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PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN P R IUse N Cyour E GEORGE CITIZEN
Swimming the length of the Fraser River The swimmers and support crew of the Fraser River Challenge Expedition gather on the shore of the river in Prince George after making the trip from Willow River on Monday, Aug. 17. They arrived on Day 11 of a scheduled 30-day trip along the length of the Fraser to Vancouver. See the story on pages 28 and 29. CITIZEN PHOTO BY TED CLARKE
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
NEWS
PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
Major Central Street housing development going ahead COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff
Rezoning for a housing development with nearly 500 units to be built near Prince George Secondary School got final approval from Prince George city council at its Monday, Aug. 17 meeting. HyLand Properties’ application to rezone 2000 Central St. East from RM3: Multiple Residential to Z22: Mixed-Use Corridor received initial approval at council’s Monday, June 8 meeting. The company is owned by the Mennonite Central Committee, a nonprofit organization run by Anabaptist churches across the U.S. and Canada. Under RM3 zoning, housing is restricted to a density of 60 dwellings per hectare. Z22 zoning would increase the allowed density to 200 dwellings per hectare but would require any residential buildings to be mixed-use with a commercial component. A city staff report presented on June 8 said that the company is looking to build three mixed-use buildings, three residential apartment buildings and one standalone commercial building as part of the project. Together, this would represent 462 new housing units.
HANDOUT PHOTO
This concept art shows what the development aimed for 2000 Central St. being proposed by HyLand Properties could look like.
That meeting’s agenda included 35 letters of opposition from nearby residents regarding the project, with traffic density the primary concern. Though council approved first three readings of the rezoning bylaw that night, it agreed with a proposal from staff that fourth reading be withheld until a restrictive covenant was established requiring the developer to undertake further traffic counts and analysis as the project progresses to see if road improvements are needed to the intersection of Highway 97 and 22nd Avenue. However, a couple of road changes are already being planned in connection with the project. The first is that traffic passing through the intersection will eventually be blocked from accessing Central Street East except for vehicles proceeding
north on Griffiths Avenue. The second is that a right-turn lane and offramp will be built so that motorists can turn off 97 onto Central Street. Also at the Aug. 17 meeting, council considered first three readings of a bylaw connected to a closure application for a road dedication adjacent to the subject property next to 2000 Central St. and Griffiths Avenue about 0.3 hectares in size. In exchange, HyLand will dedicate a portion of the subject property 0.216 hectares in size for the future development and expansion of the intersection at Highway 97, Griffiths Avenue, 22nd Avenue and Central Street East. Staff noted in a report that approval will be needed from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure before this bylaw can receive fourth and
final reading. One letter of opposition was received for the road dedication bylaw from Jacqueline McLaughlin of Harper Drive, who asked for council to request that the developer meet with concerned area residents and to address their concerns regarding traffic changes the project would bring. Addressing the project as a whole, Coun. Tim Bennett said the project had received a lot of public interest and that the developer had done a lot of work to communicate with residents. Coun. Cori Ramsay said the intersection of Highway 97 and 22nd Avenue is the worst in Prince George and she would vote in favour of the road closure to facilitate future improvements.
Vote summary Motion: Council approves fourth and final reading of a rezoning bylaw changing 2000 Central St. from RM3 to Z22 to facilitate a mixed-use commercial and residential development. Result: Approved unanimously Motion: Council approves first three readings of a road closure bylaw for road dedication section of 2000 Central Street and Griffiths Avenue. Result: Approved unanimously
Hospital tower means $400K for new fibre optic line COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff
Prince George city council approved a $400,000 capital project to provide Northern Health with additional connection to the city’s fibre optic network at its Monday, Aug. 17 meeting. A report from director of finance and IT services Kris Dalio said that when ground is broken on the acute care tower expansion project at the University Hospital of Northern BC later this year, it will sever the health authority’s existing connection to the network. Prince George maintains a series of underground cables that connect different municipal facilities and buildings
owned by public organizations so that information can be sent safely between them. Dalio said the project would see a new fibre line be run along Winnipeg Street from 13th Avenue to Fifth Avenue before construction of the tower starts. “This additional connection will provide Northern Health with redundancy in the future as well as maintain a connection during construction,” the report said. While the city will bear the $400,000 cost for the project with funding coming from its Community Fibre Optic Network fund, Dalio wrote that money will be recovered through rental costs. On top of that, there could be new
future connections made to the new line, which could bring in even more revenue in future. During the meeting, Dalio added that Northern Health will eventually pay to reconnect the original fibre optic line at its own cost. Coun. Cori Ramsay asked for clarity on which organizations are allowed to join the network and suggested that perhaps the city could contact School District 57 to see if Duchess Park Secondary School could be connected to the network. Dalio said that his IT manager had already brought up Duchess Park as a possibility, but the school district hasn’t been interested thus far.
Coun. Ron Polillo said that Prince George Youth Soccer Association is next to Duchess Park and that there is a daycare nearby as well. However, he said he wasn’t sure about whether the city had time to complete this work. There is time to get the work done in time, Dalio said, but approval needed to be given that day and it couldn’t wait until the 2027 capital plan.
Vote summary Motion: Council adds a $400,000 project to add a new connection to its fibre optic line to Northern Health to the 2026 capital plan. Result: Approved unanimously
PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
NEWS
PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
Standardized house designs one step closer to reality COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff
First three readings were given to a zoning bylaw that would change the maximum allowed height of residential properties to allow for the use of standardized housing designs at Prince George city council’s Monday, Aug. 17 meeting. At council’s Monday, July 20 meeting, a consulting firm called Small Housing BC presented the adoption of standardized housing designs. By using a pre-approved design for new homes, the idea is that developers could get their approvals issued more quickly and begin construction earlier. While the Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation has released sets of pre-approved designs for various parts of Canada, Prince George has some barriers preventing them from being used within its boundaries. These included zoning and height restrictions, parking requirements, density limits and accessory unit dwelling size limitations. This bylaw would expand the definition of what a secondary suite is to make them compatible with a wider variety of housing types as currently, they can only be built in single-detached homes. Another amendment would allow for parking spots to be placed in a wider variety of places like front yards or flanking side yards. The requirement of two parking spaces for single-detached, two-unit, fourplex and manufactured homes outside of a park would be reduced from two to one and the required parking spaces for secondary dwellings and spaces would be eliminated. For the RS1/RS1m, RS2/RS2m, RS3, RS4, RT1, RT2, RM1, RM2 and RM3 zones, staff are proposing to increase the allowed maximum principal development height from 10 to 11 metres and maximum storeys from 2.5 to three. “Many existing CMHC standardized plans exceed the current 10-metre or 2.5-storey height limits in certain residential zones,” staff’s report said.
CITIZEN PHOTO BY COLIN SLARK
Prince George city council meets on the second floor of city hall on Monday, Aug. 17.
“A modest increase to the maximum permitted building height and maximum number of storeys will better align zoning with the dimensions of available standardized plans, as well as any future standardized plans created for the city.” For those same zones, staff are proposing that the limit on “gross floor area” be changed to “ground floor area,” which they said would make it easier to implement secondary dwellings. Currently, the maximum gross floor area is 90 square metres and then would be converted to a ground floor area of 100 square metres. While AG, AF, AR1, AR2 and AR3/ AR3m rural zones do not have height limits or secondary dwelling regulations, staff are recommending they be applied to them as well “to maintain consistency across all zones permitting (small-scale, multi-unit housing) types.” By the time Monday’s meeting started, more than 100 letters were attached to the meeting agenda asking council to remove the addition of the height and secondary dwelling elements from the AG: Greenbelt and AF: Agriculture and Forestry. Most of the letters were the same form letter signed by different individuals. This letter states that “housing construction in greenspaces and on agricultural and forestry lands is profoundly inappropriate and unnecessary.” It also discusses the benefits of greenspaces and says that making the amendments would go against the stated desire of many residents to protect natural areas during consultation over the revised Official Community
Plan in 2025. The final point criticizes the city’s approach to housing development, calling it piecemeal and saying that individual developers seem to only be building expensive, poor-quality houses that don’t reflect the community’s needs. A few days before the meeting, the city’s communications department sent background information to The Citizen by email emphasizing that single-family dwellings, secondary dwellings and secondary suites are already allowed to be built on AG- and AF-zoned properties, meaning the proposed changes to zoning aren’t allowing that construction to take place for the first time. The information also stated that the city’s intent is not only to make it easier for standardized housing plans to be implemented, but also for the city to comply with provincial legislation on small scale, multi-unit housing legislation. While this legislation only applies to properties inside each municipality’s urban containment boundary, the city is applying the same standards to each zone that allows for residences to remain consistent and make it possible for properties outside the boundary to use standardized designs if desired. These points were reiterated during Monday’s meeting by director of planning and development Deanna Wasnik, who said there had been public misunderstanding over the proposed changes. During council’s debate, Mayor Simon Yu asked Wasnik to confirm that the goal was not to expand residential development in agricultural and
greenbelt areas, which she did. Coun. Trudy Klassen thanked residents who took the time to write in about their concerns and asked whether more notice could be given in future to greenspace-related zoning changes. Coun. Cori Ramsay said she was slightly confused at first by the correspondence she received over the bylaw and wondered if it was due to the text of the bylaw coming out before the report that explained the rationale. Coun. Brian Skakun said people in the community are rightfully interested in protecting municipal greenspaces. Going forward, he said council and administration should keep in mind these concerns even if something like this might seem innocuous. Coun. Kyle Sampson said it was really impressive how quickly those with concerns over these changes activated to speak out and was a good reminder of the importance of greenspaces to residents. Mayor Simon Yu said that the amount of greenspace in Prince George makes it an appealing place to live and it’s residents’ collective duty to protect it. Council approved first three readings of the bylaw unanimously.
Vote summary Motion: Council gives first reading to a bylaw implementing city-wide zoning changes expanding the maximum height of residential properties and other changes aimed at making it easier to use standardized housing designs in the city. Result: Approved unanimously
NEWS
PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
City staff to consider calls for new off-leash dog parks COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff
Prince George city staff will investigate the possibility of establishing two riverside dog parks with water access in response to letters submitted to a council meeting on Monday, Aug. 17, 2026. The first letter, written by Andrea Erwin and dated Saturday, July 18, asked mayor and council to consider an official off-leash dog park at the east end of Nechako Riverside Park, located just north of the bridge on Foothills Avenue that crosses the Nechako River. “Prior to the establishment of this great park, the area downstream of Foothills Bridge was commonly used by folks taking their dogs for a swim (myself included!), an activity not easily accommodated on-leash,” Erwin wrote. “Currently there are no designated off-leash dog beaches within, or even near the city (I believe the closest is at Purden Lake Provincial Park!). With the warm weather, general increasing popularity of the park, and frequent use by folks with dogs, it would be of great interest for the well-being of all users if an area could be designated as an offleash dog beach.” The second letter, sent by Dave Hewitt on Sunday, July 19, asked council to consider a spot along the Fraser River. “The area would be north from Regents Crescent to the slough and east of the trail south of the walking bridge
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
from Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park to the gate at the north end of Rose Lane,” Hewitt wrote. “The east boundary would be the east end of the old baseball diamond and wooded area and the west end of the trailer park of Farrell Street.” Like Erwin, Hewitt highlighted the lack of off-leash areas where dogs can go swimming in the city. Hewitt also listed what he viewed as another bonus: “It would be a natural deterrent for transients that have been known to leave large messes for the city to clean up when they get evicted by the RCMP.” Included with Hewitt’s letter was a petition in favour of establishing the park with close to 300 signatures. Coun. Cori Ramsay said during the meeting that she’s seen this kind of park on Vancouver Island and they’re well used and quite popular. She moved for council to direct administration to look into both requests and return at a later date with a report on the feasibility of implementing them. This motion was approved unanimously.
Vote summary Motion: Council directs administration to look into the feasibility of establishing off-leash water access dog parks at Nechako Riverside Park and south of Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park and report back. Result: Approved unanimously
CITIZEN FILE PHOTO
A local resident has proposed that council designate a section of Nechako Riverside Park as a new off-leash dog park. Another suggests one along the Fraser.
Dine-in only. Offer valid until January 1st 2027
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NEWS
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
Council digs into millions in costs downloaded to city COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff
The downloading of responsibilities from the provincial government to municipalities cost the City of Prince George almost $26.5 million between 2020 and 2024, according to a staff report presented at the Monday, Aug. 17 city council meeting. Back in January, council passed a motion asking administration to calculate the financial impact of decisions made by senior levels of government for use as an advocacy tool. About eight months later, director of finance and IT services Kris Dalio returned with a report estimating that costs passed down to the city on housing, social services and addictions matters cost the city $19,161,929 between 2020 and 2024, with an additional $7,281,010 relating to legislative and regulatory changes. Dalio said in his report that it’s difficult to define what counts as responsibilities being shifted down to municipalities, sometimes referred to as downloading, due to classifications being subjective. “One could even argue that as creations of the province, municipalities’ entire existence can be classified as a download,” Dalio said. “It’s also difficult to clearly identify downloading when there are intersecting or overlapping areas. For example, social issues that fall under provincial responsibilities can impact the level of public safety resources that are required in police, fire and bylaw, which is a municipal responsibility.” Housing, social services, mental health and addictions were put together for the report because these items have been a part of the response to the opioid and toxic drug crisis declared as a public health emergency by the province in 2016. These costs include: • $4,370,329 on social housing • $2,415,784 relating to the province’s now-cancelled decriminalization pilot project • $2,186,548 relating to policing initiatives aimed at addressing
CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY TED CLARKE
City bylaw officers speak to a Moccasin Flats resident at the since-closed Prince George encampment on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. Costs associated with the encampment were part of a presentation on spending heard by city council on Monday, Aug. 17.
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repeat offenders $2,384,997 relating to a downtown safety unit established by the Prince George RCMP $1,987,498 to fund Car 60, a police program responding to people experiencing mental health crises $1,665,974 for managing encampments and downtown cleaning $1,379,510 for security costs related to the opioid crisis and lack of social housing $1,248,579 for increased bylaw enforcement costs connected to an increase in calls for service $732,900 for service agreements and tax exemptions relating to social service issues $370,735 for pre-hospital medical care carried out by Prince George Fire Rescue $243,918 to pay for outreach workers formerly covered by the province $169,807 for intergovernmental advocacy efforts with senior levels of government $5,350 to purchase naloxone, a
medication used to reverse the effects of opioid overdoses Then there are the costs associated with legislative and regulatory changes: • $1,804,437 relating to the BC employer health tax • $1,761,128 for traffic control costs caused by increased safety requirements • $1,224,602 in lost tax revenues from industrial properties granted closure allowances for their property taxes • $1,108,000 for WorkSafeBC claims relating to psychological injuries • $599,409 for the city’s rising share of costs at the Prince George Public Library • $497,998 for the city’s share of policing-related DNA analysis costs • $165,433 in expenses related to asset retirement obligations • $120,003 in expenses relating to provincial legislation guaranteeing paid sick days for employees Combined, these items are estimated to have cost the city around
$26,442,939. Dalio also noted in the report that since 2024, there have been other changes from higher levels of government like the rollout of body-worn cameras to RCMP officers and the implementation of provincial sales tax for professional services. During the meeting, Coun. Brian Skakun thanked staff for their work on the report and said municipalities like Prince George are having more and more costs imposed on them without compensation from higher levels of government. He said that the legal fees likely include the closure of both the Moccasin Flats and Millennium Park encampments. Coun. Garth Frizzell said this report follows work done by the City of Williams Lake to identify downloading costs. He added that this report should be forwarded to the incoming council that will be elected on Saturday, Oct.. 17. As chair of the Standing Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs, Frizzell said he would bring this item up during meetings at the upcoming Union of BC Municipalities convention in September. City manager Walter Babicz said the current council could pass a motion to ensure that it is brought up during orientation for new elected officials this fall, but that administration would likely be following up regardless because of its importance. Coun. Ron Polillo brought up the province’s cancellation of the rural northern homeowners grant that the city is fighting against, saying that it represents another cost to residents on top of downloading. As a member of the board for the North Central Local Government Association, Polillo said that item is on that organization’s radar. Coun. Cori Ramsay, the current president of the UBCM, said local governments don’t get a big share of the overall amount of collected income taxes to run all their services. SEE ‘ADVOCACY’ ON NEXT PAGE
NEWS
PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
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Kopar renews naming rights deal for downtown arena COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff
Prince George’s downtown ice arena will keep its name after city council approved a $64,000 contract renewal at its Monday, Aug. 17 meeting. A report attached to the meeting agenda written by director of civic and facilities and events Andy Beesley said that Kopar Administration Ltd. is looking to keep the rink named Kopar Memorial Arena for another four years. The previous naming rights agreement lasted from Sept. 30, 2022 to June 30, 2026. Previously, the rights were held by Rolling Mix Concrete. Prior to that, the venue was known as the Prince George Coliseum. The proposed renewal would see the city get $16,000 a year over the next four years, which Beesley said would result in a total of $64,000 in revenue over that time and represent an increase of 6.67 per cent from the previous agreement.
CITIZEN FILE PHOTO
The renewal of the naming rights for Kopar Memorial Arena was approved at the Monday, Aug. 17 meeting of Prince George city council.
If approved by council, the new agreement would last between Sept. 30, 2026 and May 31, 2030. Beesley noted that the latter date is the same day that the Prince George Spruce Kings’ tenancy agreement with the city is set to expire. Currently, the arena is earmarked for replacement as part of the redevelopment of the Civic Core District project, though council is still waiting for consultants to finish a business case. Speaking during the meeting, Beesley noted that the building’s primary tenant, the Prince George Spruce Kings, are in
Advocacy behind report to council CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE She said that the Federation of Canadian Municipalities is advocating for that share to be increased and the UBCM is pushing for reforms on other items relating to property taxes and assessments as well. Coun. Tim Bennett noted that provincial library funding has been frozen for 15 years, meaning the city is having to fund a greater share of costs each year. Coun. Kyle Sampson said that an expansion of provincial sales tax to some professional services will add costs to residents and municipalities alike. He also said he thought the end of the homeowners’ tax credit would “cripple” northern taxpayers. Sampson moved for administration to create a one-page fact sheet on downloading for use as an advocacy tool and for new Finance Minister Josie Osborne to be sent a letter on the subject asking for a meeting at UBCM.
Mayor Simon Yu said that in Victoria, the city collects information on downloading costs and sends invoices to the provincial government to get their attention. He said all levels of government need to better work together to solve root causes of problems collectively.
Vote summary Motion: Council directs staff to bring up senior government downloading costs as part of the orientation process for new members this fall Result: Approved unanimously Motion: Council directs administration to create a fact sheet on government downloading costs as an advocacy tool Result: Approved unanimously Motion: Council directs administration to send a letter to Finance Minister Josie Osborne about downloading costs and asking for a meeting at the upcoming UBCM convention Result: Approved unanimously
favour of the naming rights renewal. Coun. Ron Polillo asked whether Kopar had first right of refusal on purchasing the naming rights. Beesley said no other parties expressed interest in buying the rights. Mayor Simon Yu noted that the city may have a new arena in the works by the time this agreement and the tenancy agreement with the Spruce Kings ends. Coun. Brian Skakun asked whether the term was standard. Beesley said it was similar to the rights for the CN Centre, which was for an initial five
years with the right to renew the deal for another five after expiry. Coun. Cori Ramsay asked whether the city had considered selling naming rights for interior elements of the arena, like a feature wall. Beesley said that, in the past, staff completed a cost benefit analysis that indicated that most companies want all-or-nothing naming rights for public facilities. Currently, he said, the city is looking at selling the naming rights to the Prince George Aquatic Centre. Council voted unanimously to grant city manager Walter Babicz authority to sign a renewal of the naming rights agreement at the new rate.
Vote summary Motion: Council grants city manager Walter Babicz authority to sign a new four year naming rights agreement with Kopar Administration for Kopar Memorial Arena worth $64,000. Result: Approved unanimously
1685 3rd Ave. Prince George, BC
250-563-6637 www.booksandcompany.ca
Concerned about the new Data Centres coming to town? Sure, there are many downsides but try to think of the positives! According to rumour, if you stand close to one you can charge your phone for free, & you can tune your guitar to the 24/7 humming E note!
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
OPINION
MLA Bird’s pitch for PG deserves support at all levels KENNEDY GORDON Citizen Managing Editor
Prince George-Valemount MLA Rosalyn Bird is the first municipal or provincial elected representative in a long time to have a new, practical and comprehensive vision for the future of Prince George. Her proposal for an integrated inland port, military logistics hub and emergency-response centre for Prince George is a great idea. It deserves a co-ordinated, sustained campaign to make it happen, even if the process takes years. Unlike the boom-and-bust cycles that have shaped energy, forestry and mining, Bird’s plan focuses on emergency preparedness, disaster response and national defence — permanent needs. Canada will always need military logistics. British Columbia will always need disaster response. Changing weather patterns and evolving Arctic shipping routes increase the importance of transportation between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, northern defence and Canadian sovereignty will become increasingly important. Prince George is unusually well-positioned to meet those needs. Bird knows what she’s talking about. Before her pivot to politics, she was a logistics officer in the Canadian Navy. This plan comes right out of her wheelhouse. As she’s pointed out, the city has the location, land, expertise and people.
KATIE PAOLUCCI TOWNSLEY/FACEBOOK PHOTO
Two U.S. military Black Hawk helicopters were seen at the Prince George International Airport on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. The airport, which is occasionally used by military and emergency services aircraft, has been proposed as a potential site for a new inland port.
The Prince George Airport has enormous amounts of underdeveloped space zoned for light industrial, a runway capable of accommodating large military and commercial aircraft and quick connections to major highways and CN Rail. The city itself also has available land, a skilled workforce, services and educational institutions capable of helping retrain workers for new opportunities. The proposal also offers an opportunity to turn several challenges into one strategic advantage. Forestry has shed facilities and jobs across Northern BC in recent years. Those closures have left experienced workers shifting into new careers. At the same time, governments need more capacity for wildfire preparedness, emergency response and
defence-related infrastructure. An inland port would connect those dots. Imagine a complex that includes military logistics and reservist training, a national fire and disaster-response training centre, expanded air cargo and customs facilities, and a foreign-trade zone. It wouldn’t just replace lost forestry jobs. It could diversify Prince George’s economy while creating infrastructure that serves the entire country. The national argument is particularly strong. Too much of British Columbia’s international cargo is concentrated in the Lower Mainland. That creates congestion and leaves supply chains vulnerable to disruption. Prince George’s rail, road and airport connections offer an opportunity to provide another gateway into and through
the province. It’s an ambitious vision that will require support from all levels of government. Prince George’s two MPs, Todd Doherty and Bob Zimmer, need to be part of the conversation. Locally, future councils should treat the project as a standing economic-development and advocacy priority along the lines of the Civic Core Plan. There will be setbacks. Governments will change. Funding programs will come and go. Some parts of it may have to be redesigned. The entire proposal may ultimately take a decade or more to be achieved. That’s no reason to not to take this seriously. Bird is right that the city has a window of opportunity as defence spending rises and both provincial and federal governments reconsider emergency preparedness and supply-chain resilience. The city council should be actively supporting and championing her plan. Prince George should make the inland port part of its long-term identity and keep pushing — through successive councils, MLAs, MPs and governments — to ensure this vision comes together. Bird has brought a plan with a laser focus to our city, something our current council could learn from as opposed to rehashing old wish lists. We know how important our city is, and how much potential it has. Let’s make sure the rest of Canada does, too.
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NATIONAL 2025 NEWSPAPER EDITORIAL AWARDS WINNER
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
OPINION EDITORIAL: We’ve ended up paying millions for another vacant lot As Prince George prepares for another municipal election, I believe it is time for voters to consider a new direction and elect a fresh slate of councillors. For too long, too many municipal races have been won on name recognition alone. While experience has value, elected office should not become a long-term career that relies on incumbency rather than results, accountability and new ideas. Prince George faces important challenges and opportunities. Fresh perspectives can bring renewed energy, innovative thinking and a stronger focus on the issues that matter most to residents. This election, I encourage voters to look beyond familiar names who may have been on council for many years and multiple terms, and carefully consider which candidates have the vision, commitment and leadership needed to move our city forward. Meaningful change starts at the ballot box. Brad Evans
Creative art, mind, heart and soul
Legion donates more than $50,000 to non-profits Well done, branch No. 43! Generous donations to four very worthy causes.
First Little Free Library gets second chance after being torched I’m thrilled to see this Little Free Library replaced — it’s my favourite location! The new box is stunning. Can’t wait to check it out!
Daughter of a veteran. Barbara Hampe City-wide residential zoning changes proposed I am amused by the parkingspace concerns, given the number of houses about town where virtually the entire front yards have been turned into parking lots with zero regard for the lawn, appearance, etc. I understand that housing prices are making it difficult for many young people to purchase a house, and so they stay in the family home, increasing the number of drivers and creating parking issues. But I see a lot of “solutions” that lean toward the unsightly and do nothing positive for the neighbourhood. I find it ironic that if a homeowner does things to maintain or improve their property, it may lead to a higher assessed value and therefore a bigger tax bill. On the other hand, let your property go and make the neighbourhood less attractive, and there are no repercussions.
Beautifully representative of a true artist’s heart and soul. Thank you for showcasing this local artist’s process so vibrantly! A local treasure she is.
It may be time for city council to revamp bylaws and methods of enforcement. Instead of being “complaint-driven,” it may be time for active bylaw enforcement, with fine revenue helping to address budget shortfalls.
Vanessa York
Renoguy24
Sarah97
A little garden love across the street from Cancer Centre for the North I am one of the people who got to enjoy this garden while I was getting my cancer treatment. It really brightened my day every time I saw it. She does a fabulous job. Jean Lawrance
Tourism Prince George pushing for change to hotel tax exemption Tourism is a significant driver of Prince George’s economy, supporting conventions, tournaments, events and local businesses. If our hotels are increasingly occupied by construction crews and longterm stays, we need to ensure organizations that support tourism can continue their work. Tourism is not a small player in our economy, and it’s important that we treat it as the vital economic sector it is. D Goods
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Let’s hear about what forests can do for us The gleeful ignoring of environmental issues is disheartening, to say the least! It seems that perhaps it requires too much time, effort or money, so pretending it is not happening works for some. Clearcutting and replanting only what will become marketable timber is not responsible, honest management. Actual forests have a variety of trees in them, and not all make good timber, but they help make a home for an endless variety of life forms, all of which contribute to the ecosystem in their own way. I am told selective logging is too expensive on one hand, but on the other hand, I have been told that in parts of Europe they have always done selective logging. There are two sides, minimum, to every story, but clearcutting and limited-species replanting make what we do more like farming trees than actual forestry management. With all the amazing technology we have, it is disappointing when we seem to drop the ball and shrug off the negative results of our actions. We need to do better, soon! Renoguy24
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
NEWS
PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
Mayor to request more aid for mill workers Council meeting schedule set for 2027
COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff
Prince George city council voted in favour of sending a letter to provincial Labour Minister Jennifer Whiteside at its Monday, Aug. 17 meeting to reinstate a program helping workers near retirement in the wake of the impending closure of the Northwood Pulp Mill. At the Monday, Aug. 10 meeting of the city’s Standing Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs, members discussed the imminent closure of the mill at the end of the year announced by Canfor on Tuesday, July 14. During that committee meeting, the city’s manager of economic development, Deklan Corstanje, said that the last time a mill closed, workers were able to access a provincial program called Bridging to Retirement. Before the program stopped accepting applications on Feb. 26, 2025, it provided forestry worked aged 55 and older with funding to help facilitate an early retirement. Corstanje said in the wake of the closure, the committee and council could advocate for its restoration, something also floated by Conservative MPs and MLAs who held a media availability outside of the mill on July 28. The committee ultimately passed a motion recommending that council approve Mayor Simon Yu sending a letter to Whiteside asking for the program’s restoration. A copy of a draft letter was attached to the meeting agenda. “Reinstating the program would provide meaningful support to many workers affected by the Northwood closure while also benefiting the broader workforce,” the draft said. “For employees approaching retirement, bridging support can reduce the need for extensive retraining and provide greater financial certainty during a difficult transition. At the same time, it can help preserve opportunities for younger workers by creating vacancies and maintaining seniority structures within the sector.” At Monday’s meeting, Coun. Brian
COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff
CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY COLIN SLARK
The Northwood Pulp Mill in Prince George, BC as seen on Tuesday, July 28, is set to close by the end of the year. It will put about 300 people out of work.
Skakun thanked city staff for taking part in two committees working on helping look for solutions for workers and businesses affected by the mill’s closure. Skakun said that this program wouldn’t help workers who were decades away from retirement but could help those closer to that phase of their careers. Coun. Cori Ramsay, current president of the Union of BC Municipalities, noted the potential impact to the local tax base from the closure of the mill and asked whether the city should renew its push for the end of the closure allowance given to shuttered industrial and electrical-generating properties ahead of the upcoming UBCM convention in September. In some cases in the Kootenays, Ramsay said, the roof had been removed from closed mills to reduce the assessed value of the property they sat on by 100 per cent. She said it could be worth reaching out to Forest Minister Ravi Parmar on the subject as he expressed interest during a conversation she had with him earlier in the year. Coun. Garth Frizzell said thought had been given to that item and agreed with her idea. He gave credit to staff for their quick work in looking into the restoration of the program after the mill closure was announced. With Quesnel River Pulp set for a twomonth curtailment as well, Frizzell said the program is needed beyond Prince George.
Coun. Kyle Sampson said he wasn’t hopeful that reaching out to Parmar would bear fruit as he has yet to visit Prince George since Northwood’s closure was announced. He added that the closure of facilities like this prevent close to retirement workers from settling down in Prince George after the end of their careers. Mayor Simon Yu said that the closure of Northwood would reach beyond that mill as a lot of sawmills make ends meet by selling chips to pulp mills. He said a solution needs to be found in partnership with senior levels of government and he would be glad to send the letter. The sending of the letter was approved unanimously. Ramsay then moved for council to vote in favour of advocacy to both Finance Minister Josie Osborne and Parmar regarding the closure announcement. It was also approved unanimously.
Vote summary Motion: Council approves Mayor Simon Yu sending a letter to Labour Minister Jennifer Whiteside calling for the reinstatement of the province’s Bridging to Retirement Program Result: Approved unanimously Motion: Council approves advocacy to Forest Minister Ravi Parmar and Finance Minister Josie Osborne regarding the Depreciation Act ahead of the UBCM’s convention in September. Result: Approved unanimously
Prince George council’s schedule of meetings for 2027 was approved at a Monday, Aug. 17 meeting. All meetings are on Mondays unless otherwise noted. • Jan. 11 • Feb. 8 • Feb. 22 • March 8 • March 22 • April 12 • April 26 • May 10 • Wednesday, May 26 • June 7 • June 21 • Wednesday, June 23 • July 5 • July 19 • Aug. 16 • Aug. 30 • Sept. 13 • Wednesday, Sept. 29, • Wednesday, Oct. 13 • Oct. 25 • Nov. 8 • Nov. 22 • Dec. 6 • Dec. 20 There will also be budget meetings on Jan. 25 and Jan. 27. Coun. Ron Polillo asked about moving a proposed Sept. 27 meeting to Sept. 29 to allow council more time to prepare after returning from the Union of BC Municipalities annual convention the previous week. He proposed an amendment to the schedule that passed.
Vote summary Motion: Council approves its 2027 meeting schedule • In favour: Polillo, Coun. Susan Scott, Coun. Garth Frizzell, Coun. Trudy Klassen, Coun. Tim Bennett, Coun. Kyle Sampson and Mayor Simon Yu. • Against: Ramsay and Skakun Result: Approved 7 to 2
PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
Findlay focuses on industry in Prince George visit COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff
Kerry-Lynne Findlay slammed the province’s forest minister for not coming to Prince George after news of the closure of Northwood Pulp Mill in her first visit to the city since winning the BC Conservatives’ leadership race earlier this year. Findlay was at the Central BC Railway & Forestry Museum on River Road on Saturday, Aug. 15 for a barbecue hosted by MLAs Rosalyn Bird (Prince George-Valemount), Sheldon Clare (Prince George-North Cariboo) and Kiel Giddens (Prince George-Mackenzie) in the late afternoon and early evening. Findlay arrived just after 7 p.m. to give a stump speech and participate in a question-and-answer session. The former federal cabinet minister in Stephen Harper’s government won the race to succeed John Rustad as her party’s permanent leader in a fourth-round triumph over Caroline Elliott back in May. Much of Findlay’s speech revolved around her criticism of the NDP government’s handling of British Columbia’s natural resources, especially the forestry sector that is so important to Prince George. “They’re not listening to foresters and forestry,” Findlay said. “They let yet another mill shut down here in Prince George. They’re not listening to miners on mining. They make people wait two and a half to three years for the extension of a permit, not even the first permitting.” Expanding further on forestry while speaking to reporters later in the evening, Findlay said she didn’t think the big players in the sector were happy to have to close their facilities and that smaller employers that do business with them will also be affected. At a meeting of Prince George’s Standing Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs on Monday, Aug. 10, members said that Forest Minister Ravi Parmar had planned to visit the city following Canfor’s July announcement that it would close Northwood Pulp Mill by the end of the year, but had delayed the trip due to the wildfires ravaging the
CITIZEN PHOTO BY COLIN SLARK
Conservative Party of BC Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay addresses guests at a barbecue hosted by local MLAs at the Central BC Railway & Forestry Museum on Saturday, Aug. 15.
southern interior. Findlay went after Parmar for not visiting the city yet. “You have no business being the minister of forestry if you are not interested in saving the industry, if you’re not interested in visiting the mills,” she said. “If you are not interested in saving the industry, then go do something different … this is not a government that cares when they let vast tracts of land through fires burn to the ground.” She said the NDP is pursuing an agenda of shutting things down — access to provincial parks, private property rights, access to natural resources — and ignoring foreign markets interested in BC’s resources. Since winning the party’s leadership, she said she had spoken with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe about creating an alliance of Western provinces to pursue prosperity and reduce interprovincial trade barriers. Findlay criticized Premier David Eby for not being “invited to the negotiating table a lot of the time,” likely a reference to Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney agreeing to pursue a pipeline carrying Alberta oil to BC’s coast without involving this province in their initial discussions. Her job and the job of the MLAs
standing next to her, she said, is to show the province that their party is a government in waiting. She said one of the party’s biggest priorities is to repeal the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), which has been under scrutiny over the past year since a court ruled that the Cowichan Tribes have aboriginal title to a section of land along the Fraser River in Richmond. The decision has sparked concerns over private property rights in BC, though the Cowichan Tribes have insisted that they are not looking to displace landowners. While Findlay said Indigenous history should be respected, she added that respect for each other doesn’t come through the tyranny of the minority. Not only does the act need to be repealed, but Findlay said that language relating to DRIPA has been inserted into other acts and a review of the province’s core legislation is needed. After being asked a question about land acknowledgments later in the night, Findlay said she has never done one and wouldn’t start now. She said they are “not necessary in our school system or in our daily life,” likening them to propaganda. When asked what her plan was to fix the province’s health-care system, she
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said workers who lost their jobs after refusing to be vaccinated for COVID19 should be re-hired, that provincial health bureaucracy should be reduced and that BC should investigate hybrid public-private health care or private hospitals. Also at that Aug. 10 meeting of the intergovernmental affairs committee, Rosalyn Bird pitched members on working on a non-partisan, multi-jurisdictional project to establish an inland port facility in Prince George centred around the airport with trade, military and emergency response elements. Findlay said she wanted to explore the idea more and get more details, but that at a high level it’s a good thing to “use an innovative mindset to bring hope and opportunity and jobs to a community that is hurting.” The day before Findlay’s appearance in Prince George, Kamloops Centre MLA Peter Milobar announced he was quitting the Tories to sit in the BC Legislature as an independent. Milobar, a former BC United MLA who joined the Conservatives after the former party suspended their 2024 provincial election campaign, was one of Findlay’s rivals in the leadership race earlier this year. During a televised leadership debate, Findlay accused Milobar of having a conflict of interest on the DRIPA discussion because his wife is Indigenous. While Milobar initially voiced support for Findlay and continued as a member of her shadow cabinet, he issued a media release on Friday, Aug. 14 where he said it had “become clear to me over the last few months that my values don’t align with this new direction.” Addressing the issue on Aug. 15, Findlay said the MLAs in her caucus are “expressing their desire to continue on the team and be part of taking down the NDP government.” “I think Peter Milobar was in a bit of a unique situation,” she added. “He wasn’t just on the team, he had also been a candidate in the leadership (race) with disappointing results. So he’s got to map out his own future and I do wish him success.”
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
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PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
Roy Stewart promises ‘clean break’ if elected mayor The lawyer is one of three candidates on the ballot so far
COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff
Roy Stewart, a lawyer running to be Prince George’s next mayor, is pitching himself as the choice for voters looking for a clean break from the current council. Of the three candidates who have announced their candidacy for mayor, Garth Frizzell and Kyle Sampson are both incumbent councillors. Unlike them or current Mayor Simon Yu, who had yet to officially launch a re-election campaign at the time this edition went to press, Stewart is not a sitting politician, though he did place third in the 2022 mayoral race. However, in a Friday, Aug. 14 interview, Stewart said he has experience no other candidate can offer. “I don’t think the city has had appropriate leadership, people with the vision or ability to implement their views on the city,” Stewart said. “I think there’s been a failure here. We have certain aspects of the city that I consider to be broken.” In the 1980s, Stewart was a trustee and chair for School District 57’s board of education. He also served as a lawyer for both the city and the Regional District of Prince George. One of the broken elements he described is the handling of public safety and homelessness, saying it seems like control has been lost over the streets and the downtown commercial district has been destroyed. Stewart said an effort needs to be made to make sure the dozens of service providers in the city are working together rather than in silos so they can find efficiencies. He said he has reached out to UNBC about convening a symposium to discuss these matters. Also, he’d like to see services aimed at people experiencing homelessness moved outside the downtown core so
CITIZEN PHOTO BY COLIN SLARK
City of Prince George mayoral candidate Roy Stewart visits the Citizen office at 505 Fourth Ave. on Friday, Aug. 14.
people who rely on those services will move alongside them. These services, he said, should be moved to supportive housing facilities in the city, using some on First Avenue as an example. He said he proposed a security camera program for the downtown core in his last mayoral campaign and many other candidates agreed with him, but it still took until late 2025 for anything to get established. The pace it takes to make progress in the city, he said, is unacceptable. For people occupying streets or sidewalks improperly, Stewart said city bylaws and provincial laws could allow for offenders to be sentenced to up to 30 days in the Prince George Regional Correctional Centre. If they go back after being released, he said they could be apprehended again and again until they learn they’re not going to be tolerated and move to a
more appropriate location. On the Civic Core District redevelopment project, Stewart said a new performing arts centre is needed to help recruit professionals to the city on a long-term basis. He said when he was president of the Interior University Society, which fought to get a university established in Prince George, the presence of a symphony orchestra was something that appealed to highly-educated people. Given the current state of Kopar Memorial Arena, he said he felt it should probably be replaced but wasn’t sure downtown is the appropriate place for it. On taxation, he said as mayor he would seek to scrutinize city spending to the point where no tax increases are required. He said he didn’t think the city is transparent enough regarding its spending and capital projects and he
would seek to release more information if elected. For upcoming economic opportunities, Stewart said his law experience would come in handy. “I know how to make a case, I know how to win a case,” Stewart said. “The ingredient that’s needed to take advantage and stop just talking is to put someone like myself in the driver’s seat and move these projects towards Prince George.” He said if voters are happy with how the city has been run, they can vote for one of the incumbents. But if they want a clean break and a mayor with a track record of getting things done, they should vote for him. Voters interested in meeting Stewart can attend a meet-and-greet he’s holding at the Coast Hotel at 770 Brunswick St. from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 20. Election day is Saturday, Oct. 17.
PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
Ron Polillo launches bid for council re-election COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff
A current member of city council and former school trustee is the first among his colleagues to seek re-election as a councillor. While councillors Kyle Sampson and Garth Frizzell have both announced they’re aiming for the mayor’s chair in this election cycle, Coun. Ron Polillo announced on Wednesday, Aug. 12 that he’s looking to stay in his current role. Later that day, Polillo told The Citizen that with council guaranteed at least two new members this fall, his common sense and experience from council and school board will be valuable. “It was always my intention when I ran four Polillo years ago that I wasn’t one and done,” he said. “I was thinking long term … that’s why I’ve decided to put my name up for re-election.” Polillo said the current council worked hard on homelessness, listing the city’s work on helping facilitate hundreds of housing units being opened by BC Housing over the past four years and the closure of multiple encampments. One of those projects involved the city purchasing and then leasing the former Knights Inn to the government agency for use as supportive housing. When the city bought the land in 2023, it paid $4.15 million, more than the then-assessed value of $1.211 million. Polillo said he knows there has been criticism of that purchase as the building awaits demolition, but he believes it was a strategic investment as it will eventually be used as part of the Civic Core District project. While a business case is still being completed by consultants, the project is expected to include the replacement
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of the Kopar Memorial Arena and the construction of a new performing arts centre, among other things. Polillo said this project will be a key investment for the downtown core. Though some locals have advocated for the renovation of the almost 70-year-old arena, Polillo said after a recent tour by city staff, he’s convinced it would be better to replace it. As an employee of AiMHi and council’s representative on the Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Inclusion, Polillo said he felt a lack of accessibility is one of the arena’s biggest weaknesses. However, he said that the spending on the project should be up to the residents to weigh in on in a referendum. With major economic projects tabbed for Northern BC, Polillo said making the city a safer, nicer place to live will help convince companies to come to Prince George. He said council has had early conversations with CN Rail regarding the expansion of its inland port infrastructure in the city. Downtown Prince George’s security camera pilot project has seen promising initial results and the next council should seriously consider the organization’s funding request for 18 months worth of operations, he said. On taxes, Polillo touted his affordability efforts, pointing to reductions to the snow clearing levy in recent years as an example. Though some candidates have promised no tax increases or even reductions, Polillo challenged them on where they would find the required savings. “It’s either you increase revenue or you make cuts, that’s what it comes down to,” he said. Speaking on what he thought the outgoing council could have done better, he said with a new mayor and two rookie councillors, including himself, it maybe took too long for the group to work as a team. Election day is Saturday, Oct. 17.
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Sampson holds official mayoral campaign launch event Endorsements from local business leaders were part of event COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff
With guest speakers, a video presentation and a crowd in the gift shop at Studio 2880, Coun. Kyle Sampson formally launched his campaign to be Prince George’s next mayor around noon on Thursday, Aug. 13. Among the 60 or so people who attended the event included both current members of city council, newcomers who have announced their candidacy, notable locals like Shirley Bond and more. After an introduction to Lheidli T’enneh First Nation’s traditional territory by Elder Darlene McIntosh, who performed the same role at Coun. Garth Frizzell’s mayoral campaign launch on Aug. 5, two of Sampson’s friends pitched guests on why they should vote for him this fall. Bruce Johnston, a local engineer and software developer, said he’s known Sampson for about 10 years and has found that he’s not just a part of the community but a difference maker in it. “Kyle doesn’t just talk about wanting Prince George to be a great place to live, he actively participates in making it one and I think that’s an important distinction,” Johnston said. Next up was Selen Alpay, owner of the local Canadian Tire franchise and recent appointee to the Order of British Columbia. “Over the past eight years, I’ve watched him step forward, take on increasingly significant responsibilities and grow,” Alpay said. “Grow not only as an elected official, but also as a leader and as a person.” He said that Sampson garnered the second-most votes among council candidates in his first run in 2018 because locals saw his energy, passion and potential. “He has listened, learned, advocated and like every person willing to take on
CITIZEN PHOTO BY COLIN SLARK
Guests listen to Canadian Tire owner Selen Alpay speak during Coun. Kyle Sampson’s mayoral campaign launch at Studio 2880 at 2880 15th Ave. on Thursday, Aug. 13. Sampson is at back left.
a difficult leadership role, he has made mistakes,” Alpay said. “Has Kyle always gotten everything right? Absolutely not, but leadership is not about pretending you have never made a mistake, it is about taking responsibility, learning from your experiences and allowing them to change the way you lead.” Before Sampson was welcomed to the podium, a short video played where he outlined his love for the city and showing clips of four people talking about why they would be voting for him in the election. He thanked his friends and family for attending, Studio 2880 for hosting the event and for his fiancée and future stepson for being there to support him. Studio 2880 was chosen for the event, he said, as it is a community gathering space and home for the arts that is preparing for its next chapter, referring to the planned redevelopment of the
property into a mixed-use site. “Moving Prince George forward doesn’t mean losing things that make this community special,” Sampson said. “Change can be uncomfortable, sometimes scary, but when we plan thoughtfully, partner properly, protect what matters and aren’t afraid to embrace new opportunities, we can grow without losing who we are.” He cited his two terms of experience on city council, his time as chair and vice-chair of the Fraser-Fort George Regional Hospital District and more as well as his campaign’s four main pillars: Unlocking opportunity, public safety, a city people choose to live in and city that works for its residents. Speaking to reporters after his prepared remarks, Sampson said he isn’t running a campaign against any particular opponent but rather one that will show his vision for the city’s future. “I think what I offer that’s unique is
experience mixed with energy, leadership that has a proven track record and a history of being decisive and moving things forward.” His platform, he said, is based on conversations he’s had with residents and business owners over the past few months. After a discussion over developing Prince George’s capacity as an inland port, especially around the airport at a meeting of the city’s Standing Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs a few days earlier, Sampson said advocacy on that front will be key to the city’s opportunities for economic development. Also running for mayor are lawyer Roy Stewart, who placed third in the 2022 mayoral election, and Frizzell, an 18-year veteran of city council. Incumbent Mayor Simon Yu has yet to launch a re-election campaign. The election is on Oct. 17.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
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Not guilty: Man acquitted in downtown axe attack case BOB MACKIN
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Crown could not prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Farbn Marvin Japow was the man involved in a March 22, 2024 axe fight at the Knights Inn, so a Provincial Court judge acquitted the man of aggravated assault and assault with a weapon. After a two-day trial, Judge Charles Hutchinson said Aug. 12 a lack of physical evidence that connects Japow to the altercation — such as blood on the victim’s clothing — and insufficient testimony of three civilian witnesses led to the not guilty verdict for the 2001born man. Coincidentally, demolition of the cityowned, former BC Housing shelter was scheduled to begin Aug. 10. “The fact that all the witnesses only see the altercation after it has already begun poses its own challenges,“ Hutchinson said. “No one can say
whether (the victim) or the other person had the hatchet at the beginning of the conflict. No one sees any strikes with the hatchet that are consistent with the injuries suffered by (the victim).” An RCMP officer testified that he administered first aid on the victim until paramedics arrived. The victim had three leg wounds, all a couple of inches apart. Muscle tissue protruded from the largest wound. For similar reasons, Hutchinson also acquitted Japow of breaking a probation order by possessing an axe. Hutchinson said Japow was “clearly bound by the order at the time of the alleged offence,” but was uncertain about Japow’s identity, so he had reasonable doubt that he breached the no weapons clause in the probation order. Hutchinson rejected defence lawyer Kyle Komarynsky’s argument that Japow was defending himself against the other man. Hutchinson said the
CITIZEN FILE PHOTO
The Knights Inn, slated for demolition and fenced off, was operating as a shelter when RCMP investigated an attack nearby in 2024.
argument was based on a lack of information about how the incident started, so he found “no air of reality” to the claim of self-defence. “A lack of evidence is not itself evidence,” Hutchinson said. Before the trial began, Japow pleaded guilty to other charges from March 22, 2024, that he wilfully resisted or obstructed a police officer and dealt with identity documents without lawful excuse.
Crown stayed a charge of possession/ use of a stolen credit card. During the trial, a Prince George RCMP officer testified that he searched Japow’s jacket pockets, post-arrest, and found credit and debit cards, a passport, WorkSafeBC identification and a firearm licence — none of which belonged to Japow. In March 2023, a year before the Knights Inn incident, Japow pleaded guilty in Prince George to dangerous driving causing bodily harm, assault with a weapon and assault. Japow was at the wheel in an October 2022 high-speed rollover crash outside Prince George that seriously injured his girlfriend. He was sentenced to 18 months in jail, but credited for seven months and 10 days spent in custody. He was also banned from driving for two years. Japow is scheduled for trial in September in Quesnel on drugs and weapons charges from an Aug. 4, 2024 incident.
No more jail time for man who hid from police in stranger’s home PROPERTY USE AGREEMENT
Hixon Recreational Park Property The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George intends to enter into a five-year property use agreement with Hixon Community Association for Hixon Recreational Park Propertyand improvements located on the subject property for community recreational purposes. The property is legally described as Lot 2, District Lot 8543, Cariboo District Plan PGP43101. It is located beside Hixon Community Hall in Hixon, BC, but does not include the community hall. In consideration of the entitlements given, the Regional District will receive a nominal sum of $1 for the term of the agreement.
For more info, contact 1-800-667-1959 or communityservices@rdffg.bc.ca
BOB MACKIN
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A Provincial Court judge in Prince George agreed with Crown and defence lawyers that a man who hid from police in a senior citizen’s house after a chase in a vehicle he did not own should spend no more time in jail. But Judge Michael Brecknell told Dakota Lee Jack that he should spend the next year working with a probation officer, getting connected with his community and finding a job. “Work tends to occupy a lot of time, which keeps people from thinking about doing bad things,” Brecknell told the Indigenous man from Williams Lake. On Aug. 13, Jack pleaded guilty to being in a motor vehicle without the registered owner, obstructing or resisting a police officer and being in a house without lawful excuse. Brecknell sentenced
him to the recommended 180 days time served and 12 months probation. Brecknell heard that a woman reported her Enterprise Rent-a-Car Volkswagen Taos had been stolen from the front entrance of the Best Western Hotel on Jan. 26. Two days later, the vehicle was reported being driven dangerously. A Prince George RCMP officer chased the vehicle and estimated it was going faster than 175 kilometres per hour, weaving in and out of traffic. The pursuit continued to Nielson Road. Jack hid in a house to avoid the police. The homeowner, a 71-year-old man, was in the basement watching television when Jack approached him to ask for a ride into town. The man told Jack to get out of his house and walked him out to the patio, where a police officer was waiting.
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
Judge stops short of tossing lawsuit against RCMP BOB MACKIN
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A Quesnel man who sued the RCMP for negligence was given 21 days to amend a lawsuit accusing unnamed officers did not properly investigate his complaints for almost three months in 2024. During an Aug. 13 hearing, a BC Supreme Court judge struck Dustin James Ginter’s claims that Mounties breached his constitutional rights and committed misfeasance of public office. Ginter filed the notice of civil claim on Dec. 10, 2025 in the Prince George registry, alleging that, between April 18, 2024 and July 5, 2024, he reported eight “separate and escalating” violent incidents at his Quesnel home to the RCMP, including assault, confinement, threats, property destruction and attempted stabbing. Ginter was under court-ordered house arrest and legally required to
stay on the property. Without cellular service or radio communication, he relied solely on Starlink for emergency assistance, the claim said. Ginter’s filing said he contacted the RCMP during and after each incident and provided video and photographic evidence, but the force failed to take reasonable steps to investigate and prevent escalation of violence, thus putting his safety at risk. Ginter seeks damages for physical injury, psychological trauma, loss of economic opportunity, severe emotional distress and prolonged fear for his life while under lawful state-imposed restrictions. Ginter said he also complained to the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission of the RCMP. A lawyer for the Attorney General of Canada (AGC) responded on behalf of the RCMP on Jan. 21, to deny “each and every allegation” Ginter made, including
Breaching probation soon after discharge lands man back in court BOB MACKIN
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
An absolute discharge was granted on Aug. 11 for a man who breached a Provincial Court judge’s order by failing to show up for a meeting with a probation officer six weeks after he was sentenced to a conditional discharge. Wyatt Kinch, 20, was ordered to spend 18 months on probation beginning May 26, 2025, after pleading guilty in Prince George to break and enter with intent to commit an offence. Crown prosecutor Astitwa Thapa told the court that the day after Kinch was sentenced, a probation officer reviewed Judge Peter McDermick’s order with Kinch, including the consequences of non-compliance, such as a return to court. “Mr. Kinch indicated that he understood the obligations of reporting,”
Thapa said. Kinch had been scheduled to report in-person to Prince George Community Corrections on July 9, 2025, but he did not attend, hence the charge. Thapa asked Judge Martin Nadon “to convince or encourage” Kinch to report to his appointments, because his probation is not over. “‘We don’t want this vulnerable man to get a criminal record,” Thapa said. Kinch, 20, was born in Prince Edward Island, but raised in Prince George. The Metis man was diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and has cognitive difficulties. Thapa said he is getting help to wean himself off opiate and alcohol addictions and has housing through Prince George Supportive Housing. Nadon said Kinch is reintegrating into society and getting the assistance he needs.
that he suffered damages. The AGC response said any RCMP members involved acted in good faith, within the scope of their duties. In July, the AGC applied for Ginter’s lawsuit to be thrown out because they said it is plain and obvious it has no reasonable prospect of success. Tindale said AGC argued Ginter’s allegations are “nothing more than bald assertions. Further, the plaintiff has not described his injuries in any detail.” The defence also pointed to the Police Act, which provides immunity from personal liability and the RCMP does not owe a duty of care to members of the public who complain to the police. Tindale ruled it is not plain and obvious that Ginter’s negligence claim has no reasonable prospect of success because of the Police Act, but agreed with the defence that he did not provide facts supporting each allegation.
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“I am, however, satisfied that the pleading deficiencies with regard to that portion of the claim in negligence for failing to protect can reasonably be cured through amendment,” Tindale said. As for misfeasance of public office claim, Tindale found that Ginter would have to prove that police acted with deliberate unlawful conduct in the exercise of public functions. In the filed claim, “there is no coherent basis” for misfeasance and it cannot be rescued by amendment. Ginter said his right to life, liberty and security of the person was breached, but Tindale said the claim “says nothing more than the actions or omissions of the defendants breached the plaintiff’s section seven Charter right.” Tindale called it “confusing and unclear” as to how Ginter suffered a violation, so he also struck that from the lawsuit.
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Suspended sentence for woman who assaulted partner BOB MACKIN
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A 25-year-old Prince George woman who pleaded guilty to assaulting the father of her child and breaching a release order has received a 12-month suspended sentence. Provincial Court Judge David Simpkin heard Aug. 6 about three incidents between August 2025 and January 2026 in which a man reported being assaulted by an intoxicated woman. On Aug. 30, 2025, Prince George RCMP were called to a complaint about neighbours yelling. Officers arrived and separated the woman and the man, who told police the woman had bitten him the previous day and punched him in the eye. On Oct. 10, police were called to a report of a disturbance and found the woman intoxicated and walking away from a residence. The man, who had been drinking with the woman, told police she became
CITIZEN FILE PHOTO
A woman who admitted assaulting the father of her child received a suspended sentence in Prince George court and will take anger counselling.
aggressive during an argument, pushed him to the ground and dug her fingernails into his groin. She also damaged his gaming console. Then, on Jan. 31, police responded to an apartment after a man reported that the woman had become angry with him, pushed him onto a bed and started throwing his belongings off the balcony and into the driveway. Crown prosecutor Abigail Robillard asked Simpkin to order the first-time offender to attend programs addressing
alcohol or substance abuse and respectful relationships as part of her probation. Court heard the woman completed an anger-management program through the Carrier Sekani in May and was exploring college studies for the fall. Defence lawyer Hailey Friesen said her client grew up in foster and group homes. Simpkin also heard that the woman continues to have contact with the man despite being ordered by the court not
to do so. Robillard said the victim was hesitant about proceeding to trial and that there had been difficulties arranging meetings with him. “In his best-case scenario, he tells me that the best-case result would just be community work service,” Robillard said. As part of the probation conditions, Simpkin said the woman may only have contact with the man if he gives his express consent. That permission would end immediately if the man changed his mind. “If you’d only had one of the assaults, I would probably have given you a discharge. But you’ve got two and the breach, so a suspended sentence is the appropriate sentence here,” Simpkin said. Two charges of breaching a release order and one charge of wilfully resisting or obstructing a police officer, stemming from April 30, were stayed.
Judge holds off on sentencing man in sex offences case This coverage of a local criminal trial includes details some may find disturbing BOB MACKIN
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A Provincial Court judge in Prince George has reserved decision on the sentence for a man who pleaded guilty to distributing child pornography and bestiality. After an Aug. 6 hearing, Judge David Simpkin sent Crown and defence lawyers to court schedulers to arrange a one-hour hearing to decide how long Andy Junior Leslie Szabo will be jailed. Crown prosecutor Abigail Robillard said Szabo, 32, should be sentenced to two years for the child pornography offence and one year, consecutive, for bestiality. Robillard also asked Simpkin to add
Szabo to the national sex offender registry for 20 years, ban Szabo from possessing an animal for 10 years and order him to stay away from places where children under 16 gather for 10 years. Szabo’s defence lawyer, Iain Currie, said a two-year sentence for child pornography is “not out of line,” but suggested six months concurrent for the bestiality sentence. Robillard recited the agreed statement of facts, which graphically described how Szabo broke the law against child pornography — formally known as child sexual abuse and exploitation material — between August 2023 and January 2024 and committed bestiality with a small dog between January 2023 and June 2023. At the time, Szabo was 28 to 29 years old and lived with his parents in Prince George. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children forwarded a report to the BC Integrated Child Exploitation
Unit. Telus Communications traced an IP address to Prince George, where the RCMP took over the investigation. Szabo’s name, birthdate and phone number were connected with the relevant accounts. Two search warrants were executed at Szabo’s home in late April 2024. Officers seized a Google Pixel phone and desktop computer. They initially found video clips of Szabo sexually assaulting a small black dog. The SPCA seized two dogs and one cat from the household. Szabo was arrested on June 12, 2025, and released with an undertaking. RCMP detectives found hundreds of images of child pornography and dozens of images of bestiality on Szabo’s devices. Szabo admitted he was in full ownership, possession and control of all materials and devices, and transmitted, made available and distributed child pornography.
He also admitted to being the male in the animal abuse images. “If I can put it this way: There is absolutely no sugarcoating that agreed statement of facts,” Currie said. Szabo does not have a criminal record and has not breached release conditions. Pre-sentencing reports said Szabo had been sexually abused and exploited as a child and had accessed counselling through the First Nations Health Authority after his arrest. He denied a desire to engage in sexual activities with children and blamed his behaviour on overusing alcohol and regularly using marijuana at the time. Currie called it “of particular importance” that his client does not meet the criteria for a pedophilia diagnosis. Szabo and his mother were both in court. Currie said that his client “is in a situation where he is going to be dealing with his own choices, with respect to his relationships with his family.”
PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
REGIONAL
High-speed fibre internet coming to Valemount area KEVIN GIBSON
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
High-speed internet is on the horizon for residents of Valemount, Cedarside and Tête Jaune Cache. City West, a telecommunications company owned by the City of Prince Rupert that operates fibre networks in rural and remote communities across British Columbia will be the company tasked with bringing fibre to Valemount and its surrounding areas. Mayor Owen Torgerson, who was scheduled to meet with City West officials on Tuesday, Aug. 18, said bringing fibre optic internet to Valemount and its surrounding areas is crucial for residents, adding it will create new opportunities for education, health care and economic development. “It will provide access to advanced educational resources, support telemedicine, and attract professionals and new residents. Fibre-to-the-home will position Valemount as a future-ready community, capable of adapting to technological advancements and promoting sustainable growth and enhanced quality of life,” Torgerson said. The project is connected to the Columbia Basin Trust’s broader Connect the Basin initiative, a multiyear expansion intended to improve internet access in underserved rural communities. The connectivity expansion project includes other Basin communities such as Nakusp, New Denver, Rosebery, Salmo, Silverton, and Slocan. Nearly $2.3 million in funding is also being contributed toward the project by the Government of Canada to cover installation of Fibre internet for Valemount’s surrounding areas, including Cedarside and Tête Jaune, according to Torgerson. According to information released by the federal government in May, the project will provide fibre connections to 294 households across the three communities.
The province committed additional funding through the Connect the Basin project to close remaining service gaps in Valemount, naming the village last December as one of seven Columbia Basin communities receiving additional fibre to the home infrastructure through an investment of up to $17 million from the Ministry of Citizen’s Services. Torgerson said all residents of Valemount will have access to fibre internet service. CityWest has also not publicly announced when construction will begin locally, when residents can register for connections or what internet packages will be offered. Unlike wireless or satellite internet, fibre-to-the-home service uses fibre-optic cable running directly to a residence or business. It can provide faster and more consistent service, including higher upload speeds needed for video conferencing, remote work, online education and virtual health care. The trust’s existing broadband assets are expected to transfer to CityWest during 2026. Infrastructure being constructed through Connect the Basin will transfer once that work is completed in 2027. The regional network will continue operating on an open-access basis, allowing multiple internet service providers to use the infrastructure rather than limiting customers to one company, meaning other companies looking to provide fibre internet in the area are able to use the fibre lines to do so. The March 2027 date is the project’s overall completion target and does not necessarily mean residents will have to wait until then to receive service. Connections could become available in stages as local construction is completed. Details on how the service will roll out are still unknown at this stage. This article originally appeared in The Rocky Mountain Goat.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
2026 GENERAL LOCAL ELECTION
Notice of Nomination for Electoral Areas Public notice is hereby given to the electors of the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George that a General Local Election will be held on Saturday October 17, 2026 to elect: • Electoral Area A Director (one to be elected) • Electoral Area C Director (one to be elected) • Electoral Area D Director (one to be elected) • Electoral Area E Director (one to be elected)
• Electoral Area F Director (one to be elected) • Electoral Area G Director (one to be elected) • Electoral Area H Director (one to be elected)
Nominations will be received by the Chief Election Officer or Deputy Chief Election Officers from Tuesday September 1, 2026 at 9 am until Friday September 11, 2026 at 4 pm by: • mail, hand or delivery service 155 George Street, Prince George BC V2L 1P8 • fax 250-563-7520 • email election@rdffg.bc.ca Nomination documents are available from Monday July 27, 2026 until Friday September 11, 2026 at rdffg.ca/election or in-person: • Electoral Area A, C, D, E, F, G or H Director
Regional District of Fraser-Fort George 155 George Street, Prince George BC Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm*
• Electoral Area G Director
District of Mackenzie 1 Mackenzie Boulevard, Mackenzie BC Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm* Bear Lake Community Commission 353 Grizzly Avenue, Bear Lake BC Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 9 am to 1 pm
• Electoral Area H Director
Village of McBride 100 Robson Centre, McBride BC Monday, Tuesday Thursday and Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Wednesday 10 am to 4:30 pm* Village of Valemount 735 Cranberry Lake Road, Valemount BC Monday to Friday 8:45 am to 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm to 4:15 pm*
Qualifications for office
*excluding statutory holidays
A person is qualified to be nominated, elected and to hold office as an electoral area director if they meet the following criteria: • Canadian Citizen • 18 years of age or older on general voting day Saturday October 17, 2026 • resident of British Columbia for at least six months immediately before the day nomination papers are filed • not disqualified by the Local Government Act or any other enactment from voting in an election in British Columbia or being nominated for, being elected to or holding the office, or be otherwise disqualified by law
For more info on nominations contact Chief Election Officer Maureen Connelly or Deputy Election Officers Dayna Hegel and Aileen Singh at 250-960-4400 or election@rdffg.bc.ca
Campaign period expense limits
Third party advertising expense limits
In accordance with the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act, for the 2026 general local election, the candidate expense limit is $6,161.89 for Electoral Area A, C, D, E, F, G or H Directors during the campaign period.
In accordance with the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act, for the 2026 general local election, the third party advertising expense limit is $924.28 for Electoral Area A, C, D, E, F, G or H Directors.
For more info on campaign period and third party advertising expense limits contact Elections BC at 1-800-661-8683, electoral.finance@elections.bc.ca or elections.bc.ca
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
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2026 GENERAL LOCAL ELECTION
Notice of Nomination for Bear Lake Local Community Commission Public notice is hereby given to the electors of the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George that a General Local Election will be held on Saturday October 17, 2026 to elect four Commissioners for the Bear Lake Local Community Commission. Nominations will be received by the Chief Election Officer or Deputy Chief Election Officers from Tuesday September 1, 2026 at 9 am until Friday September 11, 2026 at 4 pm by: • mail, hand or delivery service 155 George Street, Prince George BC V2L 1P8 • fax 250-563-7520 • email election@rdffg.bc.ca Nomination documents are available from Monday July 27, 2026 until Friday September 11, 2026 at rdffg.ca/election or in-person: • Regional District 155 George Street, Prince George BC Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, excluding statutory holidays • Bear Lake Community Commission 353 Grizzly Avenue, Bear Lake BC Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 9 am to 1 pm
Qualifications for office A person is qualified to be nominated, elected and to hold office as a Commissioner if they meet the following criteria: • Canadian Citizen • 18 years of age or older on general voting day Saturday October 17, 2026 • resident of British Columbia for at least six months immediately before the day nomination papers are filed • not disqualified by the Local Government Act or any other enactment from voting in an election in British Columbia or being nominated for, being elected to or holding the office, or be otherwise disqualified by law
For more info on nominations contact Chief Election Officer Maureen Connelly or Deputy Election Officers Dayna Hegel and Aileen Singh at 250-960-4400 or election@rdffg.bc.ca
Campaign period expense limits
Third party advertising expense limits
In accordance with the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act, for the 2026 general local election, the candidate expense limit is $6,161.89 for Local Community Commissioners during the campaign period.
In accordance with the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act, for the 2026 general local election, the third party advertising expense limit is $924.28 for Local Community Commissioners.
For more info on campaign period and third party advertising expense limits contact Elections BC at 1-800-661-8683, electoral.finance@elections.bc.ca or elections.bc.ca
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
COMMUNITY
PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
What’s happening in PG Movie Night in the Orchard – Barbie goes Friday, Aug. 21 at 9:15 p.m. at Northern Lights Estate Winery orchard, 745 Prince George Pulpmill Road. Grab your besties, dress in pink and get ready for a magical outdoor screening of Barbie at the winery. Enjoy a fun-filled summer evening under the stars with plenty of laughs, great company and favourite movie snacks. Doors open at 8:15 across the street from the winery. Family-friendly, bring lawn chairs or blankets and bug spray just in case. For all the details and tickets that must be purchased in advance visit www.eventbrite.ca/e/ movie-night-in-the-orchard-barbie-tickets Touch a Truck goes Friday, Aug. 21 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Canada Games Plaza to wrap up the Summer Reading Club at the Prince George Public Library. Check out all the heavy trucks used by the City of Prince George and enjoy a barbecue hot dog by donation. Sherlock Challenge at Huble Homestead goes Saturday, Aug. 22 and Sunday, Aug. 23 from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. This is an exit-room style timed brainteaser in Huble House. Gather your team of up to eight people, sharpen your wits and discover if you’re up to the task in this historic site. Each group gets 45 minutes to solve the challenge. Pre-registration is required to book your time slot. For more information visit https://www.hublehomestead.ca/ sherlock If a more relaxed experienceis preferred, consider taking part in Watson Weekend, a self-led activity that does not require tickets. Metis Community Picnic goes Sunday, Aug. 23 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1200 LaSalle Avenue. This event will see Indigenous vendors and musicians on site and a treat, Bannock, available. This is in partnership with the Fraser Fort George Family Resource Centre and Niwikowin Métis Family Services to bring the community together. The call for a community picnic has been heard. Bring a lawn chair. To register call 236-423-3455 or email princegeorgecc@ mnbc.ca.
WARNER BROS. PHOTO
America Ferrera (left) appears with Ariana Greenblatt and Margot Robbie as the title character in the hit movie Barbie, which is showing on the outdoor screen during Movie Night in the Orchard on Friday, Aug. 21 at 9:15 p.m. at Northern Lights Estate Winery.
Legends Live! Presents Country Super Star Showcase that goes on Sunday, Aug. 23 at Om Pizza Bar and Café, 1970 Ospika Blvd. seating at 5 show starts at 6 p.m. and Friday, Aug. 28 at the Prince George Golf & Curling Club, 2601 Recplace Drive, seating at 6 with show at 7 pm. With tributes to Dolly, Kenny, Garth, Reba and Shania this will be a rootin’ tootin’ hollerin’ and hootin’ good time. Bringing the country music superstars to life with incredible impersonations, fab costumes and amazing live vocals. Ticket are $35 for each event at www.eventbrite.ca/ countrysuperstarshowcasePG Candlelight Open Air: Coldplay vs Imagine Dragons tribute concert experience goes Sunday, Aug. 23 at 8:45 p.m. at Northern Lights Estate Winery, 745 Prince George Pulpmill Road. This event is performed by a four-piece string quartet, including two violins, one viola and a cello. For all the details and tickets visit www.feverup.com/ candlelightstringquartetPG Love Local Market goes Tuesday, Aug. 25 at 5 p.m. at CN Centre. This is an evening celebration of community, shopping local, and summer fun.
Browse more than 100 local vendors, eat delicious food from Prince George’s best food trucks and enjoy free live entertainment all evening long. It’s the perfect night out with family and friends. Sweater Weather Market goes Saturday, Sept. 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at CN Centre. This is an outdoor fall market that will see about 100 vendors at the event. This event is free for visitors to attend and be sure to wear your favourite funky fall sweater. Vendors interested in participating can register at www.justsugarcookies.ca Sunflower Festival goes until Sunday, Sept. 6 at Foreman Farms, 1965 Foreman Road every Thursday to Sunday and is presented by Northern Lights Estate Winery. There are photo stations, farm animals, u-cut sunflowers with buy one get one every Friday, Bloom Café, picnic area and playground, hayrides from Thursday to Saturday, remote control car racing and every Thursday is Kids’ Day. Tickets can be purchased by cash, debit or credit on site and for more information or to purchase tickets online in advance visit www.northernlightswinery.ca/sunflower-fest
Prince George Rock N’ Gem Show goes Friday, Sept. 11 to Sunday Sep. 13 at the Prince George Civic Centre presented by Can Gems Western Canada. Hours are Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This is a marketplace filled with crystals, minerals, fossils, gemstones, handcrafted jewelry, beads, carvings, lapidary supplies, and unique treasures brought in by vendors from across Canada. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet passionate small business owners, artisans, collectors and rockhounds who enjoy sharing the stories, history and beauty behind the pieces they carry. Entry is $3 per person, $7 per family and those five and under are free. There is a special feature UV Exclusive Event on Friday from 8 to 10 p.m. Experience the brilliance of minerals that glow under ultraviolet light during this captivating after-hours event. RSVP recommended by calling 587-377-5722. Walk-ins welcome. Coldsnap presents Dan Mangan on Saturday, Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. at Knox Performance Centre, 1448 Fifth Ave. The Prince George Folkfest Society is offering this concert as the first of three in the series and begins with two-time Juno Award-winning musician and songwriter Dan Mangan, who hasn’t performed in Prince George since 2010. His performance is a part of his Natural Light Tour. The ninth studio album for Mangan, Natural Light was released in 2025 and marks a return to folk music’s classic underpinnings of political resistance. For more information and tickets visit www.coldsnapfestival.tickit.ca/ dan-mangan PWR/UP, Canada’s Premier AC/ DC Tribute Concert goes Saturday, Sept. 12 at 7:0 p.m. at the Prince George Playhouse, 2626 Recplace Drive. PWR/ UP are lads with a devilish obsession for AC/DC. For more information and tickets visit www.eventbrite.ca/e/ pwrup-acdc-canadas-premier-tributeconcert-prince-george CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
COMMUNITY
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE Great Northwest Fibre Fest goes Sunday, Sept. 13 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ramada Hotel, 444 George Street. There will be 28 different vendors geared for fibre arts from all over BC and Alberta. There will be crafting and social gathering places to relax and visit with friends, old and new. The PG Quilters Guild will have a display of their beautiful work and are available to chat about their craft. Sandwiches, snacks and cold drinks will be available for purchase. There is a free draw to win a bundle of goodies donated by the vendors. Admission is free. 50th Duchess Park Secondary School Reunion goes Sept. 18 and 19 at the Coast Hotel, 770 Brunswick St. Friday night is a casual gathering with doors open at 6 p.m. and welcome at 7 p.m. and Saturday night will be the bigger celebration with dinner, dance and unveiling of the time capsule starting at 5 p.m. with dinner at 6:30 p.m. Special rates deadline for hotel rooms is August 10 and for early bird prices for events register on or before June 30. For more information visit Duchess Park Class of 1976 50th Reunion Facebook page and visit the Files page for all the details or email 1976duchesspark50@gmail.com Northern Twisters Square Dance Club New Dancer Lessons start Monday, Sept. 14 at Trinity Church, 1448 Fifth Avenue and goes for 12 weeks. For fun, fitness and friendship sign up and bring a friend. For more information email northerntwisterspg@gmail.com or call Loretta at 250-964-9236 or Glenda at 250-563-7743 or find them on Facebook. Echo-Chamber 1 goes Friday, Sept. 18 and Saturday, Sept. 19 at the House of Ancestors Conference Centre and Café, 355 Vancouver St. This is a two-day event with a lineup of artists to shake the walls and light up the North. Day one headliner: Cody Lawless, supporting acts: Infectious, The Goohams, The Carnevouus, Deep Trouble, The Verdants, Evangeline, Kristian Janzen. Day two headliner: Evil Ebenzer, supporting
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Standup comic Jimmy Carr is in Prince George on Monday, Sept. 21, performing at the CN Centre.
acts: Lil Godd, Petty Boy Osley, Teo Laza, Caveman Casanova, Atomik, Diego Flores, Tokyogelic, Unknown Persona, Highbryd, Turell, Tennants, 6 Cell, Bioson, Urban Indian. Cold Messiah, J Finch, $Kiir0se, Ezra C, Esobi. Tickets are $40 for early bird, general admission is $75. For all the details visit https:// linktr.ee/EchoChamber/PG 46th Annual Terry Fox Run goes Sunday, Sept. 20 from 9 a.m. to noon at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park. Bring your friends, family, co-workers, teammates and pets to this event. Run, walk or wheel the route that starts at the Bandshell and goes through the park and along part of the route Terry ran in 1979 in the Prince George to Boston Marathon that started it all. Registration begins at 9 and the course officially opens from 10 a.m. to noon. Funds
raised go to cancer research. Online donations can be made at https://run. terryfox.ca/princegeorge Jimmy Carr Laughs Funny goes Monday, Sept. 21 at CN Centre at 7:30 p.m. Known worldwide for his lightning-quick wit, dark one-liners and unmistakable laugh, Jimmy Carr remains one of the most successful and best-selling comedians on the planet. A master of razor-sharp humour, he has toured over 40 countries, sold millions of tickets and continues to be one of the most streamed stand-ups of the last decade. Don’t miss Jimmy Carr coming to Prince George this fall. For more information and tickets visit www.ticketsnorth. ca/event/jimmy-carr-laughs-funny/ princegeorge Craft & Chat at the main branch of the Prince George Public Library goes
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every Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. in the magazine corner, second floor, where fibre artists are invited to bring their latest projects to share, vent frustrations, brag about successes, get and give help and join in lively discussions. Snacks provided. This event is in partnership with Great Northwest Fibre Fest. Myeloma Support Group goes every third Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. at Commonwealth Financial, 575 Victoria St. Everyone is welcome who has been diagnosed, those who are caregivers, family members and friends. Wheelchair accessible parking at the back of the building. For more information call Viv Lougheed at 250-981-2618. Chronic Condition Support Group takes place the first Tuesday of every month from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Nechako Branch of the Prince George Public Library, 6547 John Hart Hwy. This is a community social group where people with any chronic condition can come together to socialize, connect and learn from each other. This is a free drop-in event. Trivia Night at Nancy O’s goes every other Wednesday at 8 p.m., 1261 Third Ave. There are three rounds per game, each round has five themed questions and five music questions. There’s something for everyone. The winning team gets a custom Nancy O’s Trivia trophy and a round of drinks, their photo on the wall that goes into the winners’ book after two weeks. Those caught cheating will be publicly shamed and labelled as cheaters — good wholesome fun. Book a spot by calling ahead at 250-562-8066. Open Mic at Nancy O’s goes every other Wednesday from 8 to 11 p.m. Open mic is hosted by Danny Bell and friends. Come on down and share songs, poetry, dance, stories, and anything else you can think to do on stage. All are welcome. If you’ve got an event coming up email us at news@pgcitizen.ca to offer details including name of the event, the date, time and location, ticket price and where to get them and a little bit about what’s happening, too. LOCF
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
COMMUNITY
PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
COMMUNITY
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
Meteors flash through the night sky over Prince George CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE
The largest observatory in Northern BC welcomes hundreds of visitors to see the annual Perseids MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff
The arrival of the Perseid Meteor Shower saw the sky full of meteors and the Prince George Observatory full of visitors. The Prince George Astronomical Society, which operates the observatory, opened its doors to an estimated 356 people during the first night of the meteor shower on Thursday, Aug. 13. During the viewing, the society hosted two talks on the science behind the meteor shower and offered tours of the observatory and its 24-inch telescope, the largest in Northern BC. The Perseid Meteor Shower is an annual astronomical event that peaks Aug. 12-15. However, meteors can be seen as late as Aug. 24 if conditions are favourable. It is one of the most prominent astronomical phenomena in the Northern Hemisphere and is characterized by bright and fast streaks of light streaming across the starry sky. These meteors can leave behind green, white, red or even purple streaks, depending on the chemical elements contained within the meteors that are vaporized as they enter the atmosphere. The meteors themselves are from the debris field left by the comet Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the sun every 133 years and leaves behind large fields of debris that Earth passes through. On clear nights during the shower, stargazers can expect to see approximately 80 meteors per hour if they are lucky. Thursday was also the perfect night for stargazing, as clear skies and a moonless night meant conditions were ideal for the hundreds of residents looking to spot meteors. Those who attended were not disappointed, as meteors streaked across the sky until shortly after midnight, bringing out
gasps and cheers from those below as they passed by. Malhar Kendurkar, president of the Prince George Astronomical Society, was also very thankful for the clear skies, as previous years have had bad luck when it comes to the weather. “It’s so funny because the first night of the Perseid meteor shower has been cloudy for the past three, four years in a row,” Kendurkar said. “Then tonight we are lucky because it’s not gonna be cloudy and there’s no moon, not to mention it’s gonna be clear for all three nights.” Kendurkar added that he was pleased to see so many people visit the observatory and take in the astronomical event. “It was excellent. All four of us are volunteers and we are exhausted after tonight,” Kendurkar said. “We had about 356 people come through, which is very impressive.” He added that he expected to see around 400 people over the three nights and was blown away by the turnout, which almost met his total anticipated visitors during the first night. He shared what his favourite part of the first night was. “When it gets dark and especially
“Nights like the Perseid meteor shower night or even our regular open house events are really important for us to actually keep our doors open and maintain this facility because our telescope is close to 50 years old and even maintaining the entire facility has cost us a lot.” He also thanked the four volunteers of the Astronomical Society who helped run Thursday’s event and added that the society is currently looking for more volunteers to help with operations. “We currently have excellent volunteers and without volunteers we wouldn’t be able to run this observatory. However, we are always looking to find new volunteers. Of course, you don’t have to be an expert in astronomy to join,” Kendurkar said. One of the volunteers who helped with Thursday night’s events was Robyn Kendurkar, secretary of the Astronomical Society and Kendurkar’s wife. Robyn has been volunteering with the society for the past six years and said she has seen the society’s influence and supporters grow since she signed up. “It really speaks to our presence in the community that we are growing year after year. As well, I think people are looking for something to do with family, with friends and astronomy takes us outside of ourselves. It’s just such a
when there is no moon like tonight and for the next three nights, you can actually see the entire Milky Way,” Kendurkar said. “You will be able to see the centre of our Milky Way galaxy where the supermassive black hole is. Also, just being out on the land and talking to people who are interested in astronomy, watching meteors and feeling the excitement from people when they see meteors for the first time. It’s great to be out and have people visit here and experience the thrill.” In total, during the first night, the observatory raised $317 through donations. Kendurkar said this will be essential to helping keep the observatory up and operational. Kendurkar emphasized that community support and donations during events like this have been essential for the society and its continued operations. “Last year there have been several cutbacks to the gaming grants we received and we didn’t get the full amount that we were asking for,” Kendurkar said. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
JAMES NEGRI PHOTO CITIZEN PHOTO BY MATTHEW HILLIER
Visitors to the observatory were able to watch the Perseids through a variety of telescopes.
This long-exposure shot of the Milky Way galaxy was taken during the opening night of the Perseid meteor shower on Thursday, Aug. 13 at the Prince George Astronomical Observatory.
wonderful way to connect with community but also get underneath the majesty of the night sky,” Robyn said. One of Robyn’s favourite parts of the meteor shower was hearing the often magical stories of those who come out to experience the astronomical event and seeing those with varying degrees of experience and interest in astronomy come together. “I love hearing everyone’s personal story and journey about how they found us and why they love coming to view,” Robyn said. “While many stories are different, there’s a common thread, and the common thread is that people love magic. People love that experience of looking at the night sky, learning something new and being part of a community, and that’s what we did here tonight.” Part of the funding from donations during the meteor shower events at the observatory will also be going toward a new project aimed at making the observatory more accessible to everyone in Prince George. “I know the observatory’s telescope is not very accessible,” Kendurkar said. “In terms of accessibility, it’s not the ideal telescope. My goal for the past few years has been to actually build an accessible observatory. That’s why we’re gonna name the observatory ‘Universal Observatory’ because it will be universally accessible for people in wheelchairs or for anyone with
CITIZEN PHOTO BY MATTHEW HILLIER
Volunteers and staff of the Prince George Astronomical Society include, from left Rebecca Althammer, president Malhar Kendurkar and secretary Robyn Kendurkar; not pictured is Trevor Millar.
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CITIZEN PHOTO BY MATTHEW HILLIER
The Prince George Astronomical Society’s observatory is bathed in red light on Thursday, Aug. 13.
difficulties and it will be built out on the observatory’s back deck.” The Astronomical Society has also recently received a $10,000 grant from IREN’s Prince George Community Grants Program. Kendurkar said this will also go specifically to the new accessible telescope and observatory, as well as security for the proposed addition. IREN is a data centre company that currently has data centres in both Prince George and Mackenzie. Robyn also shared that a key part of Thursday night for her was seeing and hearing the reactions from newcomers. “Watching people come through with a big smile on their face and learning something new or witnessing something really extraordinary in the night sky is another of my favourite parts. Sharing in that joy and excitement with the public and also feeling like we’re part of something bigger, that I’m part of something in the community as well. That’s my favourite,” Robyn said. The Prince George Astronomical Society, located at 7365 Tedford Rd., held viewings for the Perseid Meteor Shower until Saturday, Aug. 15. Admission was by donation and was $2 for individuals and $5 for families. To learn more about volunteering with the Prince George Astronomical Society, call 250-964-3600 or email rascpg@telus.net.
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PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
COMMUNITY
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
BCNE Seniors Day: Connection, community and fun CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen Staff
It was Seniors Day at the BCNE on Thursday, Aug. 13, and it was perfect. The sun was shining, a little breeze was blowing and the sound of laughter was in the air. It actually stopped me in my tracks when I blew into the Seniors Fair in Kin 3. The joyful noise was something I immediately had to take in and just listen. As I was shooting some video, which I do very badly, a little lady came up to me and quietly waited until I was done. As soon as I lowered my phone, she told me that my presence was requested at the booth behind me. I turned to see my longtime friend Kathy Nadalin waving at me. She was there volunteering, as usual. This year, she was at the Spruce Capital Seniors Centre booth, and her bright blue T-shirt declared she was one of Shirley’s Seniors Cupcakes, the group of cardio drummers that has grown to about 100 over the last couple of years because Shirley Morin, general manager of the Spruce Capital Seniors Centre and cardio drum leader, knows how to motivate people. Her enthusiasm abounds, and it seems to be contagious because everyone around Shirley has a big smile on their face and is constantly singing her praises. As I signalled to Kathy that we would chat later, Shirley quickly introduced me to her oldest Cupcake, Nora Larsen, who is 95 years old. That’s right, Nora is almost 96 years old and a picture of health. Nora has a zest for life that is reflected in her bright orange ensemble, a jaunty straw hat, funky glasses and her big smile highlighted by bright red lipstick. What a striking woman! Nora is a member of Shirley’s Seniors Cupcakes cardio drumming group at River Bend Manor, so as a nod to that, Nora had cardboard cupcakes adorning her hat and walker. So festive! Unfortunately, Nora took a bad fall a couple of years ago in which her vertebrae were crushed, and that’s why she
CITIZEN PHOTO BY CHRISTINE DALGLEISH
Nora Larsen, 95, was at the Seniors Fair at the BCNE on Thursday, Aug. 13, where she was part of the Cardio Drumming group called Shirley’s Seniors Cupcakes that did a demonstration. Nora is the oldest member of the group.
uses a walker now, she explained. “Before that I was fine and I used to always walk my little dog, I was always a walker,” Nora said. “Cardio drumming helps with my legs and my arms are a lot better and the coordination is there now,” Nora said. “When I first tried drumming I fell in love with it and I would never miss it. Shirley is wonderful. She is so musical. Every bone in her body is music. And right after my time with Shirley I do chair yoga.” Nora’s daughter Bonnie Stack and great-granddaughter Molly Moren had accompanied Nora to the BCNE and were so proud of her. It was written all over their faces. I made my way back to Kathy to chat after I let Nora and her posse get on with their day. Kathy had started volunteering on Seniors Day when the doors opened at 10 a.m., so she saw all the comings and goings at the Seniors Fair. “At the entrance to the fair there were two long lines and it wasn’t even open yet and it was nice to chat with all the seniors while we were waiting to get in,” Kathy said. “Over the years you get to know all the locals and the volunteers in this room are amazing. I’ve seen them so many times volunteering for so many
things. The Seniors Fair is so important because there are so many information booths here all in one space. There is a lot of help available for so many seniors that have different issues and there is also information about recreation, which many seniors might not know about until they come here and explore. We come together here and you can catch up with old friends and it’s a really feel-good day.” Throughout the Seniors Fair there were so many booths, including the Prince George Hospice and Palliative Care Society, Community Policing, the Prince George Public Library, Centre for Technology Adoption for Aging in the North out of UNBC, the Native Healing Centre, PG Surg Med, Parkinson’s Awareness and Positive Living North, to name just a few. Then I came around the corner and there was a booth for a business I had never seen before. Nechako Ridge Denturist Corp. had three smiling faces who beckoned me to come visit them. Nikki Boyle, lab manager, said Carson Law is the denturist and they have both been in the community for the last 10 years and opened their office almost two years ago. “We wanted to get the word out so we think this is a beautiful way to do that,”
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Boyle said. “It’s a good way to get to know the seniors in Prince George.” As I moved along the row of services, I ran into a friend and she pointed out the wigs that sat at a booth. When I turned to see them, my gaze fell upon Dr. Nicole Cvenkel of Renee’s Hair Restoration and Breast Cancer Care Boutique. “We offer hair loss solutions for individuals due to medical and non-medical reasons so chemo and radiation and non-medical reasons like fine and thinning hair, aging, hormones and stress,” Cvenkel said. “Because of that it is a very tough situation and ladies lose their confidence as a result of that and so we offer a very private setting at the KPMG building and we do appointments only so it’s a one-to-one private and confidential setting that is very comfortable and respectful for clients.” Cvenkel said they also offer services to women who have gone through breast cancer surgery and offer breast cancer recovery care. “So we have compression garments, mastectomy bras and prostheses so again private and confidential as we fit these garments to a lady,” Cvenkel said. “So that helps people regain their confidence as well.” As I made my way out of the Seniors Fair and into the Home Arts & Horticulture area in Kin 2, there were so many things to look at — artwork and crafts, foodstuffs and quilts galore. I had to seek out my favourite tiny item — anything felted — and I was not disappointed. There it was — a tiny landscape sitting atop a teacup. How inventive! Then it was time to get back to the office, so I reluctantly stepped outside. The main stage had traditional drummers performing as I went into the Kin Centres and, when I came out, there were Jingle Dress dancers performing. Watching the younger dancers and Elders was a real treat. Spirits were high at the food court, things were hopping at the midway and even at the gate, as so many were coming in as I was going out.
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
COMMUNITY
PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
Swimming from one end of the Fraser River to the other Expedition makes it to Prince George on Day 11 of an epic freshwater journey TED CLARKE Citizen Staff
In January 2024, Isabelle Côté and three other female marine biologists rowed 5,000-kilometres across the Atlantic Ocean from the Canary Islands to Antigua to win the women’s division of the World’s Toughest Row. It took the Salty Science team 38 days and 18 hours to finish and they raised $250,000 for ocean conservation. Two-and-a-half years later, Côté was in Prince George Monday, Aug. 17, 11 days into an epic freshwater journey to swim the entire length of the Fraser River. She’s part of the Fraser River Challenge Expedition, a 30-day swim relay/ solo walk to raise public awareness and create momentum to protect 30 per cent of the Fraser Rivershed. The expedition team landed at the end of Wiens Road, just north of the Prince George Wastewater Treatment Plant, on Monday, Aug. 17 to complete Day 11 of their 30-day, 1,375-km trip to the Salish Sea at Steveston. Côté, a 63-year-old Simon Fraser University marine ecology and conservation professor, said the trip through some of north central BC’s most pristine territory has been breathtaking for its spectacular scenery and wildlife. Supported by an entourage of three guiding rafts staffed by river guiding outfit RiverTec, the swimmers are wearing neoprene wet suits, gloves, booties and fins. Côté is used to being in water through her work — but not glacier-fed river water. Even though it’s warmed up several degrees since Day 1 (Aug. 7) at Moose Lake near Tete Jeune Cache, it’s still a shock every time she jumps into the river to begin another one-hour relay swim stage. “It’s easier in some ways (than the Atlantic trip) but harder in others, easier in that somebody is making us food
CITIZEN PHOTO BY TED CLARKE
Michelle Connolly rests on the river bank while Naomi Devine completes her final strokes to reach the Prince George shoreline of the Fraser River after swimming nine kilometres in the Fraser River Challenge Expedition on Monday, Aug. 17.
and I don’t have to sleep on a boat,” said Côté. “But I’m not cold-hardy. Most of my work has been in the tropics, so the cold is really the challenge. “In a way this one is better because it’s home (she lives in Belcarra near Port Moody). We’re going to be close to places where I go bird-watching and hiking so I’ll get to swim there.” She’s enjoying the wildlife she’s seen so far. “We’ve seen bears and beavers — we saw a beaver swimming upstream (Monday) morning like it was nothing,” said Côté. The goal of the expedition is to promote the protection of 30 per cent of the Fraser Rivershed by 2030. On its way to the Pacific, the Fraser flows past 75 municipalities and 70 First Nations and it directly impacts three out of four British Columbians, but just 17.6 per cent of the rivershed is protected. Increasing that to 30 per cent would add 7.1 million acres, an area close in size to
Vancouver Island. Michelle Connolly of Prince George and Naomi Devine of Victoria are the other two relay swimmers. Meanwhile, Justin Smith of Coquitlam is walking 1,000 kilometres from Tete Jeune Cache to Steveston. He’s already in Quesnel and will join the flotilla of boats expected for the expedition wind-up at Gary Point Park in Steveston on Sept. 4. Connolly, 47, a forest ecologist for Ecotrust Canada and founder of the non-profit Conservation North, is originally from Surrey. She put down her roots in Prince George in 2011 after she came to UNBC to earn her master’s degree. “It’s been exhilarating, and emotional and fulfilling at the same time,” said Connolly. “We finished the Upper Fraser on our way to Prince George and that’s special for me personally because this is where I live and where I care about most.
“I’m seeing the effects of what we do on land in the water,” she said. “The Fraser River is one of the most important salmon rivers in the world and that’s why we’re doing this, to bring attention to the importance of protecting the river itself, but also protecting the land around it, so we can have salmon and an abundance of wildlife in the future. “It’s been pretty cool. I spend most of my time on the land in these areas and to see it in the river is completely novel for me.” Devine, 47, the Fraser Riverkeeper campaign manager, has open-water swimming experience and is known as the Ice Queen for her ability to thrive in cold water, but this is a first for Connelly. Connolly was an avid swimmer growing up and she earned her Red Cross badges but she’s never tackled an open-water swim this ambitious. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
COMMUNITY
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
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Wildfires will force a detour from their original route CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE It wasn’t all swimming. They stayed in the raft to ride out the first of 24 sets of rapids at Little Grand Canyon on the 48-kilometre trip from Sinclair Mills. Just outside of Giscome, Connolly was in the water Sunday, Aug. 16 for the next rapids, where she got tossed around and swamped by the waves. “It feels good to be in the water. It’s kind of meditative after a while in some sections and in other sections when you’re moving fast it’s exciting,” said Connolly. “I was a little afraid beforehand.” The river route mirrors the path followed by Fin Donnelly, who completed the trip in 20 days on his Swim For Life fundraiser that came to Prince George in September 1995 and again in 2000. Donnelly, known as the Fraser Riverkeeper, has dedicated his life to protecting the Fraser from the threats it faces from declining salmon populations, fires, floods, warming water, and pollution from industrial logging operations, roadbuilding and land development. Connolly said she was a teen living in the Lower Mainland when she saw Donnelly complete one of his swimming segments during his 1995 trip. Now, after being the focus of the swim, Donnelly is an observer and he’s enjoying the trip so far. The weather has been cooperating, with sunny skies and warm summer temperatures most of trip, with more sun predicted all this week. He plans to jump in the water to swim a few sections along the way. Bev Sellars, a former chief of the Xat’sull (Soda Creek) First Nation, was in Tete Jeune to begin the relay as a guest Indigenous swimmer. “It’s been amazing,” said the 60-yearold Donnelly. “They are so determined and passionate and brave and it’s a real honour to be with them, seeing their determination to keep going one stroke at a time, day after day. Donnelly said while the water was cold at the start (around 9-10 C), the river temperature at the headwaters has increased substantially over three decades.
CITIZEN PHOTO BY TED CLARKE
Michelle Connolly of Prince George, left, high-fives Isabelle Côté, Naomi Devine and Fin Donnelly after their arrival in Prince George on Monday, Aug. 17. The three women are swimming the length of the river in the Fraser River Challenge Expedition, following the same route that Donnelly swam in 1995 and 2000.
“We started off in very cold water, but after 30 years it’s double the temperature, it was five or six degrees (in 1995),” he said. “The temperature has definitely been warmer, that’s a trend we’ve definitely noticed.” As the relay swim continues downriver, one of the boat operators takes the lead to find the best route for the swimmers to follow to avoid hazards. Having Donnelly with them on the raft has been a valuable learning experience for the others because he knows each section well. There will have to be a detour. With wildfires creating major disruptions south of 100 Mile House and highway closures still in place, they plan to pull out at Soda Creek and travel by road to as close as they can beyond the fire danger to resume the river trip to Vancouver. Donnelly says upping the protection of the rivershed to 30 per cent is a realistic ambition. “If there’s a will to support this through the communities along the river, which we’re finding incredible support coming into Prince George, then we can achieve that,” Donnelly said. “We all have to work together, whether it’s Indigenous-led conservation or communities coming together to say we need conservation to protect
important salmon habitat or other watershed ecosystem values, we need to protect that to achieve that 30 per cent and beyond.” An online petition to support the
cause is available. Funds raised during the expedition will go directly to Indigenous Stewardship Fund. The expedition’s daily progress can be tracked at fraserriverkeeper.ca/
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COMMUNITY
PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
After four failed hip surgeries, what happens next? This local couple is dealing with the aftermath of a botched procedure CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen Staff
In April 2021, Sharon and Richard Clements reached out to me to talk about the waitlist Sharon was on to get a hip replacement and what waiting looked like for a typical older couple — not just the patient but the caregiver, too. Before the hip went, Sharon’s right knee needed to be replaced, and that went off without a hitch in 2019. It only took a month before she was all healed up and doing fine. Shortly after that, the muscles around the knee started to ache, and the doctor quickly assessed that her hip needed to be replaced. But Sharon ended up on a waitlist with no scheduled surgery. On June 14, 2021, she got the hip replacement, but it all went wrong. Five years later, Rick dropped off pages and pages of documentation that offered information about the hip replacement surgery and three other failed followup surgeries that were done to try to fix the botched job. Rick and Sharon wanted me to see for myself how terrible everything went. It was a lot. I found it hard to even read about it. I can’t even imagine going through the pain and suffering Sharon has experienced, including a near-death mistake by hospital staff when she was given a double dose of narcotics post-surgery and overdosed in May 2024. Luckily, it was discovered by a diligent night nurse who had to give Sharon two Narcan doses to counter the effects and ultimately save her life, Sharon recalled. And dear Rick, devoted husband to the love of his life, has his heartbreak etched into his face. As I listen to the horrible circumstances they have endured, I can hardly stand to listen, and I can’t help but wonder how he keeps living it every single day as he cares for Sharon.
CITIZEN PHOTO BY CHRISTINE DALGLEISH
Rick and Sharon Clements talk about what they’ve gone through during the last five years after hip replacement and three other corrective surgeries failed Sharon.
Recently, I was invited to Sharon and Rick’s home for a show-and-tell of what life is like when the system has failed you. It was only a glimpse, but it was exhausting just watching. How do they do this day in, day out? So Rick and Sharon demonstrate what it takes to get Sharon into the car, and it’s a well-choreographed series of supports offered by Rick at every stage. It’s like an intricate, well-rehearsed dance, with arms intertwined and very slow footwork as Sharon’s feet are manually positioned by Rick to line her up to get into the sedan because she’s kind of tiny and the SUV is too high for her to slide into. It’s a great show of trust for Sharon as she goes into the car backward. It’s up to Rick to line her up so she can get seated in the low-slung car. It’s a bit of a free fall for a brief second, but it’s still a catch-your-breath moment as she softly lands in the seat. As we all take mere seconds to get into our vehicles without a conscious thought, it takes them minutes of coordinated effort and great communication,
with the last stage being Rick lifting Sharon’s legs into the car and gently shutting her door. I’m not sure how Sharon does it, but she’s still upright. Sharon uses three different walkers depending on where she’s at, but even a flooring transition strip in the doorway stops her in her tracks. Rick has to gently reach down and physically lift her feet over it while she clings to the walker, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, hoping that hip won’t give out — all to keep her moving in the right direction. This is what has become of the once-active, outdoorsy registered nurse who dedicated 25 years of her life to caring for people at UHNBC, and who always enjoyed an active lifestyle filled with quadding, snowshoeing, skiing and canoeing. So here we are at the bottom of the stairs, and Rick moves Sharon into position to travel up the stairs on the stairlift. Then, at the landing, it’s another change-up to the next stairlift and finally, after Rick carries the walker up the stairs, we can now move into
the living room, where a comfortable rocker-recliner offers a safe place to land after what I can only describe as an ordeal to get her from the ground floor to the main floor of their home. It’s never taken me 10 minutes to go from the car to the main floor of my house. How about you? I am taking a moment to be grateful right now. Along with the stairlifts, there are safety bars and modifications in the bathrooms. The kitchen has a series of tables so that Sharon can do what she can to help with meal prep. “And I’ve been spoiled rotten with the way we’ve divided up the cooking duties — Sharon does all the prep work so when it comes time to cook it’s all ready and I just put it all together,” Rick said. It’s good Sharon can be the sous chef so Rick can put meals together without all of it falling on his shoulders. Because so much falls on them, he is well aware that if something goes wrong with him, this whole thing falls apart. So, in order to prevent any injuries to himself, he starts first thing in the morning and gets up and does his workout. He has to keep up his strength, so he does a lot of weight-bearing exercises, lifting weights, doing Asian squats and yoga to stay flexible — all to continue to care for Sharon because they are a team. “I couldn’t do this without him,” Sharon said. Throughout our visit, it’s Rick who is the most emotional as he talks about what has changed for his once-active wife, who still somehow holds on to her charm and wit, with a little bit of outrageous cheekiness thrown in. It speaks to her character as I only get a glimpse of what it has taken for her to keep going through this pain-filled last five years. “Trying to balance and do anything else is really hard because that leaves me only one hand to do anything with because I always have to hang on to something to keep my balance,” Sharon said. SEE ‘SHARING’ ON NEXT PAGE
COMMUNITY
PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
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Here’s how to keep those apples away from local bears
MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff
An estimated 267 bears have been killed in Prince George since 2018, with what are called unsecured bear attractants the No. 1 cause. Garbage is the leading attractant. However, a very close second is unpicked fruit, especially within city limits. Bears that become accustomed to getting food from backyards are a public safety concern as they are used to both humans and human food sources. Unfortunately, in most cases, this results in bears being killed to prevent any danger to humans. The Northern Bear Awareness Society (NBAS), a local non-profit organization dedicated to reducing bear-human encounters in the city, is hoping to highlight a few ways to get rid of apples or other fruit this year before bears do it for you. • Northern Lights Estate Winery: Apples can be dropped off at
NORTHERN LIGHTS WILDFIRE SOCIETY PHOTO
These bears are being rehabilitated at Northern Lights Wildlife Society and are seen here enjoying a recent donation of apples. Fall Fun in the Forest is an event at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park set for Saturday, Oct. 5 with partial proceeds being donated to the society.
•
bins behind the winery at 745 PG Pulpmill Rd. Good apples will then be made into wine, which will generate a donation to the NBAS. Bad or mushy apples will be fed to livestock. Northern Lights Wildfire Society: Located in Smithers, this orphaned animal rescue is looking for apple donations to feed its animals. Those in Prince George can drop off non-mushy or rotten apples at Banstra Transportation, 9499 Milwaukee Way, during
•
•
business hours. Hobby Brews: Those interested in making their own cider, wine or juice can drop off their apples at 2424 Ospika Blvd., where they can be made into a beverage of their choice. Slaughterhouse Craft: Apples can be donated to Slaughterhouse Craft for use in making its cider. Apples can be dropped off at 20090 Highway 16 West during business hours or by making an appointment at 778-326-0509.
As well, those interested can join Prince George Fruit Exchange on Facebook to connect with residents looking for fruit donations. Those without a Facebook account can contact NBAS, which can make a post on their behalf. NBAS also requests that those cleaning their yards focus on removing all rotten or crushed fruit beneath trees and make sure it doesn’t linger in accessible compost or garbage bins for too long. Residents who need assistance clearing unwanted fruit can also contact Everyone At the Table’s Gleaning Abundance Program, which will send out volunteer apple pickers. Everyone At the Table’s Gleaning Abundance Program can be contacted at eatgleaningabundance@gmail.com or 250-981-5127. NBAS volunteers can also assist with fruit clearing and can be contacted at nbasociety@gmail.com or 778-281-2327. Those interested in volunteering with NBAS can also reach out at the number previously listed.
Sharing their story might help others, Clements say CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE Now I am going to gloss over the agony, the sleepless nights and the complete deterioration of quality of life that has taken over Sharon’s — and Rick’s — life for the last five years. Right from the get-go, Sharon had an infection at the incision site as a result of the right hip replacement she had on June 14, 2021. Her entire leg was so swollen that her skin split open underneath her toes, and through the edema there was weeping discharge. About a year later, she had severe and constant pain that took a couple of visits and an X-ray to discover acetabular cup displacement, which is the movement or migration of the socket component out of its original position in a hip replacement. In the fall of 2023, the hip popped out of its socket, which resulted in another
hospital visit. The same thing happened in spring 2024 and again in January 2025. Through it all, Sharon suspected that the muscles around her hip were not doing their job, and a doctor’s visit confirmed that. Her muscles are not properly attached along her hip like they are supposed to be, and all the muscles around it are a “mess,” she was told by at least two medical professionals. She and Rick have found a wonderful physiotherapist who believes that with time, and by taking this on like it’s their job, she can eventually heal. “And the physiotherapist knows we will do everything he tells us to do including doing the very specific exercises and the walking he has suggested to build those muscles back up,” Rick said. Because of all the failure, it’s not just the hip giving her trouble now.
People don’t think about the wear and tear on the other parts of your body when one limb fails. The other side of your body takes the brunt of it, and bad things start to happen. CurrenCtly, there’s not much that remains of Sharon’s left knee, and she needs that replaced now, too. Knowing she needs the surgery sooner rather than later, the couple is going to an out-of-province private clinic for her knee replacement and hopes that, with a strong physiotherapy plan, it will all come together and things will get better. Sharon is quick to admit they are not rich but have an F U account that should cover most of it. (Everybody should have an F U account, right?) “I’m really hoping my balance will come back because right now I can stand for maybe two minutes by myself but I wouldn’t dare take a step,” Sharon said. “I hope we can fix everything to
stop putting so much strain on my body. I would love to get the right side fixed — especially the hip — and get those muscles working. I really would like to get my life back.” Sharon just turned 80 years old. Maybe this will be the year things get better for the duo. “As long as I have her, my world will be right,” Rick said. “So whatever it takes to continue to make that happen is what we’re going to do.” To that end, the pair have reported their experiences to authorities and chose to share their story with our readers, hoping that by raising their concerns it will bring greater awareness and better future outcomes for those who will be going through major medical procedures here in the North because Rick and Sharon said they wouldn’t want anyone else to go through what they are going through.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
Throwback Thursday: Week of August 20
Aug. 20, 1993: Darcy Logan, 18, used a forklift to boost Aaron Amos, 17, up high so he could take down directional signs at Exhibition Park after the Ex wrapped up. The teens, part of the maintenance staff, were busy cleaning up the grounds after what The Citizen called ‘a record-setting show.’ CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT
Aug. 21, 1978: Ann Milligan (in the water) was photographed pushing an overturned canoe onto another paddled by Mike Barker during a rescue drill at the John McInnis Environmental Education Centre at Tsitniz Lake. The small-craft safety program was taught by Red Cross instructors at the centre, located 74 kilometres southeast of Prince George and sponsored by the Canadian Forestry Association. CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY TIM SWANKY
Aug. 20, 1962: Ken Dawson, a welding instructor at the new Prince George Vocational School, was at the Central Street building preparing for its first students as classes were set to start on Sept. 4. Dawson, one of five teachers, came to Prince George from Burnaby. The school was later absorbed into the College of New Caledonia. CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY HAL VANDERVOORT
Aug. 20, 2014: The UNBC Timberwolves were regrouping on campus for a late summer training camp. This included a practice at Rotary Field. The team had 10 returning starters for its third Canadian Interuniversity Sport Canada West soccer season. CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN
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HEALTH
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
UHNBC unveils preferred acute care tower design
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EMILY PRESTMO Northern Health
The University Hospital of Northern BC (UHNBC) Acute Care Tower Project has reached an important milestone with the release of a preferred design concept that reflects years of planning, analysis and collaboration. The preferred design concept places the new acute care tower on the south side of the UHNBC campus in Prince George. It keeps traffic flow open and allows the site of the former Northern Interior Health Unit (NIHU) building to be used for parking. The concept also creates opportunities for future campus growth while improving connections across the hospital site. Community members may notice that the preferred design concept looks different from concepts shared earlier in the planning process. That’s because the earlier concept was an indicative concept developed during the initial stages of planning. As the project moved forward, Northern Health and its partners built on previous planning to take a closer look at different options. They reviewed clinical needs, hospital operations, technical requirements and design considerations to identify the solution that best supports patients, staff, hospital services and the future health-care needs of Northern BC. The preferred design concept is the result of that work. While the tower’s site on campus has changed, the project’s clinical scope, planned services and number of beds remain the same. “This milestone demonstrates the planning process working as intended,” said Albert Sommerfeld, chief project officer for the UHNBC Acute Care Tower Project. “Major infrastructure projects evolve as planning progresses and more information becomes available. The revised site is the result of extensive analysis and collaboration, and it gives us the best opportunity to support patients, staff, and the future of health care in the region.” The project remains on track and continues to focus on expanding access to
NORTHERN HEALTH PHOTO
The preferred design concept for the UHNBC Acute Care Tower places the new tower on the south side of the hospital campus, creating opportunities for future growth while supporting improved connections across the site.
health-care services for people across Northern BC. The preferred design concept offers several important advantages. It improves how services connect across the hospital campus, creating better patient and staff flow and supporting efficient hospital operations. It also better positions the campus for future growth while reducing impacts on surrounding neighbourhoods. In addition, the preferred design concept provides the most value while still delivering the functionality needed to support current and future health-care needs. Most importantly, the concept reflects extensive input from clinical teams, operational leaders, technical specialists, designers and project partners. Their expertise helped evaluate options, assess impacts and identify the approach that provides the strongest overall benefit for patients, staff and communities. Details will continue to be refined as
NORTHERN HEALTH GRAPHIC
The preferred design concept reflects years of clinical, operational, and technical planning to identify the best overall solution for patients, staff, and communities.
planning progresses and key milestones are reached. We will continue sharing updates throughout the process. The UHNBC Acute Care Tower Project is a key investment in the future of
health care in Northern BC and will ensure patients and families have access to modern, co-ordinated and accessible services for generations to come.
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
Local Sports
Mountain bike racer Jenna Foreman heading to Italy Sixteen-year-old competing in a worldclass downhill event TED CLARKE Citizen Staff
As a downhill mountain bike racer, Jenna Foreman rides on a thin edge, always trying to beat the clock to get to the bottom of the course first. Sometimes, pushing her limits results in a crash, and that happened a couple of weekends ago at Whistler when her front wheel skidded on a slippery root near the top of the course in a Continental Cup race. Foreman was moving at a fast clip and hit the deck hard but didn’t get hurt. She got back on her bike in time to finish fourth in the junior category and 10th overall. At 16, Foreman is building on a career that started when she was a toddler riding a pedal-free balance bike, trying to keep up with older riders in the Supertrak BMX Club. In her second mountain bike race at age 12, she fell and broke her arm, but it didn’t slow her down for long. It only fed her hunger to ride. “There’s definitely a risk factor,” Foreman said. “That was definitely the first time I was like, do I want to race, this is kind of scary, you can hurt yourself, but after not riding for six weeks, I was like, I do really love it and it’s worth it.” Now in her fifth season racing downhills, Foreman is still chasing older riders, only now she’s doing it on a much grander scale. She won the under-19 BC championship at Whistler in June and qualified for what will be her first international race in July at the junior national championships at Sun Peaks on July 26, where she finished second in the U19 expert women’s class. On Aug. 23, the Prince George native will join the three-female, seven-male
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Jenna Foreman of Prince George races past spectators on her way to winning the women’s downhill mountain bike event at the BC championships in Whistler on June 21.
Canadian team and board a plane for Val di Sole in northern Italy, site of the UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Championships, Aug. 26-29. “This will be my first time racing out of the country so it’s kind of a big jump and I’m really excited,” said Foreman. “My coach for my team (Chad Hendren) is the national coach, so I’ll have my coach with me, which is really nice. We’ll have
other coaches there and mechanic.” The downhill riders will get two days of practice on the Italian course before the seeding runs on Thursday, Aug. 28, which will lead to the race Friday, Aug. 29. As many as 40 riders will compete in the junior women’s race. She’s been keeping up an intense racing schedule most of the summer and has been a perennial podium finisher
racing at BC championships, Canada Cup and Continental Cup events. She placed first in Canada Cup races at Fernie, Kicking Horse and Sun Peaks. This past weekend, she ended up second in the U-19 category at Crankworx Silver Star near Vernon. The race set for Sunday, Aug. 9, was cancelled due to heavy smoke from the wildfires in the Okanagan. Results from the seeding event on Saturday, Aug. 8, were used to determine the placings. Seventeen-year-old World Cup rider Tayte Proulx-Royds of Kelowna, the two-time junior national champion, had the faster qualifying ride. This has been a breakout year for Foreman, and it started in the off-season when she attended camps on Vancouver Island, where riding outdoors is a 12-month-per-year possibility. She can’t do that in Prince George, where snow and ice blanket the trails five months of the year. She spent three weekends riding with Grizzly MTB Racing in Cumberland and returned to Vancouver Island for a 10-day training session in January and a seven-day session in April, which got her ready for the race season. Downhill courses are long and take anywhere from three to five minutes to complete at racing speed. While there are many mountain bike trails in Prince George at Pidherny, Otway Nordic Centre and Cranbrook Hill, none are long enough to replicate the mountainside courses Foreman encounters on the provincial scene. She works at a Prince George bike shop but doesn’t earn enough to cover the cost of travel to races and camps, and that drains her parents’ budget. A GoFundMe page set up to help pay for the trip to Italy has raised $13,880. www.gofundme.com/f/get-jenna-to-italyto-rep-canada-in-the-world-championships?cp_src=d CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
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Student has class in the morning, trains in the afternoon CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE
Foreman plans to spend a couple of months in Victoria in the off-season to allow her to keep up her downhill skills. As a high-performance athlete, she qualifies for the 94 Forward program, a legacy from the 1994 Commonwealth Games, which provides mountain bikers, triathletes and skateboarders with lodging at a house in Victoria where they can take advantage of year-round training opportunities. Heading into her Grade 12 year at D.P. Todd Secondary School, Foreman also attends the Engage Sport North Prince George Canadian Sport School. She attends academic classes at D.P. Todd in the morning, then goes to the Northern Sport Centre where she and 19 other sport school students from various sports spend four afternoons each week in weight training, gymnastics, calisthenics, balance, stability and body awareness exercises while also learning about exercise physiology, performance psychology and nutrition. She has to be in tiptop shape to race at the level she does and stay in control of her bike. Her races leave her gasping for air. “It’s very physical and someone that doesn’t bike might not understand that because you’re going downhill,” she said. “But you’re going so fast and sprinting whenever you get a chance, absorbing the big roots and rocks, using every muscle in your body. “Any time you almost crash it’s like a giant push-up. You’re absorbing constantly with your arms.” Foreman has a busy fall race schedule ahead of her. One of the other perks of her strong junior national finish was it gave her a ticket to race in a World Cup event and she’ll use that to enter the race at Whistler Sept. 26-28. Foreman is also booked a trip to Park City, Utah to compete in the U.S. Open, Sept. 11-13, where she’ll be racing in the same class as professional
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Mountain bike downhill racer Jenna Foreman of Prince George, left, shares the medal podium with Tayte Proulx-Royds of Kelowna, centre, and third-place finisher Piper Graaten of Nanaimo at the Continental Cup U19 women’s race at Sun Peaks on Sunday, Aug. 9.
women riders, and she plans to enter the World Cup race in Lake Placid, N.Y., Oct. 9-11. The points she’s earned in national races this summer are enough to qualify her for those races. Unlike the world championships, where she’ll be with national team, or the Whistler World Cup, which will involve the Grizzly MTB Racing team, she won’t have team support at either of the American races and her mom Lynda will accompany her on those trips south of the border. Foreman’s ultimate goal is to become a sponsored factory rider, which would open the door for international races on the World Cup circuit. “It’s exposure (she needs) because at Canada Cup there’s not people watching necessarily, like the big teams, so the World Cup and U.S. Open will help with that,” Foreman said. “This is the first year that I’ve been doing well, so this winter I plan to be gone to Vancouver Island for couple months to train and get faster. That time on the Island really helped get my skills to where I am now.”
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Inner City Boxing PG hosting training camp Aug. 27-30 TED CLARKE Citizen Staff
Inner City Boxing PG is set to welcome young fighters to a comprehensive camp that will help them reach new levels of success inside the ring. The four-day gathering starts Aug. 27 in Prince George. It will focus on introducing novice boxers to high-performance training, with Inner City and Team BC coaches Jag Seehra and Kenny Lally setting the tone. The camp is suitable for open boxers as well. “We have a lot of new relationships that we’ve made, some old relationships, and we want to just bring BC back together,” Seehra said. “That’s the way it used to be when we used to compete. We’d all train together and we’d all go to nationals together, and those relationships carried on. That’s what we want to bring back — that camaraderie. “They’ll learn how hard the training is, and what it really takes to be a champion, what it takes to win a gold medal at nationals,” Seehra added. “That’s the main goal.” Camp participants will start each day with roadwork. Then they’ll move into high-intensity drills at the Inner City gym. Lally — a seven-time national champion — will lead those sessions, designed to maximize fitness specifically for boxing. After a lunch break, each afternoon will feature an educational element. On opening day, Sharleen Hoar — a certified mental performance consultant and high-performance sport scientist from Victoria’s Coastal Human Performance — will give a presentation on the benefits of mental training. Seth Lenetsky (Aug. 28), Seehra (Aug. 29) and Alex Legault (Aug. 30) will lead the other educational sessions. Lenetsky, a Victoria-based strength and conditioning coach who has worked with athletes from the NFL, NBA, MLB and national boxing programs, will take camp participants through a session called Best Practices for Fight Day. Seehra, a four-time national medallist and 11-time provincial champion, will
INNER CITY BOXING PHOTO
Inner City Boxing PG will be hosting a high-performance training camp in Prince George, Aug. 27-30.
instruct on the proper use of the jab. Legault — a former Inner City fighter and a three-time national gold medallist who now lives in Calgary and runs Undisputed Boxing — will give a talk about the importance of proper nutrition. Afternoons will also include controlled sparring sessions, with Cranbrook Eagles head coach and national medallist Tom White — another Inner City alumnus — monitoring the action. Each day, White will also lead campers through proper warmups. This camp will be the first Inner City has hosted since Seehra and Lally rebooted it in early 2024. “Last year was the first time that we dabbled with this idea, when we went to Edmonton for a camp,” Lally said. “We thought, why don’t we hold it here and try to make it a yearly thing? Our coach, he put on the best camps back in the day and they benefited us hugely in the success we had in the sport. So we want to bring some of that old-school stuff back.” That coach is Bob Pegues. He now lives in Quebec but will be in Prince George for this camp. His official role will be camp cook — a nod to his skill
for putting together unforgettable meals at camps during Seehra and Lally’s rise as youth boxers. Pegues still enjoys creating perfect pasta feasts and firing up the barbecue at every opportunity. “I cook here at home all the time,” he said. “I love to cook — it’s one of my hobbies.” In the cheffing duties, Pegues will get help from Inner City assistant coach Mikey Brooks, himself a culinary artist. Pegues says “it’s a great idea” for Seehra and Lally to hold the camp, and to bring all of the different areas of boxing expertise together. “My first camp was probably 2003,” Pegues said. “I used to have the boxers at my home. Everybody would sleep in the basement and my wife would move out for the time of the camp. It was always great, and you can sit here in your rocking chair years later and think about the things you might have won or didn’t win, but it’s the memories you have of those kinds of things that stay with you. “I was so fortunate being able to really live my dream in boxing, some of the places I went with Kenny and
Jag, and Team BC and Team Canada, and the camps were always one of the more fun things we ever did,” Pegues added. “They bring the kids together, put us all on the same wavelength. The boxers get to the events and you can see them high-fiving each other and being buddy-buddy. And some of them are lifelong friends now for sure. So it’s always good, always lots of fun to hold these camps.” Seehra and Lally expect to have close to 40 participants at the camp. Twenty of them will stay at Fir Haven Guest House, which sits on five acres of property in the Blackburn area of the city. Rooms are also booked at the Pomeroy Inn & Suites, walking distance from the Inner City gym. Boxers who stay at the hotel are welcome to attend all functions at Fir Haven. For many of the fighters, the camp will be a stepping stone toward the BC provincial championships and BC Bronze Gloves at the end of September in Chilliwack. For more information on the camp and to register, go online to innercityboxingpg.com.
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River Kings finish 13th at ISC Fastball World Tournament TED CLARKE Citizen Staff
Gus Wilson had no mercy to show his former teammates on the Prince George River Kings at the ISC Fastball World Tournament in Melbourne, Ont. A week after Wilson helped the River Kings make it to the final of the Canadian Native Fastball Championship in Prince George as the runners-up in the senior men’s division, the STK Fastball shortstop was a determining factor in eliminating the River Kings (2-2) from ISC contention. Wilson’s sacrifice fly in the fifth inning tied the game 3-3 and STK added another run in the bottom of the seventh inning on a two-out RBI single from Ian Creamore to move on with a 4-3 victory on Tuesday, Aug. 11. River Kings starter Tyson Barkman of Abbotsford gave up just three hits in five innings and had eight strikeouts. Dylan Fraser-List took over for the sixth and allowed just one hit. The River Kings outhit STK 7-4.
PRINCE GEORGE RIVER KINGS/FACEBOOK PHOTO
The Prince George River Kings finished 13th out of 36 teams at the ISC Fastball World Tournament on Tuesday, Aug. 11 in Melbourne, Ont.
Robbie Antoine went 2-for-3 at the plate. He doubled in the River Kings’ first run in the second inning. A triple from Tyson Ghostkeeper brought Randy Potskin in from third base to make it a 2-0 game in the top of the third. Antoine stole home in the fourth inning for a 3-0 lead.
STK went on to lose 8-0 Wednesday to the JB Bombers of Agoura Hills, Calif. — the second loss of the week for the STK squad from Chase and that ended their title hopes in the double-knockout tournament. Prince George started with a 7-0 loss to the Georgian Bay Giants on Saturday,
Aug. 8. They defeated Puslinch Kodiaks 11-0 on Sunday, Aug. 9 and beat the East Hants Mastadons of Nova Scotia 6-5 on Monday, Aug. 10. The River Kings finished 13th in the 36-team tournament. Meanwhile, the BrokenBow Blazers of Prince George (2-3) also had their ISC tournament come to an end on Tuesday. After being relegated to the ISC II tournament Monday after a 3-1 loss to the Chippewa Chiefs, the Blazers (2-3) took on the Delisle (Sask.) Diamond Dogs and lost the eliminator 8-5. Delisle scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning for an 8-3 lead. Dane Roy’s two-run home run in the second inning put the Diamond Dogs ahead 5-2. Colby Jefferies delivered a solo shot in the third to make it a 5-3 game but that’s as close as it got. BrokenBow pitcher Victor Guedez allowed five hits in 4 1/3 innings, Valentino Siviero-Balbli came on in relief and gave up six hits and five runs in 1 2/3 innings.
Special Olympics athletes come home with hardware CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen Staff
Every Prince George Special Olympics athlete who competed at the 2026 Special Olympics National Summer Games came home with at least one medal. There were 14 athletes, coaches and mission staff who attended the Games in Medicine Hat from Aug. 11 to 15. They joined about 1,400 athletes from across the nation who competed. In the mix of Prince George athletes was Tyler Lefebvre. He and another athlete, Trevor Klassen from Abbotsford, made history as they were the first wheelchair athletes to compete in Special Olympics track and field. Lefebvre brought home two golds and one silver medal for his racing efforts. “They have been called trailblazers as they make way for more wheelchair athletes to compete in Special Olympics track and field,” said Wilma Van Hage,
PRINCE GEORGE SPECIAL OLYMPICS/FACEBOOK PHOTO
Family and friends gather at the Prince George airport Sunday, Aug. 16 to welcome the athletes returning from the 2026 Special Olympics National Summer Games in Medicine Hat.
public relations coordinator for Special Olympics BC Prince George. “All the athletes have been very dedicated in their training for the past year, since they were told they had made it to the training squad for Nationals. It has been a long process, since they first qualified
at regionals in 2024, then competed in the 2025 Special Olympics BC Summer Games held in Prince George and from there to Nationals.” Athletes now wait to hear if they get the chance to represent Canada during the 2027 Special Olympics World Summer Games to be held from Oct. 15 to 23, 2027, in Santiago, Chile. The following is a list of the athletes and their medal count: • David Dunn, swimming: 3 silver, 2 bronze • Josh Pudney, golf: 1 silver • Tyler Lefebvre, track and field: 2 golds, 1 silver • Greg Cole, 10-pin bowling: 2 bronze • Linda Renner, 10-pin bowling: 2 silver • Emilie Snyders, 10-pin bowling: 2 silver • Barbie Conway, 10-pin bowling: 1 bronze
•
Carol West, 10-pin bowling: 1 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze • Adam Spokes, basketball: bronze • Josh Mehrassa, basketball: bronze • Chase Caron, basketball: bronze • Darcie Muzychka, rhythmic gymnastics: 1 silver, 2 bronze • Michaela Samsonoff, rhythmic gymnastics: 3 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze • Angela Hills, rhythmic gymnastics: 1 gold, 2 bronze. “Way to go everyone, we are so proud of all of you,” Shirley Bond, longtime volunteer, wrote on the Special Olympics BC Prince George Facebook page. “Prince George was cheering loud and proud!” For more information about the athletes and the Special Olympics BC program visit https://www.specialolympics.bc.ca/
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PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
Cougars trade defender in ramp-up to 2026-27 season
CHERIE MORGAN PHOTO
Cougars defenceman Tyrone Sobry celebrates after scoring a shorthanded goal in the second period to make it a 5-0 game in Penticton in Game 2 of their WHL Western Conference semifinal series on Saturday, April 11. Sobry has been traded to his hometown Saskatoon Blades. TED CLARKE Citizen Staff
The Prince George Cougars have traded 2006-born defenceman Tyrone Sobry to the Saskatoon Blades in exchange for the Blades’ sixth-round draft pick in 2027. Sobry, a Saskatoon native, was acquired by the Cougars at the trade deadline in January from the Blades, who picked him up in an October 2025 trade from Prince Albert. He scored one goal and three assists in 28 regular season games with the Cats and added a shorthanded goal and an assists and was a plus-1 in 12 playoff games. He had three goals and seven points in 29 games with the Blades in 2025-26. “We were very happy with how Tyrone performed for the Cougars but we currently have a surplus of overagers on our roster,” said Cougars head coach and general manager Mark Lamb. “He was excellent for us, but you can’t have four overagers. He’s going back to his hometown of Saskatoon with a
better chance to play so we’re happy about that. We wish him the best going forward.” The Cougars’ three remaining 20-yearolds are goalie Alexander Levshyn, defenceman Corbin Vaughan and winger Riley Ashe. An overage spot in Saskatoon became available when 20-year-old defenceman Tristen Doyle told the Blades he’ll be joining Merrimack University this season. The Blades paid a high price to acquire Doyle and an eighth-round draft pick last summer in a trade from Prince Albert for 2007-born forward Hudson Kibblewhite and the Blades’ first-round pick in 2029, a third-rounder in 2028 and a 2026 fourth-rounder. The Cougars start their training camp Aug, 26 having lost seven players from last year’s roster, who will either play for pro or college teams or they’ve aged out of junior eligibility. Last year’s 20-year-olds — defenceman Bauer Dumanski, forwards Kooper Gizowski and Dawson Seitz have all moved on. Defenceman Carson Carels, 18, will join Dumanski next season at the
University of North Dakota. Right winger Terik Parascak is bound for the Washington Capitals organization and goalie Josh Ravensbergen will begin his pro career climbing the ranks with the San Jose Sharks. Centre Brock Souch signed with St. Cloud State University. Lamb expects those will be the only player departures. But as the Blades learned last week, that can change suddenly. Doyle was one of their top defencemen. “We still have a really good core group of players from the past and we’re optimistic about the team,” said Lamb. The NCAA rule change that took effect in September 2025 that allowed players with major junior hockey experience to play US college hockey on scholarships has had a profound effect on WHL teams and Carels deciding to go to North Dakota as an 18-year-old is a prime example. “That’s how we’re living in this new landscape,” said Lamb. ”You really have to be careful with what you’re doing in the summer because underneath these
schools are contacting our players and trying to recruit our players, right up to now. “If players want to go to school, there’s no protection. We don’t have any guarantees on players and where they’re going to go. We lose players and every team in the league loses players, you can’t dwell on it.” Nineteen-year-old forward Tre Peck, a Minnesota native who signed with Prince George over the summer, will make his WHL debut with the Cougars after a 17-goal, 47-point season in the BCHL with the Spruce Grove Saints. He could be the one to pick up some of the scoring slack with Souch’s departure. Souch joined the Cougars last summer from the Okotoks Oilers (BCHL) and went on to have a 28-goal, 73-point season as the Cougars second-leading scorer in 2025-26. That’s the upside of the NCAA rule change that older players of Souch’s calibre can sign with a WHL team. Otherwise, the Cougars would never have signed Levshyn, forwards Cole Hajt and Jack Finnegan, or defenceman Phoenix Cahill. Training camp ice sessions begin on Thursday, Aug. 27 at CN Centre and the Cougars will get their first look at the 10 players they selected in the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft, including forward William Thompson, the Cougars’ first pick of the draft, selected in the second round 41st overall, and centre Jagger Burns, son of NHL defenceman Brent, an eighth-round pick of the Cats in 2026. The 2025 draft class has a chance to make the Cougars roster this time around as 16-year-olds. That group includes Cohen Baker, a point-per-game forward last season for the Thompson Blazers, defenceman Anderson Reschny, goalie Kole Anderosov and forward Kadric Mujcin, a Prince George minor hockey product who had 41 points in 37 games last season with the Cariboo Cougars U18s. “It’s going to be a very competitive camp,” said Lamb. “We still have a really good core group of players from the past and we’re optimistic about the team.”
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Life Events In Loving Memory Marianne London
July 11, 1952 - July 22, 2026 celebration of life will be held ugust 22nd at 2pm at Prince George Funeral Service
Jedd Hagreen Ladeur
September 3, 1976 - July 31, 2026 With heavy hearts we announce the death of our beloved son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin, and friend. Although Jedd’s death was unexpected he lived with an addiction which also contributed to severe respiratory conditions. We find comfort knowing that, in his final years, he created a peaceful, cozy home for himself and his sweet dog, Monkey. Moving back to Prince George four years ago was an important step toward recovery, allowing him to give and receive love, support, and connection with family. However, as Fredrik Backman writes, “You can’t love someone out of addiction; all of the oceans are the tears of those who have tried.” Jedd was highly intelligent and curious, with special interests in archaeology, ancient civilizations, and natural phenomena. Trained as a Master Gardener, he especially enjoyed tending his flowers and favourite berry plants in the quiet of early evenings. He had loved motorcycles since childhood, owned several over the years, and was recently rebuilding a dirt bike. Jedd was curious, affectionate, funny, artistic, and generous. His absence leaves a tremendous void in our lives. In lieu of flowers or donations, please honour Jedd’s memory by performing an act of kindness for someone in person. Private memorial.
Nicholas Quinn Clements
Norman Alexander Wilson
It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of our beautiful son and brother, icholas lements.
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of my loving and amazing husband Norm, a devoted son to his mother until her passing.
ur grief is immeasurable, and we are le with an enduring sorrow.
He was the go to person for his two sisters Jean and Helen Ingo and his one brother llan ynn . Norm was the pillar of strength and knowledge to his children Angela (Jay) and Andrew as well to his stepchildren obert icolle , Melinda Troy , ustin anielle and hanss Jennifer . He loved all 17 Grandchildren and 6 Great Grandchildren. orm Wilson Stormin orm Wilson passed at the age of 7 .
July 11, 2006 - ugust 3, 2026
icholas was an intelligent, creative, affectionate, sensitive, loving, goofy, funny, and sweet soul, and so much more. He had a gentle heart and a way of bringing love and humour into the lives of the people closest to him. Gradually through his teen-age years, we watched his happiness slip away, and he carried struggles he did not wish to share with those who loved him most. Though we may never know the particulars of all he endured, we will remember him for the gentle, loving, funny boy he was. He will be lovingly remembered and deeply missed by his parents Sco and lizabeth lements and older brother achary; numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. He was predeceased by his beloved grandparents orm and Joyce nrau, his grandparents ave and Judy lements, and his uncle oy nrau. memorial service for icholas will take place at the vangelical Free hurch at 90 th venue on Saturday, ugust 22, 2026, at 1pm. ll are welcome to a end. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Moms Stop the Harm or the anadian Mental Health ssociation.
ecember 2, 19 0 - ugust , 2026
orm was born in Prince George, British olumbia on ecember 2, 19 0 and moved to educ in 199 . Norm was married to Linda (Prokuda) for 27 years, the years were full of love, fun and never a dull moment. They say third time is a charm and this was the third time for us both. elebration of ife will be held at Telford House 907 6 Street, educ, lberta on ctober 2 , 2026 at 2 00PM. In lieu of flowers please make a donation to the SP or the harity of your choice. Norm will be remembered by his family, friends and all who knew him. He will be greatly missed. Enjoy the Fishing Norm
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PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
Phyllis Louise Bailey
April 6, 1945 - July 23, 2026 Thelma Mohammed (née Johnson)
July 20, 1957 – July 23, 2026 Thelma passed away peacefully on July 23, 2026, in Prince George, B.C., just days after celebrating her 69th birthday. After nearly four years of courageously living with and fighting cancer, the disease returned. Surrounded by her loving family, she spent her final days in the compassionate care of the wonderful staff at Prince George Hospice House, where she passed away peacefully. Born on July 20, 1957, in Revelstoke, B.C., Thelma was the loving daughter of Bob and Anna Johnson. She grew up in McBride, B.C., alongside her sisters, Ruth, Sharon, and Barbie, and her brothers, Robert and Eric. Her early years in McBride shaped the strength, resilience, and quiet determination that she carried beautifully throughout her entire life. Thelma went on to enjoy a long, fulfilling career with the Royal Bank, where her warmth and dedication allowed her to form many lasting friendships that she treasured deeply. She married the love of her life, Peter Mohammed, and together they built a beautiful life and raised their children, Myles and Alison, in Prince George. A devoted and loving mother and life partner Thelma was the true anchor who kept her family connected. Her welcoming spirit shone through in everything she did, whether she was hosting family gatherings at home or creating unforgettable memories during summers spent at Stuart Lake. She had a way of making everybody feel truly special, always showing her deep love through the incredible meals she prepared and the welcoming environment she created. In recent years, Thelma’s greatest joy was her grandchildren, Hudson and Anna. Being their Grandma was one of her life’s greatest blessings. She treasured every opportunity to spend time with them—playing, laughing, making memories, and simply enjoying their company. Her love for them knew no bounds, and the joy they brought to her life was immeasurable. They loved and adored her just as deeply. Thelma is survived and will be forever missed by her loving husband, Peter; her children, Myles (and his late partner, Brigette) and Alison (Ryan); and her cherished grandchildren, Hudson and Anna. She also leaves behind her devoted siblings, Ruth Olineck (Mitch), Robert Johnson (Eleanor), Sharon Hirsch (Neal), Eric Johnson (Melanie), and Barbara Johnson, along with many loving nieces, nephews, extended family members, and dear friends. She will be deeply missed, but her warmth and love will live in our hearts forever. In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to the Prince George Hospice Palliative Care Society in the name of Thelma Mohammed. The PGHPCS website can be found online at www.pghpcs.ca A Celebration of Life will be held at Northern Lights Estate Winery, 745 Prince George Pulpmill Rd Prince George, on Sunday September 13th beginning at noon.
It is with deep sadness, and immense love, that we announce the passing of Phyllis Louise “Louise” Bailey on July 23, 2026, in Vanderhoof, BC. Born on April 6, 1945, in Williams Lake, BC, Louise lived her life with quiet grace, endless love, and a heart that always put others first. She was the steady presence everyone could count on—the heart of her family—and had a remarkable gift for making everyone feel welcomed, valued, and deeply loved. Beautiful inside and out, she carried herself with effortless class and elegance, but it was her kindness, warmth, and sense of humour that people remembered most. Louise married the love of her life, Jerry Bailey, on June 29, 1963, beginning sixty years of partnership, laughter, and unwavering devotion. Together they built a beautiful life centered on family, hard work, and love. Family was everything to Louise. She was a devoted wife, sister, mother, and grandmother whose unconditional love, quiet strength, and caring heart made everyone around her feel special. Being a grandmother was one of her greatest joys. She treasured every moment with her five grandchildren, from keeping up with three energetic grandsons to later welcoming two granddaughters who brought even more love and laughter into her life. Her granddaughter Lily affectionately named her “Hello” as a toddler, and the nickname lovingly stuck, becoming one of the family’s most treasured memories. Louise was the heart of every family gathering, the hostess who made everyone feel at home and the one who made Christmas magical. She shared an especially close bond with her sisters, and together
they filled countless days with laughter, love, and unwavering support. She also had a wicked sense of humour. Louise loved to laugh, tease, and make people smile, and she will always be remembered for the legendary family food fights she helped inspire. Cluculz Lake was her happy place, and her heart was always there. It was where family gathered, laughter filled the days, and memories were made. Nothing brought her greater joy than having the people she loved most together, watching her children and grandchildren make memories of their own. She is lovingly remembered by her husband, Jerry; her children, Butch, Jeffery (Kristy), and Leah; her cherished grandchildren, Austin, Jesse, Jax, Lily, and Ella; and her siblings, Linda, Sandra, Janice, Beverlee, and Ken. She was predeceased by her brother, Richard. Louise leaves behind a legacy of unconditional love, kindness, generosity, laughter, and grace. She taught those around her that life’s greatest gifts are found in opening your home, sharing your time, and loving without hesitation. Her family will miss her beyond words, but they will carry her with them always—in every family gathering, every Christmas celebration, every sunrise over Cluculz Lake, every shared laugh, and every “Hello” that brings her memory rushing back with love. She was deeply loved, and she loved deeply. That is the legacy she leaves behind. A private celebration of life will be held.
Honouring
those who have touched our lives email: frontdesk@pgcitizen.ca or call 250.562.2441
PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
LIFE EVENTS
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
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Colin A. Blair
September 24, 1936 - August 12, 2026
Hans Matthies
August 26, 1944 - July 23, 2026 Hans passed away peacefully with his beloved Mary by his side. Survived by his spouse Mary, children Renate, arren , eresa ictor , Bernette e , regory ight grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, sisters; Marianne, Annie, and Marlene, brother; Ron. Many aunts, cousins, nieces, and nephews. Predeceased by his wife Darlene, son Hans Jr., mom Marie, and dad enry, rothers ilhelm, Alfred, and ddy, and sister Ingeborg. han s to r Chang, nurses, and caregi ers at ospice ouse In ans’ memory please donate to ospice ouse A cele ration will e announced later
Colin’s life was shaped by deep devotion to family and a lifelong commitment to helping others. Born in Giffnock, Scotland, he was the eldest of six and carried early lessons of hard work and service throughout his life. He is lovingly remembered by his wife of 63 years, Isobel, their children Fiona, Ken, and Dave, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Family was Colin’s greatest joy. He cherished time spent camping, canoeing, travelling, and sharing adventures with those he loved, always offering encouragement, wisdom, and support. A dedicated volunteer, Colin devoted decades to Scouting, mentoring young people and helping them develop confidence and character. He also served his community through volunteering, service to the church, visiting hospital patients, and years of involvement with senior centres and the YMCA He leaves behind a legacy of kindness, practical wisdom, and steady generosity, remembered as a devoted husband, father, and community volunteer.
Maureen Theresa Thompson November 26, 1938 - July 20, 2026
It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share the news that Maureen Theresa Thompson, 87 years of age, of Prince George, passed away on July 20th, 2026, at Rainbow Lodge, with her loving family by her side.
Murray McCall
May 16, 1955 - August 10, 2026 At the age of 71, in his home town of Prince George, Murray sadly passed on Monday August 10, 2026. Born in Ontario to parents Alan & Betty, Murray made his way west to BC in the 90’s to join his older brother Jim (predeceased) (Bev). He is survived by his younger sister Mary (Craig) and predeceased by his older sister Jan (Greg). Loved for his kindness & silliness by his nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephew. Murray was an avid hockey player, a lover of camping, being by the lake and good food on the BarB. He always celebrated being with family and friends. A huge sports fan, he never missed a Canucks or Jays game (the Leafs when they weren’t blacked out!) He cherished his many “good times” with his friends & extended family in BC and ON.
She was born on November 26, 1938, in Carleton Place, to Alma and Meyer Doyle. Maureen grew up in Montreal, moved and lived in the Vancouver area for several years. She worked at St. Paul’s Hospital as a young adult, then became the manager for the Hair Salon at the Hudson’s Bay Company in Prince George. She also worked for Johnston Meier Insurance, A & F Catering, and later at the Department of Motor Vehicles/ICBC for many years and she became a Regional Director for the district of Fraser-Fort George as well as was a Commissioner for the Agricultural Land Commission later in her life. In 1987, she married the love of her life, her sweet husband, Peter Thompson, and together they built a wonderful life together in Prince George.
His family would like to give a huge thanks to his friends and neighbours in PG who have helped and supported him tremendously through these last several months.
Maureen was known for her sunny social nature, her excellent work ethic, her numerous council positions, and her deep lo e for her family
In his memory donations to Crohn’s & Colitis Canada would be appreciated.
Maureen loved making trees and wreaths for the esti al of rees, coo ing fantastic meals for and entertaining family and friends, and loved her
trips to Mexico for many winters. he was instrumental in the restoration of the Huble Homestead Historic Site and a member of the ecuti e Board for the ploration lace, and the armer’s Institute, as well as was a rince George Regional Hospital Trustee, on the board for The Fort George Highway Rescue Society, the Power Pioneers, among many others. Her strength and vibrant spirit will live on in our hearts forever. Maureen had four sons, John (Connie), Rick, Todd and Clayton; many grandchildren; and her three siblings, Michael, Vincent, and Mary Margaret and an abundant amount of extended family members and countless friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, Alma and Meyer; brother, Vincent; her husband, Peter; her sister, Mary Margaret and her son, Clayton Mitchell. The family would like to express our deepest gratitude to he ain ow odge for their e ceptional care in her time there o er the last year, as well as Dr. McGhee and Dr. Butow for their exemplary care and support over the years, until her passing In lieu of owers, the family as s that donations be made to the Huble Homestead Historic Site, or the charity of your choice, in her memory.
Classifieds THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
BUSINESS DIRECTORY
Call 250.562.2441 to book your space now. BUYING
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CASH FOR GOLD & SILVER Coins, jewelry, nuggets, bullion sterling, etc. Also buying entire COIN COLLECTIONS Todd 250-864-3521
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MINING LEASE APPLICATION
The following mineral claims, located near Bear Lake, are subject to the mining lease application: • Title Numbers 1136934 • Mineral Titles Map Number 093J08F056C • Cariboo District Posted at the Chief Gold Commissioner’s office in Victoria, British Columbia, this 13 Day of August, 2026.
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGER Location: Smithers, BC
Travel: Required to all NWCDC locations throughout Northwest British Columbia.
PLEASE RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER
Take notice that Vitreo Minerals Ltd., 1725 Blaeberry River Rd, Golden, BC V0A 1H1, free miner certificate client number 287423, has applied to the Chief Gold Commissioner for the Province of British Columbia, for a mining lease of minerals identified by the mineral claims listed below.
Travel compensation is provided. Salary Range: $85,000 -$98,538 www.nwcdc.ca Apply to hr@nwcdc.ca
PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
Booking deadline: Friday noon Approval deadline: Monday at noon
frontdesk@pgcitizen.ca 250.562.2441
Call 250.562.2441 to place your Classified d
For Sale:
Salmon and halibut fishing gear Ocean and river rods and reels, lures, flashers New floater jacket XL Cash only. Gary, 250-562-6772
COURT BAILIFF SALE NORTH CENTRAL BAILIFFS LTD. www.northcentral aili s. c.ca The Court Baili o ers F R AL B T ND R the interest of the Judgment Debtors, in the following goods including but not limited to selling the business as a going concern turnkey : PLACER CLAIM#305762 PLACER CLAIM#364789 PLACER CLAIM#1037947 PLACER CLAIM#1065911 PLACER CLAIM#1067014 To View contact North Central Baili s Ltd. 250 491 1033. ale is subject to cancellation or adjournment without notice. ealed bids will be accepted on the claims until A G T 21 T, 2026. Goods to be sold as is where is. Bidder takes responsibility to ensure they are satisfied with the description of unit goods being sold. North Central Baili s Ltd. is not responsible for determining the correct description. Terms of sale: mmediate full payment upon successful bid, plus sales ta . Please be aware to bid on Placer claims you must have a Free Miners Certificate and be able to produce this number before acceptance of funds. Claims may be subject to being partially on Provincial Park land, it is up to the buyer to research placer claim location and rules of the Mineral Tenure Act or take direction by The Mineral Titles Branch of B.C. North Central Baili s Ltd. is not responsible for any fees a er transfer. arning This property is o ered for mining purposes only and ownership of the title to it does not include ownership of the surface rights or the right to use the surface for residential or recreational purposes. www.northcentral aili s. c.ca North Central Baili s Ltd. Court Baili Jenny Melnychuk
PLEASE RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER
PLEASE RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
* On Aug. 31, 2005, the World Music • OnAwards Aug. 10,honored 30 B.C.,Destiny’s CleopatChild as the ra, queen of best-selling Egypt and thefemale lover of group all time, having sold died more Julius of Caesar and Mark Antony, than 50 million records by suicide — according to globally, legend, by including No. 1 hits and topthe bite of four a poisonous snake — 10 after 10 the Billboard 100. hersongs forcesonagainst Octavian, Top Rome’s * Onfirst Sept. 1, 1917, American future emperor, were defeated. • On Aug. 11, 1984, President Ronald Reagan made a controversial quip while he tested a microphone prior to a scheduled radio address, saying, “My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you today that21 I’vetosigned legislation ARIES (March April 19) Be careful thattowill outlaw Russia forever. not allow the backers of a newWe begin bombing in pull five the minutes.” His the financial “deal” to wool over Lamb’s eyes. It could hold fewer plusses approval rating suffered a slight drop, and negatives than you were butmore he went on to serve a second term. first led to believe. • On Aug. 12, 1964, Charlie Wilson, part of the group TAURUS (April 20 responsible to May 20)for It’sthe a good 1963 Great Train Robbery, one of idea to finish all incomplete tasksthe so that biggest of your its kind, escaped to from you can thefts devote attention next the Winson GreenThe Prison in Birmingweek’s projects. weekend could ham,surprises England,for withromantic the aid ofFernandas several hold and menFerdinands! who broke into the facility for that express purpose. He was not recapGEMINI (May 21 to June 20) A tured until 1968. workplace suggestion you made a while On Aug. 13, 1995,forgotten former New ago• that you might’ve could York back Yankees staraMickey died come with requestMantle to turn it from livertocancer in Dallas at the ageyour of anofidea a reality. Meanwhile, 63. Atlife thepicks time of passing, he held social uphis considerably this many World Series records, including weekend. most home runs. • On Aug. 14, 1585, England’s Queen Elizabeth I refused sovereignty of the Netherlands to avoid a commitment to war with Spain, fearing financial losses and a dangerous precedent of supporting subjects in rebellion against their rightful monarch, Philip II of Spain. • On Aug. 15, 2021, two weeks before American troops were set to officially withdraw from Afghanistan, Taliban leaders entered its capital, Kabul, and reclaimed power with little resistance. Video footage documented chaos during and after the withdrawal, including scenes of the Taliban celebrating with gunfire and frantic citizens chasing and clinging to departing American military planes. • On Aug. 16, 1942, a Navy blimp flying over San Francisco Bay, searching for Japanese submarines, crash landed on a street in nearby Daly City. Though rescuers raced to the scene, they found only an empty ship, with no sign of its two pilots. Their disappear-
45
soldier Stull Holt wrote a letter home in which he described some of his battlefield experiences on the Western Front in Verdun, France. The most arresting part of his missive recounted being struck by a shell containing poisonous gas, which he likened to “the extreme terror of the man who goes under in the water and will clutch at a straw.” * On Sept. 2, 1945, Vietnamese communist Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam’s independence from France hours after Japan’s surrender in World War II, though
it would take another 30 years for his vision of a united communist Vietnam to become a reality. * On Sept. 3, 1935, professional bowler Andrew Varipapa, considered by many “the greatest one-man bowling show on Earth” for his trick shot artistry still emulated by modern bowlers, set a record of 2,652 points in 10 games. * On Sept. 4, 476 A.D., Romulus Augustulus, the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, was deposed by Odoacer, a German barbarian who declared himself the
king of Italy, presaging what many historians consider the fall of the Roman Empire. * On Sept. 5, 1957, New York Times writer Gilbert Millstein delivered a rave review for “On the Road,” the second novel by a Columbia University dropout Jack Kerouac. As his girlfriend, writer Joyce Johnson, quipped to a reporter, “Jack went to bed obscure and woke up famous.” Though he wrote a total of more than 25 books, “On the Road” remains his most noteworthy.
CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Someone from the past could return with an intriguing opportunity for a future project. By all means, check into it, but don’t neglect your current responsibilities.
LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) A new job offer might not carry all the benefits that you’re seeking. Make sure that you know what you’re entitled to, what’s off the table, and what’s negotiable before you make a decision.
CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Your social calendar begins to fill up more quickly than you expected, which is great. You deserve to enjoy some good fun after so much time spent on serious matters.
LEO (July 23 to August 22) Keeping your claws sheathed and using good humor to counter someone who’s badmouthing the Big Cat isn’t easy. But it’s the best way to avoid more problems down the line.
SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) A social obligation that you’d rather get out of could hold some surprisingly positive aspects. Why not go and see it for yourself? Also, a family member makes a curious request.
VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) A workplace situation could improve if you’re less critical and more supportive of those who are, after all, trying to do their best. Let them know that you’re there to help when necessary.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Before tackling a new project awaiting you at home or on the job, take time out for some muchdeserved pampering to help lift your spirits and restore your energy levels.
AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) A domestic situation continues to improve, thanks to all the tender, loving concern that you’ve shown. A colleague makes a questionable move that you might want to check out sooner rather than later. PISCES (February 19 to March 20) A sudden turn in a romantic relationship calls for both a rational and passionate response. Keep the love level high, but also find out why the problem arose in the first place.
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
Homes & Living
Mitigating Bear Encounters in Northern B.C. Urban Areas For many Northern British Columbia residents, seeing a bear wandering through a neighbourhood is not unusual. From Prince George and Quesnel to smaller communities surrounded by forest, bears can find their way into urban areas in search of food. While most encounters end with the bear moving on, the situation can become dangerous when bears learn that residential neighbourhoods are reliable sources of food. The key to reducing bear encounters is surprisingly simple: make urban areas less attractive to bears. Black bears are particularly adaptable and have an excellent sense of smell. A garbage bin, fallen fruit, pet food, bird feeder or improperly managed compost pile
can provide an easy meal. Once a bear discovers a dependable food source, it can return repeatedly and may become increasingly comfortable around people. WildSafeBC notes that garbage is the most frequently reported attractant associated with black bear conflicts in B.C. Start With Garbage The single most important step homeowners can take is to secure household waste. Garbage should be stored indoors, in a secure building or in a certified bear-resistant container. Containers should not be placed at the curb earlier than permitted by local collection rules. Even an empty garbage container can retain smells that attract wildlife.
Residents should also consider what they are putting into garbage bags. Meat scraps, fish remains, cooking grease and other odorous food waste can be particularly attractive. Where available, residents should use municipal organics programs correctly and follow local requirements for storing carts and containers. Businesses have an important role as well. Restaurants, grocery stores and other operations producing significant quantities of food waste should ensure dumpsters and waste storage areas are properly secured. Don’t Forget the Backyard A Northern B.C. backyard can contain several unexpected bear attractants.
Fruit trees are a major example. Apples, plums, berries and other fruit can provide an abundant food source, particularly in late summer and fall when bears are trying to build energy reserves before winter. Fallen fruit should be picked up regularly rather than left on the ground. In areas with persistent problems, homeowners can consider fencing or other methods of preventing bears from accessing fruit trees. Bird feeders can also create problems. Bears are attracted to birdseed as well as hummingbird feeders. During the period when bears are active, residents should consider removing feeders or ensuring they are completely inaccessible to bears. Pet food should never be left continued on next page
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PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
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continued from previous page
outside. Feeding pets indoors is preferable, and food dishes should be brought inside immediately if outdoor feeding is unavoidable. Barbecues should also be thoroughly cleaned after use, with grease containers emptied regularly. Think About Livestock and Backyard Chickens The popularity of backyard chickens, beekeeping and small livestock creates another potential attractant. Feed should be stored securely indoors, while chicken coops, runs and apiaries should be protected. Electric fencing can be an effective tool for keeping bears away from these food sources. The important point is to prevent the bear from receiving a reward in the first place. What To Do During an Encounter Despite our best efforts, encounters will happen. If you see a bear, do not approach it and never run. Give the animal an
opportunity to leave. If the bear has not noticed you, quietly move away. If it knows you are there but is not reacting aggressively, speak calmly and slowly back away while keeping the bear in sight. A bear that appears agitated may make noises, stomp its feet or perform a bluff charge. These behaviours can indicate that you are too close. Back away slowly and give the bear plenty of space. People spending time on urban trails or in areas where neighbourhoods meet forest should remain aware of their surroundings. Headphones can make it harder to detect wildlife, while travelling with another person can reduce the likelihood of surprising a bear. Dogs should be kept under control because dogs can provoke defensive behaviour from bears. For people regularly travelling through bear country, carrying properly stored and readily accessible bear spray is another important precaution. WildSafeBC recommends learning
how to use bear spray before it is needed, rather than attempting to figure it out during an encounter. Communities Have a Role Bear management cannot be left entirely to individual homeowners. Municipalities can reduce conflicts through bear-resistant waste systems, attractant bylaws, public education and careful planning around wildlife corridors and areas where people and bears are likely to overlap. The provincial Bear Smart program encourages communities to assess bear hazards, develop conflictmanagement plans, educate residents and maintain bear-resistant wastemanagement systems. Residents should also report significant wildlife conflicts. Bears in urban areas, bears accessing human food, aggressive behaviour or situations posing a risk to people or pets should be reported to the B.C. Conservation Officer Service through the Report All Poachers and Polluters line at 1-877-952-7277. Ultimately, mitigating bear
encounters is about changing our behaviour rather than simply reacting to bears after they arrive. Northern B.C. communities share the landscape with wildlife. By securing attractants, managing garbage, keeping pets and livestock safe, and giving bears the space they need, residents can reduce conflict and help ensure that a bear passing through town remains a wildlife sighting—not a public-safety incident.
Bob Quinlan 250-565-8444 Q5658444@gmail.com RE/MAX CORE Realty
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19103 Norman Lake Road FOR...$250,000… SALE Lakeshore beach w/dock, 3 bdrm Cabin, Garage MLS # R3135724
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026
PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
READY TO SELL? CONSIGN YOUR EQUIPMENT TODAY! HEAVY EQUIPMENT AUCTION th JARED: (250) 613-7624 Tuesday, September 8 , 2026 LORNE: (250) 219-0871 EVAN: (250) 219-4539
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2022 FAE SFH/HP-250 Pull Type Mulcher
2017 John Deere 3156G Short Wood Log Loader
2024 ELTEC FHS277B Processor
2019 John Deere 948L-II 4X4 Grapple Skidder
2006 JCB 260 Eco Skid Steer Loader
2006 Cat 330D L Hydraulic Excavator
2014 Komatsu WA470-6 Wheel Loader
2011 Cat 140M VHP Plus AWD Motor Grader
2002 Cat D7R Crawler Dozer
2002 John Deere 650H LGP Crawler Dozer
2007 & 2005 Volvo A25D Articulated Dump Trucks
2014 Claas Lexion 670TT Combine Harvester
2017 New Holland T9.600 Track Tractor
2007 Freightliner FLD120 SD T/A Dump Truck
1990 White GMC ACL T/A Dump Truck
2007 GMC TopKick C5500 S/A Deck Truck
2007 GMC TopKick C5500 S/A Deck Truck
2013 Peterbilt 367 T/A Sleeper Rollback Truck
2012 Kenworth T800 T/A Sleeper Winch Tractor
2009 Kenworth T800 Tri/A Sleeper 6000 Gal Water Truck
2007 Peterbilt 379 T/A Sleeper Truck Tractor
Nodwell RN75 Water Hauler Tracked Carrier
1980 Neils T/A Gravel Pup
2004 Gerrys LB40 Tri/A Folding Neck Lowboy Trailer
2016 Berg GT345 45 Ft. Tri/A Grain Trailer
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2015 BWS 50LF4X3T TRI/A Log Trailer
2010 Cummins 500KW Skidded Generator/Potable Water/Waste
2015 Heartland Newport Landmark 365 5th Wheel T/A Travel Trailer