Gateway Jan 2014

GATEWAY Review of safety and speed limits

HOCKEYVILLE 2014

NEWS PAGE 5

LIFE PAGE 16

The contest to find the most passionate hockey community in Canada

Helping kids filter the media Bullying happens in the schoolyard, social media and in the workplace

HEALTH PAGE 20

Finding ways to improve healthy living opportunities HEALTH PAGE 23

Your community voice for the north!

WEDNESDAY January 22 2013

NEWS AND EVENTS FOR PRINCE GEORGE AND CENTRAL INTERIOR

Jason Keller was brain-injured in a fall. He has recovered with the help of his girl frend Kim Feragan.

Citizen photo by David Mah

LIFE PAGE 10

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GATEWAYinside Gateway is a product of the

A product of

Available on-line at www.pgcitizen.ca General Inquiries 250-562-2441 Publisher: Colleen Sparrow Advertising: Dave Smith Editor: Neil Godbout Reader Sales: Alan Ramsay

Colleen Sparrow Publisher

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Neil Godbout managing Editor

Recruiting skilled workers Company becomes multinational Review of safety and speed limits Creating an agriculture policy Living with brain injury Small Town Love campaign HOCKEYVILLE 2014 Dealing with post polio syndrome Kids taught to filter the media Finding ways to improve healthy living Whole Grain Ricotta Mushroom Tart CAREERS: Do you have what it takes?

GATEWAYnews Finding the best places to recruit skilled workers Initiatives Prince George is undertaking a study to help local businesses target the best places in the country to recruit skilled workers.

The study will identify what skills are in highest demand in the city; where in Canada there are higher numbers of people with those skills who are unemployed or underemployed; and which areas people have traditionally come to Prince George from, Initiatives Prince George CEO Heather Oland said.

“The best case outcome is we find fivesix areas in Canada that have the skilled workers local employers need,” Oland said.“We’re not going to find all the occupations in one place.”

Initiatives Prince George has contracted R.A. Malatest & Associates Ltd. to do the research and prepare a report by the spring . The report, funded by a $45,000 grant from the provincial government’s Partnership and Innovation Fund, will be available to the public.

The report will allow businesses to

work together to target their recruitment efforts on areas with the highest chances to success, Oland said.

“It’ll allow us to be strategic,” she said.

“We’ll be partnering with business and industry to go into a market [to recruit].

We tell businesses it’s our job to sell the city... it’s their job to sell themselves as a place to work.”

B.C. is expected have a shortage of 350,000 skilled workers by 2020, according to information released by Initiatives Prince George.

“The tremendous investments happening now in B.C.’s economy are going to place a huge demand on our human resources, particularly in the north,” said Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training Shirley Bond said in a written statement.“Confronting this challenge requires the best labour information we can possibly get in order to understand where the demand for skilled workers is highest and how we can attract the best and brightest to Prince George.”

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

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GATEWAYnews

Company becomes

multinational A regional company has just become multinational.

The BID Group of Companies started two generations ago in Vanderhoof, has grown to be a conglomerate of companies still based primarily in the hometown of the founding Fehr family, although it also has significant holdings in Prince George.

Its various branches include equipment and engineering firms and they primarily do business building and maintaining sawmills and energy plants.

In spring of this year, BID became a national company when it purchased Quebec-based Comact Equipment Inc. BID-Comact has crossed the border to do some heavy industry shopping.

The company cut the ribbon on a sprawling warehouse complex in St. George, South Carolina that will act as its base of operations on the Eastern Seaboard. BID bought the property in late summer and it is now doing business as a manufacturing centre for the sawmilling industry, a staple part of the eastern U.S.’s economy.

BID CEO Brian Fehr said the location has good proximity to existing mills and the price was affordable.

“This allows us the ability to sell more volume from all shops as this gets us more customer base,” he said.

BID officials likened St. George to Vanderhoof, a small town of 2,100 with a strong grasp on industry. Its economy suffered heavily during the global fiscal crisis but, said mayor Ann Johnston, the BID-Comact investment of about $3 million was a sign of turning fortunes.

Johnston called the arrival of BIDComact there “a silver lining, a light for us at the end of an economic downturn and certainly a dawn of a new day in St. George and the entire area.”

During the ceremonies leading up to the ribbon-cutting, Johnston said she had confidence in BID’s company track record.

Fehr said he found the St. George and South Carolina governance attitude to be “business friendly” and “much easier” than either B.C. or Quebec in the formation of the deal. And while Canada struggles with a population squeeze on top of a demographic shift,“we are actually finding access to labour and materials easier [in St. George] than in Canada.”

St. George is located strategically close to rail, road and Atlantic shipping options.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

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GATEWAYnews

A review of safety and speed limits along B.C.’s rural highways

A B.C.-wide public consultation that will include a forum in Prince George has begun as part of a review of safety and speed limits along the province’s rural highways .

The last review was carried out in 2003 and since then “our roads have improved greatly,” as have the “safety of the vehicles we are all driving,”Transportation Minister Todd Stone said Friday.

“These factors warrant us taking a look at speed limits along longer stretches of rural highways between communities and at other factors that affect safety on our provincial highways.”

Stone later indicated speed limit increases are not yet a done deal.

“As I’ve said in the past, this review isn’t about increasing speed limits, it’s about ensuring we have the right speed limits on our provincial highways,” he said.

However, he also made reference to a U.S. study that showed collisions have actually decreased as speeds have increased.

“And that all stems from the fact that it’s not speed in and of itself which kills, it’s variations in speed,” Stone said.“Ensuring that those who are driving are keeping up with the 85th percentile in the corridor is really what is important from the safety perspective.”

He also noted $14 billion have been

committed to improving B.C. highways over the last 10 years, adding kilometres of four-laned highway and passing sections.

The review will also look at slowmoving vehicles, wildlife collisions and the use of winter tires.

On the last point, Stone said there is confusion at this time every year as to whether full-blown winter tires with the mountain and snowflake symbol should be mounted or whether mud and snow tires, with the M and S marking, are good enough for the region motorists are driving in.

“More than 60 per cent of drivers in this province travel where snow is very rare,” Stone said.“So making winter tires mandatory throughout all of B.C. does not make sense.

“However, there are 80 sections of highway where winter tires are mandatory from October 1 to April 30. We want to know if British Columbians agree that winter tires should be mandatory for those specific months.”

A discussion guide is now available online at www.gov.bc.ca/ safetyandspeedreview/.The feedback portion of the guide has been broken into seven regions covering 52 segments.

“For each segment, you can provide feedback on speed limits and how often

you find wildlife and slower-moving vehicles to be a safety concern,” Stone said.

A technical analysis by the ministry is underway, and public opinion will act as an “overlay” on that analysis, Stone said.

NDP transportation critic Claire Trevena said it’s time for another review given it’s been 10 years since the last one and added it’s important the public participate as well as other stakeholders.

But she also noted the review was first announced in September and that the consultation was launched not long after Stone announced cuts to B.C. Ferries.

They include a 30-per-cent reduction of service along the Inside Passage and between Prince Rupert and Haida Gwaii

routes effective April 2014.Trevena said tourism operators along an inland circle route that connects to the services are “furious.”

“I have a sense he may be trying to deflect a bit of anger here,”Trevena said.

The forum in Prince George is set for Tues., Jan. 7 at the Ramada, 444 George St., from 5-8 p.m. It’s one of eight forums to be held across the province.

There will also be a Twitter town hall at #BCSpeedReview on Tues., Dec. 17, from 7-8 p.m.

Comments can be submitted online at www.gov.bc.ca/safetyandspeedreview/.

The consultation lasts until Fri., Jan. 24.

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GATEWAYnews

Creating a vision for agriculture Regional District of Fraser-Fort George directors have given ordered staff to investigate what it would take for the local government to create its own agricultural plan.

Lara Beckett, electoral area C director and chair of the board’s agricultural land use standing committee, proposed the initiative.

“I just think it would provide a very clear policy direction for the regional district on what we’d like to do with agriculture,” said Beckett.“Agriculture land is so important in the long term [and] our directorships can be pretty short and if you’ve got a policy document that says ‘this is our vision for agriculture in the future’ I just think it provides a little more consistency long term.”

For Beckett, the purpose of the plan is to bring into line the aspects of agriculture the regional district actually has control over. These include the planning to protect the agriculture land base, the official community plans that direct rural sprawl and urbanization away from areas of agricultural production and some ability to support related economic development initiatives, according to her report to the committee.

“It makes sense the regional district would take this on and be the proponent of agriculture and try to take the disparate elements that are working together and make them make sense,” said Valemount mayor Andru McCracken.

In other areas of the province, creating such a plan follows a path similar to that

of creating an official community plan, which can be a costly exercise.

The Regional District of BulkleyNechako completed their agriculture plan last year and included input solicited from member local governments, area First Nations groups, provincial and federal departments and agencies and producer groups and associations. Surveys were also completed by consumers and producers.

In addition, workshops were held throughout the region.

Bulkley Nechako said it plans to use the policy to “ensure that long range planning, and the regulation of land use and development, is managed in a manner consistent with the direction provided in the plan” and to make sure decision about the region’s resources

are made “in consideration of the recommendations made in the plan.”

Such a policy could help the local regional district guide decisions where intentions and results don’t always align, said McCracken.

“I know this doesn’t get a lot of profile and it’s probably not a very sexy thing for people to be considering, but in terms of food security in the future, people that are thinking about things, I think they should hold the regional district to a high standard and right now I think we’ve got a bunch of people who might have good intentions for where they’re trying to get us, but the discussion isn’t rigorous enough as far as I’m concerned to see that we get there,” said McCracken.

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Wednesday, January 22, 2014

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GATEWAYnews Cont’d from page 6 During a meeting last week, directors were divided on the issue of an application to subdivide property partially in the Agricultural Land Reserve on Budds Road in Area C. Staff recommended the board send the application to the Agricultural Land Commission for denial.

The regional district was one of the first local governments to have a delegated authority agreement - signed in 2001 with the Agricultural Land Commission, meaning they can make decisions about non-farm use and subdivision applications within the ALR - but only if they meet the terms of an appropriate official community plan.

This particular application was to create two parcels, smaller than the minimum 60-hectare size required by the Chilako River-Nechako OCP. “The land itself is about as good as it gets in my area,” said Beckett, with

electoral area F director Kevin Dunphy agreeing that it was good farmland.

“You just don’t find many properties... that arable,” Dunphy said.

“Reducing the parcel size does not provide any demonstrated benefit to the agricultural capability of the subject parcel and may reduce its productivity with land being taken out of production for development of an additional residence and homestead on the proposed 14.7 hectare lot,” said a report from planner Marisa Nightingale.

Ultimately, the application ended up being referred to the commission with no recommendation after some directors expressed a desire to see it approved instead.

The creation of an agricultural plan could help support the “decision-making process where some of the directors who maybe come from the city or coming from the other municipalities in the area might not be so familiar with the needs of the agricultural community in any one

particular spot,” said Beckett.

There are competing schools of thought when it comes to the ALR, said McCracken - one being that smaller parcels of land are more affordable for people to break into farming and another that the smaller pieces are actually more valuable than larger tracts of land.

“I’m sorry, we can’t just be going around having these sort of old wives’ tales define the direction of agriculture in the area,” he said.

Agricultural plans fit well into the wheelhouse of a national study UNBC environmental planning professor David Connell is leading.

The three-year research project will examine how the shifting focus and value of agriculture within Canadian society might affect agricultural land use planning at all levels of government.

“That’s kind of the big question we’re asking because public interest changes and right now we’re experiencing a pretty significant change in where food

fits within our interests and if you’re going to consider food interests you have to consider, obviously, the farmland base,” said Connell.

Working with researchers from Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec, the study will aim to provide information as to how local, provincial and federal governments can build agricultural-friendly land use plans and policies.

It’s a conversation Connell has had with his students.

“We like to talk about food a lot in class.

Even among those who would consider themselves foodies still may not make that connection to the land base,” said Connell, who also spearheaded a study looking at farmers’ markets and their contributions to local economies.“It’s ultimately to foster that reconnection with the land itself, which to me is a starting point to even moving towards a more sustainable society. We can’t be disconnected from our land base and make good decisions.”

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

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GATEWAYlife Living with brain injury

FROM THE COVER

Peter JAMES When Jason Keller fell almost eight metres from a railing onto pavement two years ago in Surrey, it was his family who felt the pain first.

Keller suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result of his stunt gone wrong and ended up in a Vancouver hospital in an induced coma.

“The accident was the easy part for me, it was hard for you guys,” Keller said, gesturing to his girlfriend Kim Feragan.

The pair sat down with the Citizen at the offices of the Prince George Brain Injured Group (PGBIG) to speak about their experience with the incident, the recovery and living with a brain injury.

“You had to go through all the pain, I didn’t feel anything, I don’t remember anything,” Keller said.“But the rehab part is hard for me now, so we’re in it together.”

Keller grew up in Prince George but was living in the Lower Mainland at the time of his injury. A daredevil, Keller was trying to slide down the railing of an escalator when he was hurt. After spending months in hospital and even longer in rehab, Keller and Feragan decided to move back to Prince George.

“After this accident, we see that it’s important to be around family,” Keller said.“It’s a good place to be right now.”

The effects of a traumatic brain injury are life-changing not only for the person who suffered the injury, but also for their loved ones. It’s often family members who have to assume new care-taking responsibilities and adapt to the personality changes the person with the brain injury often undergoes.

The effects of the injury can add stress to marriages and relationships, sometimes pushing them beyond the breaking point.

Keller and Feragan acknowledge they’ve faced new challenges since the accident, but they haven’t let it take a toll on their relationship.

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GATEWAYlife Cont’d from page 10 “Our communication is something we really need to work on,” Feragan said.“Sometimes it’s hard for him to understand the way I’m coming across when I say something, so then he might take it in a different manner from how I’ve said it.”

Keller said it could be as simple as Feragan politely asking him to shut a door, which he might interpret as a rude and demanding request.

“Talking it out and trying not to lose tempers is the best way to get through it,” Feragan said.

Loved ones can also be an inspiration in the immediate aftermath of a brain injury.

Chris Teichrob suffered his brain injury six years ago after a single-vehicle car crash near Vanderhoof left him with a broken neck and a severe injury to his hand. He was in an induced coma for a month and, like Keller, has had a long process of rehabilitation ever since.

With a toddler and a newborn baby

at home at the time of the accident, Teichrob said his children inspired him to push through the dark times.

“If I didn’t have the kids, then what’s the point,” he said.“I have one hand, an injured brain - I’d just be depressed. But I got through it all and here I am.”

Six years on,Teichrob is still dealing with the brain injury everyday. He’s lost his sense of taste and smell, his balance is poor and he’s sensitive to light. When he’s tired, he has a tendency to slur his words.

The effects of the brain injury, combined with the injury to his hand, has prevented him from returning to work. It’s caused the family dynamics to shift and he stays home with his three children aged eight, six and two, while his girlfriend works.

“I worked since I was 16, I never finished school,”Teichrob said of his life before the the injury.“I had to quit school to make money to help my mom and my sister earn money.”

Despite the ongoing symptoms of his

brain injury,Teichrob has been able to adapt to becoming a stay-at-home dad.

“It’s kind of weird that I can remember things and do things for the kids,” he said.

“But when it comes to other things, I’m like ‘what?’“ While Teichrob’s children have had to learn to deal with their father’s injury, Chris Reid’s family had to adapt to his new reality when he was still a child.

Reid fell off the stairs in his Williams Lake home when he was nine years old.

He was flown to Vancouver where he received treatment in both the hospital and in rehab.

When he finally did come home months later, he wasn’t the same child.

“I think my brothers expected me to come home as old Chris and here I come home in a wheelchair,” Reid said.“They say,‘Let’s go play’ but I couldn’t, I didn’t have the energy or the mobility.”

Now 36, Reid has had many years to reflect on his injury and what it’s meant for his family. His personality changed,

he had less energy and motivation than before the accident and he often got himself into trouble at school and with the law because he lacked impulse control.

“I know I was a burden on everyone,” Reid said.“Even now I almost feel guilt for being so dependent.”

Through thick and thin, Reid’s family was able to support him and, like others dealing with brain injury, Reid was able to adapt. He moved to Prince George in 1999 in part because he heard about PGBIG and wanted to access its programs.

Since then he’s held a variety of jobs in the community and continues to volunteer at PGBIG as a way to socialize, talk with other people dealing with similar issues and give back to the association he feels has given him so much.

“I guess the only way to put it, is my brain injury was, it happened,” he said.

“There’s no going back and hopping in that time machine.”

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

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GATEWAYlife

Small Town Love The Small Town Love campaign is ringing up a strong start.

The “shop local” program created by Quesnel entrepreneur Amy Quarry was a hit in the Cariboo city, with 50 businesses there signing on for the first version.The results were so positive that Northern Development Initiative Trust (NDIT) has partnered with her on a pilot project. Six small towns in the area were chosen to

test out a regional version.

“In July, [we] partnered with [the municipalities of] Logan Lake, Fort St. James, 100 Mile House, Vanderhoof, Valemount and Burns Lake to deliver a unique marketing campaign that celebrates locally-owned independent businesses with an aim to strengthen their competitiveness and keep more dollars in the local economy,” said NDIT spokesman Joel McKay. Cont’d on page 15

GATEWAYlife Cont’d from page 14 “Since then, more than 200 locally owned independent businesses in those six communities have signed on to have their products and stories featured through unique community web portals.”

The portals (each one entitled “Love” then the name of the town) display participating businesses with high quality photos, stories, maps to their location, and other user-friendly features so local shoppers can find the best opportunities to get their goods and services from vendors in their own community.

“With more than 200 business signed on in six communities, there’s no question that the Small Town Love pilot program has been a huge success,” said Evan Saugstad, chair of NDIT.“Small Town Love delivers on the trust’s mandate to help grow and diversify the economy in central and northern B.C., and we look forward to continually supporting our small, locally owned businesses throughout the region in the years ahead.”

The mayors of the six pilot communities said the process to attract businesses to their respective portals was itself a rewarding economic development exercise.

“More than 30 businesses have signed up to take part in Love Burns Lake, proving that not only does our community have a thriving entrepreneurial spirit but also that our community leaders love to collaborate,” said Burns Lake mayor Luke Strimbold.“Thanks to Northern Development for supporting this investment in our community, which I know will reap rewards for our business owners for years to come.”

“Seeing the enthusiasm and creativity of the people who have partnered with us to bring Small Town Love to their communities has been very inspiring,” said Quarry.“We had an overwhelming response from the business community, which speaks to the heart and soul that these communities have. I am very proud of these projects and I’m excited to continue delivering Small Town Love to more communities throughout the region.”

“What do you say to economic development that strengthens community, that builds our capacity and makes Valemount more vibrant and connected? I say let’s party,” said Valemount mayor Andru McCracken.“Love Valemount focuses our attention on entrepreneurs who deserve celebration, so let’s celebrate. Many thanks to Northern Development for helping us with this thoughtful, vital initiative.”

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

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GATEWAYlife

Hockeyville 2014

The puck is set to drop for Hockeyville 2014.

The contest to find the community that best exemplifies Canada’s passion for hockey starts Jan. 1 when contest organizers begin accepting entries in the forms of stories and essays, songs and music, photos and videos and social media comments.

At stake is $1 million in prizes, with the winning community receiving a $100,000 upgrade to its arena and an NHL pre-season game played in the same rink.

Second prize is $100,000 in arena upgrades, followed by two prizes of $50,000 each in arena upgrades for third and fourth place and then a dozen further prizes of $25,000 each in arena upgrades.

Northern B.C. has had some success in the past. In 2009,Terrace took top prize and in 2011, Mackenzie finished second.

Submissions will be accepted until Feb. 9.

For contest rules and complete program details, visit KraftHockeyville.ca. Hockeyville can also be found on Facebook (Facebook.com/KraftHockeyville) and Twitter (@ hockeyville).

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

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GATEWAYhealth

Dealing with

post polio syndrome Christine HINZMANN

Most people would agree rigorous exercise will improve your health. Not so for those afflicted with post polio syndrome, most commonly an aftermath illness suffered by people who had polio as teens or young adults.

Larry Anderson, 75, who is dealing with the syndrome, holds support group meetings every other month in the Kiwanis building in downtown Prince George.

Anderson got polio when he was 15.

He had flu-like symptoms and when the doctor made a house call, as they tended to do in those days, it was suspected he had polio.

He spent three months flat on his back in Vancouver General’s children’s division and recovered slowly, using a wheelchair and crutches during his recovery. His right leg was smaller than the other but he recovered to enjoy a healthy active life, until he was 60.

It started with fatigue that couldn’t be relieved by rest, followed by increased weakness in his muscles to the point

where he would drop things because he just did not have the strength to hold onto them. Anderson is also now hypersensitive to pain and has an intolerance to cold.Typically his home thermostat is set to 24 degrees.

When he went to the doctor, Anderson said he was lucky his doctor knew about post polio syndrome and was able to address these issues with him.

Anderson gets a newsletter from the Post Polio Awareness & Support Society of British Columbia that keeps him informed of all the latest developments, which is important as he goes from a cane to a walker and now uses an electric scooter for longer distances.

“When I joined the support group and read the reports I realized it was typical,” said Anderson, who thought he suffered from some other ailment completely unrelated to polio.

“What causes it is the nerve sensors are connected by neurons.

Cont’d on page 19

GATEWAYhealth Cont’d from page 18 There are millions of them in your body.

When you got polio, on average about 50 per cent of those neurons died, the rest were damaged. When you started to get better, the neurons would grow stronger to make up for the loss of the ones that died. When you got better from the polio, doctors would say you had to build up your strength.”

The neurons, now being overworked, were dying much faster than normal neurons, which die slowly as we age.

“How post polio syndrome was discovered was back in 1986 or 1987 people that had polio would complain of symptoms that I had,” said Anderson.

“There was a medical group that took two women with similar symptoms to mine and they put them on a very strict exercise program to prove that exercise could improve their health and within six weeks their health had deteriorated so much they were both placed in an iron lung apparatus.Then the medical

profession thought there was more to this post polio syndrome that what they thought.”

Extensive testing was done and a set of rules was created about how to look after a post polio syndrome body.The Post Polio Awareness & Support Society of B.C. call it the ten commandments of post polio syndrome.

“It’s a fine balance to keep yourself mobile without overworking the neurons because if you overwork the neurons it causes permanent damage,” said Anderson.

“If I overdo it, it can take me three days to recover.”

Anderson does stretching exercises to help improve his mobility.

“I use my cane, I use my walker and my scooter,” said Anderson.“I am not ashamed to use them because that allows me to keep going.”

For more information or details about the free meetings, call Anderson 250-9627327.

For more information about post polio syndrome visit www.ppassbc.com.

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GATEWAYhealth

Kids taught to filter the media to accept their body image

D

ue to bullying, the suicides of Reetah Parsons, Amanda Todd and Jamie Hubley were met with an appropriate battle cry in the media.

Yet, the same media obsess about how Kate Middleton hasn’t lost her ‘baby bump’ two minutes after giving birth – and about the ‘horrifying’ fact that Jennifer Lawrence may have ‘cellulite’, and so on.

This all-too-frequent body-shaming in popular culture is insidious, say specialists in this field.

It creates a hierarchy of what is an acceptable body and contributes to the more overt bullying that happens in the schoolyard, in social media and in the workplace.

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GATEWAYhealth Cont’t from page 20 Media stories suggest – subtly and often not so subtly – that we should look a particular way and that if we don’t, it’s a choice, and it’s because we are lazy, undisciplined and stupid.These cultural messages creep into our everyday beliefs and behaviours. More than one out of two children report that they are bullied because of their appearance. Poor body image and low self-esteem can lead to children dropping out of school, fearing social events, and not voicing an opinion.

While these consequences of bullying may be less obvious, these children live lives of quiet hell and with the long-term consequences of being marginalized.

The National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC) is rolling out their Beyond Images media literacy curriculum for Grades 4 – 8 (www. beyondimages.ca) to address this problem.

Filling a gap in school curricula, the free

lessons help teachers and those working in youth services and public health to engage young people in talking about why media messages are produced and how they work.

“Helping youth to understand how media messages work is key to building critical thinking and undermining bullying,” says Merryl Bear, director of NEDIC.“Healthy relationships, career success and overall well-being all have strong self-esteem at their root. Beyond Images teaches kids how to decode media messages, and to take what is positive and resist what is harmful. It helps students construct their own media messages, telling their versions of how appearance affects their lives. We encourage anyone working with children or youth to use this free, fun and well researched resource.”

More information is available at www. nedic.ca. www.newscanada.com

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

GATEWAYhealth

Finding ways to improve

healthy living Community leaders from across the northern interior met in Prince George to find ways to improve healthy living opportunities.

The event, organized by Northern Health, featured elected officials, municipal staff, healthcare workers and other interested parties from communities ranging from Prince George to Valemount to Quesnel.

“We all came in, shared our knowledge and learned tons,”Valemount town councillor Hollie Blanchette said.“You learn a lot when everyone is pitching in their two cents worth.”

Each group decided amongst themselves which topics to focus on.

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Hollie Blanchette at a Northern Health conference at the Civic Centre.

Citizen photo by Brent Braaten

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GATEWAYhealth Cont’d from page 23 For instance the Prince George group discussed ways to increase physical activity in the community in the lead up to the 2015 Canada Winter Games, while topics at other tables included helping seniors get more active in the winter and improving men’s health.

Representatives also had the chance to float between tables and gather ideas from other delegates.

Northern Health healthy community development and local governments lead Sabrina Dosanjh said the workshop format was meant to find ways for different community leaders to work together towards healthy community goals.

“They talked about how we can work together from our silos into a more systematic approach to building healthy communities,” she said.

Some of the discussions centered on finding ways to marshall different resources together down the road, while others worked on practical ideas that can be implemented right away. At

the McBride and Valemount table, for instance, the group is working on a plan to bus seniors to events in each other’s community this winter to expand the number of activities available to the group.

Dosanjh said the conversations this week are part of ongoing efforts in each community aimed at encouraging people to live a healthy lifestyle.

“There was a lot of discussion around continuing the discussion further,” she said, noting that representatives from educational and business backgrounds would be able to bring more to the discussion.

Blanchette continued the healthy living theme as she made a presentation to the Innovation and Development Commons Research Days held at the Civic Centre.

She spoke about a program in Valemount that encourages people to be more active during all waking hours.

“The key message is to just be active,” she said.“Don’t worry about diet, don’t worry about food, worry about being active all day.”

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

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Wednesday, January 22, 2014

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GATEWAYgrill

Whole Grain Ricotta Mushroom Tart with Tomatoes

by Gourmandelle Ingredients For the dough: 150g whole wheat flour 50g cold butter 1/4 glass of ice cold water sea salt For the filling: 2 cups sliced button mushrooms 2 eggs, beaten

1 cup ricotta cheese 1 onion, chopped a bunch of dill, chopped 2 tsps dry thyme 3 tomatoes salt and pepper, to taste Cont’d on page 29

GATEWAYgrill Cont’d from page 28 Method Add all dough ingredients in your food processor. The dough should have an elastic consistency. If it’s sticky add more flour. Put in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Heat some oil in a large pan. Add onion and saute for 3-4 minutes. Add sliced mushrooms, dry thyme, salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes. Cover with a lid.

Remove from heat and add 2 beaten eggs, 1 cup of ricotta cheese, chopped dill, chopped tomatoes. You can slice one of the tomatoes and keep it for the final garnish step. Blend all together.

Heat the oven at 392F. Press the dough in a flat round disk and place it in the greased tart form. Add the filling. Garnish with tomato slices.

Bake for 35-40 minutes.

Serve hot with sour cream on top!

More delicious mushroom recipes are available online at www.mushrooms.ca. www.newscanada.com

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

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GATEWAYcareers

Do you have what it takes?

Z

ach Berman and Ryan Slater couldn’t have predicted ending up in the juice business. On a backpacking trip in Nepal, the two life-long friends noticed that the locals were always drinking fresh, nutrient-filled juice.That’s when their idea for becoming self-employed juice tenders back home in B.C. was formed.Three years and thousands of ounces of gourmet juice later,The Juice Truck is the result of turning an idea into a successful business.

Becoming an entrepreneur takes more than a stellar idea, but if you’re already spending your free time making extra cash decorating cakes, teaching yoga or detailing cars, you might not even realize that you’re on your way to spending your days doing what really inspires you.

“If you’re thinking about turning your part-time hobby into a full-time career, the first thing to do is ask yourself if entrepreneurship is for you,” says Scott Bowman, the Senior Director of Ontario at the Canadian Youth Business Foundation (cybf.ca).“Entrepreneurs have immense drive, they’re passionate, and have a basic understanding of what it takes to run a business,” he adds.Wondering if you could make it as a small-business owner? Here are two things you need to figure out first.

• Are you willing to take a risk? You know how the old saying goes: With great risk comes great reward. While you might not be feeling safe at your nine-to-five, starting a business can be even more stressful if you’re not a risk-taker.

“There’s obviously a certain amount of risk that comes with leaving a company as an employee and starting your own as an employer. Successful entrepreneurs weigh the pros and cons, spend time researching and making decisions accordingly,” Bowman says.“It’s important to know that there are some great ways to mitigate many of these risks, including turning to CYBF for invaluable support in the way of financing, mentoring, business planning advice and networking opportunities.”

• Are you driven and disciplined? You must be ready to pour yourself into your new endeavor – this often means working weekends, delaying vacations, and researching when you’d rather catch up with Netflix.“The great part thing is, working on turning your passion into a reality can be a lot more fun, motivating and rewarding than spending 40 hours a week doing your day job,” says Bowman. www.newscanada.com

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

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