Gateway to the North - July 2019

july 2019

Distant doctors Colin Slark Special to Gateway

K Gateway photo by Brent Braaten

Karver Fuller, 3, rides a bike at the Child Development Centre of Prince George and District.

risty and Wes Fuller are sitting in a clinic in Prince George They’re with their son Karver.

A nurse comes in to administer Karver his latest scheduled vaccination. The nurse takes a look at Karver’s file and turns to look at the Fullers.

“Are you guys the doublewhammy family?” she asks.

The Fullers never thought their son’s story would become gossip but a nurse they’d never met before has apparently heard all about the most difficult month of their lives.

“Didn’t you guys find out that your son needed open-heart surgery and had Down syndrome in, like, the same day?”

The nurse isn’t far off track.

On Dec. 8, 2016, Kristy and Wes found out that their then-

11-month-old boy had Down syndrome. On Dec. 12, they found out that Karver needed open-heart surgery.

On Dec. 14, Karver spent sixand-a-half hours getting a congenital heart defect repaired.

Since Prince George lacks specialized pediatric care, the Fullers had to drive their son nine hours to receive treatment in British Columbia’s only pediatric hospital: Vancouver’s B.C. Children’s Hospital.

Like all parents in B.C. that don’t live in Metro Vancouver, they had to take time off from work and pay for lodging, transportation and many other costs, while not receiving income.

Kristy and Wes spent more than $10,000 to be with Karver during his time in hospital.

This is the reality for parents of critically-ill children in Northern British Columbia.

— see ‘KIDS WITH, page 6

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Pulp mill curtailments hurts workers, business Postmedia

B Gateway file Photo by James Doyle

Canfor has announced temporary suspensions at Northwood and Intercontinental pulp mills in Prince George over the summer.

usinesses across Prince George are bracing for spillover effects from the temporary closure of two key employers as the woes of B.C.’s forestry sector deepen.

A weeks’ worth of production cuts at Canfor’s sawmills in the region, due to shrinking timber supplies and poor markets, have robbed the pulp facilities of the residual wood chips that are their raw material.

So Canfor Corp. last week announced the temporarily suspension of operations at its Northwood and Intercontinental pulp mills, two of three pulp-andpaper facilities it operates here, in phases that will cost some

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760 employees three weeks’ to a month’s work over the summer.

“Whether or not it’s a month, eight weeks, or whatever it might be, those are lost wages for those folks,” said Mayor Lyn Hall, “and that will impact them and their families.”

And the impact will be felt across swaths of the city’s business sector from suppliers to the big mills to shopping malls that cater to workers and their families, said city economic development manager Melissa Barcellos.

Canfor spokeswoman Michelle Ward said the curtailment will begin next Friday with the suspension of operations at its Intercontinental mill, which will remain closed until Aug. 12, and affect some 241 workers.

— see ‘THE COMPANY, page 4

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British Columbians use ‘The company intends to resume most pot in Canada full production... in September’ Postmedia

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o the surprise of no one, B.C. loves cannabis – and now it has the numbers to prove it.

British Columbia consumes significantly more cannabis than any other province, according to the recently-released 2019 United Nations World Drug Report.

The report’s findings, which also found cannabis to be the most popular drug in the world, indicate that residents of the West Coast province are by far country’s biggest pot enthusiasts.

Nearly 25 per cent of B.C. residents over the age of 15 reported using the drug in 2017, according to the UN report. In comparison, that number was 14 per cent in Ontario, 11 per cent in Quebec, and 15

per cent in Alberta. The closest runnersup were Nova Scotia, where nearly 19 per cent of residents over 15 reported having consumed cannabis that year, and Manitoba, where the number of 2017 cannabis consumers dropped to less than 16 per cent.

Cannabis use in the country rose nearly 15 per cent between 2011 and 2017, adding up to a spike of 62 per cent. Between 2004 to 2011, the number of users was nine per cent.

In the Americas, cannabis use rose about 1.5 per cent.

Published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the World Drug Report provides researchers with information relating to drug supply, demand and consumption habits across different countries and continents.

— from page 3 Its bigger Northwood mill, with 518 workers, will shut down Aug. 15 and remain closed for three weeks until Sept. 9. In total, the closures will reduce Canfor’s output of pulp for paper production by 75,000 tonnes out of its 1.1-milliontonne-per-year capacity.

“The company intends to resume full production at Intercontinental and Northwood in September,” said Ward, Canfor’s director of corporate communications.

Ward said employees have the option to use banked time off during the curtailment or be laid off to seek employment insurance claims.

Ward had no additional news about further curtailments but Hall said the community, where forestry is still a significant presence, is trying to look farther into the future.

“The piece for us is what’s next,” said Hall. “We know the curtailments are shortterm, but what’s next after the short term?”

Prince George, which grew up anchored by the forest industry, is much more diversified now, said Barcellos.

“It is not a forest-dependent city,” she said, but “(forestry) does make up a significant portion of employment here.”

The 760 workers affected by the summer mill closures represent a noticeable chunk of the estimated 9,000 direct and indirect jobs in Prince George’s workforce of some 53,200 – about 18 per cent of overall employment.

We know the curtailments are short-term, but what’s next after the short term?

—Prince George Mayor Lyn Hall However, it isn’t just mills in Prince George that are a concern to the business community, since the city, the biggest in northern B.C., is a service centre for an entire region that is home to about 20 per cent of the province’s primary manufacturing in the industry.

Forestry consulting firm Wood Markets Group, in a report released in May, estimated that up to 12 Interior B.C. sawmills will have to close over the next decade due to the reduction of timber in provincial forests owing to the decade-long mountain pine beetle infestation and successive years of damage because of wildfires.

Since then, Tolko Industries announced the closure of a sawmill in Quesnel, with the loss of 150 jobs, and elimination of a shift at its Kelowna mill at the cost of another 90 jobs. Canfor announced the closure of its mill in Vavenby, near Clearwater, which employs 172.

In total, companies have cut some 90 weeks’ worth of production at other mills, including a five-week closure of Canfor’s Taylor pulp mill.

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UNBC offering new degree in conservation science Citizen staff

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he University of Northern British Columbia will launch a new degree this fall.

Students in the bachelor of science in conservation science and practice program will develop skills to restore ecosystems, plan for conservation, inform policy, conduct citizen science, make and analyze decisions involving ecological, social and economic criteria.

It includes majors in either wildland conservation and recreation or landscape conservation and management.

Graduates with the WCR major will have the skills to identify, plan, monitor, and manage conservation values within the parks, recreation, and nature-based tourism sectors in new and innovative ways.

Graduates with the LCM major will gain

the cutting-edge technical skills and knowledge for solving some of the most complex and pressing challenges facing the conservation of the planet’s biodiversity.

Career opportunities include working in the public sector with municipal, regional, provincial, federal, and First Nation governments and non-governmental organizations.

Graduates might work as researchers, outdoor or environmental educators, planners, policy advisors, or field biologists.

Private sector opportunities include starting a business, working as a consultant, or employment with companies in the resource or outdoor industries.

“We are in a time of expanding awareness and support for the value of conservation in protected areas,” said Dr. Tory Stevens, an ecologist with BC Parks. “Having a program well rooted in science and maintaining currency will be invaluable.”

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‘Kids with Down syndrome tend to get sick more often’

Gateway photo by Brent Braaten

Karver Fuller, 3, with mom Kristy and sister Farryn 4 1/2 months at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park in Prince George.

— from page 1 Kristy is a gregarious alpha mom who runs a massage therapy business out of their house. Wes is a quiet, reserved helicopter mechanic who is frequently away for weeks at a time for work, sometimes working on other continents.

They needed help to get pregnant. Kristy’s ovaries were fine, but her Fallopian tubes were twisted and unhealthy. The Fullers travelled to Calgary to receive an in-vitro fertilization treatment.

As part of the treatment, the viable embryos received genetic testing for various conditions. However, Karver’s Down syndrome was not detected by the clinic. This is because Karver has a rare form called Mosaic Down syndrome, where not every cell has the extra 21st chromosome that causes the condition. The sampled material simply may not have contained Down syndrome markers.

Pre-natal ultrasounds back in Prince George also missed signs of Down syndrome, including Karver’s heart. Children with Down syndrome are more prone to congenital heart defects.

Karver’s went undetected until he was 11 months old.

Karver was a sickly child. His parents covered his carrier to prevent him from catching any illnesses. Kristy took him to the swimming pool, but his skin turned blue unless he was in the hot tub.

“He always sounded pug-like. He always had really loud breathing, kind of wet sounding,” Kristy recalled.

In late November 2016, Kristy took a sick Karver to a walk-in clinic. The doctor looked at him and said, “Well, you know, kids with Down syndrome tend to get sick more often.”

This was news to Kristy. This was the first time she or Wes had considered that Karver might have the condition, but it made a certain sense. There were times where at the right angle she thought she recognized something in Karver’s face, but she couldn’t quite place it. This might have been because Mosaic Down syndrome doesn’t always present itself quite as obviously in a person’s facial features.

On Dec. 8, 2016, a pediatrician confirmed to the parents that Karver has Down syndrome. Kristy recalls that at that doctor’s appointment, the pediatrician listened to

Karver’s heart and tried to suppress a look of concern.

The Fullers were asked to take Karver for an electrocardiogram (ECG) at a laboratory in the same medical building before they left. Wes remembered taking the test results back up to the doctor’s office and the doctor snatched the paper right out of his hands.

At 5 p.m. that night, the family received a phone call from the pediatrician. He asked if they could make an appointment at B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver on Monday. The Fullers weren’t given specifics, so they assumed that the doctors at the hospital just wanted to make sure that Karver would be well enough to fly to Mexico on a two-week post-Christmas vacation they’d booked.

Not realizing the severity of the situation, they packed lightly and thought they’d be away from home only briefly. Kristy put her massage therapy business on hold and Wes took leave from his mechanic work.

The first obstacle came on the trip south.

The winter weather was so rough that it took them 14-and-a-half hours to make what is usually a nine-hour trip. The Fraser Canyon was so bad that officials closed the highway just as the family made it out of the south end.

They were able to stay at Ronald McDonald House and Easter Seals House for parts of their stay in Vancouver. Both organizations provide subsidized housing in Vancouver for families of children coming from out of the Lower Mainland area to receive medical treatment.

However, while they were staying at Ronald McDonald House, Wes had to rent a hotel room elsewhere because he had a cold, and the institution doesn’t allow guests with communicable illnesses.

The next day, the Fullers went to B.C. Children’s Hospital and found out just how bad Karver’s situation was. Karver had a complete atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD). Normally a heart has four chambers. Karver’s heart hadn’t developed properly and only had two chambers.

Two days later, Karver went in for surgery. The surgeons had to essentially redesign his heart. Complicating things was that Karver was much older than most children that get surgery for AVSD because the defect was discovered so late.

— ‘IT WAS LIKE, page 7

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‘It was like a sprinker... blood went everywhere’ — from page 6 Doctors told his parents the surgery would take four hours. It took six-and-ahalf hours.

While Karver was in surgery, Kristy occupied herself by going to a Service Canada outlet and applying for Employment Insurance Family Caregiver benefits so that the family could receive some income while they were off work. Their initial application was denied until the surgeon that performed Karver’s surgery intervened and wrote a letter on Kristy’s behalf. They were approved afterwards.

Kristy said that the first time they tried to remove Karver from the bypass machine after the surgery, “it was like a sprinkler.

The patches went and it just, like... blood went everywhere.” Doctors had to redo the patches on Karver’s heart.

Medical staff told the Fullers that Karver would only need to spend 24 hours in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). That was on Dec. 14. Karver was moved out of the PICU 11 days later – on Christmas Day.

Unfortunately, Karver’s stay was extended because he contracted Human Metapneumovirus and needed treatment for that. He was in the hospital for 10 more days after leaving the PICU. What the Fullers had thought would be a quick trip ended up lasting more than three weeks.

The costs Costs add up quickly when travelling out of town to get medical treatment for a sick child.

The Fullers had to travel around 800 km to get to B.C. Children’s Hospital. The distances only go up for residents of more remote northern communities.

There are some services available to help people without vehicles travel for medical appointments, but the situation has been complicated by Greyhound ending services in Western Canada in 2018. The provincial government has created a new service called BC Bus North to replace some

of Greyhound’s routes, but it only connects communities in Northern B.C. Northern Health, runs a bus service called NH Connections from Prince George to Vancouver three times a week in both directions. One-way trips cost between $20 and $40 depending on where you board the bus. Upon request, NH Connections will give out letters confirming medical care in the Vancouver area for hotels that offer medical rates.

The B.C. Ministry of Health maintains a list of hotels in various communities that offer medical rates.

A Canadian charity called Hope Air helps some patients afford air travel for medical care. Families that demonstrate financial need and can provide proof of an out-oftown health care appointment can apply to the charity for assistance.

If accepted, Hope Air will pay for roundtrip tickets on a commercial airline for a patient and an escort if the patient is 18 or younger.

However, Hope Air does not pay extra

fees for such things as checked luggage or in-flight meals.

Otherwise, a one-way ticket from Prince George to Vancouver can cost around $500 per person before fees and taxes, if booked on short notice. If patients have the luxury of booking months in advance, tickets can still cost hundreds of dollars before fees and taxes.

The provincial government does run a Travel Assistance Program (TAP B.C.).

Patients receiving non-emergency specialist services at the closest location outside of their home community and patients receiving specialist care are eligible for benefits under this program, so long as they have a referral and their travel expenses are not covered by third-party insurance. An escort is allowed for patients who are either 18 years old or younger or incapable of travelling alone.

Claims for assistance, however, cannot be filed retroactively for TAP B.C. Housing is expensive too.

— ‘ANYTHING THAT, page 8

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‘Anything that requires a specialized pediatrician... it’s all in Vancouver’ — from page 7 NH Connections maintains a list of hotels with medical rates. A Sandman Hotel in Vancouver charges $129 for a room with two doubles from May to September and $89 the rest of the year. On Expedia.ca, booking the same kind of room at that hotel costs $169 a night without the medical rate.

Lucky families who get a room at Ronald McDonald House only have to pay $12 a night and the facility is on the grounds of B.C. Children’s Hospital. Ronald McDonald House has 73 rooms of different sizes with private bathrooms and access to communal kitchens and dining areas, as well as entertainment facilities. To apply to stay at Ronald McDonald House, families must prove that they have a medical appointment at B.C. Children’s Hospital and have travelled farther than 50 km to receive medical care.

There is usually a waitlist to get in.

“Our priority system is essentially the sickest children from the farthest away,” says Shannon Kidd, vice-president of external relations for Ronald McDonald House of B.C. and Yukon. Kidd says if families cannot afford the $12 a day fee, the facility does not pressure them to pay.

A similar facility is Easter Seals House.

They’re located a few blocks away from B.C. Children’s Hospital and have 49 suites with access to laundry facilities, lounges and in-suite kitchenettes. Easter Seals House charges $40 a night for a single guest and $25 a night for a second guest.

Residents of B.C. can apply for the provincial government’s B.C. Family Residence Program, which is run by the charity Variety. Families that have a child receiving medical care at B.C. Children’s Hospital or

claim, whichever is shorter.

While the provincial government offers these programs to help parents who have travelled to Vancouver to get their kids health care, nobody told the Fullers.

Kristy and Wes were able to apply for the B.C. Family Residency Program but only after they were made aware of its existence when a staff member at Easter Seals House asked them if they had signed up.

The care

Gateway photo by Brent Braaten

Karver Fuller, 3, plays at the Child Development Centre of Prince George and District. the Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children and live outside Metro Vancouver (excluding Bowen Island and other island communities) are eligible to have accommodation costs paid directly to the facility they’re staying at for up to 30 days per medical visit. This program does not cover transportation costs, meals or other personal expenses.

Variety also offers assistance to parents and caregivers away from their home community to seek medical attention for a child through their Variety Cares Fund.

The Fullers were lucky in that they had a friend offer to pay for their hotel stay when they weren’t able to be at Ronald McDonald House. Some of their friends in Prince George also ran a fundraiser to help them cover the cost of being away from home.

The EI Family Caregiver Benefit grants up to 55 per cent of a parent’s average weekly insurable earnings (to a maximum of $562 a week) if accepted. The parent needs to have accumulated 600 hours of insurable employment in the 52 weeks preceding the claim or since the beginning of the last

University Hospital of Northern British Columbia in Prince George is the largest hospital in Northern B.C. With specialized services including a cancer clinic and a teaching partnership with UNBC, patients from around the region come to Prince George for care when their local facilities can’t handle their needs.

However, UHNBC does not have a large pediatric department. In Northern B.C., there are six pediatricians in Prince George, three in Terrace, one in Prince Rupert, and one in Fort St. John. While UHNBC can handle generalized care and some emergency situations, anything else needs to be handled at B.C. Children’s Hospital.

“Anything that requires a specialized pediatrician like cardiology, gastroenterology, you name it, immunology, rheumatology, it’s all in Vancouver,” says Dr. Kirsten Miller, the medical lead for Northern Health’s Child and Youth Health Program.

“It would be hard to answer (the question) of what services kids go to Vancouver for. It might be easier to say what services they don’t go for.”

— see ‘WE SEE KIDS, page 9

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‘We see kids that live hours and hours from a pediatrician’ — from page 8 According to Miller, geography is the biggest challenge in providing pediatric health care in Northern B.C. “We see kids that live hours and hours from a pediatrician,” she says. “I just got a phone call about a kid that’s having trouble breathing in Takla, which is by land going to take five or six hours to get here.”

Some families in northeastern B.C. choose to take their children to Grande Prairie or Edmonton in Alberta for non-urgent medical appointments because the distances involved make those locations easier to access. A patient in Fort Nelson would only need to drive 11 hours to Edmonton versus 18-and-a-half hours to Vancouver.

Miller says a couple of things would make her job easier as a pediatrician in the north.

One would be a provincial-based approach to pediatric care that includes telemedicine appointments for hard-to-reach communities. Another would be the improvement of transportation services for critically ill children.

“I had two children come in this (February) long weekend from smaller communities in our region and they both had to come by land ambulance in the black of night, on icy roads, with basic ambulance crews that in my opinion probably couldn’t have managed any complications that would’ve arisen on the way,” Miller says.

“There needs to be more money for flying kids with a specialized infant transport team than there currently is.”

While the bulk of patients treated at B.C. Children’s Hospital are from the Metro Vancouver area, patients from other regions of B.C. make up a substantial amount of their caseload. In the 2016/17 fiscal year, 458 cases treated at B.C. Children’s Hospital were patients from Northern B.C. and 279 of those cases were patients from Prince George.

In 2017/18, 386 cases were from Northern B.C., with 237 of those being from Prince George.

Other regions in B.C. are closer to Metro Vancouver and they make up thousands of

other cases every year. Care at B.C. Children’s Hospital still means driving hours away from home, taking ferries or flights, and hundreds if not thousands of dollars in expenses.

Next up for Karver After his heart surgery, Karver has thrived. While his speech lags behind children without Down syndrome, he gives confident one-word answers to questions.

The speech therapist at Prince George’s Child Development Centre is only able to see Karver once a month or less, so Kristy supplements his learning with a computer program that helps him learn new words.

Karver loves to play. He has a wooden train track built in his play area at home. He surrounds it with plastic skyscrapers topped with Lego figures.

When Wes is home from work, Karver plays outside with him and the family dogs.

One of the dogs’ names, Memphis, is one of Karver’s favourite words.

Initially, the family had a hard time finding Karver a daycare that would allow him to have a staff member dedicated to helping him. In the beginning, they hired a nanny to take care of Karver while Kristy was working. Now Karver has gotten into a facility that allows him to have a personal aide and he’s loving the chance to socialize with other kids.

Recently, Karver became a big brother.

Kristy and Wes welcomed daughter Farryn to the world in early 2019. While Karver is sometimes jealous that his sister is getting lots of attention, he clearly loves her.

Karver shows affection by giving out fist bumps and is already trying to teach his infant sister how to do them.

Karver’s medical team has been hesitant to do any more work on his heart for fear that any surgeries might make matters worse.

But Karver’s heart has been prone to mitral valve regurgitation, where the heart’s mitral valve doesn’t close tightly enough.

— see MORE OPEN, page 10

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More open heart surgery in the future for Karver — from page 9 This allows blood to travel backwards in the heart, impeding circulation.

The problem has progressed to the point where Karver will need to have another open heart surgery this August.

It won’t be as complex as the surgery that reshaped his heart but it will require Kristy and Wes to take more time off work. However, family friends have recently put on a fundraiser to help the family with the costs of being away from home.

Karver is expected to only be in hospital five days but will need to stay in the Vancouver area for monitoring for another week.

Kristy always knew that Karver would need more work done but had hoped for more time between procedures.

“We really thought we had years before they were going to do a surgery, not a couple of months,” Kristy said.

While the thought of another open heart surgery is scary, Kristy and Wes know that they’ve survived worse.

Both parents have tattoos of the ECG of Karver’s heart after he went through his first surgery to remind themselves of what they’ve overcome.

Kristy and Wes have seen Karver’s potential in the years since his first health crisis and are doing everything they can to keep their son on that path.

— Colin Slark is a graduate of Duchess Park Secondary School. He got the journalism bug after spending two weeks jobshadowing in the Citizen newsroom in 2012. He went on to UNBC, where he edited the Over The Edge student newspaper while completing his bachelor’s degree in English and history. He recently finished his master’s degree in journalism at King’s College in Halifax and this story was a project towards completing his degree. Slark is currently a staff reporter at the Brandon Sun.

Steve MacNaull photo

You can combine your swimming with jumping off rocks at this beach near the trail head of the Okanagan Rail Trail.

The Okanagan awaits Steve MacNaull Special to Gateway

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he Okanagan Valley is hot – literally and figuratively.

This little slice of paradise in British Columbia’s southern interior has ideal summer weather and incredible attractions.

For instance, cycle the Okanagan Rail Trail along gleaming Kalamalka Lake in the north part of the valley, sip wine in the South Okanagan and forage and cook perfect pasta in Kelowna, mid-valley.

Okanagan Rail Trail After picking up rental bikes at KalaVida Surf Shop, the aha moments come thick and fast while cycling the section of the Okanagan Rail Trail that hugs glintinggreen Kalamalka Lake.

There are jaw-dropping vistas galore along the 23-kilometre glacial body of water.

My wife, Kerry, and I are tempted frequently to stop our peddling and simply stare at the view.

There’s that secluded beach we had completely to ourselves for a picnic lunch.

The Kalamalka section is the northern extension of the trail that now spans 50

kilometres from the Okanagan Lake waterfront in downtown Kelowna up to Lake Country and into Coldstream’s Kalamalka Lake Beach.

As the name indicates, the multi-use cycling, hiking, running and walking linear trail is fashioned from the decommissioned CN railway.

Tourism Vernon and KalaVida have latched onto the rail trail section running the entire 23-kilometre west shore of Kalamalka Lake as a tourist-and-local juggernaut.

“I don’t think we can overstate it’s importance,” says Ange Chew of TourismVernon. com. “It’s one of Vernon’s greatest attractions and it’s free. And cycling or hiking the rail trail can be done on its own or combined with the area’s other greatest attractions like the lakes, wineries, food and downtown vibe.”

Oliver wine country four ways From McIntrye Bluff to the Canada-U.S. border, from the Black Sage Bench to the Golden Mile Bench and everywhere in between, Oliver and Osoyoos are pure South Okanagan wine region eye candy.

— see ‘IT’S A FUN, page 11

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‘It’s a fun and educational way to ride a bike’ — from page 10 And, yes, the wines from the 43 members of the Oliver Osoyoos Winery Association in this 36-kilometre stretch are terrior-driven fabulous as a result.

My wife, Kerry, and I recently spent the day criss-crossing the region in the sunshine to experience the diversity.

There was mineraly Cabernet Franc at River Stone Winery; peach-and-honey, sunshine-in-a-glass Kerner at Oliver Twist Winery; Trebbiano paired with potato-andtruffle-aioli pizza at Hester Creek Winery’s Terrafina restaurant; and charcuterie and Chardonnay on the deck at Vin Amite Cellars.

You can certainly copy what we did and have an incredible time or use the new tour planning page at OliverOsoyoos.com to design your own romp through wine heaven.

Cycle, forage, eat, drink Without hesitation, chef Michael Buffett of Start Fresh Kitchen declares his pastamaking classes the most popular.

After all, you can’t go wrong making tender noodles from scratch with nona’s recipe and smothering it in a sauce made of tomatoes, herbs and garlic grown at Start Fresh’s own Wise Earth Farm.

Paired with an uber-fresh green salad, assembled, of course, of lettuces, vegetables and herbs raised at Wise Earth, and a glass of wine from East Kelowna’s Kitsch Winery, it’s the ultimate farm-to-table meal.

Start Fresh and Wise Earth have amped up the concept by partnering with Giro Okanagan for the consummate Farm-toTable by Bike tour of Kelowna.

Nancy Shields photo

The tour culminates with a cooking class, and eating and drinking, of course, at Start Fresh Kitchen.

“The theme may be foraging, but really it’s a fun and educational way to ride a bike and strengthen our ongoing connection with the land,” says Gord Hotchkiss of Giro.

When you arrive at Start Fresh with your farm haul, you’ll do some hands-on work in the kitchen, but will be rewarded with that aforementioned farm-to-table meal, familystyle, with wine, if you so choose.

The farm and culinary focus, particularly when combined with wine, has become huge for TourismKelowna.com.

Also check out StartFreshKitchen.ca, and GiroOkanagan.com.

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Grocery shopping on a tight budget

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ummer can be a time of backyard barbeques, picnics and family gettogethers, which can mean larger portions to prepare and a bigger grocery bill.

The list below includes tips on how to save money while shopping for healthy options.

1. Make a grocery list and stick to it. Meal planning can help you create a list of the items you need. Think through breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as any snacks you might want or special occasion meals you need to prepare that week. Make the list at home so you can check your cupboards, fridge and freezer for any items you’re unsure of having.

2. Check grocery store flyers while completing your grocery list.

Seeing an “On Sale” or “Special” sticker on food packaging seems to trigger the consumer into automatically believing they’re getting a good deal, regardless of whether they actually are. Checking grocery store

Food for thought

Kelsey Leckovic

flyers at home allows you to easily check your kitchen for missing items.

This also allows you to take your time in calculating whether the price is worth it.

3. Price compare online if possible. Several grocery stores in Prince George allow for online orders.

This means you can see what different grocery stores are charging for the items you need that week, ensuring you’re getting a better price and leading to a more efficient shopping trip.

4. Order your groceries online. If you find it difficult to stick to a grocery list and are swayed by the aisles of the grocery store, consider ordering the items you need online. Both Save-On-Foods and Real Cana-

dian Superstore accept online orders, with Save-On-Foods offering delivery.

Ordering online is especially helpful when it comes to seeing how much you’re spending on produce, without having to weigh it in-store.

Seeing your tallying climb as you add items to your cart can also help you stay on budget.

5. Compare the unit price for similar items. The unit price will tell you how much an item costs per “unit” or per 100 grams or 100 millilitres. You can usually find the unit price in small print under the main price.

This price can help you compare whether a large or small size of an item is a better buy.

6. Compare your grocery bills from different stores.

Keeping track of the regular prices of your commonly bought foods from different stores will help you to figure out which store offers the best value for your dollar and whether you’re getting a good deal on

sale items at another store.

7. Bring a calculator. Whether you’re using a calculator, your phone or simply writing down your grocery bill as you shop, keeping a tally can help you stay on budget.

8. Avoid shopping when you’re hungry.

This may likely be advice you’ve heard before, and for good reason.

When you shop on an empty stomach, everything suddenly looks delicious! Shopping while hungry can lead you to buy foods you don’t need and/or less healthy choices.

9. Shop the international foods aisle.

Consider shopping for staples such as dried herbs, spices, dried beans and rice in the international foods aisle of your grocery store, where they’re often less expensive.

Getting to know the layout of your grocery store can help you to find the best price on a product since the same items, such as herbs and spices, can be stocked on multiple aisles.

— see BRUISED, OVER-RIPE, page 13

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Bruised, over-ripe fruit still nutritious

Cp file photo

Limes are on display at a grocery store in Montreal.

— from page 12 10. Shop the “reduced” section of the produce department.

Fruits and vegetables that appear past-their-prime can still be nutritious; just consider how that fruit or vegetable can be used.

If you buy brown bananas and never use them, you’re not saving any money.

Less esthetically pleasing vegetables are good for soups and stews if you don’t want to eat them raw.

Ripe fruit, such as bananas, pears and strawberries are good for making muffins and loaves.

Day-old bread is still safe for eating as is, but makes good French toast or grilled sandwiches.

Ripe melons can be diced and frozen, or puréed to make smoothies.

For more budget friendly tips go to www.unlockfood.ca and search “budget.”

— Kelsey Leckovic is a registered dietitian with Northern Health working in chronic disease management.

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Northern Orchestra announces shows Frank Peebles Gateway staff

T

he Northern Orchestra is staging its most ambitious season of music to date. The region’s premier community development ensemble has a Mainstage Series, a “Coffee Series” and a Special Event Series.

These performances are shared between Prince George and Vanderhoof.

“Next season will be truly special, and we have planned terrific concerts and a very special event, a concert with yours truly as soloist with the orchestra,” said the group’s founder and music director Gordon Lucas.

“I’ll be playing Mozart’s Concert No. 3 and, in recital after intermission, with Mau-

reen Nielsen on the piano, playing a bunch of showpieces by Wieinawski, GershwinHeifetz, Bloch, Sarasate and Novacek.”

The special focus on Lucas is not a vanity project, but rather an opportunity to capitalize on the novelty of this rare personal appearance in order to gather some extra funding for a good Northern Orchestra cause.

“I’ve not played a public solo concert in 20 years, or with our orchestra as soloist ever, and this will be my last solo performance in public, period,” Lucas said. “This is a special event concert... with a special admission price of $30, because it will be a fundraiser for our tour the following year.”

The productions in the upcoming 2019-

20 season start on Oct. 26 and 27 with a Mainstage show featuring the works of Mozart, Beethoven and more.

The first of the Coffee Concerts happen on Nov. 16 with the Autumn quarter of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons as the lead composition. The next of the Coffee Concerts also has the next of the Vivaldi pieces, when Winter is played on Nov. 23.

On Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 the Northern Orchestra showcases its first special event concert of the set when highlights from Handel’s Messiah will be their featured work, along with Corelli’s Concerto Grosso In G Minor (commonly known as the Christmas Concerto), and a selection of other Christmas music.

The Coffee Concert format returns on Feb. 8 with the orchestra playing the Spring corner of the Vivaldi masterpiece.

The final Vivaldi installment, Summer, happens on Feb. 22 in the final Coffee Concert. The Lucas solo showcase happens on April 18-19.

The Northern Orchestra season’s finale takes place May 9-10 with the works of Strauss, Haydn, Siegfried Idyll by Richard Wagner, Gli Uccelli (The Birds) by Respighi, and more.

All Prince George shows will be held at the First Baptist Church. Vanderhoof venues are still to be announced. For ticket and concert information, email Lucas at moltogordo@runbox.com.

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