GATEWAY TO THE NORTH - AUGUST 2019

august 2019

Fair part of area history

Gateway photo by Brent Braaten

Aimme Alspaugh, general manager and Sylvia Layzell, president of BCNE. The BCNE will be August 15-18.

Christine HINZMANN Gateway staff

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ith the theme We’ve Got a Good Thing Growing: 107 Years of Community, the fall fair will be held at the exhibition grounds from Aug. 15 to 18.

Organizers of the British Columbia Northern Exhibition (BCNE) have some new events on the schedule along with plenty of old favourites.

Food is always a big part of any fair and the BCNE is no different.

There’s a food court that offers a wide range of cuisine, while there’s the usual fair treats like cotton candy, candy apples, corn dogs and mini donuts on the menu.

The mandate for the fall fair is to promote and showcase local agriculture.

The themes are Buy B.C. and Every Chef Needs a Farmer, Every Farmer Needs a Chef. To promote these home-grown ideas there is a special barbecue contest that sees local chefs, DJs, and firefighters going head to head during a cook-off judged by Shaun O’Neale, MasterChef winner of season 7.

— see ‘GATE ADMISSIONS, page 3

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Gate admissions more affordable Curling to be big draw — from page 1 Why would a U.S. championship-winning chef busy riding the wave of his MasterChef fame take time out to come to Prince George?

Because Sylvia Layzell, president of the BCNE, asked him to.

Layzell was in New Orleans on holidays, went to eat dinner at Aaron Sanchez’s restaurant and found herself seated at a table next to O’Neale’s, who was there for a trade show.

Layzell said hi, continued the conversation, got her photo taken with O’Neale and then took the leap.

“I asked him if he’d come up here and he said sure,” Layzell said. “It was a chance meeting that worked out really well for us.

There will be three days of barbecue competitions and Shaun will be doing a couple of barbecue demonstrations.”

As far as entertainment on the schedule, guests at the fair can take in local entertainment, including Limelight Quest’s finale, where a singer will be crowned the winner

of the annual competition, square dancing demonstrations, juggling, magic shows, heavy horse pulls and agility dogs. Guests at the fair can explore Heritage Lane, the 4H barns, home arts and horticulture displays, a quilt show, and something new and rather unusual on the roster this year.

“We’ve got noodle jousting out on our rodeo grounds,” said Aimee Alsplaugh, general manager of the BCNE. “So people will be dressing up in medieval costumes and jousting with pool noodles for entertainment.”

And they are on horseback.

“I don’t think it’s well known but it’s a thing,” Alsplaugh laughed.

“There’s a whole set of rules and a couple of our directors are organizing it,” Layzell said. “They thought it would be cool.”

To make the fair more accessible gate admissions are more affordable, with children 11 and under free and there’s no charge for parking.

For a full schedule of events visit www. bcne.ca.

Gateway staff Prince George will be front and centre – as in centre ice – when the Women’s World Curling Championships are held at CN Centre next year.

Curling Canada events manager Terry Morris gave a presentation to Prince George city council on the benefits the event will bring to the city and among them is the number of times the City of Prince George logo will be shown on television.

“If you calculate that on each end, 16 rocks will pass over that logo with the camera following it, and within a 10-end game, that’s 160 views you’re going to get per game,” Morris commented.

Typically, the host city’s logo is placed near the centre of each of the four sheets put in place for the championships.

Set for March 14-22, TSN will provide 50 hours of live coverage over those nine days, while World Curling Television

will be good for a further 75 hours.

If Canada makes it into the championship game, Morris said TSN’s coverage will draw about six million viewers.

WCT, in turn, will reach out to 47 countries and about 86 million viewers, the majority of them in China.

As for attendance at the games themselves, Morris said 60,000 to 80,000 tickets will be scanned over the course of the tournament based on past experience.

About 70 per cent of fans will be from the local area, a further 15 per cent from 100 to 200 kilometres away and the rest from out of country.

Fans, officials, players and sponsors will take up 2,500 to 3,000 hotel rooms, each of them spending upwards of $500 in the city, according to estimates derived from an economic impact study.

And he said Curling Canada will typically spends about $1 million locally to put on the event.

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Railway museum hosting family fun day Christine HINZMANN Gateway staff Family Fun Day at the Central B.C. Railway and Forestry Museum will be filled with activities geared for the family on Saturday, Aug. 24 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

There will be a clown making balloon animals, a giant lawn chess game set up, interactive toys will be available for playtime for the children, while the blacksmith forges in steel. Everyone is welcome to explore the grounds, train cars and the Penny Station full steam ahead.

The concession will offer hot dogs and hamburgers and admission is by donation to the Humane Society and Two Bunnies Rescue, who will be on hand with furry friends to answer any questions guests may have about their organizations.

Within the last few years the railway museum has undergone some expansion.

One of those comes in the form of the acquisition of the school house from Island Cache.

“We’ll have the permanent story inside the school house,” Katherine Carlson, executive director of the museum, said.

“We’ll also use the building to hold different types of exhibits. So we’re focusing on doing restoration and making some changes before it will be accessible to the public.”

The focus will be showcasing the region’s heritage, she added.

This year the museum was able to get funding through government employment programs for 12 summer students. There’s students of horticulture who are working on the grounds, a curatorial team doing inventory and a group of heritage interpreters who conduct the mini rail train rides and offer tours to guests.

“It’s thanks to these students that the site looks better than ever before,” Nadine

Fieber, events coordinator, said.

“We had a lot of people donating plants to us and we have plenty of room for them.

Our urban orchards and heritage gardens are really producing this year.”

The orchard trees are apple and cherry and are planted throughout the grounds, Fieber added.

Students can reap the rewards for their efforts by taking some of the vegetables grown in the garden home throughout the summer and at the end of the season the fresh garden-grown food is donated to St. Vincent de Paul Society or Positive Living North’s Firepit that provide meals to those in need.

It’s important to support community efforts.

Another new attraction on site is the shop the Blacksmith Guild has recently set up.

A blacksmith now does demonstrations on event days like Family Fun Day and the guild meets on location on the last Saturday of the month at 10 a.m. and new members are welcome to attend.

“It’s been very popular during our special events and black smith Barry Schaefer always has spectators watching him,” Fieber said.

“It’s just wonderful because he fits in so well here. When he’s here there’s lots of

hammering noises and smoke coming from the chimney and kids enjoy it and so do the adults. Some people watch for hours.”

Weather permitting on Family Fun Day there will be some water toys on hand for children to enjoy and from 3 to 4 p.m.

Huggleberry the clown will be making balloon animals.

The Spinners and Weavers Guild will be on site giving demonstrations and a chance for guests to try weaving for themselves.

“We always make each event unique so that it’s different every time visitors come here and this one is for families to come and enjoy and have fun,” Fieber said.

Family Fun Day is Saturday, Aug. 24 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is by donation to the SPCA or Two Bunnies Rescue. Suggested donation items for Two Bunnies Rescue are gift cards for grocery stores for vegetables for the rabbits, hay, including timothy or orchard grass, rabbit pellets from Spruce Capitol Feeds and Pine wood shavings and rabbit-safe small animal toys. For the Humane Society people can donate laundry soap, dog food, puppy food, cat toys and hand sanitizer.

For more information about Family Fun Day visit www.pgrfm.bc.ca.

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Fishing is off the hook with technology Gateway staff To track fish populations the Takla First Nation is looking to new technology and people to help with the effort.

The Takla Fish Tracker app will soon be available on Apple and Android devices, which will enable anglers to count their catches and send data to the fisheries program for storage and analysis.

“Takla Nation’s territory is full of beautiful rivers, lakes, and streams which are home to a wide variety of fish species,” Keith West, fisheries program coordinator at Takla Nation, said.

“We want to make sure that these fish are here for generations to come, for everyone to enjoy, and so are asking anglers to help track their catches.”

Takla Nation is ramping up its fisheries program by using drones, sonar, and counting what’s caught to monitor fish numbers in their territory and are now reaching out to the general public for their input as well

for details on what they catch at what location, if it’s a salmon, trout or burbot, its sex and weight and length, if it was a catch and release and a few other details.

“Our program is about understanding and valuing fish populations,” Trevor McConkey, environmental operations manager at Takla Nation, said.

“By knowing where these fish live, we can better protect their habitat and focus restoration efforts on bringing compromised stream reaches back into use. The app provides a real opportunity to capture and store information on existing and baseline conditions, which is key for responsible resource development.”

Those who like to fish without their smartphones can instead fill out a postcard available at bait shops and fishing lodges within the territory.

“We’re really excited about this initiative,” Michael Schneider of Driftwood Valley Guide Outfitters, said.

“We greatly respect Takla Nation’s knowl-

edge of the land and commitment to conservation and my clients and myself are eager to contribute to the collection of data to keep our fish populations healthy.”

Takla Nation is embracing the conservation and stewardship of their territory’s fish population.

“Knowledge of fish populations and harvest will help inform fish management,”

Scott Ellis, executive director of the Guide Outfitters Association of BC, said.

To improve participation rates, Takla will be holding a draw four times a year for fishing gear.

Everyone who uses the app or submits a postcard will be eligible. The first prize to be drawn in October is an Abu Garcia rod and reel set.

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Seniors Day at BCNE always a hit

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HandouT photo by Bob D’Auray

Lino Nadalin and wife Kathy, middle, along with Theresa Saunders volunteered at the Prince George Community Foundation booth at the Seniors’ Fair at the BCNE last year. This year the Seniors’ Fair is held on Pioneer Day on Aug. 15 in Kin 3 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Christine HINZMANN Gateway staff Everything you ever wanted to know about being a senior citizen and where to find what you need to do it right will be provided as the Prince George Council of Seniors presents the Seniors’ Fair on Aug. 15 in Kin 3 during the B.C. Northern Exhibition.

Admission to the BCNE is a toonie for seniors’ on Pioneer Day, which makes the Seniors’ Fair accessible for everyone.

The local council of seniors non-profit organization has offered this event since 2007, so this is lucky number 13, said LolaDawn Fennell, general manager of P.G. Council of Seniors .

Information booths, the Old Boot Cafe, carpet bowling demonstrations, and draws for lots of freebies is once again on the agenda.

“So seniors will find the usual round up of local organizations and businesses with services and products that would be of interest to seniors or their caregivers,” Fennell said.

New to the Seniors’ Fair is a booth where seniors will find representatives from

Revenue Canada.

“So if people have questions about things like income splitting, or disability benefits or credits they will be there to answer their questions,” Fennell said. “We’ve also got Northern Health Community Services on tap this year.”

The Prince George Elks’ Lodge has taken over the Moose Hall, 663 Douglas St., and is looking to promote it as an events venue since it’s been refurbished.

The Prince George & District Elizabeth Fry Society will be there to talk about housing options. There is also a business called Active Health Solutions that offers a comprehensive approach to health and wellness by incorporating functional fitness with good nutrition and healthy lifestyle choices.

The cafe will offer a light lunch and refreshments and is a great place to take a break at any time during the very busy fair day.

“As usual the Hart Pioneer Centre folks will be on hand to demonstrate carpet bowling and people always enjoy that,” Fennell said. “There will be lots of free draws and many different activities at the information tables.”

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Saturday, August 3, 2019

Speakers selected for TEDxUNBC Gateway staff A variety of entrepreneurs, scientists, educators, and a performing artist will take to the stage when TEDxUNBC is held this fall at UNBC. Set for Oct. 5 at Canfor Theatre, it will feature 10 speakers “We have a wonderful slate of speakers, a mix that complements the entire university from faculty and alumni to students and community members,” Walker said.

Select the speakers for this year’s edition wasn’t easy, he added.

“On Oct. 5, the audience will experience an interdisciplinary journey through inspirational ideas about science, education, the arts and more.”

Tickets for the event are now on sale for $100 each through www.unbc.ca/tedxunbc.

Here’s a look at the lineup: • Daryl Hatton is the founder and CEO FundRazr, an innovative, award-winning global enterprise crowdfunding platform.

• James Steidle operates Steidle Woodworking where he focuses on using local woods, particularly aspen, and mills up the lumber himself. He spends his free time advocating for aspen and broadleaf forests as part of Stop the Spray BC. • Brittany Doncaster is a mental health and addictions clinician who emphasizes education, accountability and empathy in her practice. An evolutionary psychology perspective informs her position on favourite topics such as stress, boundaries, and technology.

• Ronny Priefer is a professor of medicinal chemistry at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Boston.

He has had more than 50 students working with him, publishing 44 scientific articles and six patents as a principal investigator.

TEDxUNBC marks his return to UNBC and his hometown.

• Edosdi /Judy Thompson is a member

of the Tahltan Nation and for the last three decades, she has been learning the Tāłtān language, which has included learning the culture, knowledge, wisdom, and ways of knowing her people.

She is currently an associate professor in indigenous education at the University of Victoria an adjunct professor at UNBC. • Reeanna Bradley is a Seattle-based diversity and inclusion consultant working with software engineers across multiple industries. Her talk explores the incredible powers of data to reinforce social inequity or liberate us from bias.

She invites deliberate co-creation of artificial intelligence by outlining interventions for computer people, policy works, and the rest of us.

• Shelby Richardson is a choreographer, curator and designer in Prince George.

Her current research focuses on the ways in which dance, and other art forms, can be integrated into local

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communities to help prompt social exchange and dialogue.

• Guido Wimmers is an associate professor and chair of the master of engineering program in integrated wood design at UNBC. In 2018, he was pivotal for the construction of the Wood Innovation Research Laboratory, a certified Passive House in a harsh climate, which became the most airtight building in North America.

• Lisa Dickson is an associate professor of Renaissance literature in the English department at UNBC. As a 3M National Teaching Fellow, she dedicates a lot of her time to thinking about teaching and learning, and to supporting others who are doing the same.

• Ann Duong is a UNBC alumni with a bachelor honours degree in biochemistry and molecular biology. She joined the Northern Analytical Laboratory Service 2018 where she is part of a team of people who care about making the planet better.

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Yarn Crawl on the move

Gateway photo by Brent Braaten

Jen Boots, left, Bonne Leiphart, centre, and Darlene Wainwright knit over the lunch hour at Zoe’s on Fourth Avenue. The local Playing With String group, who are fibre artists, is organizing their third Yarn Crawl and FibreFest.

Christine HINZMANN Gateway staff With precocious names like Hippy Strings, Darling Deviance and Wooly Ewe, knitters and other fibre artists are invited to go on a Yarn Crawl to discover these unique stores located throughout the region.

There are a dozen stores in all, including three in Prince George, that are inviting adventurous knitters to come check them out and get special discounts for their efforts.

Playing with String is the group organizing the self-led event that lasts all summer and sees stores from as far away as Prince Rupert, the Northwest Territories, Fort McMurray, and 100 Mile House participating.

Jen Boots, Bonne Leiphart and Darlene Wainwright are members of Playing with String who are organizing the event.

The group started three years ago after a small group of knitters traveled to some outlying yarn stores one morning and returned to Prince George for a nice pub lunch.

“And said that was so much fun, why don’t we do that all the time?” Leiphart said.

And so the Great Northwest Yarn Crawl began and culminates with the FibreFest which will be held on Sept. 22 at the Senior Citizens Activity Centre, 425 Brunswick St. Fibre arts enthusiasts are invited to get a passport from Playing with String and present it at each of the stores they visit for a chance to enter draws at the FibreFest.

Boots is an avid knitter who began at her grandmother’s knee, then took it up again with her mother-in-law and creates sweaters and other items of clothing for family and friends.

Leiphart is a knitter who creates scarves and shawls using unique stitches, colours and textures, who dabbles in crochet but

only if she has to, she said.

“I started off at 11 or 12 when my mom tried to teach me but she’s left handed and I am right handed and it was a disaster,” Leiphart recalled with a smile. “So I took up crocheting and that was really fun but I kept looking at the beautiful knitting patterns and so about 15 years ago I found myself a right-handed knitting mentor who was just fantastic and got me going.”

Leiphart said Wainwright, who used to own a yarn store in Prince George, is a knitter, weaver, spinner, crocheter, and yarn dyer.

“We refer to Darlene as our yarn goddess,” Leiphart laughed, talking about her friend’s contribution to the group’s dynamic.

Bringing about the yarn crawl started by

comparing big city centres hosting yarn crawls to a dozen stores that would only take a weekend.

“We know there are a lot of other beautiful stores out there so we went further afield, contacted the stores to ask if they’d be interested in something like that,” Leiphart said.

Emphasis was put on Canadian yarns and artists to showcase the rich culture that is in the region, she added.

“There’s so much talent here and so many people who create wonderful things and unfortunately because we’re all so wide spread it’s hard to showcase that,” Leiphart said. “We thought we could do that with the yarn crawl.”

For more information and to get a passport visit www.playing-with-string.com.

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Dove relishing opportunities in acting, mentorship Gateway staff There are few universal traits among cultures, but storytelling is one of them.

Regardless of which First Nation across Canada you belong to, or from which ancestry you are descended, the telling of stories is a foundational reality.

In a thousand years, that will still be

true, which is why Noirfoot Narrative Labs was in Prince George earlier this month.

This initiative puts Indigenous people in touch with the most modern of storytelling genres: filmmaking. Teaching the skills of cinema provides power to collect and disseminate information to anyone who wants to know. One no longer needs to be a Hollywood insider to use the filmmaking

GATEWAY photo by James DOyle

Actress Grace Dove and her parents in 2016.

medium. The technologies and hardware are readily available, but the know-how isn’t always available or intuitive.

One of those Hollywood insiders was in Prince George to help pass on these skills to grassroots storytellers of the future. Grace Dove rocketed for international fame in the movie The Revenant, then carried her fame deeper in the Netflix hit movie How It Ends, and is now the star in the upcoming film version of the bestselling novel Monkey Beach.

However, Dove is also a Prince George insider. She is Tsq’escenemc First Nation (CAnim Lake, near 100 Mile House) by heritage, raised at Salmon Valley in Lheidli T’enneh territory here in this city. She is a graduate of Kelly Road Secondary School where she was a standout in the drama department.

It is the third time in the past month that Dove has travelled to Prince George to take part in mentorship sessions. Each time she gets in some visits with family and friends,

It’s very rewarding, I was in L.A. just a few months ago literally living my dream and doing what I had always imagined.

There was one day where I had three auditions in the one day.

—Grace Dove but this is a busy part of the audition season for the film industry, so she has to quickly return to Los Angeles and Vancouver for a heavy schedule of meetings and readings leading towards future roles.

“It’s very rewarding,” she said. “I was in L.A. just a few months ago literally living my dream and doing what I had always imagined. There was one day where I had three auditions in the one day.”

— see ‘IT’S EASY, page 10

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It’s easy to see her value as a mentor to local youth — from page 9 That may not sound like “the dream” to which most young actors aspire. Most cut the corner straight to their face on the silver screen. For Dove, the dream is being a working actor, not a celebrity. For Dove, the dream is the job and the job is 90 per cent auditions.

These auditions each come with their own form of stress. Each one is a mini-performance requiring costume, characterization, and delivering lines, all for someone’s judgment. (And it is hard enough just getting to three places in one day in the ocean of traffic that is Los Angeles, let alone getting into three completely different characters, each one representing a potential career eruption.)

“It was for three leads of three pilots, and I had to learn 30 pages of dialogue. It was so committed, fully. I knew that if I did that, that’s all I can do, give it everything I’ve got, and then you’ve got to let it go.

“That hustle was just as I’d always dreamed it, and in that moment I had to stop for a second and celebrate that win not booking the role, but just getting that

far, just being there in that opportunity.”

She is landing good roles, though. Playing opposite Forest Whitaker and Theo James in key segments of How It Ends, and being the love interest of Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant have seen to the interest she’s getting from casting directors, and that is going to increase again when Monkey Beach reveals her abilities as a lead actor.

Mix in some pivotal public appearances like a TED Talk and at We Day, guest spots on the television series Coyote’s Crazy Smart Science Show, her hosting duties for the adventure sports reality show UnderExposed and it’s easy to see her value as a mentor to local youth and Aboriginal cultures looking for examples to look towards.

In this case, Dove is one of the professionals brought in by Noirfoot Narrative Labs to teach a guerrilla seminar in how to make films.

“We are doing a 72-hour film competition, so we are actually making a high quality short-film,” she explained. “We are starting from the very beginning, writing it ourselves and filming it. So that’s why

we are doing 12-hour days and we will be done by the end of the weekend. We split into two teams of about 12. In our group we only have one youth and the rest are adults.”

She knows what that means. It is highly suggestive that Indigenous people are anxious to say what’s on their mind, and document their realities. Young people are typically interested in filmmaking because they want to pursue it as a profession, be that as an actor or set-builder or costume designer or film editor, or any of the many trades within the industry. But adults dive in to acquire filmmaker skills because they have something important to say and film is a way they hope to say it.

“My friend is making (the movie Portraits From A Fire) in the Williams Lake area, said Dove (it is a co-production by Trevor Mack, Kate Kroll, and Rylan Friday). He is from the Chilcotin area. He’s based in the Vancouver film industry now. Imagine coming from the Chilcotin, training for 10 years to be a filmmaker, then getting to go back to community and make a film. That’s most Indigenous filmmakers’ dream, to

I think a lot of people in our groups here have never been able to learn filmmaking even though they’ve been interested their whole lives.

—Grace Dove tell their stories on their land. That’s what he’s doing, that’s what we did with Monkey Beach, and that’s what we’re setting out to do (with Noirfoot Narrative Labs). I think a lot of people in our groups here have never been able to learn filmmaking even though they’ve been interested their whole lives.

That’s what I’m hearing. And it’s adults.

And we are teaching them.”

Noirfoot Narrative Labs has been conducting crash courses in filmmaking for Indigenous and other marginalized or underrepresented communities since 2016.

Their Prince George seminar was supported

by Telus’s StoryHive program.

A study in contrasts Thinking aloud Trudy klassen

I have been thinking about how much Prime Minister Justin Trudeau seems to be a Canadian-style Trump, or Trump-lite. I can’t cover all aspects where I think they are like the other, so only briefly, I ask you to bear with me, polite Canadian.

Stereotypes are handy for this comparison: Americans are brash, egotistical, and aggressive; Trump is brash, rarely apologizes, doesn’t care what people think, loves to pick a fight, and attacks people when he thinks it will fit his purposes.

Canadians are polite, apologetic, and like to be “the good guys”; Trudeau tries to be warm, apologizes tearfully and is eager to be seen as correct and important in the world.

The differences above, if you reread them, are mostly personality, not character. I think both men share a number of character traits.

Trudeau campaigned on his feminism.

Nice words. Sounded good. What we actually got was someone who sees himself as God’s gift to women, and superior to them, similar to the charges against Trump: 1. His wife gazing adoringly at him on International Woman’s Day. Sweet. However, to accurately demonstrate woman’s equality, the photo should have been him admiring her. But, that’s just one photo, and it’s not fair to judge him by one poorly planned photo.

2. In his gender-balanced cabinet his two most qualified women got booted out of caucus for standing up to him, for daring to believe that the female empowerment he campaigned on would actually be part of the government’s modus operandi. (This point could also fit into the next category).

— see ‘Trudeau, page 11

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Trudeau campaigned on openness and respect for the media — from page 10 3. A recording of Trudeau yelling at a female Junior MP, berating her for not being thankful for what he had done for her.

4. A past groping incident is made public, and Trudeau declares that the woman “experienced it differently.”

Trudeau promised sunny ways. I discovered a word that seems to describe him perfectly: “sententious.” It means “given to moralizing in a pompous or affected manner.” Trump doesn’t pretend to be nice or moral. What we got by electing Trudeau was: 1. Spreads division by saying that anyone who doesn’t agree with his particular view, on immigration policy, on abortion, free speech, etc., is backward, racist, hateful, etc.

2. Former ambassadors get a call from the PMO “encouraging” them to keep their remarks in synch with what the PMO is saying.

3. Instead of working together in a re-

Trudeau promised sunny ways. I discovered a word that seems to describe him perfectly: “sententious.” It means “given to moralizing in a pompous or affected manner.”

—Trudy Klassen spectable, non-partisan way, he publicly berates the premiers of provinces who don’t share his views.

Trudeau campaigned on openness and respect for the media. We see Trump publicly embarrass a reporter by dismissing him, and suspends him from White House Briefings. Trump frequently accuses the media of not doing their job, and reporting fake news. In Canada, we like to think we are not so crass. We consider such ill-mannered behavior beneath our dignity. We hold the press in high regard.

Trudeau has given us: 1. “Encouragement” to read the “correct” government-appointed-panelapproved media by offering tax breaks for subscribing to “approved” media.

2. He is “managing” our errant media by using the above-mentioned, government appointed panel to approve only some media for government funding. This is government control of the media, nothing less! Actual control, not just Twitter blasts.

As that “nasty orange man” speaks unkindly about and fires staffers and high-ranking officials seemingly at will and often for no reason at all, we watch in horror and increasing pity for our southern neighbours.

Trudeau, in Canadian fashion, has been gentler, kinder, in how he manages to bring about the kind of PMO controlled governance he favours: 1. He maintains a Liberal-partyapproved judge appointment list, and doesn’t apologize for it.

2. He publicly commented on the certainty that second-in-command ViceAdmiral Mark Norman would face trial for misconduct. After spending a great deal of his own money on legal support, which unlike most in his position, was denied him, the charges were dropped. But the damage to Norman’s reputation was done, he couldn’t return to his poisoned workplace, so he received a buyout.

3. The case of SNC Lavalin. Judicial interference at the highest level of government. He continues to say “We respect the rule of law.” Which law, Mr. Trudeau, the law of what the PMO says, goes?

I could go on, but my word count is already high.

In summary, personality is like the icing on the cake. Character is what we actually do, not how we do it. Trudeau may appear nicer than Trump. Trudeau is more attractive than Trump. We can and should expect more than that, and we shouldn’t be fooled twice. Genetic good looks and fancy socks are not enough.

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Killer of Nadleh woman gets restricted day parole Gateway staff A Parole Board of Canada panel has granted day parole to a Nadleh man serving an 11-year sentence for the manslaughter death of his common-law spouse, but only so he can attend an addictions treatment program.

Under the terms the panel issued in a July 9 decision, Garrett Steven George, 30, must return to a halfway house in the community where the program is being delivered each night.

George was sentenced in Nov. 16, 2016 for death of Destiny Rae Tom, 21. The badlybeaten body of the mother of a then three-

year-old girl was found outside a home on the Nadleh reserve during the early morning of March 13, 2013.

George had been kicked out of a party at a friend’s house but kept coming back and demanded Tom leave with him. She finally relented and left reluctantly, the court was told during a sentencing hearing.

George initially denied responsibility and later tried to pin the death on the two people who found Tom’s body. But he eventually pleaded guilty to a count of manslaughter.

A history of abuse of Tom at George’s hands was a theme during the sentencing hearing.

In reaching their decision, panel members

found George to be “highly overconfident” and made note of poor behaviour including an outburst a week before the hearing when he became angry over the type of food he was being served.

“You did not display a deep knowledge of your risk factors or strategies to reduce them in the community,” panel members said in the decision. “You have demonstrated angry and defensive behaviours very recently and do not appear to understand the responsibility you own for these issues. You appear to deflect responsibility on others and the system.”

George’s bid for full parole was denied as was a request to be transferred to a work

camp upon completing the work program.

“Rather, the Board finds that you ought to take the time to demonstrate change, better anger management and communication skills, and gain insight in the treatment portion of your plan,” panel members said. “You will return to the institution following that program and prior to any future decisions being made in your case.”

Less credit for time served prior to sentencing, George had a further eight years and four months left to serve upon sentencing in 2016. His sentence ends in late March 2025.

The full decision is posted with this story at www.princegeorgecitizen.com.

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Algorithms affect dietary beliefs Food for thought Kelsey Leckovic

How do most people keep themselves informed of up-to-date affairs? The morning paper and the nightly news are no longer the only go-tos for current events. Instead, search engines and social media platforms are increasingly popular means for staying informed.

While this can arguably lead to a more superficial and selective understanding of world events, as well as a pull towards a biased, one-sided viewpoint, it can also mean your consumption of other information may be influenced, based on the results you choose to click on and the selective nature of the algorithms utilized by that search engine.

Searching for “current events” could leave you with millions of results. However, if you show interest in a particular topic by clicking on it, such as “overcrowding in hospitals,” your future results are more likely to centre around hospitals, health care and other similar topics.

Much in the same way, Google searches for topics relating to health and diet may likely pull you in a particular direction based on the results you click on (i.e. what topics you’ve shown interest in).

Since searching for information online can leave you with countless results, those results need to be delivered in a way that provides the user with information that is most relevant to their query, otherwise

you’d be spending hours and hours trying to find what you’re looking for.

Let’s say you’ve typed “how to lose weight” into Google. Doing so will likely result in millions of links relating to weight loss products, blog posts, articles, “top tips” and fad diets.

Now let’s say you click on a result for an article referencing the keto diet. Maybe you’ve had a friend who’s tried it, you’ve seen advertisements for keto products or you’ve heard of a celebrity who’s lost weight on the keto diet and you want to find more information and see what it’s all about.

When you click on that “keto diet” result, you’re giving Google information on what topics interest you, so the next time you search “how to lose weight?” or a related topic, you’ll likely be presented with results which lean heavier towards a keto/low carbohydrate diet.

Not only can this sway the consumer into believing this diet to be a more popular (and reputable) diet than it actually is, but repeated exposure to that particular result can strongly influence the reader/consumer into believing baseless claims.

A search engine, such as Google, makes money based on growth and growth is associated with engagement. In order to get users to engage, algorithms feed them a wealth of content based on what they’ve previously viewed. Algorithms cater to a user’s currently held beliefs, amplifying them and fostering bias, potentially leading to the spread of misinformation and the belief that an individual’s own personal opinions are widely held, especially when

those opinions are motivated by wishful thinking.

If a consumer is already hopeful to believe there’s a quick “solution” to losing weight or achieving a desired result, they’ll be more likely to pursue these headlines and to stop gathering information when the evidence gathered so far (i.e. the Google search results) confirms views or prejudices they would like to be true.

Once a viewpoint has been formed, it’s more likely that a consumer will not only embrace information that confirms that view, but also ignore or reject information that casts doubt.

I’m not suggesting that algorithms remove free thought, just that it’s important to be aware that there are influences on our beliefs surrounding diet and nutrition coming from many angles, not just through commercials and front-of-package labeling.

As a dietitian, I’m often clarifying misinformation which patients have found via social media, search engines or from a

variety of other online sources. It’s sometimes very difficult to provide evidencebased recommendations when they directly conflict with a patient’s preconceived beliefs, especially when those beliefs have been solidified by a variety of unverifiable sources, such as random websites, social media influencers or celebrities.

While we rely on algorithms to help us make consumption choices by narrowing our search results, it’s important to understand that they can also aid in the spread of misinformation by feeding into, and amplifying, our personal and preconceived beliefs. Being informed consumers who are aware of the subtle factors that influence our decisions, can allow us to make well-informed choices regarding important contributors to our overall health, including diet and nutrition.

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

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B.C. Northern Exhibition

Thursday to Sunday at Exhibition Park for 107 years, the BCNE has promoted agricultural and rural life, past and present, as well as providing a huge venue for diversity of artists, artisans and heritage performers to interact with the ever-expanding frontier of Northern B.C. by hosting an annual four-day fair. Our theme this year is We’ve Got a Good Thing Growing; 107 Years of

Community. Contact: 250-563-4096 | pgbcne@gmail.com | www.bcne.ca

Family Fun Day

Saturday, Aug. 26 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. the Central B.C. Railway and Forestry Museum, 850 River Rd., is hosting Family Fun Day where admission is by donation to the SPCA or Two Bunnies Rescue. All activities are geared for the whole family, including a

giant lawn chess game, big checkers game, lots of toys for the younger set, blacksmithing demonstrations and Huggleberry the clown will make balloon animals from 3 to 4 p.m. Mini rail rides and concession items are available for purchase. For more information call 250-563-7351 or visit www. pgrfm.bc.ca.

Red Green – Sept. 26

He’s colourful in name and deed. Red Green is the bumbling but pleasantly practical TV fix-it man, the clown prince of duct tape, the sage of the man-shed.

This Canadian comedy icon is coming to Vanier Hall on his Red Green-This Could Be It Tour. His P.G. shows are always a sell-out. Get tickets at the TicketsNorth website/box office.

Patrick, Scott & Tessa – Oct. 12

During last year’s sold out Thank You Canada tour, it was clear to figure skating superstars, Tessa Virtue, Scott Moir and Patrick Chan, that they were far from done creating and developing a new style of skating entertainment. They and some special guest performers come back to CN Centre to show the Prince George fans what they’ve come up with next.

Rock The Rink is the first edition of an annual tour that focuses on being more than a figure skating show.

Combining the highest level of on-ice superstar talent with an ever-evolving touring production, Rock The Rink will produce the highest value of entertainment in the figure skating realm. This year – along with upgrades to lighting, video and interactive technology – live music will be introduced

to the show, with featured special musical guest, Birds of Bellwoods.

Burton, Live – Oct. 18

Canada’s piano man, the Guess Who’s epic vocalist, the only artist inducted into the nation’s music Hall of Fame for both his band and his solo career, the incomparable Burton Cummings is coming to PG. He was the power voice propelling American Woman, These Eyes, No Time, Clap For The Wolfman and many other hits of the groundbreaking band The Guess Who, but then when he went solo he continued the multi-platinum success with I Will Sing A Rhapsody, Stand Tall, My Own Way To Rock, Fine State Of Affairs, You Saved My Soul, Break It To Them Gently, and more besides.

Cummings will be solo at the piano at Vanier Hall. Tickets are on sale now through all TicketsNorth platforms.

World Curling – March 14 start

Don’t let the date fool you. The event may be in 2020 but the plans are underway now and the tickets are on sale for this Prince George groundbreaker. P.G. goes global as the host of the World Women’s Curling Championships starting. Get your tickets now, and spread the word to friends and family everywhere that this is the time to come spend some Prince George time, and get a close, personal view of the worldclass action the rest of the winter sports community will only get to see on TV. Oh yeah, and there’s also the great social side of curling – there’ll be no bigger party in Canada. Contact Tickets North for tickets and info.

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