened in Mackenzie, but he didn’t focus on them at the meeting since it was held in the Robson Valley.

Enrolment down this year

During a discussion of preliminary enrolment figures for the 2025-26 school year at the Oct. 14 meeting, Aziz said that student numbers had decreased across the district compared to both the 2024-25 school year and projected figures for this year.

However, he also said that enrolment at the Robson Valley schools had gone up across the board. Despite the increased enrolment, Aziz said they weren’t the reason for the kitchen upgrades.

“At the very beginning of September, we actually thought that our number might be a little bit higher than what actually rolled in,” Aziz said of the district-wide figures.

“Our Prince George area has a bit of transience to it sometimes. We had some families that were in Prince George at the beginning of September due to fires, evacuations, those kinds of things but ultimately ended up going back to their home communities.”

Despite the 72 full-time equivalent student slots fewer than expected, Aziz said it shouldn’t have an operational impact on the district though it was disappointing to see number continue to decrease rather than remain stable.

Also at the Oct. 14 meeting, Trustee Sarah Holland had a motion passed asking administration to carry out a review of the district’s catchment areas and feeder schools for high schools.

Aziz said administration wants to analyze some of the trends in the district. College Heights-area schools, for instance, were previously bursting at the seams but have seen a little bit of an enrolment decrease.

During his visit to the Robson Valley, Aziz said he observed that the schools in the area are in “beautiful shape” and they have quite a bit of stability.

Back-alley burning has downtown businesses worried

RCMP ask people to report fires to police, not on social media

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

For Catherine Lortie, manager of Gurney House of Vision, located at 680 Victoria St., dealing with crime and the homeless population downtown has become a near-constant concern.

A recent post she made to the Enough Already! Prince George Voters for Positive Change Facebook group has attracted attention from both concerned locals and business owners.

The video shows an individual lighting a fire in the alley behind her business and then running a lighter over the gas meter beside him. It was recorded Tuesday, Oct. 14.

The post sparked many reactions from the community, including from some people reporting that they had dealt with similar issues and others giving advice to Lortie — or even commenting that they were surprised she hadn’t moved locations.

Lortie told The Citizen that this is far from the first time she has dealt with issues stemming from the homeless downtown, and that she was happy to see she was not alone after making the Facebook post.

“We’re just trying to go to work, do our service, and pay our taxes,” said Lortie. “I was really excited to see that people were backing me up, getting just as angry. It’s a sad situation, too, because this has made everybody so angry, so mad. It’s a daily conversation in our store. We’ve actually had to tell all of our staff, no more talking about downtown problems with our customers. We don’t want them to think of downtown as a bad problem, but at the same time, personally, I am so frustrated. I am waiting for my store to be burned down, or I am waiting for somebody to come into our store and attack us. We don’t know if we’re going to find feces outside or needles outside, or are we going to be stabbed by somebody

A man holds an open flame to the gas meter behind a downtown business in an image caught on the store’s security video system.

next.”

She added that the fires lit in her alley — like the one she shared — are of particular concern and have resulted in lost business and frightened staff.

“Little fires happen daily,” said Lortie. “The first fire that I saw there that I posted, I wasn’t even going to report it. You know what, it was starting to get cold, it was away from the building-ish. That’s fine, whatever, keep it small. But as soon as he put it up against our door and then put it up against the gas meter, I’m like, no, this is attempted arson. So now our store is going to smell like smoke.

“For example, last year we had somebody burn a plastic bag or plastic purse, backpack, something outside under our clean air intake. So, we get to work, and our store smells horrid. All of the staff have an instant headache. We’ve had to open the doors, we had to get fans, we had to put out a few candles. So, it affects our staff — headaches, they’re sick, they’re nauseated, they have to go home, hence they lose pay. Our customers walk in like, what is that smell? I

doesn’t look like the city is cleaning up the stuff. When we call bylaw to come pick up stuff, it’s either five minutes — they’re here, great — or it’s two hours, or it’s a full day. So, it’s really frustrating when you just want to go to work and make your paycheque.”

Lortie also shared another video of the firestarter being confronted by a member of the RCMP; however, she told The Citizen that she was not impressed by the officer’s response.

can’t be here. Well, guess what? We also lose customers. So, how is that helping? All because somebody wanted to light something on fire.”

However, Lortie noted that often, due to a lack of a swift response from bylaw officers, it is up to their neighbours or their landlord to clean up their alleys — including removing used needles and feces.

“We are a store full of women,” said Lortie. “The needles and the feces that go along with all of it, our two neighbours are amazing, they clean them up for us. It is very frustrating to have to go to work. We love our job, yes, but would you rather be at home, yes. We have to get ready, go to work and think, now, what are we going to see at the back door today? What’s going to come through the front door today? What’s going to happen? What’s the drama? Are we going to get hurt? Are we going to be scared?

“We just want to go to work, get our paycheque, and pay our taxes. For what? I’m not really sure. Pay our city utilities, our city taxes. Why? Because it

“I’m not against the police,” said Lortie. “I have friends who are police officers. We have been broken into a couple of times. We’ve had to call them. Some are great. Some are awesome. But the one that I called the other night, she called me when she couldn’t find the guy in the back alley. I don’t know how that’s possible. We’re right on Victoria Street. This is not the first time they haven’t been able to find our store … “Then she doesn’t even get out of her vehicle. I told them on the phone, I think he’s going to burn my store down. He is lighting a fire. He’s going around my door frame, and he’s going up against the gas meter. The police officer didn’t even get out of her vehicle … She was there for, I don’t know, a minute. The guy kind of woke up because he was hunched over and drugged up, and then he picked up some of his stuff and left. But she did not get out of that vehicle.”

She notes that this problem has gotten so bad at their location that some staff are prepared to fight back if forced.

“I hate to say this, but I also am proud to say this. We are very lucky at our store. We have trained our staff, and all our staff love our store, love their job. They’re very proud to be here, and so they do stand up for us,” said Lortie. “If we have somebody who comes into the store that is not well, they do call me or the other senior ladies, and we deal with it, but their back is up. They’re ready to fight. How sad is that? They are ready to stand up for us and stand for Prince George and yet, we’re opticians. We’re not MMA fighters or anything.”

SEE ‘FIRES’ ON NEXT PAGE

SURVEILLANCE

Fires being set almost daily, downtown businesses say

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Lortie explained that one comment on her post — asking why her business hasn’t moved yet — particularly struck her.

“One business owner said, ‘why are you guys still downtown after all these years? Get out.’ Well, that hurts,” said Lortie.

“I understand 100 per cent, and we tried, we looked, but nothing is available unless you’re further downtown. We have a prime location here. We have amazing neighbours and an amazing landlord. We’re right in the middle of town. It’s great for business, but it is also getting scary, and there will be a day that we have to move and leave our neighbourhood, and that’s not fair because we’ve been downtown since 1968, and we’re still here, and we’re still fighting.”

Lortie also emphasized that while her store is facing issues, her downtown

A man moves one of the security cameras behind a downtown business before setting a fire in the alleyway.

neighbours have also had to deal with the issue much more frequently.

“Daily, they’re putting out fires, they’re cleaning up feces, they are getting verbally attacked, they are getting held up at gunpoint, they’re getting spit at. They are getting so badly

Downtown security cameras will be installed in the weeks ahead

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

Downtown PG’s new security camera pilot program will soon be underway.

Ten high-resolution cameras will be installed in the downtown C1 zone, the 41-block area extending roughly from First Avenue to the Civic Centre. Locations for the cameras were selected based on guidance from the RCMP, local knowledge, input from area businesses and analysis of crime statistics.

The pilot program will include 24/7 monitoring by both trained personnel and AI technology capable of detecting incidents such as fires, assaults and other emergencies in real time.

“This initiative is about creating a safer, more welcoming downtown for everyone,” said Chrisie Berry, executive director of Downtown Prince George, in the announcement.

“By combining human oversight with AI detection, we can respond more quickly to incidents, support the RCMP in keeping our downtown community secure, and give businesses added confidence that their storefronts and customers are well protected.”

Downtown PG notes that, when launched, the program will be monitoring public spaces that include sidewalks and roads. It states that signage will be posted to ensure people are aware that they will be on camera.

The official launch date of the program will be announced once camera equipment has arrived and installations have been completed.

Downtown Prince George stated it has been working closely with the RCMP — including a forensic camera specialist — to ensure the cameras meet the technical standards required for clear, high-quality footage.

neighbours.”

The RCMP confirmed that this file is currently under investigation and is encouraging business owners downtown to share any footage or reports with RCMP first.

abused … There’s some really amazing, sweet, unhoused people, and we know who they are, and we leave our bottles out for them. We feed them. But there are a lot of bad ones, and we are very lucky that we don’t have as many that come to our store compared to our

“Right now we’re seeing a trend to only posting it to social media,” said Cpl. Jennifer Cooper, media relations officer for the Prince George RCMP. “I had another call about a different fire yesterday, and the business did not report it to the police at all. We’re still asking for people to identify the suspects. That’s not particularly helpful when it comes to social media only. We definitely need people to remember that if they either see a crime occurring, or look at their surveillance later and find out a crime did occur, they should come to the police first.”

Cooper added that the RCMP is continuing to work with PG Fire Rescue to combat the issues facing the downtown core.

Safe Streets Rally: Public safety is in a state of crisis

Event draws more than 1,000 people to CN Centre

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

With crime a growing crisis in downtown Prince George, the Safe Streets Rally drew more than a thousand people to the CN Centre on Thursday, Oct. 16 to hear from panellists and affected individuals and to make their own voices heard.

“Every adult around here knows what’s right and what’s wrong,” local business owner Eoin Foley told The Citizen after the event. “They know the difference and they need to face consequences for criminal behaviour. If they don’t know the difference between right and wrong, they’re not a functioning member of society — and they can’t be allowed to roam freely.”

The event was hosted by the Prince George Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Prince George.

The audience heard from panelists and guest speakers who expressed disappointment and alarm at the noticeable increase in crime, arson, drug use and homelessness in the city — and the effects that increase has had on businesses in the downtown core and beyond.

Panelists also shared their frustration with both the federal and municipal governments in what they see as a lack of effort and an inability to properly address the problems.

Dr. Barbara Kane, the medical lead in the Mental Health Program at the Northern Health Authority, was one of the panelists. Her recent advocacy efforts have contributed to the provincial government’s announcement last month that an involuntary care facility will be opened in Prince George.

Kane talked about the changes made to involuntary care in the province and how these changes have led to people with mental health disorders occupying beds in traditional hospitals affecting other areas, notably surgery.

She also emphasized how these issues and a lack of involuntary care in BC can compound, often leaving those suffering from mental health or drug-related disorders worse off on the streets.

In an interview with The Citizen, she explained how these problems can build and create burdens for the medical system, especially in isolated cities like Prince George.

“One of my goals is to just explain how the system works,” Kane said. “How not having long-term involuntary care affects our hospitals. It affects our psychiatric ward, then it affects the hospital, then it affects the emergency because it’s overcrowded, it affects who gets surgery, and then they’re out on the street and then there’s more crime. It’s like dominoes. The system is very interdependent — more than I even

realized before. A psychiatric hospital is an essential part of the system because if you don’t have that, they’re going to take up space everywhere else in the hospital.”

She also spoke about how these issues crop up in Prince George and what it’s like to see a system she worked so heavily in fail to provide adequate care to those suffering in the community.

“It’s hard because I know it could be done better,” Kane said. “It’s really tough. That’s partly why I’m doing this — because you’re not doing the best thing for the patients when you let them out when they’re not ready, or for their families. We really aren’t able to do our work the way we should be able to do it.”

Another panellist who shared her experiences was Cindi Pohl, past

president and current director of the Prince George Chamber of Commerce. Pohl, who owns a waste management business in Prince George, spoke about how she has had to deal with stolen vehicles, fires set in her company’s dumpsters, the need to replace dumpster locks for customers almost daily.

She advocated for longer sentences for drug-related crimes, more Crown counsel lawyers to process cases effectively, an actively monitored security camera program and an increased bylaw and police presence downtown. Guest speakers also addressed the rally, including Sheldon White, operations manager at Central Display, located in the area east of the Queensway.

CITIZEN PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

Eoin Foley (left), business owner and president of the Downtown PG board, talks to the audience of about 1,000 as business owner Cindi Pohl, Dr. Barbara Kane and Chamber of Commerce executive director Neil Godbout look on at the Safe Streets Rally at CN Centre Thursday, Oct. 16.

Audience weighs in through real-time online polling

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

He spoke about his fears of fire, having faced three arson attempts at his business. He also shared that he has incurred more than $20,000 in damages to his vehicles and windows, and that his fence has been cut 17 times.

Another guest speaker, Tony Hunter, the chain-wide loss prevention manager for London Drugs, spoke about the effects of crime in stores — not only on customers, but also on staff and police officers — and how crime has a much larger ripple effect than just a single incident.

The final panelist of the night to speak was Foley, president of the Downtown Prince George board and owner of Nancy O’s and Betulla Burning.

The crowd at the CN Centre celebrated Foley’s statements with near-constant applause and cheers during his talk about the lack of action from local government, the huge impact that a few constant offenders can have on a city and his continued advocacy for a state of emergency to be declared in Prince George.

Foley recently called for a state of emergency following fires lit at his downtown businesses.

Foley also called on people to pressure politicians — even those without the means to make change — to, in turn, push those who can. His statement was met with a round of support from the audience.

“Those folks in Victoria — they won’t have any reason to respect you unless you are showing them that you’re going to fight for the people of your community,” Foley said. “Until you guys prove that you’re going to be a constant thorn in the side of the folks in Victoria and the folks in Ottawa who can make a difference — we’re all going to be a constant thorn in your side.”

In an interview, Foley emphasized the importance carrying on the message shared at the rally and advocating for change at higher levels of government.

“What’s incredibly important is that any individual — whether here tonight, any individual in Prince George — can speak loudly and continue to carry this

message after tonight,” he said. “To notify the politicians in Victoria and Ottawa and here locally that they’ve had enough. They want change — they want meaningful change that’s going to have an impact on our streets and make our streets safer … Not just our local MLAs and MPs, because they’re not the ones that are forming government right now. The ones that are in government, in cabinet, that have the most power to affect this change — they’re the ones that need to hear our voice loud and clear, over and over and over again, until they get that message.”

He also expressed enthusiasm at the recent announcement from Prime Minister Mark Carney that a bail reform bill is coming to the House of Commons.

“It’s a great step in the right direction — not just for us here in Prince George, but across the province, across the country. We’ve been crying out for this,” Foley said. “It’s been very clear over the last decade that our criminal justice system is not working for communities. Folks who are repeatedly committing crimes and being released on bail with conditions often ignore those conditions and face no consequence for doing so. It’s not acceptable.”

He added what he hopes locals take away from the rally.

“I think they can walk away with a sense of community pride — that coming out here tonight, spending a couple hours of their time, it’s not for nothing,” Foley said. “The more people that show up, the bigger and louder our message is, and the farther it’ll reach. It shows those leaders who are in charge that we’ve had enough — and we need them to act.”

Cariboo-Prince George MP Todd Doherty, who also attended the rally, spoke with reporters about why he attended and the issues he’s seen.

“Our businesses are being attacked. Our constituents’ homes are being robbed,” he said. “You can’t walk downtown without seeing somebody who is either under the influence of drugs or has completely overdosed. I think we’ve become a bit desensitized to this massive issue. We take a look at our communities — they don’t look the

same as they did 10 years ago. I think as leaders within our communities, we have to be there for them. We have to hear directly from our constituents, and we have to be with them when they’re facing the tough times — not just when we’re asking for the vote.”

Doherty also shared what he’s been hearing from his constituents about the issues raised at the rally.

“I think people are fed up. I receive text messages all the time — ‘we’re wfed up with this’ and ‘we’re about ready to start taking matters into our own hands,’” he said. “Vigilantism is something that’s always been a threat, and so you don’t want residents to take matters into their own hands. We want to make sure our police have the resources to do the job — and our frontline organizations, grassroots mental health organizations that are on the street doing the job, they need to get the resources so they can have an actual impact on our communities.”

Poll questions

As part of the evening, the audience took part in a poll, answering questions posed from the stage — and projected onto the scoreclock — via their smartphones.

Some of these questions and their responses are listed below: What should be the top priority of the provincial government to make streets safer?

The majority answered that urgent, additional investment in beds for both voluntary and involuntary care is needed. What should be the top priority of the federal government to make streets safer?

The majority answered that urgent Criminal Code reforms were needed. What should be the top priority for local government to make streets safer?

The majority responded that declaring a local state of emergency should be the top priority.

Tribunal rules sex offender’s sentence was too light

This story includes sensitive details about an assault

BOB MACKIN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A BC Court of Appeal tribunal ruled Oct. 14 that a Provincial Court judge’s sentence was too light for a Fort St. John veterinarian who admitted he drugged and raped his sister-in-law and took nude photos of her.

Justin Donald Sewell was sentenced last April to two years less a day of house arrest for sexual assault. Judge David Simpkin also sentenced Sewell to

concurrent terms of six months on one count of voyeurism and three months on another.

The appeal court decision, written by Justice Lisa Warren, upheld the Crown’s appeal and substituted a new sentence of 33 months, less a day, in jail.

In 2007, while his wife and children were away, Sewell spiked the woman’s drink with ketamine or Valium, sexually assaulted her and took photos of her naked body. He told the court that he had an addiction to pornography.

The woman reported the incident to police in 2019. In 2021, with assistance of detectives, she recorded a meeting with Sewell at a restaurant in Vancouver International Airport where he confessed.

“This court imposes consecutive custodial sentences of two years less a day on the sexual assault count, six months on one of the voyeurism counts, and three months on the other,” Warren wrote in the decision. Justices Joyce DeWitt-Van Oosten and Christopher Grauer agreed.

At the time of sentencing, Sewell had no criminal record, but had a thriving clinic that employed 15 people. He told the sentencing judge that the clinic would likely close if he were to be incarcerated.

Warren decided Simpkin erred in imposing concurrent sentences on the voyeurism counts and the fact that one arose from a different incident.

“He also erred in failing to consider whether, in light of those factors, a penitentiary term was excluded as a cumulative sentence before determining the appropriateness of a conditional sentence order,” Warren wrote.

Warren said Sewell’s new sentence is retroactive to April 4, but left it to correctional authorities to calculate the amount of credit for time already served on the conditional sentence order.

“The intention is that for the purposes of statutory release, the respondent be treated as an offender who received a cumulative sentence of 33 months (less one day) when the sentences were imposed on April 4,” stated the decision.

Man pleads guilty to lesser charge after road rage arrest

A 39-year-old man charged with assault after a road rage incident in Prince George pleaded guilty Oct. 17 to the lesser and included charge of causing a disturbance by fighting.

Christopher John Fagan also pleaded guilty to breach of a post-arrest undertaking, after he contacted the man he struck.

Provincial Court Judge Martin Nadon agreed with Fagan’s defence lawyer, Jon Duncan, and sentenced him to a conditional discharge and one-year probation. If Fagan serves the next year

A man who took a swing at another driver after a minor collision, and then contacted him after being charged, appeared in court Oct. 17.

without incident, his record will not include the incident.

Crown had sought a suspended sentence, because Fagan had received discharges in 2009 and 2016.

Court heard that Fagan, while driving his wife’s vehicle on March 26, 2024, and

inadvertently contacted another vehicle while passing too closely. Fagan and the other driver swore at each other and exited their vehicles. Fagan swung at the other man, struck him in the face and knocked his eyeglasses off.

Fagan left the scene shortly after the

altercation, but was eventually arrested and released with conditions, including not to contact the other man.

Fagan found the other man’s Facebook account and contacted him by Messenger on March 31, 2024. He unsuccessfully proposed they settle the dispute without going to court.

“This was out of character for him,” Nadon said. “He’s apparently a gentleman who is involved in the community, he’s involved in his family, he’s involved in a (road maintenance and construction) business. He has numerous employees and he appears, from all of the information I have, to be well respected in that role.”

Farm worker pleads guilty of abusing girl under 16 in two provinces

BOB MACKIN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 17 in Prince George Provincial Court for a man who pleaded guilty to sexual interference of a person under 16 in BC and touching the same young victim for a sexual purpose in Alberta. The man entered the pleas before

Judge David Simpkin on Oct. 15.

He had also been charged with sexual assault and assault by choking. The case is under a ban on publication of information that could identify the victim.

Court heard an agreed statement of facts that the man worked on a farm in a Robson Valley community but also had a residence in Alberta. He met the girl,

born in 2007, through a religious organization, and her guardian allowed her to live with him and his wife for a year.

Crown prosecutor Anna Novakovic said offences occurred between July 1, 2022 and June 19, 2023 in BC and between June 1, 2023 and May 31, 2024 in Alberta. During the latter period, the victim was working on a farm with the accused.

He took the girl to his house and they had sexual intercourse while his wife was out of town.

Novakovic said the guilty man was responsible for the girl’s day-to-day care while she lived with him in BC and Alberta. “The accused was in a position of trust and authority in relation to her at all material times,” Novakovic told Simpkin.

BOB MACKIN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO

Court rules it has no jurisdiction to hear bid for appeal

BOB MACKIN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A BC Supreme Court judge in Prince George struck a self-represented man’s petition to the court on Oct. 14 due to lack of jurisdiction.

A charge of sexual interference of a pre-teen girl in 2015 was stayed against Paul Peter Veeken in 2022, after he twice successfully appealed his conviction.

Veeken claimed he was assaulted while in custody in February and March 2019 in Prince George Regional Correctional Centre and during a van ride from Prince George to the Fraser Regional Correctional Centre.

So he sued for wrongful conviction, wrongful imprisonment and breach of his constitutional rights.

In April, a BC Court of Appeal tribunal sided with a BC Supreme Court judge who found Veeken’s 2022 lawsuit was filed too late.

Veeken petitioned the BC Supreme

Court, asking a judge to quash the original March 2024 BC Court of Appeal decision and to refer it to a different panel of three judges to reconsider the case.

“The court has no jurisdiction to make the order sought in the petition,” said Justice Ronald Tindale in his oral ruling.

“These orders being sought are

Scheduling hearing delayed in CrossRoads arson suspect’s case

BOB MACKIN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

There’s another delay in the case of the man charged with the CrossRoads Brewing and Distillery arson.

The lawyer for Richard Alex Gordon Titchener appeared Monday, Oct. 20 before BC Supreme Court Justice Alison Latimer and got an adjournment to Nov. 10.

“There’s still some additional (evidence) disclosure that we’re going through,” said Georges Rivard.

The previous hearing, on Oct. 14, was postponed when Crown prosecutor Rodney Withall said Rivard would have trouble appearing that day and asked for it to be adjourned to Oct. 20.

Titchener pleaded not guilty on Sept. 24 in his last Prince George Provincial Court appearance. He also chose to be tried by judge alone in BC Supreme

Court and waived his right to a preliminary inquiry.

CrossRoads, located at the corner of George Street and Fifth Avenue, was a busy and popular restaurant and bar that brewed its products on-site.

Damage from the Sept. 5 fire was estimated at $1.8 million and put 50 people out of work.

The business’s brewing and distilling equipment was destroyed.

There’s a second location in College Heights that does not have a brewing facility.

On Sept. 16, CrossRoads co-owner Daryl Leiski told a Prince George city council committee meeting on public safety that he wants to rebuild, but not downtown due to crime.

He later repeated his position in a letter to the mayor and council that was then shared with Premier David Eby, who mentioned it in a speech.

unnecessary, frivolous and vexatious, because both the BC Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada have considered and dismissed the appeals.”

When the high court declined in September 2024 to hear Veeken’s case, it followed standard procedure and did

not provide a reason.

Tindale agreed with lawyers for the BC and federal governments, that Veeken’s petition should be struck because it “is an abuse of process because it violates the principles of judicial economy, finality and the integrity of the administration of justice.”

For all of your fall needs come down to Ave Maria, we have everything from fall sweet treats and desert options to stuffing flavoured potato chips, gravy mixes, canned vegetables and more to fill your holiday table

And if you happen to over indulge with all of the tempting foods and treats or if holidays give you an anxious tummy we have many products to help your gut feel its best, Whether that be a fibre supplement, digestive enzyme or probiotic to get you back to feeling your best

A man who claimed he was assaulted in custody sued the province for wrongful conviction, wrongful imprisonment and breach of his constitutional rights.

Elected officials react to call for federal forestry support

Eby raises alarm bells after latest U.S. tariffs on lumber exports

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

Premier David Eby and representatives from the forest industry called for more federal support in the face of yet another hike in U.S. tariffs on Tuesday, Oct. 14, but Prince George-area politicians say the blame for the situation lies with both the province and the feds.

Joined by dignitaries from unions representing forestry workers as well as industry group leaders, Eby told a crowd in Burnaby that with the additional 10 per cent tariff on Canadian forest products impose by the Trump administration, Canadian lumber now has harsher penalties south of the border than Russia.

“I want to let that sink in, that there’s a highest tariff on Canadian wood going to the United States,” Eby said.

“Wood that has built American homes, provided affordable and high-quality building materials to families and government across the United States … that we have worse market access than Russia, an international pariah who has launched a war of aggression on Ukraine.”

The premier went on to say that when the current trade dispute between the U.S. and Canada threatens the jobs of auto parts makers and steel workers in Ontario, it’s treated as a national emergency.

“What we’re asking for today is that same respect, that same concern, that same sense of emergency is shared for the forest sector in this country,” Eby said, adding that the sector contributes more jobs and more dollars to Canada’s GDP than auto parts and steel do. After his comments, The Citizen asked the premier what else the province could do to support the sector while still lobbying the federal government for more assistance.

Eby said the government is holding off on collecting stumpage, a fee charged

Premier David Eby speaks to the Union of BC Municipalities convention in Victoria on Friday, Sept. 26.

on business that harvest timber from Crown land, is delaying other pricing changes and is supporting the province’s value-added manufacturing sector.

Additionally, he said BC is preparing an advertising campaign aimed at U.S. legislators highlighting the better treatment Russia is receiving than Canada for forestry and will open an office in the United Kingdom to better foster market relationships in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

“But we need all hands on deck, it can’t just be the provincial government, it can’t just be the companies, it can’t just be the workers and it can’t just be the federal government,” Eby said.

Reached by phone on Wednesday, Oct. 15, both of Prince George’s MPs laid the blame for the current predicament not just at the feet of the federal government, but at Eby’s as well.

Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies Conservative MP Bob Zimmer said Eby’s assessment that other industries affected by the trade dispute are getting more attention from the federal government and Prime Minister Mark Carney was probably the one thing they could agree on.

“You rarely hear softwood out of the

Eby was raising a warning signal about the danger the forest sector is facing, he also wished that the premier had backed up the federal Conservatives when they had previously been raising the issue in Ottawa.

Both men said that around a decade ago, former U.S. president Barack Obama and Trudeau promised a softwood lumber agreement that never came, leading to the existing agreement ending.

Zimmer said that despite Carney’s “elbows up” election promises, he has since given up plenty of concessions to the United States and gotten nothing to show for it.

In early August, Carney announced $1.2 billion worth of targeted supports for the lumber industry after a previous round of tariffs were introduced.

prime minister’s mouth,” Zimmer said.

“You hear about steel sometimes, you hear about aluminum and other sectors, but forestry seems to be off his radar and to me, that’s sort of a sign of where we’re at. BC’s biggest commodity that we ship to the U.S. is forest products, $5.68 billion, and Carney can’t even pay lip service to it. It shows we’re in trouble in Ottawa with the Liberal government but the fact that it’s gotten this bad has largely been to blame with lacklustre provincial leadership under the NDP.”

For his part, Cariboo-Prince George Conservative MP Todd Doherty said he didn’t want to pit any one industry against another, but agreed that forestry hadn’t been a priority either under Carney or previous prime minister Justin Trudeau.

“Forestry has really been treated like an overlooked sibling,” Doherty said.

“They’ve really taken it for granted that it was always going to be there and we knew it wasn’t going to be … we pushed in committee, we pushed in question period and it was always just ‘wait and see.’ In that time, over 30 mills have closed in British Columbia, over 11 in the Cariboo region alone.”

While Doherty said he was glad that

Doherty said what he’s heard from his cnstituents is that support was “too little, too late” to be of use. Zimmer asked how the relief could help businesses when they still can’t ship their products south of the border.

Sheldon Clare, the Conservative MLA for Prince George-North Cariboo, told The Citizen that there are still measures the province could take to assist the sector that it hasn’t pursued yet.

Those include increasing the annual allowable cut, adjusting the cost structure, finding more sources of available fiber for mills looking for them. He also brought up his party’s previous suggestion of putting a levy on U.S. thermal coal that goes through BC for sale elsewhere, something Eby has previously balked at.

“That, we think, could force the U.S. to the table,” Clare said. “The tariffs and duties are a real serious problem. We’re looking at mill shutdowns, closures, people who work in this sector are out of work and families are going to be suffering because of what’s going on.”

However, Clare added that the federal government isn’t off the hook and there’s a need to redirect some tax dollars to support BC and the forestry sector.

‘Forestry has really been treated like an overlooked sibling,’ says MP Doherty

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

“There’s been promises made by the Carney government about sector aid, loan guarantees and diversification, but we’re not seeing the money,” he said.

“And I’m not sure that they have the money. I mean, we’ve got such a huge problem with deficit spending both federally and provincially.”

His colleague, Prince George-Mackenzie Conservative MLA Kiel Giddens said in another interview that though he’d like to see more from the federal government, at least it has come to the table with some relief while “the province has done nothing so far besides make some announcements at a podium.”

“There are more Canadians employed in the forest sector than in the auto and steel sectors combined, so this is an urgent crisis for not just BC, but all of Canada,” Giddens said.

“But really, British Columbia needs to see results and there are things that we could be doing here at home to make our ability to weather this crisis better. Right now, one of those things is the fact that it takes two or three years to get a cutting permit … based on the red tape and confusion and challenges that the NDP government has placed on the sector.”

The previous week, Giddens said he met with several sector representatives, including some from Canfor, Dunkley and the Council of Forest Industries (COFI), who conveyed that the current situation is a crisis.

Giddens said the duties placed on Canadian lumber by the Trump administration under the guise of a national security crisis was ridiculous and the federal government needs to make it a priority to removal all duties and countervailing duties hampering the sector.

Like Clare, Giddens also brought up the coal levy idea pitched by his party as well as the need to increase the maximum allowable timber cut.

Also speaking during Eby’s Oct. 14

event was Scott Lunny, the Western Canadian director for United Steel Workers.

The union representative said his organization represents more than 10,000 loggers and mill workers.

While the industry is doing its best to optimize its strategy around investments and value-added manufacturing, the tariff situation is an immediate challenge that must be addressed by the federal government so that everyone in the sector can continue to get their paycheques.

“This isn’t a fight about lumber, this is about people,” Lunny said. “This is about British Columbians throughout every corner of this province, many of them that are union members in my union … that have good family-supporting jobs and to be able to continue to have food, family-supporting jobs to support themselves, their communities and the economy of our province.”

In a statement issued after the press conference, a coalition of forest industry representatives including individuals from COFI, the BC First Nations Forestry Council, the Interior Logging Association, the BC Pulp & Paper Coalition and more also took aim at the United States’ national security claims.

“Now more than ever, we must work together — across the full value chain and with all levels of government — to ensure the immediate survival and longterm stability of the forest sector,” the group said.

“Without swift and decisive action to resolve these trade issues and restore wood flow to manufacturing operations, thousands of forestry jobs are at risk.”

“We cannot continue to manage the decline of this foundational industry. We must focus on rebuilding competitiveness, driving innovation, and strengthening the entire value chain. Forestry remains a cornerstone of the provincial and national economy — a major project that can deliver tangible results now, if given the necessary attention and support.”

Award for Lheidli T’enneh, chamber

Prince George Chamber of Commerce executive director Neil Godbout, Lheidli T’enneh First Nation Chief Dolleen Logan and Prince George Chamber Advocacy Committee chair Dr. Ron Camp accept the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Inclusive Growth Award at the national chamber’s annual general meeting in Mississauga on Oct. 9. The PG chamber and the First Nation were recognized for breaking down barriers and advancing economic inclusions for groups under-represented in the business community.

TOYS • COMICS • GAMES

Transformation in the works for former Mackenzie mill

CITIZEN STAFF

The BMI Group has officially acquired the former Mackenzie Paper Mill, unveiling plans to transform the 885-acre industrial site into Willmarck Mackenzie, a major new hub for industrial readiness in Northern BC.

The new owners made the announcement in a press release on Friday, Oct. 17.

“Our town has weathered its share of ups and downs,” said Mayor Joan Atkinson in the press release. “But this is a community that shows up for one another. We’re resilient and ready to work with BMI to explore new opportunities for the next generation.”

The site, which includes more than 345,000 square feet of industrial buildings and direct access to CN Rail, is being positioned as a strategic asset in BMI’s national network of redeveloped industrial properties.

“Mackenzie has the core ingredients — rail, highway access, land, and a seasoned workforce,” said Morgan

The town of Mackenzie welcomes the news that BMI Group has purchased the former Mackenzie Paper Mill with plans to turn it into an industrial hub.

Kernohan, general manager of Niagara Port Services, a BMI Ventures company that will support the redevelopment, in the press release. “We’re going to

put our Niagara multimodal model to work up here to help get things moving again.”

The name Willmarck draws

inspiration from Williston Lake and the word “marck,” an old term for shared borderlands — symbolizing a place of connection, trade and collaboration, the company stated.

Willmarck joins BMI’s growing portfolio of adaptive industrial sites, including Bioveld Niagara in Ontario, Abitibi Connex in Iroquois Falls, Ont. and Norderra in Baie-Comeau, Que. These locations have been successfully transformed into multimodal, logistics and critical-mineral hubs, the company states.

BMI Group CEO Paul Veldman emphasized the company’s focus on partnership and community engagement.

“The Mackenzie Mill was an important part of Northern BC’s economy,” said Veldman in the press release. “Willmarck represents an opportunity for renewal shaped by community partnership, the land, and the people who call it home.”

Look for in-depth coverage of the Willmarck Mackenzie project in the fall issue of The Citizen’s Industry and Trades magazine, available next week.

Tipping fees set to go up at regional district landfills

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

The board of directors for the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George took a first step towards increasing tipping fees by $10 per tonne at its Thursday, Oct. 17 meeting.

Currently, the regional district charges $100 per tonne for refuse brought to its solid waste facilities, including the Foothills Boulevard Regional Landfill.

A motion passed at the Oct. 17 meeting directed regional district staff to prepare a bylaw amendment that will raise that to $110 per tonne effective Jan. 1. That amendment is likely to be voted on at the board’s next meeting on Thursday, Nov. 20.

A report prepared by district staff said that a solid waste management financial plan established in 2021 recommended

that the tipping fees be hiked to a maximum of $110 per tonne by 2030.

However, when that plan was written, the district didn’t yet know the estimated costs for expansion work at the Foothills landfill.

“With these costs now known, and in keeping with inflation rates over that period, environmental services administration recommends raising the base rate tipping fee to $110 per tonne in 2026 and all other fees by 10 per cent except for the small load fee, which will remain at $6 up to 100 (kilograms),” the report said.

Attached to the report was a backgrounder that said the cell 1 lateral expansion and cell 2 development at the landfill will cost between $1 million and $1.25 million per year on average.

At the regional district’s previous meeting on Sept. 18, directors heard that engineering consultants identified

an opportunity to laterally expand cell 1, extending its lifespan and delaying the more expensive construction of cell 2 by nine or more years.

The expansion is estimated to cost around $8.9 million, while cell 2A construction is pegged at around $15.7 million.

In 2027, a facility built in partnership with Fortis BC at the landfill is expected to come online to harvest natural gas. To facilitate that system, several upgrades are required.

The background further argues that the $110 per tonne tipping fee would put it closer in line with those charged by other regional districts across BC.

During the meeting, Director Art Kaehn (Woodpecker-Hixon) asked whether the regional district had started to communicate the possible changes to residents. Laura Zapotichny, the district’s general manager of environmental

services said this was the first time the item had come before the board and staff wouldn’t communicate with residents before that happened.

“We would undertake a very vigorous campaign of informing everybody what the tipping fee rate was going to be set at in 2026,” Zapotichny said. “The reason we’re here in October and not just dropping this on everyone in November is to give us that extra bit of time to have those communication strategies in place.”

The motion was approved almost unanimously, with only Director Brian Skakun (City of Prince George) voting against it.

The regional district typically holds committee meetings on the mornings of their board meetings starting at 10:30 a.m. Board meetings typically start at 1:30 p.m. on the second floor of the regional district’s offices at 155 George St. in Prince George.

RDFFG director apologizes for breaching confidentiality

Details behind Kevin Dunphy’s statement remain under wraps

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

A rural electoral area director for the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George has issued a formal apology for violating the confidentiality of a matter discussed during a closed meeting.

However, neither the circumstances nor the date of the violation were disclosed.

Though it was not discussed during the regional district’s Thursday, Oct. 16 meeting, an apology letter from Director Kevin Dunphy (Willow River-Upper Fraser Valley) was attached to the agenda.

“I am writing to formally apologize for the breach of confidentiality that took place following a closed meeting at the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George,”

Dunphy said.

“I take full responsibility for this incident, and though it was unintentional I deeply regret my actions that have impacted the trust that was given to me. I have reviewed how this has happened and have taken necessary steps to ensure that it does not occur again.

“I value the trust that my fellow directors, staff, Regional District of Fraser Fort George, and the people of Area F have given me. I am committed to reestablishing that going forward. I am truly sorry to all that my lapse in judgement has caused harm and inconvenience. I will continue to comply with section 117 of the Community Charter and the code of conduct policy in the future.”

That section of BC’s Community Charter states that a current or former council member must keep in confidence regarding any matter that was considered during a council or committee meeting that was lawfully closed to the public unless that information is

Canadian Rodeo of the Year

Canadian Professional Rodeo Association general manager Denny Phipps (from left), Williams Lake Stampede Association directors Liz Crosina, Pauline Smith, Court Smith, Dallas Rivet and Kayla Jasper, CPRA president Travis Whiteside and rodeo administrator Tanner Girletz celebrate as the Williams Lake stampede is named the Canadian Rodeo of the Year recently. Next year’s event will be the 98th annual Williams Lake Stampede, and ideas are already floating around for the 100th.

released for public consumption. Municipalities and regional districts can close meetings or portions of meetings to the public to discuss legal, personnel, security, land acquisition or disposition matters as well as items protected from disclosure under freedom of information laws.

In conjunction with Dunphy’s statement, the board of directors issued a public statement on the violation that said an investigation was completed into the circumstances and scope of the incident and steps have been taken to limit future occurrences.

“While we recognize the public interest in the outcome, the findings of the investigation are not being released due to legal and privacy considerations,” the board’s statement said.

“As a result of the breach of confidentiality, the board issued a motion disapproving of Director Kevin Dunphy’s conduct in revealing confidential information contrary to the Community

“While we recognize the public interest in the outcome, the findings of the investigation are not being released due to legal and privacy considerations.”

Charter and the board’s code of conduct policy.

“The motion directs Director Dunphy to comply with section 117 of the Community Charter and the Code of Conduct Policy in the future, and requests that he provide a public written apology.”

The board’s statement is dated Thursday, Oct. 9, but Dunphy’s statement is undated.

What’s happening in PG

UNBC Discovery Day Open House goes Friday, Oct. 24 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 3333 University Way. Thinking about your academic and career future? Make it happen at home in Prince George. Take a campus tour, meet UNBC faculty, participate in hands-on learning activities and enter to win great prizes. Whether you’re a high school student, a family member supporting your teen’s next step, considering a career change or just curious about what makes UNBC one of Canada’s best small universities, this is a day you don’t want to miss. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Pumpkin Walk 2025 goes Friday, Oct. 24, Saturday, Oct. 25 and Sunday, Oct. 26 starting at 5:30 p.m. at Northern Lights Winery, 745 Prince George Pulpmill Road. Bring the whole crew down to enjoy a festive night filled with glowing pumpkins, Halloween charm & tasty treats. There will be spooky Halloween displays arranged throughout the orchard featuring hundreds of hand-carved pumpkins at photo stations. There’s a farm animal area and children’s colouring station. Carnival games are part of a fundraiser for and facilitated by Star City Cheer. Cash only for the games. Concession stand will have hot/cold beverages & Halloween-themed snacks along with a Frankenweenie Hot Dog Bar. For more information and tickets visit www.northernlightswinery.ca/pumpkin-walk

The BC Old Time Fiddlers’ Dance goes Saturday, Oct. 25 and Nov. 22 from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Senior Activity Centre, 425 Brunswick St. Live fiddle music will be performed so folks can do polkas, waltzes, two-steps, barn dances and called group dances. A great family event. Prizes and ice cream bar snacks included. Coffee, water, pop and chips available by donation. Everyone is welcome. Tickets at the door are only $10 for adults, children with parents are free. Halloween Spooktacular at Huble Homestead goes on Saturday, Oct. 25 from 3 to 8 p.m. at 15000 Mitchell Rd. This is a spooky family event filled

with spine-tingling chills and ghostly surprises. Visit after dark for an evening packed with thrills and chills as you journey down the hill and into a site transformed for a night of eerie excitement. Enjoy hourly magic shows by William the Conjurer, get creative carving pumpkins with the family, and show off your costume in the contest! For those craving a bit of a scare, test your courage in the shadowy maze where creatures may be watching or snag tickets for a spine-tingling guided tour through the infamous Huble House during the House of Horrors experience. When it’s time to unwind, swing by the General Store for a warm drink or gather around the outdoor fire to roast marshmallows and craft the perfect s’more. Admission is by a recommended donation of $10 per family.

Ferndale Halloween Bash goes Saturday, Oct. 25 fro 8:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Ferndale Hall, 3595 Upper

Fraser Road. Get those costumes ready for an incredible evening during the annual Halloween dance for those 19+. As always costumes are optional. Tickets are $35 that includes DJ and snacks. Bring cash for the bar. For tickets call or text (250)961-1493 or (250)616-8976.

Improv Shmimprov Drink the Cool Aid goes Saturday, Oct. 25 from 8 to 10 p.m. at Omineca Arts Centre, 369 Victoria St. New games and are ready to start the theatre season off right. We will present live theatre on stage based on audience suggestions. As always, we’ll have some snacks and drinky drinks so bring your significant other and we’ll have some laughs. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8. For tickets visit www.shmimprovimprov.ca/ drink-the-cool-aid

Littles No Spook Party goes Sunday, Oct. 26 from 1 to 5 p.m. at 2850 Sussex Place. Come meet the witch of Sussex

and her crew in a family friendly no scare atmosphere. Tour the maze, play some games and enjoy yummy snacks. Come feed some dinosaurs!

Witches & Wizards Academy goes Sunday, Oct. 26, drop in from 2 to 6 p.m. at Knox Performance Centre, 1448 Fifth Ave. This event is presented by PG Pride Society. Activities include an enchanted arts & crafts corner, magical games and activities for kids, sweet & spooky treats, wand-making and spell-casting fun and a Witches’ Storytime. This is a 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusive, family-friendly event. Dress up, bring friends and family and prepare for a night of wonder, laughter and community enchantment for the young and young at heart. For all the details and tickets visit www.eventbrite.ca/witchesandwizards academy

Moran Manor’s Halloween goes Thursday, Oct. 30 and Friday, Oct. 31 from 6 to 10:30 p.m. at 309 Moran Crescent. Celebrate Halloween by enjoying the spooky set up, animatronics, live actors and a haunted maze. Donations this year will go to the pediatrics ward at UHNBC and to the local Cancer Centre. Non perishable food item donations are also welcome. Non-scary goes 6-7:30 p.m. (no jump scare actors). Scary goes from 7:30-10:30 p.m. Please note there are flashing lights and fog machines used during the event.

Fright Night Fever goes Friday, Oct. 31 from 8:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Blackburn Community Centre,2451 Blackburn Rd S. A spine-tingling night of dancing, delicious food, and devilish drinks. Dress to impress — costume contests will run all night with awesome prizes up for grabs. Live performances from two incredible local bands. Snap memories at our Halloween-themed photobooth. Bar service provided by Worth A Shot Mobile Bar. Food truck by Wings N Things Food Truck PG. Need a safe ride home? Shuttle service runs from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. For tickets visit https://cariboonorth. com/product/fright-night-fever/

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

HUBLE HOMESTEAD PHOTO

The family-friendly Halloween Spooktacular returns to Huble Homestead on Saturday, Oct. 25 from 3 to 8 p.m. at 15000 Mitchell Rd.

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Pineview Halloween Celebration goes Friday, Oct. 31 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Pineview Recreation Commission, 6470 Bendixon Road. There will be a pumpkin walk at the skating rink while across the road at 6355 Bendixon Road there will be a haunted house by donation, including a scare-free walk for the little ones. A full concession will be open throughout the event and the evening will conclude with fireworks. Anyone who would like to reserve a space to hand out goodies at the pumpkin walk, can call the PRC office at 250-963-8214 or Judy at 250-963-9723.

Halloween Fireworks goes Friday, Oct. 31 at 9 p.m. at 2656 Vanier Drive. There will be hot chocolate and goodies available for purchase before and after the show. Parking is available at Westwood elementary school, Vanier Drive cricket pitch, Westwood Mennonite Church on Ospika and Lutheran Church on Dufferin Drive.

50th Anniversary Studio Fair 2025, Northern BC’s Finest Professional Artisan Fair goes Friday, Oct. 31 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 1 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 2 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the CN Centre. This event is presented by the Prince George & District Community Arts Council as their annual fundraiser to support the programs available throughout the North. Discover one-of-a-kind quality, handcrafted items – delectable gourmet food, luxurious soaps and candles, unique and fashionable clothing and accessories, handcrafted home decor, first class pottery and wood craft, heirloom quality books and toys. B Entry fee is $10, children under 12 are free. Please bring non-perishable food items for the local food bank.

Limelight, Spires and Grande Maul goes Saturday, Nov. 1 at 9 p.m. at the Legion 43 PG, 101-1116 Sixth Ave. Fresh off their debut release local powerhouse indie rock band Limelight will perform along with alt-rock child of

Nathan Kelly, Danny Bell, and Connor Pritchard - Grande Maul and also the debut performance from local power duo Spires which features Rabbitt Soup and Johnny Bo Bonny of Kate Pike and the Loose Boots fame. Dress up and get weird. Doors at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door. For tickets visit www.madloon.ca/tickets/ limelight-grande-maul-and-spires

Shaken Spirits goes Saturday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. at Knox Performance Centre, 1448 Fifth Ave. A night of Song and Spirits from Nove Voce and Tofino Craft Distillery. Tastings will include gin, cedar gin, whiskey, jalapeno vodka, limoncello and absinthe. For those 19+. Tickets at www.eventbrite.ca/e/ shaken-spirits-tickets

Russell Peters: RELAX World Tour goes Thursday, Nov. 6 at 8 p.m. at CN Centre. Comedy superstar Russell Peters brings his critically acclaimed tour to Prince George. Known for his razor-sharp wit, hilarious cultural observations, and unforgettable crowd work this is chance to see one of the world’s top comedians live. For tickets visit www.ticketsnorth.evenue.net/ RussellPeters.

Coldsnap presents Jeremy Dutcher on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. at Knox Performance Centre, 1448 Fifth Ave. Two-time Polaris Music Prize winner, Jeremy Dutcher is a classically trained tenor, Two-Spirit song carrier, polymuse, activist, ethnomusicologist, and member of Neqotkuk (Tobique First Nation) in Eastern Canada. Jeremy’s music transcends boundaries: unapologetically playful in its incorporation of classical and jazz influences, full of reverence for the traditional songs of his home, and teeming with the urgency of modern-day resistance. For tickets visit www.coldsnapfestival.tickit.ca/ jeremy-dutcher.

Winter Gathering goes Saturday, Nov. 8 at 4 p.m. at the House of Ancestors Conference Centre and Café, 355 Vancouver St. Local vendors will be selling handmade, unique gifts just in time for the holidays. Discover cozy

winter décor, artisan treats, handcrafted jewelry, and more while enjoying a family-friendly, festive atmosphere. Support small businesses, explore the creativity of Northern BC. This is a free event hosted by the Vendor Vault.

Free Food Preservation Workshops go every Thursday and is presented by PG Aboriginal Business Development Centre, 1200 LaSalle Avenue. Want to learn how to make jam or pickle fresh veggies? No experience is needed. Just bring your curiosity. Participants will learn jam-making and vegetable pickling step by step. All supplies are provided and everything made will be shared among participants to take home.

Building community skills, one jar at a time. RSVP by calling Cheryl Doering at 250-562-6325 to register.

Craft & Chat at the main branch of the Prince George Public Library goes every Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. in the

magazine corner, second floor, where fibre artists are invited to bring their latest projects to share, vent frustrations, brag about successes, get and give help and join in lively discussions. Snacks provided. This event is in partnership with Great Northwest Fibre Fest.

Myeloma Support Group goes every third Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. at Commonwealth Financial, 575 Victoria St. Everyone is welcome who has been diagnosed, those who are caregivers, family members and friends. Wheelchair accessible parking at the back of the building. For more information call Viv Lougheed at 250-981-2618.

If you’ve got an event coming up email us at news@pgcitizen.ca to offer details including name of the event, the date, time and location, ticket price and where to get them and a little bit about what’s happening, too. LOCF

A magical night

Exploring a world of fantasy at the Alexanderite Cauldron Ball

CITIZEN PHOTOS BY CHUCK NISBETT

ABOVE: Shadow market vendor Melissa Webstad of Melissa’s Enchantments displays her work at the fantasy-fiction-focused event, which featured dancing, music, books, crafts and costumes.

LEFT TOP: Peter Wheedon and Paz Milburn demonstrate a formal waltz.

LEFT BOTTOM: Sydney Anderson (left) and Catlin Henkel enjoy the night as their fantasy characters, complete with homemade bat wings and fangs.

BELOW: Ashleigh Wall (left) and Caitlin Pedde, the organizers of the Alexandrite Cauldron Book Ball, make their grand entrance to kick off the event,held Saturday, Oct. 18 at the Sandman Hotel.

Studio Fair at CN Centre: Bigger and better than ever

The annual artisans’ extravaganza is back for its 50th year

CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen Staff

It seems like every year people are looking to get ready for Christmas earlier and earlier — and that means trying to figure out what to get those hard-tobuy-for people on your list.

Studio Fair is the Prince George & District Community Arts Council (CAC) signature event that sees more than 300 local, provincial and national artisans all under the CN Centre roof during a threeday event that will have something for everyone.

Going back to the 10 a.m. start on the first day of the fair gives everyone those extra hours on Friday, Oct. 31 to get a head start on browsing the vendors’ wares.

The early start time on Friday allows retired seniors to access the fair when it’s less crowded.

“It’s open to everyone but if you have mobility issues, this gives you a little bit of extra time to get your shopping done before the big crowds hit on Saturday and Sunday,” said Lisa Redpath, CAC program manager.

“There’s plenty of places to sit and lots of room for mobility devices so just take your time.”

There is an expansion of the floor plan that sees the lower concourse outside of the rink space made accessible for vendors to set up their booths.

“So you can go all the way around the outer circle now,” Redpath said.

“And thank you to Sheldon at Central Display and the CN Centre staff for making that possible because they are golden in my mind. This is an event that has a lot of moving parts and I am so grateful for the team — that includes our staff here, and the volunteers and our board but that’s also the contractors and our venue’s staff — we couldn’t do it without them. When I think about this being our 50th anniversary I am so grateful that we have a team in place to move this event forward, past 50 and I feel we have all put a mark on it where I know it’s still going to be here in 50 years.”

Redpath thinks back on Studio Fair’s history when it was first hosted in the Jack Bryant Room at the Studio 2880 complex on 15th Avenue 50 years ago.

“Then it moved to the Civic Centre and for those ladies that did that work I feel I have an obligation to sustain that growth and then move it forward into the event it is now at CN Centre,” Redpath said.

“So I take that really seriously.”

There are a lot of new vendors attending Studio Fair this year.

“I think when people come to Studio Fair they look for the chocolates, they

look for the jewelry and the pottery and all of these components they look for year after year and everybody has their favourite vendor so we make sure to showcase everyone properly,” Redpath said.

“Curating this event is not just about adding spaces to the floor plan, it’s making sure that everybody gets seen. So we balance the food products with the artisan-based products. We do have a lot of pottery and we know it’s all different so we find space for all of them. We are extremely fortunate to have in this region really high-calibre potters, which is a unique feature in the North.”

Part of the Prince George & District Community Arts Council’s mandate is to operate and maintain a creative arts facility that serves the needs of local artists, cultural organizations and residents of the area. To that end, Prince George community groups, guilds and non-profit organizations are always showcased prominently during Studio Fair.

“These groups join us every year and they are our priority because this is who we serve as we provide support and advocacy for all the guilds from wood turners to fibre artists, potters and even the Federation of Canadian Artists, the Artists Co Op, Miracle Theatre and the Coldsnap Music Festival — who are all so essential to the community so they are showcased in

the prime spot in the inner circle of the upper concourse.”

There are many organizations and guilds that will teach people their craft.

“They will share their knowledge and offer workshops,” Redpath said. “Their memberships are quite strong and they are extremely important to the community.”

Some organizations set up at Studio Fair to sell their tickets to upcoming productions, which make great gifts, she added.

“I’d like to highlight we’re not the only show in town,” Redpath said.

“I want people to go out and support local artists wherever they find them. Studio Fair is the one that kicks off the season but there are so many local fairs and I highly encourage everyone to go and support those local artisans.”

This is the Prince George & District Community Arts Council’s main fundraiser, so admission to the event goes towards providing a variety of programs in the region.

Studio Fair hours are Friday, Oct. 31 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 1 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 2 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $10 per person; children 12 years old and under are free. Patrons are invited to bring non-perishable food items for the local food bank.

For more information, visit www. studio2880.com

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

The floor of CN Centre and the concourse will once again fill up with booths as Studio Fair takes place Oct. 31 to Nov. 2. There are more than 300 local, provincial and national artists and artisans selling their wares as well as several local non-profit organizations selling tickets to events and showcasing their services.

Medal of Good Citizenship for Miracle Theatre founders

Anne Laughlin and Ted Price give theatre proceeds to charity

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

Anne Laughlin and Ted Price, the longtime owners and operators of Miracle Theatre, were presented with the BC Medal of Good Citizenship on Friday, Oct. 17 by Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Kelly Green.

The ceremony, held at Studio 2880, brought out approximately 30 friends, family members and supporters like Mayor Simon Yu and former MLA Shirley Bond.

The couple was given the award for their outstanding work in the community, including raising approximately $1,064,000 over the years for causes including hospice care, child development, wildfire preparedness, childcare and senior care across Prince George since 1994.

This money was raised primarily through plays put on by Miracle Theatre, which gives 100 per cent of the proceeds to charitable causes determined by the couple.

“I think it’s really important for this recognition of a provincial award, of volunteers that go above and beyond to really make a tremendous impact in communities like Prince George,” Green said. “Coming to Prince George and meeting two amazing volunteers who have put together a program that can support so many different initiatives in the community, meeting those unmet needs. I think it’s just really special and it’s such an honour to be able to be here.”

The medal is presented to people who are nominated by community members and then selected by a committee that reviews the various nominees before selecting 18 British Columbians to receive the award.

Green was also very impressed with both Laughlin and Price’s commitment to volunteerism in the city.

“I was able to read about them, some of the information that was given to us by their nominator, and it was really amazing,” Green said.

“It was very touching about how they’ve created not just a love of arts and culture, but also that deep community engagement, which has obviously really taken off because of the wild amount of support I’ve seen in the room, as well as the amount of funds that they’ve been able to raise — over a million dollars to many different really worthwhile initiatives. I just think it’s tremendous.”

Price and Laughlin spoke to The Citizen and said that receiving the honour was bigger than just the two of them.

“It has importance to me, and I believe Ted feels the same way, but I think it’s important for Prince George,” said Laughlin. “It’s this community that supports Ted and me so that we can make a difference. So today’s congratulations to us — but I think it’s congratulations to Prince George as well.”

They received the call that they were chosen as the winners of the award in July and were pleasantly surprised, as

work Miracle Theatre does would not be possible without the community and those who showed up to support them at the event.

“Not only are these volunteers, but they’re people we’re so fond of — they really are exceptional people,” said Price. “They’re generous, they’re kind, they’re skilled, and it’s really the foundation of what allows us to go forward with both the fundraising for the community and creating theatre for the community. There’s that old cliché — couldn’t have done it without you. It’s absolutely true, theatre is a team sport and this is our team, and in many cases, people that are our best friends and that we love.”

He also explained that he is doubly grateful to the community in Prince George, as theatre is difficult to make — especially in a community that is more isolated like Prince George.

they at first thought the message was bad news.

“The last time I got a call like that, a call came in and it was a message to phone this person in Victoria, it was actually about property tax. Somehow, our homeowner grant had gone sideways and we had to get that straightened out. So we thought, oh, no, another hassle. Then, of course, it was the opposite,” said Price.

Price wanted to emphasize that the

“The community is just so generous and supportive,” said Price. “People in the theatre world and other communities, when they find out what we’re doing, and particularly the amount of funds that we raise through the community’s generosity to support non-profits, they say, ‘How do you do that? How do you make theatre?’ Because theatre is really tough. All the arts are really tough to make work financially. It’s really only a small part of what we do. It’s the generosity of the community and how we just rally together — and then it happens.”

CITIZEN PHOTO BY MATTHEW HILLIER

Anne Laughlin and Ted Price wear their BC Medals of Good Citizenship after the presentation ceremony at Studio 2880 on Friday, Oct. 17.

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY CHRISTINE DALGLEISH

Anne Laughlin (left) and Ted Price (right) of Miracle Theatre present $191,141.10 to support Ukrainian refugees to Eva Gillis, chair of the Share Hope Committee, and Mindy Stroet of the Community Foundation in 2023.

See the sights with accessible Carefree Society tours

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

A local non-profit is taking an innovative approach to providing accessibility to those in Prince George.

The Carefree Society, a non-profit that specializes in accessible transport for seniors and people with disabilities, has announced it will be launching a fully accessible sightseeing service for people with mobility or accessibility challenges.

“Tours are something that have been greatly needed in Prince George, so it’s exciting to see Carefree Society taking the lead,” says Carmen Herman, interim CEO of Tourism Prince George. “By making these tours accessible and community-based, they’re ensuring that everyone can explore our community together.”

Set to launch in November, the tour will operate with two to three pre-scheduled trips per week, offering scenic and educational tours of Prince George — its amenities, venues and events.

Tour services will include the following:

• Wheelchair-accessible vehicles and boarding

• Friendly direct support and facilitation of rider requirements

• Allows rider accompaniment

• Subsidized or free seats for low-income riders

• Destinations people want to visit Christos Vardacostas, the executive director of Carefree Society, spoke with The Citizen about the company’s inspiration behind this new barrier-breaking service.

“The idea started with things like the Ancient Forest and the Huble Homestead and Barkerville,” said Vardacostas.

“Many people are interested in going to these places and they’re not accessible. There are a lot of people who can’t participate in society. Part of this pilot project essentially is to also identify people that are in need that don’t actually have the access … There might not be an affordable form of transportation,

and where they live might also actually contribute to them not being able to access viable transportation.

“But furthermore, it’s that part about a social connection and the idea of bringing people together to do this. It’s both that they don’t have access and also bringing people together.”

In addition to providing access to those who may not have it, the tours are also planning to provide subsidized or free seats for those with financial difficulties.

“I think in principle, we don’t really want to be charging people what they can afford,” said Vardacostas. “By its very essence, we don’t want to be out of reach in terms of affordability. At the same time, it’s understood that transportation — particularly transportation delivered through a non-profit and charity — is not something where we’d be trying to recover the entire cost to an individual who can only pay what they can afford. So we have to find creative ways of subsidizing the seats, because that is essentially our purpose — to be able to be accessible and to be inclusive.”

So far, the tour has the Ancient Forest planned as a destination, but Vardacostas noted that more locations in Prince George and the surrounding region may be added to the roster in November and the following months.

“It’s to be determined still, but we have a Christmas lights tour,” said Vardacostas. “Then also going through the different venues in Prince George. Whether we can hit a hockey game, a play — all these different types of things. It is the expanse of getting out into nature, anything that’s cultural or heritage-related … As well, to be able to recreate — so to get out there, period — and get people out and promote recreation. We hope to get into arts as well.”

Another focus of the project is to get those with accessibility issues in Prince George to see more of the surrounding region, which Vardacostas noted can be a challenge for people facing disabilities.

“Overall, the way it started is basically to focus on destinations outside of Prince George,” said Vardacostas. “That’s both people in Prince George

and outside of Prince George getting to see destinations outside of Prince George. But with the winter coming, we have to be considerate of people wanting to do things indoors.”

Supporters for this project include Lheidli T’enneh, Prince George Council of Seniors, AimHi, Canadian Mental Health Association, BCSS PG, Prince George Brain Injured Group, Spinal Cord Injury BC, Tourism Prince George, and Prince George Transit.

However, despite expansive community support, Vardacostas said they are always looking for both volunteers and donations from the local community.

“We really look forward to initiating the service and connecting with community and engaging people that want to give, engaging people that want to volunteer — and of course, firstly, to initiate riders,” said Vardacostas. “Anybody who thinks that they might need this service or will be referring it to somebody else should be contacting us.”

To donate via e-transfer, volunteer or sign up for the new tour service, email book@carefreesociety.org

Seniors take part in a tour of the Ancient Forest. The Carefree Society is

tions.

Urban Alchemy metalsmith creating wearable art

CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen Staff

Bashing metal into submission — making a lump of what looks like lead into something ethereally beautiful — is what Urban Alchemy is all about.

Describing a feature of her handcrafted jewelry as “brantlers,” an amalgamation of branches and antlers, depicts someone who is filled with a creative flow of the heavy metal kind. With love and intention, Briana Mercier is the creative mind behind Urban Alchemy.

She is a metalsmith whose everyday jewelry and statement pieces are equally impactful.

Her love of artistic endeavours started at a young age.

“Mom really fostered that,” Mercier said.

“My grandma was an artist — painting, drawing, poetry — who put herself through art school in the ’70s, and my mother was inherently that creative person. If you meet her, you would see her art form is how she dresses. She always had something very tactile for us to do as kids, and I think that’s really important — I do that with my kids, too, and even more so now that we aren’t using our hands in the same way we used to — like learning how to do cursive writing — to instil that eye-hand coordination. Even when I do write something down, it stays in my mind better than just typing it on the computer.”

Mom dabbled in the arts and Dad was a welder-pipefitter, she added.

“So it all kind of ties in — my brother is a welder and my sister also makes precious-metal jewelry,” Mercier said.

“This is a passion. That hands-on ability to see something from inception in your mind come to fruition. Having it come from just a little spark of an idea and then it takes shape — maybe I won’t speak for all metalsmiths or goldsmiths — but there has to be a passion and a love for the process or else really why are you doing this?”

Sure, there might be a small paycheque at the end of it, but there are easier ways to make a living, Mercier added.

People might not think about what it takes to make handmade jewelry when they look at the beautiful piece of artwork.

“It’s a dirty process — it’s filthy,” Mercier laughed.

“Usually you look like a hobbit or a gremlin when you’re doing it. When you polish, you’re all covered up and you have your mask on, but underneath you’re all black. It’s a very base experience when you’re making it, as opposed to what it ends up being — it’s such a disparity, a dichotomy from what you

I absolutely love — and you’re making it into something that is now able to be worn. But there’s a power to it — you’ve harnessed this beautiful power within it and now someone is wearing it again. It’s those talisman pieces.”

Mercier shared a recent encounter with a man who had sadly lost both his parents.

The man brought in his parents’ wedding rings so Mercier could create bands for him and his bride.

“He adored his parents, who had such a wonderful love story — so now they could wear those bands so his parents’ love story is now reincorporated into their love story,” Mercier said.

“I have to find meaning in everything I do or why am I doing it? And recycling in that way is all about the stories held within the pieces.”

Silver is Mercier’s go-to precious metal for the creation of her unique pieces.

“Silver is fun because you can do larger projects and you can really explore,” Mercier said.

started with, right?”

Mercier doesn’t just make original pieces — she also recycles and does heirloom rebuilds.

“People will bring me Gramma’s jewelry that they may have and realize it’s a precious metal, it’s expensive, and say let’s make something out of this,” Mercier said.

“Other times there is such a sentimental connection to a piece — it’s an inanimate object but we’ve held so much within it — and you’re taking it because it wasn’t wearable and you’re melting it — which is such a cool process that

“Copper is a nice base beginning. It’s very malleable and if something doesn’t work out — it’s just copper, you know? Then you work up into sterling silver and you can do larger pieces. You’re not as concerned about the weight of it — because gold has gone up 3,000 per cent — it’s really wild how expensive it is. I do love working in silver. For the most part I work predominantly in silver. I do little pieces in gold like engagement rings or smaller, more refined pieces, but I really love to explore in silver. You can do a lot of organic shapes and if it doesn’t work out you can melt it and start again.”

Mercier is heavily influenced by nature.

“It is the most wondrous muse because everything shifts and changes,” Mercier explained.

“Sometimes you don’t know why you are so called to make it but then people will come to you and they’ll see something you didn’t see,” Mercier said.

CITIZEN PHOTO BY CHRISTINE DALGLEISH

Briana Mercier of Urban Alchemy creates wearable art by repurposing jewelry pieces that no longer serve their owner.

Susan Folk works on picking beads for a bracelet while Hannah Reis, 8, colours a picture at the Taylor Swift The Life of a Showgirl listening party held at the Coast Hotel Ballroom to raise money for the Salvation Army Food Bank Sunday, October 19, 2025. Swift’s new album is a massive hit, with 10 of its songs filling the Billboard top 10 last week.

‘Little miracles’ inspire latest series from local artisan Taylor Swift fans raise funds for the Salvation Army

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

“That can happen when you’re so invested in something and you’re not really seeing it and then you step back or someone else comes in and says, ‘Oh, but it’s just like this.’”

Soon making its debut is a new limited series inspired by nature that demonstrates the little miracles that can grow from the scorched earth of a wildfire.

“They are a labour of love because they are very tedious,” Mercier said about the tiny mushroom earrings in her hand.

“I’ve been working on so many commissions that I haven’t had time to build anything of what I’ve had brewing.

Not only are they fun and have a lot of three-dimensionality, they are lightweight and they sit just right,” Mercier said of the little treasures with great affection.

“I felt very called to make them.”

She has some words of wisdom for

newbies.

“For new metalsmiths, new goldsmiths, you might have a vision for that pair of earrings but you put it on that ear and it is heavy. Keep in mind not only are you making art, but you are also making it wearable, which is another facet of the process.”

What inspired her latest series was her mom showing her an image an artist had created of the wildfire-ravaged

forest floor.

“One of the first things to grow back is mushrooms and moss, and they help to rebuild the forest floor to make those trees come back. So in this picture she had done these mushrooms, but underneath it shows the level where it’s all connected to the rest of the trees and how it fed them through underground mycelium connection. I just thought that was so beautiful, and it’s a nice

reminder for us. So for me, a lot of these newer pieces I am building — it’s that talisman — what can I take from what I am seeing to have as a talisman to wear on my body? Because we are — not all of us — very superstitious, and if you’re going to have something, why not have something with some meaning?”

When customers speak with Mercier about their favourite pieces, it’s obvious there’s a connection.

“My customers talk about the feeling of the piece they are wearing,” Mercier said. “So that ties in with the pieces I am making now — it’s all about connection.”

Meet Mercier in person at the Artisans in the Greenhouse event at Art Knapp Plantland on Oct. 25 and 26. For more information about Urban Alchemy, the workshops she offers for the do-it-yourselfer, and the pieces she creates, visit www.uajewelry.com

CITIZEN PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

CITIZEN PHOTO BY CHRISTINE DALGLEISH

Briana Mercier of Urban Alchemy creates wearable art like these necklaces created with recycled precious metals whenever she can.

Petition leads to action on Jail Hill, but efforts continue

More lights needed and the median is a new problem for some

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

A petition started last November calling for wildlife safety improvements on the section of Highway 16 between the Yellowhead Bridge and Boundary Road led to improvements such as wildlife warning signs and brush clearing, but more can be done, says its originator.

Natalie Anthony said better lighting is needed as there are still frequent reports of wildlife collisions along the Jail Hill section, particularly at night.

“The lighting is so important because first of all, everyone who drives in that area — the whole community has just said it’s pitch black, some people call it driving into the abyss,” said Anthony. “Lighting is so important there because it gives drivers a critical few seconds to react, and that can be the difference between avoiding a collision and hitting an animal. Now that the pre-rut is underway, deer are becoming more active. We know this because last year we saw multiple wildlife collisions daily on the same stretch of road, and without proper lighting, it’s almost certain to happen again.”

Calls for improved lighting on this section were one of the original requests made by Anthony and have yet to be implemented. Despite her petition being nearly a year old, she is still getting frequent reports of wildlife collisions and deaths.

“It doesn’t surprise me because I was worried that this would happen again,” said Anthony. “I’m still new to Prince George, but like last year when this was happening, it was around rut and pre-rut time. And so here we are again in the fall and it’s picking up again. After doing the changes that they did in the spring — like the brush clearing and the median and even the deer warning signs — it still hasn’t fixed the problem. So I still feel like I have to finish what I started.”

The stretch of Highway 16 east of Prince George known as Jail Hill has had improvements made since a petition started circulating to draw attention to wildlife deaths.

One of the improvements that was not requested was the installation of a concrete median between the lanes — something that Anthony approves of but has said has caused issues for other drivers along Jail Hill.

“In my personal experience, I feel better with the median,” said Anthony. “I feel better about it because of the head-on collision prevention. If someone doesn’t respond appropriately to wildlife on the road and they swerve instead of using their brakes, they could have a head-on collision that way. I personally feel better with the median, but it didn’t fix the problem with the wildlife. I thought maybe it would deter them a little bit, but the community is saying that in their experience, the wildlife is like confused on the road now. So they’re like standing on the road longer and they’re more confused. It’s making things worse — that’s their experience.”

Another issue with the median is that it also prevents drivers from scanning both sides of the road — an issue that local Penny Cartwright, who has been driving this stretch for more than 20 years, said resulted in a member of her family colliding with a deer.

“There’s a lot of wildlife on that road, but you always seem to see it before you come close to hitting it,” said Cartwright. “Then they went and put up these barricades down the centre, and you can’t see the other side of the

to Quesnel or McBride. They’re going on a highway to get home. When there’s a barricade there, blocking that other opposite side of the highway where an animal can jump — no problem — they have no idea how to see over there. If it’s possible to see over there, they’re still learning. So you’re increasing the risk of a new driver getting in an accident before they have a chance to even learn to fully drive.”

Anthony, while thankful for the new additions, is still working towards getting the lights installed and has recently been updating BC’s transportation minister on the issue.

highway at night at all. I have had many near misses. My husband has had a few. We’ve seen multiple dead animals on the side of the highway, and then my son was coming up the highway, and literally, a deer hopped over that barricade. He was in the fast lane passing a lady who was going slower than him. He was doing about 102, and the deer hopped over that barricade. He had no warning of it because you can’t see that side.”

She added that a lack of lighting also compounds this issue with the median.

“That section of the highway — it would be fabulous to have lights,” said Cartwright. “You go up the Hart — any highway of the Hart, even the back (on) Foothills — there’s lights all the way out. Here we’ve got a major highway that has hundreds of thousands of people who live out here. Neither of the highways has lights all the way up the hill. It does not make sense to me.”

Cartwright said new businesses could mean the highway may be busier in the future, highlighting the need for this new lighting and a possible alteration to the median in place.

She also said this road poses a danger to new drivers.

“I think it’s an urgent thing because the number of people that live up here and the new drivers that are coming are still learning how to scan your areas while you’re driving,” said Cartwright. “They’re not going on a highway to get

“I sent MLA Mike Farnworth an update, just letting him know that the community is disappointed that lighting wasn’t added when the median went in,” said Anthony. “They were doing electrical work to put lights on the end of the median. That would have been a really good time to add a few extra lights as well, because they were already doing the electrical. I just let him know that the problem is still here. We’re still having a lot of wildlife collisions. It’s a notorious stretch and hoping that we could start with some lighting, and I also gave some other suggestions as well on what the community is asking for. I’m just being a voice for the community.”

Anthony emphasized that if you see or collide with an animal, you should report it to Yellowhead Road and Bridge (YRB).

“There are 1,235 and counting community members who have all signed the petition,” said Anthony. “Going forward, they can add some more lights around the bends in the curve specifically, but if they could light up all of Jail Hill — like, that would be even better. Then also sometimes when people hit deer, they don’t know to who they should report — they should report it to YRB. Then they have that data that they can share with the ministry to back up what we’re saying.”

For more information or to sign the petition, visit www.change.org/p/callfor-safety-improvements-on-the-hazardous-section-of-highway-16-in-princegeorge-bc/u/33956064

Throwback Thursday: Week of October 23

Oct. 23, 1963: Rt. Rev. R.S. Dean, Bishop of Cariboo (left), presented the certification of dedication to Canon T.D. Allen, centre, of the new St. Michael and All Angels church during its dedication ceremony. Also taking part were Prince George architect Jolyon Briggs (second from left), who designed the building, and assistant rector Eugene Diespecker at right. CITIZEN FILE

22, 1982:

a

Oct. 23, 2002: The Cougars’ top scoring line of, from left, Jonathan Filewich, Blake Robson and Tyler Redenbach combined for an eight-point night in an 8-7 victory over the Saskatoon Blades at what was then known as the Prince George Multiplex. CITIZEN FILE

Oct. 24, 2014: Haley Piano, 4, had a chance to meet TV characters Toopy and Binoo at the University Hospital of Northern BC. Toopy and Binoo were appearing at the CN Centre that night as part of their Fun and Games tour. CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN

PHOTO BY ROY FUJIKAWA

PHOTO BY DAVE MILNE

Oct.

Janusz Polanin, left, and Supi Peter were part of

crew collecting loose boards that ended up in the Fraser River after a train derailed just south of the Highway 16 bridge. CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY DAVE MILNE

Clinical health ethicists help bring clarity to complexity

COURTENAY HOPSON Northern Health

Have you ever faced an ethical dilemma — one of those moments where the “right” answer isn’t so clear? In health care, these moments happen every day.

Whether it’s navigating end-of-life decisions, balancing patient autonomy with medical advice, or addressing conflicting values among care teams, ethical dilemmas are a common challenge. That’s where clinical ethicists come in. With compassion, curiosity and a deep respect for human dignity, they help guide patients, families and health care professionals through the grey areas of care.

We asked Esther Alonso-Prieto, lead for the ethics service in Northern Health, to share a bit about her role.

How would you describe your role as a clinical ethicist?

As a clinical ethicist, I walk alongside patients, families and care teams when the path forward isn’t clear. My role is to help people navigate the tough questions that go beyond clinical knowledge — the ones that don’t have easy answers. I listen, I ask, I reflect. I help make space for values, voices and stories to guide decisions in moments of uncertainty.

Sometimes that means leading ethics consultations. Other times, it’s offering education, shaping policy or simply holding space for moral reflection. I work across disciplines, weaving together clinical knowledge, ethical principles and human experience to support care that is not only medically

sound, but also deeply respectful of our shared humanity.

In short: I help bring clarity to complexity, and compassion to the heart of care.

What do you like most about your job?

What I love most is being able to help

people find clarity and compassion in moments of deep uncertainty. Every day brings a new question, a new story, a new challenge – and with it, the chance to listen, to reflect and to guide. There’s something profoundly meaningful about supporting respectful dialogue when emotions run high and the stakes are deeply personal. In those

moments, I’m grounded by a lifelong respect for justice, fairness and human dignity — even when the answers are far from simple.

What draws me in again and again is the privilege of holding that space where science meets humanity. To walk with people through the unknown, offering not just answers, but presence — with compassion, respect and hope at the centre of it all.

What do you want others to know about your job?

A lot of people think health care ethics is about saying “yes” or “no” to hard questions, but really it’s about exploring the why behind our choices in the health care context. Ethics helps us ask better questions, not just find the “right” answers. It’s about reflection, dialogue and understanding what truly matters to the people involved — and how to ensure we build a better world together.

Ethics consultations often involve more listening than talking. We’re not there to hand out verdicts — we’re there to help people feel heard, supported and understood.

Clinical ethicists make up an important part of the allied health care team. To learn more about the wide range of allied health professionals involved in the health care system, check out Allied Health Professions and Occupations –Province of British Columbia.

This article was developed with the assistance of Chloe Lam and Audrey Su, two Master of Nutrition and Dietetics students from the University of British Columbia.

Changes coming to Quesnel Urgent and Primary Care Centre

NORTHERN HEALTH

Northern Health is adopting a triage model of care at the Quesnel UPCC. Under this model, urgent primary care patients will be registered and triaged by a nurse upon arrival.

Depending on the patient’s needs,

they may be seen at the UPCC on the same day by a physician, nurse practitioner, nurse or other health professional.

Patients will be seen in order of urgency, rather than in order of arrival.

Patients with less-urgent primary care needs, such as routine prescription

renewals or treatment for minor ailments, may be booked for an appointment the following day or referred to see their most responsible provider, pharmacist, or other community resource.

Some appointments will be provided remotely by phone or video conference.

Under the current service model, patients are routinely turned away from the UPCC once all the available appointments for the day have been filled.

The Quesnel UPCC hours will continue to be Monday to Friday, noon to 8 p.m., and Saturday, Sunday, and statutory holidays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

NORTHERN HEALTH PHOTO

Esther Alonso-Prieto, is the lead for Northern Health’s ethics services. In a Q&A, she explains her role and why it’s important.

Regional district eyes joining provincial health review

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

The Fraser-Fort George Regional Hospital District Board voted at its Thursday, Oct. 16 meeting to consider joining a Nanaimo-based group’s call for regional hospital districts to be involved in a provincial review of health authorities.

Attached to the meeting agenda was a letter dated Oct. 6 from Kevin Pilger of the Corcan Meadowood Residents Association, which is located within the Regional District of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, to Health Minister Josie Osbourne.

Copies of the letter were also sent to Premier David Eby, Nanaimo MLA Sheila Malcolmson and all the province’s regional hospital districts.

Pilger said in the letter that his organization was pleased to see the province’s June 10 announcement that it was expanding its previously-announced

review of administrative spending and resources for front-line patient care within the health-care system to include the five health authorities.

He requested that the province include regional hospital districts and the legislation governing them, the Hospital District Act, in the review.

While the districts directly fund the purchase of medical equipment and infrastructure through taxation, Pilger said that “little information is received by the public on how the hospital portion of their property taxes go to fund the RHDs except when the government fails to fulfil an election promise … or, when provincial funding fails to materialize.”

Furthermore, Pilger argues that saddling property owners with 40 per cent of health-care costs conflicts with the concept of universal health care required by the federal Canada Health Act and is something no other province requires.

New services available for youth as Foundry opens in Burns Lake

CITIZEN STAFF

Young people in Burns Lake and surrounding communities now have improved access to critical mental-health and substance-use services with the grand opening of Foundry Burns Lake, a new centre dedicated to supporting youth aged 12 to 24 and their families.

Operated by Carrier Sekani Family Services (CSFS), the Indigenous-led centre offers free, confidential, and culturally informed health and wellness supports.

Located at 686 McPhail Rd., it serves youth across the territories of Ts’il Kaz Koh First Nation, Lake Babine Nation, Wet’suwet’en First Nation, Cheslatta Carrier Nation, Nee Tahi Buhn Indian Band, and Skin Tyee First Nation.

“Young people today are navigating an increasingly complex world,” said

Then, he referenced a Citizen article about the six chairs of the northern regional hospital districts — including Fraser-Fort George’s Joan Atkinson — sending a letter to Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma requesting legislative reform on the funding model to ease their residents’ tax burden.

At its Thursday, Sept. 18 meeting, Fraser-Fort George’s board voted to sign a memorandum of understanding with Cariboo-Chilcotin, North West, Northern Rockies, Peace River and Stuart Nechako hospital district boards committing to lobbying the province for funding model reform.

At the Oct. 16 Fraser-Fort George board meeting, Director Dannielle Alan (Robson Valley-Canoe) advocated for the board to voice its support for the letter as local property owners are taxed by all three levels of government for health care.

Director Art Kaehn (Woodpecker-Hixon) said it was good to see voices

from southern BC speaking on similar issues to those in the north.

From his experience with the Union of BC Municipalities, he said advocacy is more successful when people from different parts of the province speak out on an issue. He also agreed that the board should lend its support to the letter’s request.

Acting chair Kyle Sampson (City of Prince George) said that the letter was timed well as representatives from all the northern regional hospital districts have a meeting scheduled for Monday, Oct. 20.

He asked for the board to support a motion directing Atkinson and himself to bring the letter up during that meeting and then bring it back up for discussion at the next Fraser-Fort George meeting.

A motion directing Atkinson and Sampson to present the letter to their colleagues from other districts and report back was approved unanimously.

The Prince George Citizen right to your inbox.

Josie Osborne, minister of health, in a provincial announcement.

“Foundry centres create welcoming spaces where youth feel empowered to reach out for help, and where that courage is met with compassion and understanding.”

The province contributed ongoing operational funding and $875,000 in onetime start-up funding.

Foundry Burns Lake features integrated services including drop-in counselling, peer support, physical and sexual health care, and supports for education and employment. Youth can access services by dropping in or booking appointments online or via the Foundry BC app.

The centre is also home to a CSFS youth-services drop-in space and includes indoor and outdoor gathering areas designed to foster connection and community.

Local Sports

Cougars score four goals in 67 seconds for the win

TED CLARKE

Citizen Staff

The Prince George Cougars scored six third-period goals, striking four times in a 67-second span to start the final period and they went on to hammer the Tri-City Americans 9-3 Saturday in Kennewick, Wash.

Terik Parascak led the way with two goals and three assists and Kooper Gizowski collected a goal and three assists to move into the top-five in WHL scoring.

The Cougars were already on the power play when Americans defenceman Charlie Elick high-sticked Parascak right at the end of the second period, drawing blood and a double-minor

penalty.

Parascak was stitched up during the intermission and got the third-period explosion primed 1:29 after the puckdrop, redirecting a pass from Gizowski while standing off to the side of the net with 19 seconds left in a 5-on-3 advantage.

Goals followed from Bauer Dumanski, Carson Carels and Corbin Vaughan. Vaughan’s shot deflected in off Americans defenceman Jakub Vanecec was his first goal of the season since returning from an upper-body injury that kept him sidelined for three weeks.

“Junior hockey at its finest right there,” said Cougars assistant coach Carter Rigby. “The resilience and leadership from our group tonight was

fabulous. You lose Perry (Parascak) there for a little bit at the end of the second and then he gets back on the train to roll in the right direction. I t was a wild one, but proud of the group for sticking with it when it was tied in a tough barn and thankful to pull that one out.”

Parascak scored his second of the game later in the period, using Brock Souch as a decoy on a shorthanded 2-on-1 break, and Dmitri Yakutsenak capped the scoring tapping in a loose puck after fellow Russian Arseni Anisimov just missed tucking the puck in behind goalie Xavier Wendt.

Anisimov, a defenceman, finished with three assists.

Gizowski, 20, picked up where he left

off with his hat-trick performance in Friday’s 5-0 win in Seattle and he opened the scoring in Saturday’s game, picking the corner on goalie Ryan Grout with a close-range wrister to notch his ninth goal in nine games. Only Kamloops Blazers rookie JP Hurlburt has more goals (11) this season than Gizowski.

Brock Souch cued up a one-timer and Jett Lajoie followed that less than a minute later with his sixth this season, prompting a goalie switch from the Americans just past the six-minute mark.

The Americans got their offence going in the second period and scored three times. Savin Virk, on a power play, and Ismail Abougouche added an even-strength offering. Virk’s goal was the first power-play goal allowed by the Cougars in five games. They lead the WHL with a 91.7 per cent penalty kill efficiency rating.

They went 4-for-4 on the power play against the Americans and also led that league in that department, scoring on 41 per cent of their chances this season.

The Cougars were on the power play just before the end of the second period when the puck was cleared over the head of defenceman Carels and slid down the ice.

Carels caught up to it but was knocked down when pushed from behind by Jake Gudelj and Cruz Paveo pounced on the loose puck and whipped it past Josh Ravensbergen to tie it up 3-3.

Ravensbergen made 23 saves to improve his record to 4-2.

The Americans dropped to 2-6-0-0. The Cougars (7-2-0-0) have yet to lose on the road. All four wins away from home have come against US Division opponents.

The Cougars hosted the defending WHL-champion Medicine Hat Tigers Wednesday, then have a double date with the Seattle Thunderbirds at the CN Centre on Friday and Saturday.

HANDOUT PHOTO

Cougars defenceman Bauer Dumanski carries the puck with Tri-City Americans forward Crew Martinson in hot pursuit during their WHL game at Kennewick, Wash. on Saturday, Oct. 18.

Spruce Kings clip Clippers with pair of home victories

Evan Bellamy is back with the team after a short QMJHL stint

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

After starting the season in the QMJHL playing for the Baie-Comeau Drakkar, where he got caught up in a logjam of 20-year-olds, Evan Bellamy made a beeline for Prince George, a place he knows well.

Bellamy has returned to his old BC Hockey League stomping grounds playing defence for the Prince George Spruce Kings and his first weekend back was a memorable one for the New Brunswick native.

Bellamy had a goal and an assist to help the Kings to a 7-5 win over the Nanaimo Clippers Saturday night at Kopar Memorial Arena and was held off the scoreboard Sunday afternoon, but didn’t mind a bit.

His teammates got their fill from the goal trough in the rematch at Kopar and beat the Clippers 9-4.

Tai Ushio, who scored the game-winner Saturday, stoked the furnace with two goals and two assists on Sunday, defenceman Ojbez Rep counted four assists, and forwards Kazumo Sasaki and Spencer Masters each picked up a goal and two assists.

Spruce Kings goalie Ryder Green made 27 saves for his second win of the weekend as the Kings improved to 5-4-0-0.

For Bellamy, reunited on the ice with his 20-year-old defence partner Trent LeDrew, it was a triumphant return.

“It was great, first one of the season, it’s a great group of guys and I couldn’t be happier to be back in Prince George,” said Bellamy, who played five games for the Drakkar this season.

Bellamy was one of the assistant captains in his second season with the Kings when he made the shift to Quebec on Jan. 20, accepting an offer from the Drakkar after the NCAA announced it would allow players with major junior experience on US college teams. That

radically changed the junior hockey landscape and no BCHL team came out of it unscathed with players flocking to CHL teams at midseason last year.

“It was a good experience, I just think it helped build me as a player and I’m just happy to keep on playing and be back with the Spruce Kings,” said Bellamy.

“It was fast hockey out there — physical — it’s an older league now so it just keeps getting better.”

Starting this season, BCHL teams are allowed up to nine 20-year-old players and both the Spruce Kings and Clippers have maxed out with overagers.

“The boys are moving the puck well and it is physical, I think the biggest difference (between the two leagues) is physicality because guys are older, grown-up and physically built,” said Bellamy.

“As you get older you get more patient and you know when to make those plays or jump up, or when to get that shot through or when to make those passes, just something I want to keep on adding to my toolbox as I move on.”

On Saturday, Ushio put the Kings ahead 6-5, 12:14 into the third period,

finishing off a rush into Nanaimo territory started by linemate Sasaki. Centre Marcus Lougheed gained the puck at the goal line and sent a perfect pass into the deep slot for Ushio, who rapped it through the legs of goalie Eliot Seguin-Lescarbeau.

The Kings iced it with an empty-netter. Carter Hesselgrave won the face-off in the PG end and Bellamy chipped the puck up the left wing. Mason Loewen won a footrace with defenceman Nathan Larioza and whacked it in the unguarded cage.

The two losses dropped the Clippers’ record to 5-5-1-0.

The Spruce Kings’ league-leading power play was as a huge factor in the weekend series. They went 3-for-5 on Saturday and 4-for-7 Sunday and are now firing at 40.5 per cent success rate, scoring on 17 of 42 opportunities through nine games.

“The power play bailed us out (Saturday),” said Kings head coach Brad Tesink.

“It’s continuing to grow and develop as we approach each weekend but I think those guys have the right mindset, they’re playing within our structure and we’re allowing our skill to take over.

I think if the guys come in detail-orientated with the right mindset, we definitely have the skill have one of the top power plays in the league.”

Ushio, Sasaki, Ben Vreugdenhil and Spencer Masters all filled the net on power plays Sunday.

The Kings narrowly outshot the Clippers 32-31.

Just as they did Saturday, the Clippers scored first in the second game. Samuel Brosvert collected the first of three power-play markers for the visitors, 5:52 in. But it was all Spruce Kings after that. They scored five unanswered goals — three on power plays — to take a 5-1 lead after 40 minutes. In that five-goal flurry, Dominic Szczygiel and former Prince George Cougar defenceman Fraser Leonard scored their first BCHL goals.

Ushio scored his seventh and eighth of the season in the third period, and Mathis Laplante and Ryan Wachtel also put pucks behind Clipper goalie Riley Dryden in the final frame. Clippers Jack Rimmer, Charles Beland and Hayden Fechner scored their goals in the third period.

CITIZEN PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

Spruce Kings right winger Mathis Laplante’s shot sails past the left shoulder of Clippers goalie Dryden Riley to find the back of the net at Kopar Memorial Arena Sunday, Oct. 19.

College Heights Cougars tuning up for PG Bowl final

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

The College Heights Cougars were bigger, more seasoned and had strength in numbers working in their favour on the high school football field Saturday, Oct. 18 at Masich Place Stadium.

It all added up to a 56-6 win over the Shas Ti Kelly Road Grizzlies, and that booked the Cougars a spot into the PG Bowl championship final for the fourth consecutive year.

On a team loaded with high school seniors, Grade 10 linebacker/offensive lineman Liam Gomes distinguished himself with two touchdowns to lead the way for College Heights.

Gomes intercepted a Griphon Jewett-White pass in the first half and ran it back 10 yards across the goal line for his first major. Called into service as running back in the second half, Gomes scored his second touchdown in the third quarter on a 60-yard scamper — the longest run of the game.

Cougars quarterback Thomas Whiteman ran the ball into the end zone twice, while Troy Weatherly, Logan Dresen and Ty McCook also scored touchdowns.

McCook, who also handles placekicking duties, has been nursing a shoulder injury and Cougars head coach Grant Erickson was relieved to have him back in the lineup for Saturday’s game, played on a nasty wet and cold afternoon.

“He’s our No. 1 running back,” said

Erickson. “He’s a speedy back, a scatback. His stats don’t blow you away because he hasn’t played a lot, but he’s getting healthier by the week.

“The bye weeks have helped us.”

The Cougars led 45-0 at halftime.

The Grizzlies finally put together a touchdown drive to start the third quarter. Quarterback Jewett-White got

the running game going and handed off to Carter Morris and Luke Forseth, who combined on a series of runs to get the ball deep into College Heights territory. Damian Lippman finished it off with an end-zone run from two yards.

The lopsided score in the second half allowed Erickson to rest up some of his regulars giving his second-stringers

some extended playing time.

The Grizzlies will be back on the field at Masich Friday, Oct. 24 at 6:30 p.m. to face the North Division-leading Nechako Valley Vikings.

The BC High School Football Association North Division is down to just three teams this year and Shas Ti Kelly Road, under first-year head coach Steve Porter, has struggled to be competitive against the other two teams — College Heights and Nechako Valley — working with a small roster that’s been further depleted by injuries.

“Kelly Road doesn’t have a big team and you’ve got to hand it to those kids, they know the result every game but they still continue to play and they never quit and that’s good to see,” said Erickson.

“I have a lot of respect for Steve and what he’s done with that team and all those players that continue to push it on. It’s been tough for them.”

College Heights (2-3) will have a bye week to rest up a few minor aches and pains to get ready for the PG Bowl Northern Division championship game against the Nechako Valley Vikings, Saturday, Nov. 1 at 1 p.m. at Masich Place Stadium.

The Cougars filled out gaps in their schedule with a trip to Vernon Sept. 19, where they lost 20-14 to Clarence Fulton. They hosted the Vernon Panthers Sept. 26 at Masich Stadium and lost that one 48-7.

The Cougars defeated Nechako Valley 14-7 last year in the PG Bowl.

Lheidli Classic basketball tournament is back and bigger

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

From 10 teams last year to 20 teams this time around, the Lheidli Classic Indigenous Basketball Tournament has doubled its popularity.

The second annual event, Nov. 14-16 at three Prince George school gyms, features 14 men’s teams and six women’s teams.

Games will be played at Cedars Christian School, Prince George Secondary School and Duchess Park Secondary School.

But it’s not just a basketball tournament. It’s a cultural gathering of athletes, families and friends organized in partnership with the Lheidli T’enneh Nation.

Last year’s finalists, the Burnaby Chiefs will be back to try to defend their

inaugural title.

The Chiefs defeated Similkameen in the men’s final a year ago. Similkameen is also back for more.

Other teams in the men’s bracket include the Prince George United, Gitxat’in Fishers, Torchmen, Westcoast United, Nuxalk Braves, Noosik, Nation Warriors, Laxwalaams, Tl’kemcheen, Treaty 8 BC, Gitwinksihlkw and Nak’azdli Wolves.

The women’s bracket includes the host Skanii Athletic Club, Haisla, Junior Mystics, Nuxalk, Gitmidiic Thunder and Similkameen.

Attendance at the games is free.

An Indigenous/creator vendor market will be set up at Cedars School for local artisans to market their arts and crafts. Go to the Lheidli Classic Facebook page for team matchups and updates as the tournament progresses.

CITIZEN PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

Shas Ti Kelly Road running back Luke Forseth is tackled by CHSS defensive back Sam Gibson Saturday, Oct. 18 at Masich Place Stadium.

Regional district gives Caledonia $20K for Olympic trials

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George has joined the City of Prince George in providing financial support for Olympic trials later this year at Caledonia Nordic Ski Club.

Between Dec. 10 and 16, the ski club at 8141 Otway Rd. will host trials for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games being held in Milan and Cortina, Italy.

At its July 14 meeting, Prince George city council approved a contribution of $40,000 towards the event from the city’s major events reserve fund.

Attached to the agenda for the regional district’s Thursday, Oct. 17 board of directors meeting was a letter from event chair Kevin Pettersen requesting $20,000 in additional support.

Pettersen said that the event will be the first time Prince George has hosted Olympic trials and will bring top cross-country skiers from around the country to the city.

Caledonia Nordic Ski Club member Lukas Nolli leads Kayden Sim uphill in the 15-kilometre Teck BC Cup No. 2 Interval Start race Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025 at Otway Nordic Centre. The club is hosting Olympic trials in December.

The event, he said, will reach an audience beyond the city through CBC Sports and Nordiq Canada livestreaming the action alone.

He estimated that around 150 athletes, more than 90 coaches and technicians and more than 150 volunteers will participate in the event.

“It has been so amazing to have the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George as such a wonderful partner in supporting the world class events we’ve hosted at Caledonia and we would love to have the RDFFG share in this incredible experience for the 2026 Olympic Trials,” Pettersen wrote.

“As it is an Olympic-related event, we are only able to have non-commercial funding partners (outside of Olympic commercial sponsors), so it’s a little bit different from other events that we have hosted previously (that are supported by a number of commercial sponsors as well).”

During the board meeting, Director Art Kaehn (Woodpecker-Hixon) moved for the board to approve a $20,000 contribution to the ski trials from the district’s economic development fund.

Director Owen Torgerson (Village of Valemount) voiced support, saying the event will bring in lots of contribution to the local economy in return for the investment.

Duchess Park graduate commits to play for UNBC

DAN O’CONNOR UNBC athletics

Wasim Aka is one step closer to scoring goals for his hometown team.

The six-foot tall striker has committed to playing U SPORTS soccer for the UNBC Timberwolves for 2025 and beyond.

Aka, a graduate of Duchess Park Secondary School, is red-shirting this season and has been training daily with the TWolves since early August.

The Prince George Youth Soccer product is enrolled in business studies at UNBC and figures to play a big part in the team’s future successes down the road.

“UNBC has such a great community,” said Aka. “My teammates have made me feel so welcome and coach Steve (Simonson) has such great connection, patience and understanding with his players.”

A natural goal scorer with speed to burn, Aka is the third player with northern BC roots to commit to the TWolves in 2025, joining the likes of Luis Rodrigues and Mion Kinugasa.

Simonson sees great potential in Aka. “Wasim is a talented local player with significant potential to develop into a key contributor at the U SPORTS level,” said Simonson.

“He possesses exceptional athleticism and a natural creative flair on the field. Surrounded by quality players, he will have the ideal environment to take the necessary steps to thrive at this level. I’m very excited to watch his growth and see the impact he will have on the program in the years ahead.”

Transitioning to the Canada West calibre of play is a challenge for almost any young player, and Aka is keeping a solid perspective as he continues to train and prepare for his game opportunities down the line.

UNBC PHOTO

Wasim Aka, a graduate of Duchess Park Secondary School now studying business at UNBC, will suit up for the Timberwolves.

Life Events

Luna Nicole Wolf

We are delighted to announce the birth of our daughter Luna Nicole Wolf. She blessed us with her arrival in the early hours of October 7th, 2025 at the Prince George UHNBC Hospital. Weighing

Celebrate those special moments

call 250.562.2441 or email frontdesk@pgcitizen.ca

Bill Heather

November 21, 1953 - September 22, 2025

Bill passed away peacefully on September 22, 2025. He will be remembered by friends at ECRA and the Prince George Amateur Radio Club. Bill retired from YRB in 2018 and enjoyed his retirement. Services will be held in Saskatchewan with family.

Keith Sullivan

January 18, 1950 - October 10, 2025

With great sadness, Keith Sullivan passed peacefully on Oct 10/25, a memorial to be held in the Spring 2026.

Peggy Corby

August 22, 1949 - October 12, 2025

With great love and sadness, the family of Peggy Corby announces her peaceful passing on October 12, 2025, at Hospice in Prince George, BC. Peggy is lovingly remembered by her daughter Treena Chase and family — husband Mike Chase and daughters Ari and Nola — and by her son Kirk Corby, his wife Michaela, and their son Kohen. She will also be deeply missed by her large extended family from Newfoundland, as well as many dear friends from Alward Place and her JW congregation, plus her favourite gathering spot, affectionately known as “the club.” Peggy will be remembered for her generous heart, honest spirit, and eclectic fashion sense that added a little sparkle wherever she went. Her warmth and kindness left a lasting mark on all who knew her.

At Peggy’s request, there will not be a funeral service. The family invites you to honour Peggy by sharing kindness and laughter with those around you!

seal exam and became a certified tradesman. He worked in many mines across the country before returning to Kelowna. It was here he met his wife, Jean and they were married in 1959. They had 2 children, a son Doug born in 1960 and a daughter, Donna in 1962. They lived in Kelowna, Merritt, Kamloops, Nelson, Terrace & eventually settled in Prince George. Dad loved to camp & fish, especially ocean fishing. He finally retired at the age of 69 and vegetable gardening & cutting firewood filled his days. His garden was massive and could have fed the whole neighbourhood and his wood pile was always good for at least 5 years. He also loved his furry companions; Misty, Sandy & Mandy (cocker spaniels) and Spunky, the surly 6 toed cat. He was proud of his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife Jean in 2023. He is survived by his son Doug, daughter Donna (Andrew) Schibli, grandchildren Kayla (Jarred) Kapelari, Trent (Ina) Schibli and great grandchildren Paisley & Bradley Schibli. He is also survived by one sister Esther Stobbs & numerous extended family. We wish to thank the amazing staff at PG Hospice House for the care & compassion they provided Dad during his brief stay. A special thank you to Drs Burg & Wooldridge for caring for Dad for many years and Dr Hillhouse for the care he provided in Dad’s final days. As per Dad’s wishes there will be no service.

Andrew Robert Preston

March 19, 1983 – July 29, 2024

Andy was born in Quesnel, BC, to Dave and Nancy. Growing up alongside his big sister, Beverlee, the family had many fun times camping, fishing, and holidaying in the Okanagan.

Andy also spent much of his childhood playing baseball, golf, skiing, snowboarding, and hockey. As a youth, Andy spent many after-school hours at the body shop, where he developed a passion for all kinds of vehicles and learned many skills. He began drag racing at just 13 years old and went on to win numerous trophies and awards, supported by a loyal entourage of family and friends at races throughout BC, Alberta, and even at Pinks All Out in Seattle. Andy graduated from Quesnel Senior Secondary with Dogwoods in English and French. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource Management from UNBC and his Registered Professional Forester designation. He built a respected career with Canfor, where he was admired for his professionalism, integrity, and leadership. Outside of work, Andy could be found listening to country music, perfecting his carpentry skills, or spending time outdoors where he enjoyed quadding and his annual hunting trips with his dad and close friends. In 2009, Andy married the love of his life, Tara. Together they built a beautiful life and welcomed their children, Cohen (2013) and Brenna (2015). As a family they were inseparable, always together spending their days camping, playing sports, tending to their hobby farm, and summer travels to visit family and friends. Andy’s love and devotion to his family were unwavering, and he will be deeply missed. He is survived by his wife and soulmate Tara, and their children Cohen and Brenna; parents Dave and Nancy Preston; sister Beverlee Barr (Derek); grandmother Ruth Brodie; and many dear aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. He is also missed by Tara’s parents Jim and Shirley Wood, and her brother Braden. Andy was predeceased by his grandparents Bea and Jack Preston, and Cliff Brodie. Andy was a great friend to many — compassionate, witty, and always willing to help anyone who needed it, qualities that drew people to him and left lasting memories for all that knew him. He was deeply loved, and it was truly an honour to have him in our lives. The family extends heartfelt thanks to everyone who offered support last summer and continues to do so — through kindness, help, and generosity, including the GoFundMe contributions that meant more than words can express. Special thanks as well to the outstanding medical professionals at UNHBC in Prince George for their care and compassion. Andy gave the ultimate gift through organ donation. Please consider registering as a donor in his memory.

Honouring

email: frontdesk@pgcitizen.ca or call 250.562.2441

Michael Leonard Moore 19 Jul 1949 - 25 Oct 2017

Mike,

Miss you, wish you were here. You will forever be my always. Love, Helen

Julia Cecilia Gruetz, 92 years young of Prince George BC, passed away peacefully on September 16 2025.

Julia was born in 1933 in Adelboden, Switzerland. Julia was an avid Skier in her younger years, winning some notable Competitions in Switzerland. Julia Married and came to Canada in 1958, with one young son, and another on the way.

Julia was a Lifelong Waitress / Hostess, working a very long time at the very popular Vienna Schnitzel Restaurant in Prince George BC. Julia will surely be missed by her Husband Manfred Gruetz, Sons Albin Wandeler of Vancouver, and Roland Wandeler with Grandson Colby Wandeler of Calgary Alberta.

A Memorial Service will be held at Assman’s Funeral Chapel in Prince George, on October 24, 2025 at 1 pm.

In Loving Memory of Robert (Bob) Roy Little

Robert “Bob” Roy Little

January 20, 1960 – October 12, 2025

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Robert (Bob) Roy Little on October 12, 2025, at the age of 65, in Prince George, B.C. Bob faced his final journey with strength and grace after being diagnosed with glioblastoma, a brain tumour that he battled courageously for exactly one year from the day he first arrived at the emergency room.

Born on January 20, 1960, Bob lived life on his own terms — full of curiosity, humor, and heart. A retired truck driver, he loved travelling, collecting rocks and tools, listening to music, and spending time with his many friends. Always up for an adventure, Bob enjoyed quadding, golfing, and tackling one of his trademark “small jobs made big.” He even loved to go fishing — though he never actually caught any — and could turn even that into a good laugh and a great story. He took pride in fixing up old houses and could transform even the toughest project into something worthwhile.

Bob and Dorothy shared 14 wonderful years together, filled with laughter, love, and adventure. They were happiest on the road, travelling the world and exploring 26 countries, as well as journeying across Canada with their granddaughter Khlan — a trip full of memories they cherished deeply. Bob cared deeply about people and community. When something mattered, he took action. He often handwrote letters to politicians, urging them to make changes for the public good, and played an active role in welcoming Syrian refugees to Canada, helping with fundraising and preparing apartments to ensure new families felt at home from the moment they arrived.

He is lovingly remembered by his wife Dorothy Friesen, daughter Rae’Lyeh MacDonald, and granddaughters Thorah and Khlan MacDonald. Bob was predeceased by his daughter Jessica MacDonald, and parents Jack and Louise Little. The family extends heartfelt thanks for the outstanding care Bob received from the University Hospital of Northern BC, Vancouver General Hospital, the BC Cancer Agency, and the Prince George Palliative Hospice Society, and to all the health care workers who supported him throughout the past year.

A Celebration of Life for Andy will be held on November 1, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. at the Courtyard Marriott in Prince George

IF YOU WISH, FEEL FREE TO BRING MORE FLOWERS!

In August, Bob and Dorothy celebrated their third wedding anniversary surrounded by many relatives and friends — a joyful day that became, in its own perfect way, a celebration of Bob’s life.

Julia Cecilia Gruetz (née Danzer)

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SEKANI FOREST PRODUCTS LTD. FOREST OPERATIONS MAP #2662

Sekani Forest Products Ltd. Operations Map #2662, public review and comment from October 27, 2025 to November 27, 2025, at link below, by mail, or in person by appointment Mon-Fri 9am-4pm. Contact the forestry department at the email or phone number below to schedule an appointment. This FOM is applicable for 3 years and may be relied upon to apply for a cutting or road permit to harvest a cutblock or construct a road displayed on the FOM.

Strategic Natural Resource Group

931 Great St, Prince George, BC V2N 5R7 778-763-0999

derek.mclean@snrc.caca

https://fom.nrs.gov.bc.ca/public/projects

On Nov. 3, 1883, California bandit and stagecoach robber Black Bart, born Charles E. Boles and famous for his daring as well as his habit of occasionally leaving short poems at the scenes of his crimes, held up his last stagecoach. While he initially made a quick getaway, he was done in by the handkerchief with a laundry mark he’d inadvertently dropped and spent four years in San Quentin prison.

• On Nov. 11, 1831, Nat Turner, an American slave and educated minister who believed that he’d been chosen by God to lead his people into freedom, was hanged in Jerusalem, Virginia, for leading a revolt with 75 followers through Southampton County, killing about 60 white people.

* On Nov. 4, 1928, Arnold Rothstein, a legendary New York gambler with a fortune estimated at about $50 million, was shot during a poker game at Manhattan’s Park Central Hotel. He died in the hospital two days later without revealing the name of his assassin, though the fellow gambler who’d invited him to the game was tried for the crime, and acquitted.

* On Nov. 5, 2024, former President Donald Trump was elected to a second term in office, becoming the first president to serve nonconsecutive terms since 1892.

* On Nov. 6, 1977, the Toccoa Falls Dam in Georgia collapsed just hours after a volunteer fireman inspected it and found everything in order, with 39 people dying in the resulting flood.

* On Nov. 7, 1943, Roberta Joan Anderson, now known to the world as Joni Mitchell and dubbed the greatest female guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone magazine, was born in Fort MacLEOd, Alberta, Canada. She cemented her status in the music world as a composer rather than performer, with David Geffen of Geffen Records noting in 1994 that, “Even though we lost money on every one of her records, we always treated Joni as one of the most important artists in the world.”

ARIES (March 21 to April 19) A workrelated situation that started last month takes on increasing importance this week. The choice is still yours as to how it will evolve. Be careful not to make quick judgments.

• On Nov. 12, 1969, investigative journalist Seymour Hersh revealed the extent of the U.S. Army’s charges against 1st Lt. William L. Calley at My Lai, Vietnam, in a cable picked up by more than 30 newspapers, saying that “The Army says he [Calley] deliberately murdered at least 109 Vietnamese civilians during a searchand-destroy mission in March 1968, in a Viet Cong stronghold known as ‘Pinkville.’”

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) “Careful” is the watchword for the prudent Bovine this week. Don’t let your emotions overwhelm your logic. Try for balance as you maneuver through a touchy situation.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Your energy levels rise to meet the challenges that will mark much of this month. New opportunities beckon. Look them over, but proceed cautiously before making any kind of decision.

• On Nov. 13, 1979, Philadelphia 76ers center Darryl Dawkins leaped over Kansas City Kings forward Bill Robinzine for a memorable slam dunk that shattered the fiberglass backboard. His equally memorable comment on the move, which was not his last and the sound of which spectators likened to a bomb going off: “It wasn’t really a safe thing to do, but it was a Darryl Dawkins thing to do.”

• On Nov. 14, 1882, outlaw Frank “Buckskin” Leslie shot and killed Billy “The Kid” Claiborne, who had publicly challenged him, in Tombstone, Arizona.

• On Nov. 15, 1984, Baby Fae, a month old infant who received the world’s first baboon heart transplant, died at California’s Loma Linda University 20 days after the operation. Three other people had received animal heart transplants, but none survived longer than a few days.

• On Nov. 16, 2001, British author J.K. Rowling’s most famous and beloved creation, the bespectacled boy wizard Harry Potter (played by Daniel Radcliffe in his first major role), made his silver-screen debut in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” which went on to become one of the highestgrossing movies in history.

• On Nov. 17, 1903, the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party split into two factions: the majority Bolshe-

CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Your private life can be a problem this week as a partner becomes more difficult. Resist a reaction that you might regret. Instead of walking away, try to talk things out.

LEO (July 23 to August 22) You should be your usual sunny self these days as you bask in the admiration that you adore. Enjoy it as you move into a new arena to confront an exciting upcoming challenge.

VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Your perseverance reserves will be tapped frequently this week as you deal with the problems involved in making a new situation work for you. It’ll all be worth it!

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) You’ll find fewer roadblocks turning up as you continue to move ahead with your plans. Expect some important news to come your way in a few weeks.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Good news! You finally get to the bottom of a pesky mystery you’ve been trying to solve for weeks by using some gentle persuasion to get someone to break their silence.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) The best time to take on that important task is now. Move forward one step at a time so that you can assess your progress and, if need be, change direction.

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) The new opportunities you hoped to find this month are beginning to open up. Study them carefully to be sure you make the choice that’s best for you.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Turn a disappointment into a learning experience. Check out possible weaknesses in your approach and strengthen them. A loyal colleague offers good advice.

PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Your new situation offers opportunities to help you get the skills you’ll need in order to stop swimming in circles and finally move straight toward your goals. Go for it!

Homes & Living

Halloween Decorating: Bringing Spooky Fun to Your Home

As October rolls in, Halloween excitement fills the air — and decorating your home is one of the best ways to celebrate the season. Whether you prefer eerie elegance or family-friendly fun, Halloween décor sets the mood for spooky festivities and welcomes trick-ortreaters with flair.

Start by focusing on your outdoor space. A well-decorated front yard or porch creates instant atmosphere. Classic pumpkins and carved jack-o’-lanterns never go out of style, especially when paired with flickering LED candles. Add a few cobwebs, skeletons, or gravestones to your yard for a haunted house vibe. If you

enjoy crafting, try making DIY decorations such as ghost lanterns from recycled jars or hanging bats cut from black cardstock.

Lighting plays a big role in creating the perfect Halloween mood. Orange, purple, and green lights can transform your home’s exterior into a chilling scene after dark. Inside, swap out your regular candles for black or deep red ones, or use string lights shaped like pumpkins and spiders.

Indoor décor can be just as festive. Drape black fabric over mirrors, set up a spooky centerpiece on your dining table, and scatter small pumpkins or faux skulls throughout your

living space. Adding scents like cinnamon, clove, or pumpkin spice enhances the cozy autumn atmosphere.

Don’t forget the finishing touches — a Halloween wreath for your door, eerie music playing softly in the background, and perhaps a fog machine for dramatic effect. Whether you go for spooky sophistication or playful fun, decorating for Halloween brings creativity and excitement to your home. It’s a chance to express your style, delight your neighbors, and get everyone in the spirit of the season.

Fireplace Maintenance for the Fall

As cooler weather arrives, few things are as comforting as a warm, crackling fire. Before lighting your first blaze of the season, it’s important to ensure your fireplace is safe, clean, and ready to use. Proper fireplace maintenance in the fall not only improves efficiency but also protects your home from potential fire hazards.

Schedule a Professional Inspection

The first step in fall fireplace maintenance is to schedule an annual inspection and cleaning. Over time, soot and creosote—an oily, highly flammable residue—can build up inside your chimney. If left unchecked, this buildup can ignite and cause dangerous chimney fires. A certified chimney sweep can remove creosote, check for cracks, blockages, or loose bricks, and make sure your damper is functioning properly.

Check the Chimney Cap and Exterior

A chimney cap prevents rain, debris, and animals from entering your chimney. During fall maintenance, inspect the cap for damage or missing mesh. Birds and squirrels often nest in chimneys during the warmer months, so clearing out any obstructions before winter is essential. Also, look for signs of wear on the chimney’s exterior, such as crumbling mortar or rust on metal components.

Inspect the Fireplace Interior

If you have a wood-burning fireplace, clean out old ashes and check the firebox for cracks or loose bricks. For gas fireplaces, inspect the pilot light, burner, and vents for dust or blockages. Replace batteries in carbon monoxide detectors and smoke alarms to ensure your home is fully protected.

Stock Up on the Right Firewood

For wood-burning fireplaces,

choose seasoned hardwoods such as oak, maple, or birch. These burn cleaner and hotter than softwoods, producing less creosote. Avoid burning painted or treated wood, which can release harmful fumes. Keep your firewood stored in a dry, covered area away from the house to prevent pests and moisture buildup.

Keep the Area Safe and Tidy

Maintain a clear zone around the fireplace free of furniture, curtains, or decorations that could catch fire. Use a sturdy fireplace screen to prevent sparks from escaping, and always let ashes cool before disposal. Preparing your fireplace in the fall ensures safe and efficient use all winter long. With proper maintenance and a professional inspection, you can enjoy cozy fires with peace of mind—knowing your home is warm, welcoming, and safe. Check with local bylaws for compliance, air quality warnings or useage when burning wood.

Property & Strata Management Aspire Realty