Prince George Citizen - Thursday, July 30, 2026

Wildfre evacuatons

New Ancient Forest interpretve centre taking shape

Lheidli T’enneh

First Nation is set to hold a grand opening on Aug. 29

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

Visitors to Ancient Forest/Chun T’oh Whudujut Provincial Park will soon be able to get a history lesson, grab some refreshments, participate in cultural events and even stay the night with the new interpretive centre close to completion.

The facility being built by Lheidli T’enneh First Nation, made possible by $6,526,901 in federal and $1,305,380 in provincial funding, is set for a Saturday, Aug. 29 grand opening event with regular operations set to begin sometime in 2027.

Ahead of the opening, the First Nation invited media outlets to the forest about 110 kilometres east of Prince George for an early look at the facility on Thursday, July 23. Reporters saw the final stages of construction underway after a groundbreaking ceremony in May 2025.

Located east of the parking lot at the provincial park, the main part of the centre is a circular building with two wings, one on either flank. All together, the centre is about 4,500 square feet.

Sultanur Ashikin, Lheidli T’enneh’s infrastructure and housing manager, explained that the design of the building was developed by a working group of about 20 people that included Elders, artists, volunteers and others.

The centre was originally envisioned as a smaller facility, but as the working group figured out the details, Ashikin said members realized that the original size would not fulfill the purposes earmarked for it, so they more than doubled it.

On a concrete slab in front of the building is an outdoor fire pit, with another, larger fire pit hooked up to a large ventilation system in the central room.

The indoor pit, Ashikin said, “is very unique and was challenging for the

Contractors work to put the finishing touches on the new interpretive centre at Ancient Forest/Chun T’oh Whudujut Provincial Park on Thursday, July 23, 2026. A grand opening ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 29.

design and also the construction.”

Around the central concrete basin for the fire is a recessed area designed for people to sit around. The goal is to have Elders host people around the pit, delivering intergenerational lessons.

Much of the building, including the pillars that hold up the roof from the front as well as those that stand around the indoor fire pit, are made from red cedar logs that were cut from Lheidli T’enneh’s traditional territory and processed on its reserve land.

“Our community members helped the contractor to process these logs,” Ashikin said.

An element of the building that stands out when looking at it from the outside is the roof of the central section. Covered in plant life, Ashikin said the so-called “green roof” is based on traditional pit houses.

Beyond accommodating native plant

life, he said it also helps absorb heat and improves the centre’s thermal efficiency.

One thing that’s still missing from around and inside the building is signage. Ashikin said the First Nation is still working on that with further consultation with its own members and smaller communities near the forest like Dome Creek and McBride.

Once operational, the centre will be free to enter. The walls in the centre building will be used to help educate visitors on the cultural and ecological significance of the pit.

They’ll also be used to display artwork for sale from artists. While there will be an emphasis on art from Lheidli T’enneh artists, Ashikin said non-Indigenous artists will also be able to place their work in the space.

A small food vendor will be set up as well.

In the wing buildings, there will be a rentable conference room with space for 25 to 30 people, a couple of rooms for staff to stay at, a room for an artist-in-residence program still under development and one room that members of the public will be able to rent.

Out in the parking lot, a huge bank of solar panels allows the centre to operate off-grid.

To start with, the centre will keep the same schedule as the park itself but that may be adjusted over time.

Also getting her first look at the facility was Lheidli T’enneh First Nation Chief Dolleen Logan, who said she felt “excitement, shock and awe” to see the real thing.

She said she thought the educational aspect is important for visitors of the centre and the forest.

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CITIZEN PHOTO BY COLIN SLARK

Some plant species don’t grow anywhere else in the world

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“You walk through the Ancient Forest and it’s going to be learning central,” Logan said.

“(University of Northern BC) found, I think it was five to seven new species of plants that don’t grow anywhere else in the world. People who are stopping should know this.”

Logan praised UNBC and the Caledonia Ramblers hiking club for their work for coming to former chief and current Coun. Dominic Frederick and the city to push for the inland rainforest to be protected rather than logged.

In some places, Logan said, there are still marks on trees from when the area was earmarked to be harvested by the forestry industry.

Speaking about the importance of the forest, Logan said that she’s heard Elders used to pick plants and hunt in it.

“I don’t want to say it’s ‘taking back

the land’ because the land never left,” Logan said of the centre. “But it’s acknowledgement of the land and acknowledgment of who’s here.”

The fire pits, she said, will allow the First Nation to hold healing fires. While there are different kinds of healing fires, Logan recalled one from

when she was a child where people wrote down a problem on a piece of paper, threw it into the fire and allowed its ashes to float away.

Zawad Abedin, the First Nation’s director of engineering and operations as well as the project lead for the interpretive centre, said that due to funding constraints, they were unable to rehabilitate the entire boardwalk that goes into the forest.

However, a few sections were removed, refurbished and put back to spend any remaining project funds and make sure the boardwalk is still accessible until the bigger project is undertaken.

Abedin said the First Nation has submitted a funding application to the provincial and federal government for a phase two of the project, which would include the rest of the boardwalk work, a viewing platform near the waterfall, a sweat lodge, pit house and a walking and running trail.

CITIZEN PHOTO BY COLIN SLARK

A fire pit sits beneath four big cedar logs in the main room of the new interpretive centre at Ancient Forest/Chun T’oh Whudujut Provincial Park on Thursday, July 23.

Caledonia Nordic ofcially opens paved roller-ski trails

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

About two years after it was first installed, the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club held a grand opening ceremony to commemorate the first competition held at the Otway Nordic Centre’s paved trails on Friday, July 24.

Comprising two loops making up three kilometres of paved trail connected to the centre’s shooting range, the asphalt will allow for biathletes to train on roller skis during the summer months while they wait for snow to return.

To celebrate the occasion, local dignitaries, members of the club, representatives from Biathlon Canada and athletes from near and far gathered for a sign unveiling.

Kevin Charlston said the trails were made possible by $1 million from the Province of BC’s destination development fund, $234,650 from PacifiCan — the federal government’s regional development agency for BC — and the support of community partners, sponsors and volunteers.

Lheidli T’enneh First Nation Chief Dolleen Logan welcomed guests to her people’s traditional territory and said the project was about more than a recreational facility.

“It reflects what is possible when communities, organizations and government come together for a shared goal,” she said. “From early planning to completion, this project has been shaped by partners, dedication and commitment to creating something lasting for our region.”

Kevin Pettersen, a former president of the club and the project lead, said that this project and all the other improvements that have been made to the Nordic centre started when they imagined its future while preparing to host events for the 2015 Canada Winter Games.

The trail system, he said, is Canada’s first purpose-built competition roller ski facility and competes with what’s available in Europe.

Speaking with The Citizen after the event, Pettersen said the improvements

at the centre over the last decade and a half have involved moving the shooting range closer to the parking lot, installing trail lighting, getting snow making equipment and building both ski and paved trails.

He said the goal for the centre was to host world-class events, which has happened in 2023 with the World Para Nordic Skiing Championships and in 2024 with both the Para Biathlon World Championships and the Para Nordic World Cup Finals.

“In the original facilities development plan, even though snow making and roller ski trails and everything were on it, we didn’t really know where the money was going to come from,” Pettersen said. “But in hosting events, we found that the events were a really amazing opportunity to attract the capital investments from grants and things like that.”

The paved trail was laid between July and October 2024. At that point, Pettersen said the club wanted to give it time to settle to make sure everything was firmed up.

In 2025, it was used for training sessions, including some featuring members of the national team. With the

first sanctioned competition, it was the right opportunity to hold a grand opening ceremony.

Beyond its potential for training elite athletes, Pettersen also expressed hope that having the facility will help inspire visitors to try their hand at roller ski or roller biathlon, potentially becoming the next generation of competitors.

“That’s the secret sauce in how we develop our sports and our athletes and everything,” he said.

Last year, Prince George lost the Nordic Canada Olympic Winter Games Trails to Vernon due to insufficient snow for the event.

Pettersen said that the paved trails will enable the club to host more events later in the year.

Eventually, the hope is to add a second phase to the paved trails adding a connector that would allow for para roller skiing events as well.

He praised Thurber Engineering for donating staff time to complete the geotechnical for the course, Charlston for designing the trails and Terus Construction for developing the special type of asphalt used to make the track.

Also during the opening ceremony, Mayor Simon Yu praised those involved

in bringing the vision for the facility to life and said that it will help Prince George send more athletes to compete in the Winter Olympics.

He said that he remembered 30 years ago when members of the club had a vision for the facility, not knowing what it would look like in the end but putting in the work to make it a reality.

He brought a message from BC’s Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport Anne Kang, who expressed gratitude to everyone in Prince George who helped make possible a place where people can train, play and connect year-round.

Derek Baker, PacifiCan’s regional director for the north, said the organization looks to invest in projects that help grow tourism opportunities by building on communities’ unique strengths.

“This project is a perfect example,” he said.

“Facilities like this are exceptionally rare and very unique to Canada. They provide elite athletes with world-class places to train, but they also position Prince George to attract provincial, national and even international competitions that bring athletes, coaches, officials, families and spectators into our community.”

CITIZEN PHOTO BY COLIN SLARK

Dignitaries and athletes unveil the sign for the new paved roller ski and roller biathlon trails at the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club’s Otway Nordic Centre on Friday, July 24.

Athletes, ofcials admire quality of new trail system

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

The new paved trail system at the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club’s Otway Nordic Centre received positive reviews from local and national biathletes and officials ahead of its first sanctioned competition on Friday, July 24.

Though the trails were paved in 2024 and used for practice in 2025, the weekend of July 24 to 26 marked the first formal competition held by Biathlon Canada under International Biathlon Union standards.

The trail system consists of two loops stretching about three kilometres that, at one point, pass by a shooting range.

The facility allows athletes to put on a pair of roller skis and practise their techniques during the warmer months when

there isn’t any snow on the ground.

Clay Whitman, Biathlon Canada’s performance pathway director, told

The Citizen after a grand opening event July 24 that 72 athletes from Canada, Great Britain and Australia were set to compete on the Sunday of the event.

Athletes from BC, Alberta, the Northwest Territories and Quebec were among the Canadian competitors. In addition to the competition, national team athletes were taking part in a week-long training camp.

He said it is just the third facility in Western Canada, and the fourth in the country, with a paved trail connected to a biathlon range.

The other facilities are in Whistler, Canmore, Alta., and Valcartier, Que.

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CITIZEN PHOTO BY COLIN SLARK

A roller skier cruises along the paved trails at Otway Nordic Centre in Prince George on Friday, July 24.

Otway trails were purpose-built for biathlon competton

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“But it’s the best in terms of the pavement and the capacity to have a larger-scale race,” Whitman said. “That’s what makes this unique.”

Without a facility like this, athletes either practise on public roads, which may not be as safe, or on paved surfaces not designed specifically for the sport, he said. Being able to ski and shoot at the same time is very important.

All of the athletes at the competition compete at either the provincial or national level in winter biathlon, he said. The event provides valuable training and competition experience ahead of the winter season.

Despite the skis being on wheels rather than gliding over snow, Whitman said the skills involved are highly transferable.

training opportunities, Pettersen said. If the goal is to prepare athletes for future Winter Olympics, the facility is already earning praise from current Olympians.

Calgary-born Pascale Paradis was one of the competitors in Prince George for the weekend event. Earlier this year, she competed in four biathlon events at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, Italy.

“I think the pavement’s super nice,” Paradis said.

“The track is very wide, the elevation is super-good. There are definitely more hills than in Canmore, which I think is very good for racing.”

She said courses in Europe typically have more elevation, and the Otway track compares favourably with them.

One factor in the quality of the course is the asphalt used to make the trails, said Kevin Pettersen, the club’s project lead.

He said the asphalt is more like what is used on airport runways than on roads and highways.

“The asphalt you see on the road is kind of like the consistency of a date bar,” Pettersen said. “If you pull it apart, it crumbles. The consistency of this is more like a Rice Krispie treat, much more cohesive.”

Training camps and events like the one in Prince George give athletes the opportunity to train together, compete against one another and experience new terrain and courses, she said.

The use of a polymer in the asphalt binder allows for smaller aggregate, which Pettersen said creates a smoother surface. It is also more flexible, drains well and should not shift because of thermal expansion.

Over the first couple of winters, there have been no problems with frost heaves.

The durable material is expected to last five to 10 years before it needs to be replaced.

While there are other facilities in Canada, Pettersen said only the trails at the Otway Nordic Centre were purpose-built for roller ski and biathlon competitions.

The layout of the loops allows barriers to be used to create courses of different lengths for different competitions.

“The other ones are more designed for training or multi-use,” he said. “That means the trail widths are a lot narrower, things like that. This is built to the specifications required to host World Cup events.”

Similar facilities already exist in Europe, giving those countries a significant advantage through year-round

Skiing on snow and pavement are quite different experiences, with snow conditions varying considerably. However, Paradis said the physical activity is very similar.

“I see summer races as part of the training,” Paradis said. “Because I think to be good at racing, you need to practise racing as well.”

One of the local athletes preparing to compete over the weekend was 15-yearold Sullivan Nelson, who said he has been competing in biathlon for the past three or four years.

Before the paved trails were available, Nelson said he and his fellow athletes did much of their summer training by running or roller skiing on roads shared with vehicle traffic.

“I couldn’t ask for anything more,” Nelson said of the trails. “It’s convenient. If you want to just go out for a ski with your friends, you absolutely can.”

His favourite part of the course is the downhill sections.

“You can go so fast on them,” Nelson said.

“And on a hot day, the wind feels really nice.”

CITIZEN PHOTO BY COLIN SLARK

Kevin Pettersen, the project lead for the paved trails at Caledonia Nordic Ski Club’s Otway Nordic Centre, talks about the history of the project during a grand opening ceremony in Prince George, BC on Friday, July 24.

Evacuatons, detours south of PG as wildfres spread

City opens emergency centre for people eeing 70 Mile House

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

The City of Prince George has opened its Emergency Social Services Centre for wildfire evacuees.

People from 70 Mile House started arriving on Monday, July 27 following an evacuation order caused by the Pear Lake wildfire.

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District reports that people living on 650 properties in 70 Mile House are affected by the evacuation.

It is currently unknown how many people have been directed to Prince George.

The centre, which provides shortterm basic support to people impacted by disasters, is financed by the provincial government and administered by Indigenous communities and local governments.

Resources provided include information on supports and hotel and meal vouchers for those who have been evacuated.

Volunteers, supplies, and donations are not being requested at this time.

The centre is located behind the CN Centre between the horse paddocks and ice oval. It will be open from 2 p.m. until 9 p.m. daily for as long as needed to support evacuees.

For after-hours support, evacuees can call 778-486-3409.

The evacuation order applies to approximately 650 properties in 70 Mile House, also known as Electoral Area E in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District. If you are in the affected area, the TNRD advises that you must leave immediately. A person must not enter the evacuation order area for the purpose of residing, occupying or visiting.

There were 140 wildfires burning in BC, with more than 50 classified as out

of control at the time this edition of Citizen went to press.

Evacuation orders and detours men tioned in this story were in effect at that time.

The Pear Lake and Fiftynine Creek wildfires merged on Sunday, July 26. The BC Wildfire Service reported the combined fire is approximately 63,368.3 hectares.

Since July 26, the BC Wildfire Service said the fire has progressed north on the west side of Highway 97 and around the White Lake area, with Rank 4 fire behaviour.

The service added that fire column development created its own weather system, resulting in lightning over the area.

Along the southeast flank of the fire near the Village of Clinton, structure protection personnel and firefight ing crews are focusing on structure defence.

Crews have been working along High way 97, which has been closed since Friday, July 24. In the southeast corner of Clinton, a machine guard has been established and crews are mopping up to extinguish the fire’s edge before it reaches the interface area.

Due to the closure of Highway 97, motorists travelling from Prince George to Vancouver should head east on High way 24 just south of 100 Mile House. From the junction with Highway 5, travel south toward Kamloops. Motor ists can then continue to Hope before travelling west to Metro Vancouver on Highway 1 or Highway 7.

Heavy equipment crews have also begun developing containment lines farther from the fire in an effort to get ahead of the rapid fire growth and behaviour.

Currently, 188 firefighting personnel are assigned to the Pear Lake fire, along with 76 pieces of heavy equipment and 141 structure protection personnel.

Another 18 helicopters are assigned to the Big Bar Complex.

With files from Colin Slark.

OPINION

Wildfre season: A reminder to be ready for anything

KENNEDY GORDON Citizen Managing Editor

For a little while this summer, it was looking like BC might have escaped the worst of this year’s worldwide wildfires.

A slow start to fire season offered cautious hope that cooler temperatures and spring rainfall had given the province a rare reprieve.

Instead, the season just arrived later. With 140 active wildfires burning across BC as of Tuesday morning, when this edition of your paper went to press, it’s clear that wildfire remains one of our province’s defining challenges.

The situation in the Cariboo underscores just how quickly conditions can deteriorate.

The Pear Lake and Fiftynine Creek wildfires have merged into a fire exceeding 63,000 hectares, forcing the evacuation first of the village of Clinton, and then 70 Mile House.

There is good news swirling in all this smoke. We should talk about that.

Firefighters continue to hold critical lines around communities. Structure protection crews are defending homes. Heavy equipment operators are carving fire guards through unforgiving terrain. Emergency operations centres, including Prince George’s, are co-ordinating evacuations, road closures and emergency supports with professionalism and efficiency. Their efforts have undoubtedly saved homes, businesses and lives.

The province also deserves credit for

The Bourgeois Creek, burning about113 kilometres northwest of Quesnel, is seen from a BC Wildfire Service airplane on July 22, 2026.

continuing to invest in preparedness.

The latest $3.5-million commitment to strengthen emergency operations centres in communities throughout BC will improve training, communications and co-ordination.

Since 2017, hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested in emergency preparedness, helping local governments and First Nations build stronger response capacity before disaster strikes.

These are worthwhile investments, and they’re paying dividends.

But they’re also masking a growing vulnerability.

BC’s wildfire resources are being stretched to their practical limits, and there’s no backup flying in over the smoky horizon.

In the past, when fires overwhelmed local capacity, help arrived from other places. Fire crews crossed provincial borders. American firefighters joined

the effort. International partners supplemented exhausted Canadian resources. That mutual assistance remains one of the strengths of modern wildfire management.

This year, however, many of those partners are fighting battles of their own.

Northern Ontario is contending with frightening wildfire activity. American crews are committed to their efforts across the western United States. European nations, including France and Spain, are also grappling with increasingly destructive wildfire seasons.

BC can no longer assume experienced firefighters, aircraft or specialized equipment will be available when local resources become overwhelmed. As fire seasons grow longer and more severe across the northern hemisphere, competition for those resources is only going to intensify.

The implication is unavoidable. BC

must continue building the capacity to stand on its own, something that must be led by Premier David Eby and Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar.

That means sustained investment, not only in emergency operations centres, but in recruiting and retaining wildfire personnel, expanding aerial firefighting capability, strengthening fuel management, supporting Indigenous-led stewardship, improving community resilience and ensuring the BC Wildfire Service has the people and equipment necessary to respond to increasingly complex crises.

The men and women on the fire line continue to perform with remarkable skill and courage. They deserve more than our gratitude. They deserve the resources necessary to meet a challenge that is growing larger every summer.

This season might not yet rival the worst British Columbia has endured. For that, we should be thankful. But gratitude is not a strategy.

Even if your community is not under threat today, that can change with startling speed. Every household should know its evacuation route, monitor emergency alerts and keep a bug-out bag packed with essential documents, medications, clothing and supplies. The families arriving in Prince George this week likely hoped they would never need theirs.

Hope for the best. Plan for the worst. That’s no longer simply good advice. It’s a responsibility we all share.

We acknowledge the fnancial support of the government of Canada.

Nous reconnaissons l’appui fnancier du gouvernement du Canada.

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OPINION

These are the stories we tell ourselves about our city

The Prince George Paradox: Part 1 of a three-part series

ELI KLASNER Guest Columnist

Several years ago, while helping to establish the Knox Performance Centre in downtown Prince George, I kept hearing the same objection.

“No one will come downtown at night.”

It wasn’t offered as an opinion. It was repeated as though it were an undeniable fact. It didn’t matter how beautiful the venue might become or how strong the performances would be. Many people believed concerns about downtown had already settled the question. Then something interesting happened.

People came.

Concert after concert drew enthusiastic audiences. Parking lots filled. Visitors parked a few blocks away, walked to the venue, enjoyed the performances and returned home. Like people in every city, they exercised common sense, accepted a reasonable degree of responsibility for their own safety and discovered that one of Prince George’s most commonly repeated assumptions wasn’t entirely supported by experience.

I’ve thought about that lesson many times over the years.

Not because it proved downtown has no challenges. It clearly does. Homelessness, addiction, untreated mental illness, public safety, arson and the complex social issues surrounding them are very real concerns. Pretending otherwise serves no one.

What stayed with me was something different.

It made me wonder how many of the stories we tell ourselves about Prince George have become so familiar that we’ve stopped asking whether they’re still true — or whether they’re

preventing us from imagining what comes next.

That, I believe, is the Prince George Paradox.

Over the past 50 years, this community has accomplished things that many Canadian cities our size would envy.

We fought for and built the University of Northern British Columbia. We transformed our regional hospital into Northern British Columbia’s leading healthcare centre, and today we’re investing once again in its future through a major expansion.

We built CN Centre, the Aquatic Centre, Masich Place Stadium, Two Rivers Gallery, Exploration Place, Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park, an expanded public library, exceptional parks and trails, and recreational facilities that continue to enrich the lives of thousands of residents every year.

None of these achievements happened by accident.

They happened because previous generations debated, raised money, built partnerships and refused to believe that being a remote northern community meant thinking small. Above all, they believed Prince George was capable of doing difficult things.

So what changed?

Somewhere along the way, it feels as though our confidence in solving difficult problems gave way to debating why they can’t be solved.

Today, almost every conversation about Prince George’s future seems to arrive at the same place.

Mention downtown revitalization, and someone raises concerns about homelessness. Talk about a new civic facility, and the conversation shifts to addiction, crime or public safety. Discuss economic development or the future of our traditional industries, and before long we’re debating whether Prince George’s best days are behind it.

It happens so consistently that many people hardly notice it anymore. That isn’t criticism; it’s an observation: the conversation itself has become part of the problem.

Communities don’t move forward by avoiding difficult conversations. They move forward by asking better questions — questions grounded in evidence rather than assumption, curiosity rather than ideology, and a willingness to understand before rushing to conclusions.

Over the next two columns, I’ll

examine some of the assumptions that now dominate discussions about Prince George’s future.

Has Prince George become the place where Northern British Columbia’s social challenges are most visible, and therefore the community is expected to carry a disproportionate share of the responsibility and cost? If so, should neighbouring communities share that responsibility and cost?

Why have so many services become concentrated in the downtown core, and what does that tell us about the way we’re planning for the future of the city and region? Are we organizing responsibility in the right places, or simply responding where the problems have become most visible?

I certainly don’t pretend to know all the answers. In fact, I suspect some of the questions themselves may be uncomfortable.

But perhaps that’s where progress begins — not by pretending difficult questions don’t exist, but by being ready to ask — and answer — them.

Eli Klasner writes about community development, civic infrastructure, and the role of culture in building strong communities.

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

The members of Britt Am, (left to right) Nathan Kelly, Britt Meierhofer, Cal Hilde and Justin Gendreau rock the crowd Friday, May 24, 2024 at the Knox Performance Centre’s Northern Hospitality show in Prince George, B.C.

OPINION

PG’s parking policy leaves poor impression on visitors

To the mayor and members of city council: I am writing to express my disappointment with my recent visit to Prince George.

I travelled from White Rock, BC, and during my stay I supported local accommodations, restaurants, attractions and businesses. I enjoyed spending time at Cottonwood Island Park and attending local events.

Unfortunately, my visit ended on a disappointing note after I received a $100 parking ticket for a first-time parking infraction.

I disputed the ticket, explaining that all regular parking spaces were occupied and that I had deliberately avoided parking in one of the designated trailer stalls.

Instead, I parked beside the trailer parking area because I believed I was not obstructing anyone or preventing boat trailers from using the reserved spaces. I also explained that I was unfamiliar with the area and was making a genuine effort to comply with the intent of the posted restrictions.

Although the city determined that the ticket was technically valid, I was surprised no discretion was exercised.

As a visitor with no history of parking violations in Prince George, I had hoped the city would consider cancelling the ticket or at least reducing the fine as a gesture of goodwill.

A $100 penalty for what was an honest mistake strikes me as excessive, particularly when there was no obstruction, no safety concern and no apparent harm caused. In many municipalities, a visitor acting in good faith would receive a warning or a reduced penalty.

Municipalities across British Columbia compete for visitors and tourism dollars. A positive visitor experience encourages people to return and recommend a community to others. Unfortunately, my experience had the opposite effect. Rather than leaving with positive memories, I left feeling the city’s enforcement approach was unnecessarily punitive and lacked discretion.

I also recognize that Prince George is facing significant economic challenges, including recent job losses, and that attracting visitors and investment is important. Experiences like mine do not encourage repeat tourism or positive word of mouth.

I hope the city will review its parking enforcement policies to allow greater flexibility for first-time infractions where

LETTERS EDITOR

People should have a simple choice: forced treatment or jail. Possession and trafficking of hard drugs should once again carry serious penalties now that decriminalization, which was supposed to be the solution, has effectively come to an end.

Gary Hennessy

Prince George

Manage British Columbia’s forests before nature does

there is clear evidence that a visitor acted in good faith and no one was inconvenienced.

Thank you for considering this feedback. While I respect the city’s authority to enforce its bylaws, I believe there is an opportunity to balance enforcement with fairness and hospitality. I am also sharing this letter because I believe it raises a broader question about how Prince George welcomes visitors and balances bylaw enforcement with fairness and customer service.

Christine Kinnie

White Rock

Time to take tougher action on hard drugs on our streets

I know it isn’t just me seeing a huge increase in street filth, squalor and misery lately. It is now evident in nearly every neighbourhood. How have we let it come to this?

Winnipeg, also in an NDP-governed province, now has police cracking down on open drug use and the problems that come with it. What do our mayor and the RCMP have to say? The measures we were told would make things better have been a disaster.

Where is the forced treatment, Mr. Eby?

Nature requires old forests to be removed in a strategic pattern to provide space for new forests and the important wildlife habitat they create as they grow. The timing and pattern differ in each ecosystem. Nature removes old trees, as it does all old forms of life, using insects, disease, wind and wildfire as its primary tools. We have witnessed this in mountain pine beetle-attacked forests and the many wildfires in old forests across the country, especially in the Interior of BC, Alberta and the North.

We are fortunate that some of the pine beetle-killed forests in BC and Alberta were harvested, replanted and are now healthy young forests that provide wildlife habitat. Unharvested areas in parks, protected areas and inoperable areas have burned or are ready to burn as nature continues its cycle.

We are also seeing many old Douglas fir and spruce stands burn in areas such as the Fraser Canyon.

Forest management through harvesting and prompt reforestation can accomplish what nature does to meet conservation and biodiversity goals, but without the same level of chaos and trauma.

Forest management, including controlled grassland and forest burns, also provides socioeconomic benefits while reducing firefighting costs.

We should choose practical, safe and responsible forest management to help meet nature’s conservation goals.

Brian La Pointe

Williams Lake

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO

A visitor to Prince George picked up a parking ticket while visiting Cottonwood Island, and is not happy about it.

OPINION

Little Prince shelter, Kopar video wall added to 2027 capital plan

Citizen, 2025: “Exploration Place has indicated that it will only commit to a long-term agreement to continue the operation and maintenance of the Little Prince Train if the city commits to constructing a new structure that will provide improved conditions for required maintenance and dry storage.

“Likewise, administration does not want to commit to the costs of construction unless there is a long-term agreement in place to operate the train.”

I suspect there is a lawyer capable of drawing up an agreement that satisfies and protects both parties, allowing everyone to feel comfortable moving ahead with the plans needed to ensure the continued operation and enjoyment of this attraction.

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way” is something I, and everyone I grew up with, heard often.

So come on, city and museum — get your act together and make it happen. Don’t lose this heritage attraction because of an inability to think outside the box.

Renoguy24

Putting Little Free Libraries on the map in Prince George

The Little Free Libraries add such joy to our community. In my opinion, they’re always worth stopping to see what books they have.

Sarah97

Editorial: Prince George has to look to the future when good news follows bad

Great article, as always. It’s very grounded in reality.

The cost of living here is low compared with many other communities, and the city has done a good job recently of increasing housing density and expanding apartment development. But the one thing that’s missing — and that’s critical for any community — is middle-class jobs.

Nothing has replaced the declining forestry industry in decades and, as a result, the community has grown poorer. There are more vacant businesses than I have ever seen, and the number is growing. Build all the housing you want, but if people have no jobs, you’re just attracting social problems.

That should be the city’s No. 1 goal: developing new industry and attracting new jobs so the community can become prosperous again.

Had Recovery Boiler 6 at Northwood been built five years ago, it would have been a major step toward modernizing an aging facility, and it likely could have remained profitable.

Zangief

Northwood mill closure product of homegrown competitive barriers

BC risks digging its own grave and burying itself in it.

BC’s struggle isn’t just a resource problem — it’s an execution problem: slow approvals, weak investment and an over-reliance on one market (the U.S.) and one asset class (housing). Northwood is what that looks like on the ground.

The mountain pine beetle and wildfires reduced the timber supply, but policy drove capital away.

The time for resting on our laurels is over. World-class timber, minerals and natural gas mean nothing if nobody can build here.

Yet career politicians remain behind the curve, preoccupied with pet projects that pander to a minority. Meanwhile, as the economy fractures, it is the majority who pay.

A seismic shift in politics is needed, but that’s unlikely until politicians grow a backbone. Perhaps it’s time the majority stood up and voiced its discontent — loudly enough that government could no longer ignore it. Government remains reactive when what BC needs is proactive leadership.

Perham

Council votes to adopt social procurement criteria

A modest additional cost that helps keep tax dollars in town by using local businesses whenever possible — while also supporting socially responsible companies from elsewhere — seems acceptable.

Experienced business people understand that the lowest bidder is not necessarily the best choice. The lowest bid can result in work that doesn’t meet the intended standard or, in the worst case, fails altogether.

When assessing bids, it is good business practice to consider whether the amount is sufficient to cover materials, wages and other costs, and not award a contract if those criteria are not met.

When bids are unrealistically low, the quality of materials and workmanship is often the first casualty. In extreme cases, suppliers may go unpaid and take legal action against the contractor in possession of the materials.

Keeping local money in the community whenever it can be done responsibly seems like a win, even if it comes with a modest additional cost.

Renoguy24

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Council votes to adopt new social procurement criteria

More than 16 months after a report was first requested from city staff, Prince George city council voted to implement social criteria in its procurement process at its Monday, July 20 meeting.

During council’s March 10, 2025 meeting, there was a discussion over how the City of Prince George could and should respond to the then-fresh trade war launched against Canada by U.S. President Donald Trump.

During that discussion, Coun. Kyle Sampson put forward a successful motion to have staff investigate adding social criteria to its procurement process.

Currently, city staff do not consider whether a contractor or bidder aligns with Prince George’s social or strategic goals when assigning scores to offers for supplies or services.

The motion asked staff to see how it might work to include those criteria as part of the scoring process.

After more than a year of work, director of finance and IT services Kris Dalio returned with a report outlining four social procurement options on July 20.

The first options would include social criteria on all requests for proposal (RFP), with up to five per cent of the score assigned to each bid considering elements like philanthropy offered by bidders, employment practices, whether employees of bidders make a living wage for Prince George, training

and apprenticeship opportunities for staff, climate change measures, energy efficiency, reducing use of toxic or hazardous materials and how they work with social enterprises, non-profits or First Nations.

Option 2 was largely the same but would see most invitations to tender (ITT) converted to RFP and then apply social criteria to all bids.

Dalio’s report said this would be a much more substantial change as it would require a broader review of the city’s procurement processes.

“It is recommended that the city would seek legal advice to ensure our amended bylaws, policies and solicitation templates do not expose the city to unnecessary claims,” Dalio wrote.

“Also, administration would recommend working with the Northern Regional Construction Association (NRCA), independent contractors and businesses association to ensure that we have adequately consulted with our local construction association as this would have a large effect on their members. It is anticipated that option two would take approximately 12 to 18 months to implement.”

The third options would instead have Prince George join the British Columbia Social Procurement Initiative, which Dalio said “concentrates on supporting local governments in implementing social procurement best practices to build community well-being and resilience.”

By going this route, Dalio said the intent would be to fully integrate all

aspects of procurement with the initiative and would require the city to pay a membership fee.

This organization, he said, has a relatively small membership.

The fourth and final option was to maintain the status quo, which Dalio recommended.

“Social procurement practices are still not common practice in local government and will come at a cost,” he said.

Summarizing the options during the meeting, Dalio categorized the first as the city dipping its toes into the water, the second as the city getting waistdeep and the third as a full swim.

He said once council provided him with direction, he would seek legal advice for the city’s options in implementing the social criteria.

Sampson said he supported the first option, as he felt it preserved a fair, open and competitive procurement process while still giving a nod towards local benefits provided by proponents.

He moved for administration to implement that option, using measurable community benefits like workforce development, local economic resilience, community investment, support for local supply chains, Indigenous partnership, environmental stewardship, accessibility and other tangible benefits to Prince George as the social criteria.

Coun. Cori Ramsay said she had only heard about social procurement from a few residents and didn’t think it was of much interest to more residents.

On top of that, she said there would likely be a financial cost to upholding

those principles and council had to decide whether it wanted to bear those. In her personal life, she said should would, but council is dealing with taxpayers’ money.

Coun. Brian Skakun said there would need to be written criteria to define what the “measurable community benefits would be” and that could be onerous on staff to come up with. He suggested considered of this item be postponed until council’s meeting on Monday, December 14, after this fall’s local elections on Saturday, Oct. 17.

The motion to postpone consideration was defeated after a tie vote — Coun. Trudy Klassen connected to the meeting remotely for the first portion of the meeting but disconnected by the time this item came up for discussion.

Going back to discuss Sampson’s proposal, Mayor Simon Yu said he’s heard from local suppliers who lost out in bidding for projects that they wished factors like them being local taxpayers were considered by the city.

He said he supported the motion as it would help emphasized local economic resilience.

Coun. Garth Frizzell said he viewed the proposal as a way for the city to reject low-cost bids submitted by bad actors, referencing an anti-human trafficking event held in the city the previous week. He asked whether the city had any criteria that would prevent the spending of public money in a way that benefitted people participating in things like trafficking.

City manager Walter Babicz said that as trafficking is an obviously illegal activity, that could be used as a condition to terminate a contract if that were to be discovered.

Vote summary

Motion: Council directs administration to implement social criteria in its scoring for bids under requests for proposal.

In favour: Polillo, Scott, Skakun, Yu, Frizzell, Bennett and Sampson

Against: Ramsay

Result: Approved 7 to 1, with Coun. Trudy Klassen absent

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

CITIZEN PHOTO BY COLIN SLARK

Prince George city council meets in chambers on the second floor of city hall on Monday, July 20.

Arrest warrant issued for suspect currently in India

However, there has been no effort to extradite him back to Canada

BOB MACKIN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A judge has issued an arrest warrant for a man charged with possessing child pornography in Prince George, but it will not take effect unless he returns to Canada, raising questions about why authorities are not seeking his extradition from India.

Vansh Chawla is accused of possessing child pornography in connection with an alleged offence on July 26, 2024, in Prince George.

Since February, he has appeared remotely at multiple Provincial Court hearings, saying he remains in India to care for his ill mother while waiting for a visa to return to Canada.

At a July 22 hearing, Chawla told Judge Judith Doulis he was in Ludhiana, the largest city in Punjab. It marked another delay in his arraignment.

Crown prosecutor Kristina King told the court Chawla had been reporting visa difficulties since April.

On May 20, Judge Michele Peacock granted what she described as “one, last adjournment” to allow him to obtain a visa and travel to Prince George.

“He indicated at that point that he was going to be able to do so by June 24 appearance for arraignment,” King said. “June 24, again, he was not in a position to arraign, indicated that he was still having difficulty with his visa to get to Canada.”

Lawyer Keith Jones appeared as a friend of the court July 22 and confirmed Chawla wishes to retain him.

“So far, hasn’t been able to get out of India,” Jones told Doulis.

“He’s waiting for a visa, he told me this morning, and he expects to have that process completed by the end of the month. My next available date to

assist him will be Sept. 2.”

Doulis granted the Crown’s application and issued an unendorsed bench warrant against Chawla — his second outstanding arrest warrant.

The warrant will become effective upon his return to Canada.

Despite Chawla remaining in India, extradition was not discussed during the May 20 or July 22 hearings.

At no point did Chawla indicate he was unwilling to return to Canada, instead maintaining that he was caring for his mother and facing delays in obtaining a visa.

The case raises the question of why Canadian authorities are not pursuing extradition.

Under the 1987 extradition treaty between Canada and India, an offence is extraditable when the alleged conduct is punishable in both countries by more than one year in prison.

Laws criminalizing the production, distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material exist in both Canada and India.

Last October, however, the Supreme Court of Canada, in a 5-4 decision, struck down the Criminal Code’s mandatory one-year minimum sentence for child pornography offences.

The BC Prosecution Service declined to comment on Chawla’s case.

Ann Seymour, acting communications counsel, referred instead to the Crown’s general extradition policy, which says prosecutors consider factors including the public interest, the strength and viability of the case, treaty requirements and alternatives to extradition.

“All reasonable alternatives to extradition, including voluntary return or pending deportation by the foreign states, should be considered,” the policy states.

For now, Chawla remains in India, telling the court he expects the visa process to be completed by the end of the month, while the arrest warrant will remain dormant unless and until he returns to Canada.

UNTIL AUGUST 31ST

Judge tosses lawsuit from man who claims rights breached

BOB MACKIN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A Prince George man who claims his constitutional rights were breached has again lost in BC Supreme Court, four years after a sexual interference charge against him was stayed.

Paul Peter Veeken was convicted of a 2015 offence involving a preteen girl, but successfully appealed after a judge failed to instruct the jury that certain evidence was hearsay.

He was convicted again at a new trial, but successfully appealed a second time after the judge shifted the burden of proof in edited reasons for judgment.

Veeken sued the province, a judge, a bail supervisor and the RCMP, alleging wrongful convictions, wrongful imprisonment and breaches of his constitutional rights.

A man who successfully appealed his convictions on sexual interference twice then filed a lawsuit against the province, a judge, a bail supervisor and the RCMP.

He also alleged he was assaulted at Prince George Regional Correctional Centre and during a van ride to Fraser Regional Correctional Centre.

A judge dismissed his claim in June 2023 and the Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal in March 2024.

In January, Veeken filed another civil claim against the province, along with a notice of constitutional question.

The province applied to strike the lawsuit, arguing it disclosed no

reasonable claim and amounted to an abuse of process.

Justice Kevin Loo heard the application June 30 in Prince George and released his decision July 22, striking Veeken’s claim and awarding the province $500 in costs.

Veeken argued the doctrine of abuse of process did not apply because he continues to “suffer harm from the ongoing effects of unremedied Charter breaches, creating a ‘new and distinct constitutional injury arising solely from the province’s post-strike conduct’ and, therefore, a new cause of action,” Loo wrote.

Although Veeken maintained he was not seeking to review or overturn the earlier ruling, Loo concluded the court had already decided the Charter issues.

“In this proceeding, Mr. Veeken is seeking to re-advance those same Charter claims which have been rejected at all levels of court,” Loo wrote.

Man accused of exposing himself to female jail guard

This story contains details some readers may nd disturbing

BOB MACKIN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A man with a history of sexual exhibitionism and indecent acts should be sentenced to nine months in jail, a Crown prosecutor argued.

David Luke Brass pleaded guilty July 22 in Prince George Provincial Court to exposing his genitals to a female corrections officer while serving a sentence for committing an indecent act.

Brass had been scheduled for release May 25. He had spent 59 days in custody, earning 89 days’ credit under the enhanced credit rule, leaving 181 days to serve.

Crown prosecutor Nicholas Lerfold told Judge Judith Doulis that, on April 9, a corrections officer brought Brass

into her office during time with a mental health liaison officer so he could contact his Indigenous band about money he was owed. Later, while Brass watched a car video on YouTube, the corrections officer worked a few feet away. When she looked over, she saw Brass had exposed his penis and was aggressively masturbating.

“She directed him out of the office, shouted for him to get out, and he replied that he was just scratching himself,” Lerfold said. “Other staff came and removed Mr. Brass from the office.”

Lerfold said Brass, born in 1994, has 77 criminal convictions: 39 in Winnipeg between 2007 and 2017 and 38 in BC since 2018. They range from violent offences and property crimes to breaches of court orders. Over a fouryear period, Brass spent only 221 days in the community.

“Committing 36 offences in 221 days averages an offence about every six days,” Lerfold said.

He said Brass has committed five previous indecent acts, including masturbating in a Starbucks, a breakfast restaurant and a bakery.

“Because this one wasn’t public, that’s why it was charged as a mischief, but the conduct is essentially the same,” Lerfold said. “Some may argue here that the conduct’s worse, given that it occurred in close confines with a female officer.”

Lerfold said Brass has a long history of contact with mental health services and has been diagnosed with multiple disorders, including attention deficit disorder, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. He also has a history of hallucinations, delusions and self-harm.

Defence lawyer Keith Jones argued for a sentence of time served followed by 18 months’ probation. Brass has “been basically abandoned by his family and raised in foster care through his entire life,” Jones said. He added that Brass

faces serious challenges but is trying to overcome them.

“His criminal record is unenviable, I concede that, your honour,” Jones said. “But I’ve often said that the Department of Corrections is a misnomer. It should really be described as the Department of Criminal Education because it does very little in the way of assisting people.”

Brass told the court he has a bed waiting for him at a treatment centre.

“Just waiting for my release, your honour. I’m ready to get clean off dope,” Brass said. “Ready to get my life back on track. I’m ready to not go back to people that I’ve been with.”

Doulis returned later that afternoon and told lawyers for both sides to ask court schedulers to set aside another hour to continue the sentencing hearing in a couple of weeks.

“I’m not persuaded that a time-served sentence is appropriate and I’m not persuaded that the Crown’s position is appropriate,” Doulis said.

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO

The

Burglar found in someone else’s home watching TV

Journalism Initiative Reporter

A man pleaded guilty July 23 in Provincial Court to escaping from a mental health ward in Prince George, stealing a pickup truck and fleeing to McBride, where he ended up in someone else’s house watching Netflix in late 2023.

Court heard Cody James Douglas Baker was being held under the Mental Health Act on Dec. 12, 2023, when he left the hospital wearing hospital clothes and stole a pickup truck. He got away from a security guard and drove to McBride, where the truck ran out of gas.

“It was December and -20 or -30 C and cold,” Judge Cassandra Malfair said. “So he walked over to a residence, used a rock, broke a basement window, went inside and essentially made himself at home, ate, watched some Netflix, went into a bedroom and went to bed.”

The homeowner received a security alert on her phone and called her brother. He arrived and confronted Baker, who was locked in a bedroom watching TV.

Baker left without incident and was arrested a short time later.

The homeowner told a Crown lawyer that, although she was frightened and troubled by the incident, she supported the proposed non-custodial sentence.

“It was clear to them at the time that Mr. Baker was not in his right mind,”

Malfair said. “They are showing a measure of compassion with respect to Mr. Baker being there, which I accept was not for the purpose of committing your standard criminal enterprise, but was out of necessity looking for a place to stay.”

Crown prosecutor Alex Dawson said Baker’s addiction “undoubtedly exacerbated his mental health issues.”

“It’s notable that, when Mr. Baker is properly medicated to take care of himself, he seems to have no issue with the justice system whatsoever,” Dawson said.

Baker also admitted to stealing a GMC Sierra that was left idling outside a residence on April 14, 2024.

Baker’s criminal record includes a 2017 conviction for flight from police and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, for which he received a 60-day conditional sentence and 12 months’ probation. He was also convicted of mischief after a stolen vehicle was stopped by a spike belt in November 2023.

Malfair accepted the joint sentencing submission from the Crown and defence, ordering Baker to serve an 18-month conditional sentence with a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew, followed by two years’ probation. She also prohibited him from possessing drugs, alcohol, firearms or ammunition and ordered him to attend a forensic psychiatric services program.

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Local

suspect in a case involving a stolen pickup truck and a break-in admitted his guilt in court on July 23.

Paramedics injured afer driver goes through red light

BOB MACKIN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A man admitted in court July 22 that he ran a red light, crashed into an ambulance responding to a call and injured two BC Emergency Health Services paramedics.

In Prince George provincial court, Nicolas Raymond Howes, born in 1998, pleaded guilty to failing to stop after an accident causing bodily harm. He was also charged with dangerous operation of a vehicle causing bodily harm.

Judge Judith Doulis ordered a pre-sentence report and a report on the impacts of Howes’ Indigenous background.

According to an agreed statement of facts, Howes was driving a Chevrolet Silverado towing a boat on a trailer

northbound on Carney Street toward the intersection with 15th Avenue at 65 to 70 km/h on Sept. 5, 2025. The traffic light was red.

Paramedics Rajwinder Singh and Terry Hinch were in an ambulance travelling westbound on 15th Avenue, responding to a call with its lights and siren activated. They were travelling at 60 to 65 km/h toward a green light.

The vehicles entered the intersection and collided at about 12:16 a.m. The truck was travelling between 64 and 69 km/h and the ambulance between 60 and 65 km/h. Both drivers attempted to steer away from the collision at the last second. Singh, who was driving the ambulance, applied the brakes half a second before impact, but Howes accelerated.

“Throughout the final 1.5 seconds before the collision, the accused depressed the accelerator between 92 per cent and 96 per cent, consistent with hard acceleration,” Crown prosecutor Blake Bouchard told Doulis. “As a result of the collision, the ambulance was propelled northward and rolled onto its side. The truck struck a traffic pole and then a fence, coming to rest partially through the fence.”

Howes fled on foot, got into a taxi and was dropped off at the Hart Highway Esso station around 1:40 a.m., where he borrowed the store phone to call his mother. He told the person on the other end of the line that he fled because he had hit an ambulance while drunk. He asked for a ride, then slept in a chair outside the Esso until about 7 a.m.

Later, at a hospital in Mackenzie, about two hours north of Prince George, Howes told a doctor he had hit an ambulance. He was transported back to University Hospital of Northern BC in Prince George for further testing, released and then arrested.

Singh suffered a concussion and a laceration to his head that required stitches. Hinch suffered a bruised elbow, as well as neck and back pain.

At the crash scene, Prince George RCMP investigators found an open can of Lucky Lager and an open case of Coors Seltzer in Howes’ truck.

At the time of the crash, the truck was uninsured and Howes did not have a driver’s licence.

Howes is scheduled to return to court Oct. 9.

Indian citzen banned from driving for a year afer DWI

BOB MACKIN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A 22-year-old man from India has been banned from driving for a year and fined $2,000 after pleading guilty July 24 in Prince George provincial court to impaired driving.

Crown prosecutor Abigail Robillard told Judge Martin Nadon that a woman reported to an RCMP officer in the River Point Landing parking lot on Jan. 6, 2025, that she had seen a man carried out of a pub and placed in the driver’s seat of a blue sedan.

The officer saw exhaust coming from the vehicle’s tailpipe, parked behind it and activated the emergency lights. Moksh Manishkumar Patel ignored instructions to remain inside the vehicle, got out and staggered. The officer detected a strong odour of liquor and ordered Patel to turn off the vehicle and produce his driver’s licence. Patel eventually provided a driver’s licence from India and a BC identification card. After dropping a credit card on the ground, Patel asked the officer whether he wanted to check his credit score. Patel also told the officer he intended

to remain in the vehicle for an hour to sober up.

“Mr. Patel was in care and control of the running vehicle while displaying significant signs of impairment, including slurred speech, unsteady gait and difficulty complying with police directions,” Robillard said. “Impaired driving offences, as Your Honour knows, are serious and prevalent, and they pose a substantial threat to public safety.”

The officer arrested Patel for impaired driving, handcuffed him and placed him in the police vehicle. A search of Patel’s vehicle uncovered Red Solo cups, commonly used at parties and picnics, beneath the driver’s seat.

At the RCMP detachment, Patel

provided two breath samples that registered 220 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood — nearly three times the legal limit.

Robillard said Patel had no prior criminal record, no subsequent driving violations and had accepted responsibility for his actions.

Defence lawyer Hewitt Kingston said his client is from Gujarat, India, and came to Prince George in 2022 to study but later decided “it wasn’t right for him.” Patel reduced his studies from full time to part time before withdrawing altogether.

“Since then, he’s been somewhat in limbo in Canada,” Kingston said.

Kingston described the offence as an

isolated incident and a serious mistake. He also said Patel’s passport remains in RCMP custody and that he is not permitted to work in Canada.

“I’m sorry,” Patel told Nadon. “To be honest, the whole interaction, I was too drunk. I don’t remember 90 per cent of it. It shouldn’t have happened, but I’m really sorry it did.”

Nadon accepted the joint sentencing submission from the Crown and defence. He said Patel was fortunate that a member of the public contacted police before he was able to drive away and urged him to seek help for his alcohol use.

“I’ve been in this business for a while,” Nadon said. “I can tell you that — and you’re not being sentenced for this — but 220 readings are really high, and you don’t get to 220 unless you’re an experienced drinker. So you’ve clearly been drinking a fair amount for a fairly long time.”

Nadon gave Patel until Jan. 24, 2027, to pay the fine.

The Crown stayed a second charge of operating a vehicle with a blood-alcohol concentration exceeding 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO

A man picked up by the RCMP after being found drunk behind the wheel of a vehicle had nearly three times the legal limit of alcohol in his blood, court heard.

Neighbour acquited of using a shovel as a weapon

BOB MACKIN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

They were friendly neighbours in Prince George until a quarrel about their dogs.

One accused the other of using a shovel as a weapon. The other said he was simply trying to break up a fight between the animals.

In the end, a Provincial Court judge said it was probable that Joel Thomas Hulme struck his neighbour with a shovel handle, but the Crown failed to prove its assault with a weapon case beyond a reasonable doubt.

Judge Cassandra Malfair acquitted Hulme in a July 20 ruling.

“Given the conflicting versions of events and all of the evidence, I am left in a reasonable doubt by Mr. Hulme’s evidence,” Malfair said.

“This is not a credibility contest in the criminal trial. It is not my function to resolve who I believe more, or who

A man was taken to the emergency department at the University Hospital of Northern BC after a dispute with his neighbour turned physical.

is telling the truth. I just must consider if Mr. Hulme’s evidence leaves me in a reasonable doubt and, in this case, I find it does.”

The Crown alleged Hulme shoved a shovel handle into his neighbour’s chest on March 5, 2025.

The neighbour also alleged Hulme

Prince George RCMP seized cash, suspected drugs and firearms from a business on the 1800 block of Quinn Street on Friday, July 24.

RCMP seize frearms and cash

CITIZEN STAFF

Police have seized firearms, ammunition, what’s suspected to be cocaine and nearly $10,000 in cash at a local business.

Prince George RCMP officers carried out a search warrant under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act during the early morning hours of Friday, July 24 at a business in the 1800 block of Quinn Street.

Two people were arrested during the operation but were later released without charges.

RCMP say the investigation remains ongoing while officers complete further analysis of the seized items and await any potential charge approval from the Public Prosecution Service of Canada.

was drunk and used a homophobic slur, but Malfair said she was not satisfied it was used to demean the neighbour, “particularly given the two men had been friends at that point for well over a year.”

The neighbour testified he was taken by ambulance to hospital with a bruise

and possibly cracked ribs.

Malfair noted no photographs or medical records were entered as evidence.

Hulme denied making physical contact with his neighbour, whose adopted German shepherd had shown aggressive tendencies toward people and other dogs.

Hulme testified he brought a shovel with him — the closest, most convenient tool to grab on the way out the door — to break up a fight between dogs.

The neighbour denied his dog was involved and said the two men instead exchanged angry words.

Malfair said Hulme was wearing a cast on his lower left forearm and wrist after surgery at the time of the incident.

“Mr. Hulme’s evidence about the condition of his wrist and hand raises a reasonable doubt with respect to his ability to have held the shovel with two hands, as described by the Crown witnesses,” Malfair said.

Police said the investigation remains active, and no further information has been released.

TOYS • COMICS • GAMES

PG-made beer and wine could soon sell across Canada

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

Local wineries and breweries in Prince George are encouraged by recent progress toward removing interprovincial trade barriers.

It would mean Prince George companies could soon sell their products to customers in some other provinces.

Doug Bell, president and CEO of Northern Lights Estate Winery, believes the agreement has been a long time coming.

“BC wineries have been asking for this relentlessly for over 20 years,” said Bell. “Although it has taken a long time, it’s the right decision for all Canadians.”

Historically, Bell said, the farther producers are from their customers, the more difficult and costly it becomes to sell their products.

“For small producers like Northern Lights Winery, it’s difficult to access markets like Ontario or New Brunswick,” said Bell. “As you get farther away from Prince George, it gets very costly and it’s heavily regulated, which means that we need a team of people just to be able to access those markets, and then they may not be profitable, or we may not have product to sell to them.”

Nine Canadian provinces signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on July 21 to remove interprovincial trade barriers for direct-to-consumer (DTC) alcohol sales.

The new MOU builds on the commitments made in the June 2025 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on DTC Sales of Alcoholic Beverages.

This means consumers will soon be able to order liquor, beer or wine directly to their door regardless of provincial jurisdiction in Alberta, BC, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

However, premiers in Quebec, Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut did not sign the agreement.

The agreement comes as alcohol sales and production have become a major battleground in the ongoing trade

Pacific Western Brewing, a longtime staple of Prince George, primarily sells its products in BC, but that could change with a new deal between provinces.

dispute with the United States.

A recent example came when U.S. President Donald Trump announced July 20 that a 50 per cent tariff on Canadian alcohol, including whisky, wine and beer, along with many other trade goods, would take effect Aug. 19.

In a Canadian Free Trade Agreement press release, Quebec and Yukon are identified as working with the signing provinces to develop the terms of the agreement and to implement DTC alcohol sales in their jurisdictions.

New Brunswick and Manitoba had already removed barriers to interprovincial alcohol sales before signing the July 21 MOU.

The Canadian Free Trade Agreement said BC is committing to have a system in place to implement DTC sales for all types of alcohol by February 2027.

Bell said the removal of DTC barriers will allow the winery to reach customers across the country who have been unable to purchase its products directly.

“There are many people looking for our product across Canada,” he said. “Now they’ll have the ability to have it shipped right to their door, where they didn’t have the ability before.”

While Bell does not expect DTC sales to generate a significant increase in profits, he sees an opportunity to expand the winery’s brand.

“I think that there is a great opportunity to service more people,” said Bell. “Our current production capacity is almost at its maximum. So it’s hard for us to sell much more wine. However, this does give individual customers

access, which is a good thing in that it can increase your sales by a marginal amount. However, more important is that it gives Canadians access to Canadian wines that they did not have access to before.”

Bell also said provincial regulations, while important, can place a disproportionate burden on smaller businesses.

“Each province has its own set of regulations which are there to protect consumers and ensure that people who are consuming are eligible to do so,” said Bell. “However, those regulations can also be burdensome on the businesses because of the remittance of different taxes and how the product is shipped and who is allowed to control that product, since the end consumer has to be eligible to consume. It does create problems on our end that we are able to overcome, but the smaller the business, the more difficult it is.”

Pacific Western Brewing has long been a staple of the Prince George economy, with brands including Cariboo, Dude Beer and TNT sold across BC and Canada. The brewery will celebrate its 70th anniversary in 2027.

Cindy Hartford, plant manager at Pacific Western Brewing, told The Citizen the agreement is an important first step toward increasing trade between provinces.

“This is just direct-to-consumer sales,” said Hartford. “There’s still a barrier getting your product into a liquor store in some provinces. Some provinces like Alberta are wide open, but others like Ontario are closed and there are a lot of hoops to jump through to get your

product in there. So this announcement where it’s now going direct consumers is step one. We’re hoping that this is gonna just continue to break down more barriers. Canadians across the country can start buying everybody’s product. This is trade that is needed so badly in Canada.”

Hartford said shipping costs will continue to present a challenge even after DTC barriers are removed, although she is interested to see how consumer demand changes.

“You still have a barrier of shipping. It’s not like it’s free,” said Hartford. “Most of our business is done in liquor stores and private stores still. But we’ll see, now that this has come down, we’ll see how many more requests we get. We don’t get very many, but the odd time we do ship. For instance, I have once sent to Halifax.”

Hartford believes the agreement will benefit breweries across the industry by increasing awareness and expanding market access.

“It’s not a benefit to just our brewery, but everybody,” said Hartford. “This is opening up the market a lot more. Now people will become more aware of our brewery, our products and then this is the start of the bigger picture of breaking down all barriers to getting liquor across all provinces.”

She also sees the agreement creating another potential sales channel, although its long-term impact remains uncertain.

“What it’s doing is opening up another sales channel instead of just going to the liquor store and the private stores,” said Hartford. “It’s going direct to consumers. There are a lot of things that we could consider doing in that way.”

Hartford sees strong potential for Prince George’s wine and beer sector and hopes DTC sales will help local producers strengthen their presence.

“There’s the brewery here, the winery and all the microbreweries in town and cideries,” she said. “We’ve got the full suite right here in town. It’s definitely a possibility that this will get everybody stronger and make more of an imprint for Prince George.”

CITIZEN PHOTO BY MATTHEW HILLIER

Now-vacant CrossRoads property goes up for sale

The former CrossRoads Brewing and Distillery property in downtown Prince George has been listed for sale for $799,900, nearly a year after a fire destroyed the business and its owner said he would not rebuild under current conditions in the city’s downtown.

The vacant lot at 508 George St., located at the corner of Fifth Avenue, is being marketed as a redevelopment opportunity. The property carries C1 Downtown Commercial zoning and is described in the listing as a cleared, shovel-ready site suited for high-density development.

The listing highlights the property’s proximity to the neighbouring 200-room Ramada hotel, noting hotel guests were among Crossroads’ best customers. It also points to nearby public and private investment in the downtown core.

The sale follows comments made by

CrossRoads co-owner Daryl Leiski to the city’s standing committee on public safety shortly after the Sept. 5, 2025 fire that destroyed the brewery and restaurant.

Speaking at a Sept. 16 committee meeting, Leiski said the fire had left about 50 employees without work and that he would not rebuild the business in what he described as the current downtown climate of crime, vandalism and homelessness.

“I do want to rebuild, but I will not rebuild in this climate at all,” Leiski told the committee. “I cannot put my people at risk, my money at risk. I just can’t.”

Premier David Eby later cited Leiski’s situation when announcing the return of involuntary care to the province. That announcement, made at the annual convention of the Union of BC Municipalities in Victoria in late September, led to the official start of development of a Prince George facility on July 10.

Brad Popof joins MCABC board

The president of a Prince George company has joined the board of directors of the Mechanical Contractors Association of British Columbia (MCABC).

Brad Popoff of Equity Plumbing and Heating Ltd.,was elected to the board after a member-approved governance change to increase board capacity.

“Our board embodies the strength, diversity and breadth of the mechanical

contracting industry,” said chair Kyle Wisniewski in a press release.

“Together, we are committed to ensuring MCABC continues to deliver value for members, champion industry priorities, and help advance and shape a prosperous future for our industry.”

CITIZEN STAFF

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO

Crews work on repairs to a water line at the site of the former CrossRoads Brewing and Distillery on Tuesday, Jan. 20. The site has now been cleared.

CITIZEN STAFF

Popoff

Province increases emergency funding

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

The province has approved $3.5 million in funding for 110 projects in hundreds of communities across BC to help local governments and First Nations better respond to emergencies.

The funding is being provided through the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund to support local emergency operations centres (EOCs) in 138 communities across the province.

“Emergency operations centres are the backbone of a co-ordinated response when an emergency happens,” said Kelly Greene, minister of emergency management and climate readiness. “This funding will help local governments and First Nations with the equipment, training and exercises they need to run their emergency operations centres effectively, so communities throughout BC get the support they need as quickly as possible.”

EOCs are facilities where local government and First Nations staff and volunteers direct resources, co-ordinate with local partners and support first responders during emergencies and evacuations.

“Continued funding through the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund is critical to helping local governments and First Nations maintain strong emergency preparedness and response capacity,” said Cori Ramsay, president of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities. “These investments contribute to safer, more resilient communities throughout BC.”

The fund provides emergency operations centres with equipment and training. It also supports local emergency services, including fire departments and search-and-rescue organizations, by funding equipment and training, public notification and evacuation route planning, and disaster risk reduction initiatives.

Since the fund was established in 2017, the province has committed $369 million through all Community Emergency Preparedness Fund streams.

More than $350 million has been

Drowning took 93 lives in 2025: BC Coroners

Statistics shared by the BC Coroners Service illustrate the problem.

There were 93 accidental drowning deaths in the province in 2025, a rate of 1.6 deaths per 100,000. This is a five per cent decrease from the 98 deaths reported in 2024, the service reports.

Northern Health saw nine deaths in 2025 from accidental drowning.

However, the Northern Health area saw the highest rate of accidental drowning deaths, with 2.9 deaths per 100,000, followed by Interior Health with 2.7 deaths per 100,000.

Eighty-six per cent of those who lost their lives were male, with a death rate of 2.8 per 100,000.

provided to First Nations and local governments for more than 2,800 projects across the province.

Many Northern communities and First Nations are set to receive funding to boost their EOC capacity.

The following local communities have received emergency support funding:

• Burns Lake: Audio-visual equipment, training and a mock activation exercise to build emergency response capacity. Approved funding: $29,700.

• Cariboo Regional District: Technology upgrades and a tabletop exercise to strengthen EOC operations. Approved funding: $29,743.

• Fraser-Fort George Regional District: Office furniture, training and an exercise to support EOC operations. Approved funding: $30,000.

• Valemount: IT equipment, EOC supplies and a tabletop exercise to strengthen emergency operations readiness. Approved funding: $18,325.

• Wells: IT equipment,

workstations and training to build EOC infrastructure and staff capacity. Approved funding: $21,316.

• Smithers: Staff EOC training and an exercise to build emergency operations readiness. Approved funding: $30,000.

• Quesnel: Connectivity equipment to improve EOC communications and operations. Approved funding: $10,899.

• McBride: A mobile EOC trailer and office supplies to enable flexible emergency operations. Approved funding: $29,353.

• McLeod Lake Indian Band: Office supplies and furniture to support emergency operations. Approved funding: $30,000.

• Mackenzie: A generator and training to strengthen emergency operations capacity. Approved funding: $15,910.

• Lhtako Dene Nation: Communications and IT equipment to strengthen EOC connectivity and operations. Approved funding: $30,000.

In 2025, the highest age-specific death rates were observed among people aged 70 and up and those aged 19-29. Those age groups accounted for 23 per cent and 20 per cent of drowning deaths, respectively.

Most deaths occurred in lakes or ponds, with 27 fatalities making up 29 per cent of deaths, followed by 19 deaths that occurred in rivers and creeks, making up 20 per cent. As well, in BC, 19 deaths occurred in baths, making up 20 per cent of accidental drowning deaths.

Between 2015 and 2024, alcohol and/ or drugs were identified as a factor in 40 per cent of accidental drowning deaths. However, the BC Coroners Service stated that alcohol and drug data for 2025 are not yet available.

Over the past decade, the Fraser River has seen a total of 48 drowning deaths, making it the river with the highest number of fatalities. Okanagan Lake was the highest lake with 33.

The BC Coroners Service has also released preliminary data for 2026.

So far, there have been 40 accidental drowning deaths in BC between May 1 and July 16. This is compared to the 26 deaths during the same period in 2025.

BC WILDFIIRE SERVICE PHOTO

The Pear Lake wildfire is seen from the air on Thursday, July 23. The fire continued to spread into the weekend, forcing the evacuation of the village of Clinton, BC.

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

Setlement reached in grizzly hunt class-acton lawsuit

Each out tter will receive about $20,422 before administrative costs, judge rules

BOB MACKIN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Guide outfitters who sued the NDP government for compensation after the 2017 ban on grizzly bear hunting will share a $3.7-million settlement.

Guide outfitters who relied on the hunt for revenue accused the government of negligent misrepresentation and misfeasance in public office. A June 15 BC Supreme Court ruling, published July 21, said the deputy attorney general approved the settlement reached March 13.

Under the settlement, the $3.7 million will be divided among the 69 class members in exchange for a full release of claims and dismissal of the class action, with prejudice and without costs.

“I find that the settlement agreement and the payment of $3.7 million, in light of there being approximately 69 class members, is well within the zone of reasonableness,” Justice Elizabeth McDonald ruled.

“If not for the settlement, each class member would be required to demonstrate at the individual issues stage that they personally relied on the defendant’s alleged representations, with significant expense and considerable extra time being required.”

McDonald said that, had the dispute proceeded to individual trials, additional issues would have arisen, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the duty to mitigate damages.

Class members were notified after an April 22 court order that gave them a month to object.

Only one person, identified by the initials B.D., objected, arguing his actual loss was $180,000.

He did not appear in court to present his objection.

“The settlement amount represents a

compromise by the parties based on a variety of factors,” McDonald said.

Lead plaintiff Ronald Gordon Fleming approved the agreement on behalf of his Hazelton-based company, Love Bros. and Lee Ltd. McDonald noted that Fleming did not seek compensation for acting as representative plaintiff.

“Mr. Fleming does not seek an honorarium for his efforts as a representative plaintiff, and he regards his efforts as a matter of service on behalf of the guide outfitting industry.”

The settlement funds were to be paid into trust with class counsel within 30 days, followed by an application for approval of their administration and distribution based on each class member’s 2017 grizzly hunting quota.

McDonald said the settlement was a better offer than the compensation available when the hunt was banned and about 30 per cent higher than the government’s transition fund. It also allows class members to spend the money as they choose.

“Using a formula described in the notice of application, at this point this would result in a payment of approximately $20,422 per quota, less administration costs, subject to actual class members who apply and their actual quotas,” the judge said.

Weeks after John Horgan’s NDP formed government in July 2017, it announced trophy hunting of grizzly bears would end Nov. 30, 2017.

After a public consultation, forests, lands, natural resource operations and rural development minister Doug Donaldson and environment and climate change strategy minister George Heyman jointly announced in December 2017 that the grizzly bear hunt would end throughout the province.

“The settlement amount represents a compromise by the parties based on a variety of factors.”

A $3.7 million settlement from the province will be divided among the 69 outfitters who joined a class-action lawsuit after grizzly hunting was banned in 2017.

COMMUNITY

What’s happening in PG

Orchestra North Summer Program goes from Aug. 3 to 7 in partnership with the Prince George Symphony Orchestra and the Conservatory of Music, 3555 Fifth Ave. This includes five wonderful days of music for all ages, including adults. For all the details visit www.orchestranorth.com/registration/ summerprogram

Music in the Park goes Thursday, July 30, Aug. 6 and 20 at 6 p.m. at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park Pavilion. Enjoy free live music on Thursdays throughout the summer. These events are sponsored by the City of Prince George and BCLC.

Hospice Country Music Festival 2026 goes Thursday, Aug. 6 at the Prince George Rodeo Grounds at CN Centre starring chart-topper Aaron Goodvin and featuring local favourites Chris Goodwin, Rick Stavely and YXS and is a fundraiser for the Prince George Hospice Palliative Care Society. Along with the entertainment there will be food trucks, a local vendor market, beer gardens, games and activities, like hot-air balloon rides. For more information and tickets starting at $65 visit www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/ hospice-country-music-festival

Sunita Staneslow Harp Workshop goes Saturday, Aug. 8 at 3 p.m. at the Prince George Conservatory of Music, 3555 Fifth Ave. Learn to create instant beauty with glissandos and beautiful improvisations. It is easy if you focus on what makes a phrase. Participants will work on turning interesting arpeggios into a soundscape of floating colour. The suspended chords and adding the ninth are the secret ingredients. It is all about the flow. This is for all levels. For more information and to register visit www.pgconservatory.ca/event/ harpworkshop

Creative Space Sundays at Two Rivers Gallery goes Sunday, Aug. 9, 16, 23 and 30 from 1 to 4 p.m. An artful afternoon to let your creativity soar. Come alone, with family or friends. Aug. 9 - Cool Clay Beads; Aug. 16 Butterfly Suncatcher; Aug 23 Recycling Sculpture

People ride the Slingshot during last year’s BCNE. The exhibition is back for its 113th year from Thursday, Aug. 13 to Sunday, Aug. 16.

and on Aug. 30 Colourful Woven Turtles. Pre-register then pay at the Creative Space Sunday sessions. $9 per adult, $5 per child, $18 per family. Free for members. These Sunday sessions continue for the rest of the year. For more information and to register visit www.tworiversgallery.ca/series/ creative-space-sundays

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

BCNE 2026 with the theme Spooktacular – a four-day Halloween Party – goes Thursday, Aug. 13 to Sunday, Aug. 16. This event is presented by the Prince George Agricultural and Historical Association. The BC Northern Exhibition is celebrating its 113th year. For all the details visit www.bcne.ca/bcne Summer’s Rot goes Saturday, Aug. 15 at Omineca Arts Centre, 369 Victoria St. This event brings three metal bands together including Plagued by Fire, LOWR – Lich of Willow River and headlined by Tortion from Kamloops. This is an all ages show with doors at 7 and show at 8 p.m. Entry at the door is $25. 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

Metis Community Picnic goes Sunday, Aug. 23 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1200 LeSalle 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. Bring a lawn chair. To register call 236-423-3455 or email princegeorgecc@mnbc.ca.

Sweater Weather Market goes Saturday, Sept. 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at CN Centre. This is the 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

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 travelling from across Canada. . 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. RSVP at 587-377-5722. Walk-ins welcome.

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CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

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COMMUNITY

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 the National 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. Mangan sings for his kids, his wife and a society in existential crisis. 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, bringing all the attitude and power of 1980 when AC/DC was Young and Hungry. For more information and tickets visit www.eventbrite.ca/e/ pwrup-acdc-canadas-premier-tributeconcert-prince-george

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 the 2026 Prince George Terry Fox Run on Sunday, September 20th. 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

Canadian Cancer Society is looking for Wheels of Hope drivers who make a significant impact on the lives of those battling cancer. This role involves

flexible scheduling, confirming travel arrangements, ensuring client safety while adhering to CCS policies. CCS will provide training as volunteers join a dedicated team of more than 1600 drivers. Commit to a minimum of half a day to one day per week and be part of a mission to support and uplift those in need. For more information contact Wheels of Hope at 1-800-939-3333 or email volunteer@cancer.ca or visit www.cancer.ca//living-with-cancer/howwe-can-help/cancer-travel-and-accommodation-services-bc

Craft & Chat at the main branch of the Prince George Public Library goes every Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. in the magazine corner, second floor, where fibre artists are invited to bring their latest projects to share, vent frustrations, brag about successes, get and give help and join in lively discussions. Snacks provided. This event is in partnership with Great Northwest Fibre Fest. Myeloma Support Group goes every third Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. at Commonwealth Financial, 575 Victoria St. Everyone is welcome who has been diagnosed, those who are caregivers,

family members and friends. Wheelchair accessible parking at the back of the building. For more information call Viv Lougheed at 250-981-2618.

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.

Teen Summer Art Club goes Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to noon at Studio 2880, 1880-15th Ave. Presented by the Community Arts Council Prince George & District these sessions feature a variety of artists. July 8 and 27 Watercolour Splash & Flow with Liana Ziemer takes place, T-shirt Madness with Cat Sivertsen goes July 15 and August 19, Acrylic on Canvas with Marylin Schmaus goes July 22 and Aug. 12 and Art Journaling with Si Transken goes July 29 and August 5. Each session is $50 and these events are geared for those ages 13 to 17. For more information and to register visit www.studio2880.com/programs/ youth-programs/summer-arts-camp

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

PWR/UP/FACEBOOK PHOTO NISBETT

The tribute band PWR/UP brings the music of AC/DC to the Prince George Playhouse on Saturday, Sept. 12.

LOOK SKY UP IN THE

Crowds cheer the aerial acrobatics as the Vanderhoof Air Show returns for another big year

Spectacular performances thrill fans

More than 2,000 people from Vanderhoof and beyond were treated to an unforgettable show during the 49th annual Vanderhoof International Airshow, held July 25-26.

The show was held at the Vanderhoof Municipal Airport and featured a wide lineup of aviation performances, food vendors, balloon rides, police dog demonstrations, historical aviation displays and much more.

A highlight for aviation fans was Yellow Thunder, an aerobatic pilot duo led by Drew and Dave Watson, whose performances focus on tight formation precision.

Another crowd-pleasing performance came from Ryan McQueen of Sherwood Park, Alta., who sped down the Vanderhoof Airport runway in a custom home-built jet-powered dragster called the Insanity Jet Car.

The Red Fox Airshow also put on a spectacular performance in a Pitts Special S-2S, an aerobatic biplane known for its impressive capabilities, piloted by Yuichi Takagi.

Glenn Pearce brought a historical perspective to the airshow by performing dive-bombing manoeuvres in the SBD Dauntless, an iconic Second World War dive bomber from the Ericson Collection.

Other performances included the Geronimo Skydiving Team, the JSX-02 Microjet and Neil Harris flying the Giles G200, among many others.

Airshow organizers thanked staff, vendors, volunteers and the many attendees and said they are already planning the 50th annual airshow next year.

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

ABOVE: Balloon rides were available during the Vanderhoof International Airshow.

BELOW: It isn’t just aircraft — Ryan McQueen from Sherwood Park, Alberta, blasts off down the Vanderhoof Airport runway in a custom, home-built jet-powered dragster called the Insanity Jet Car.

ABOVE: A stunt plane releases smoke during an aerial performance at the Vanderhoof International Airshow.

BELOW: A skydiver with a Canadian Flag chute comes in for a landing.

LEFT: An RCMP police dog poses for a photo in front of an RCMP helicopter.

RIGHT: A pilot gains altitude during one of the many performances during the weekend’s aerial activity in Vanderhoof.

BELOW: A vintage biplane lines up on the runway before taking off into the air.

DAVID LOEWEN PHOTO

CYNTHIA DALY PHOTO

CITIZEN STAFF PHOTO

CITIZEN STAFF PHOTO

CITIZEN STAFF PHOTO

DAVID LOEWEN PHOTO

DAVID LOEWEN PHOTO

DAVID LOEWEN PHOTO

HAPPY DAY BC

As we celebrate BC Day, let’s see how well you know our premiers

There have been some interesting characters

1. Which BC premier holds the record for the shortest time in office — just 107 days?

A) Dan Miller

B) Edward Gawler Prior

C) Joseph Martin

D) Robert Beaven

2. Who was the longest-serving BC premier, holding power for more than 20 consecutive years?

A) W.A.C. Bennett

B) Richard McBride

C) Gordon Campbell

3. Premier Richard McBride’s government bought what type of military craft to defend BC’s coast during the First World War?

A) Battleships

B) Submarines

C) Biplanes

D) Torpedo boats

4. John Robson was premier from 1889 to 1892. Which of these is NOT named after him?

A) Robson Street, Vancouver

B) Mount Robson

C) Robson, B.C.

D) Robson Square, Vancouver

Richard McBride, premier during the First World War, wanted to make sure BC was safe from attack.

HAPPY DAY BC

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5. This premier (from 1918-1927) oversaw the provincial takeover of the Pacific Great Eastern railway to force the line north to Prince George, helping our city become the hub that it is.

A) John Duncan MacLean

B) John Hart

C) John Oliver

D) Robert Beaven

6. Which job did Premier Amor de Cosmos NOT also hold at any point?

A) Federal member of Parliament

B) Mayor of Victoria

C) Newspaper publisher

D) Klondike hot-food delivery owner

7. One premier introduced mandatory health insurance and a three per cent sales tax to pay for it, but saw his

coalition collapse when his Conservative allies backed out. Who was he?

A) John Hart

B) Boss Johnson

C) Dave Barrett

D) W.A.C. Bennett

8. Which premier was responsible for establishing the Agricultural Land Reserve and creating ICBC?

A) Dave Barrett

B) Mike Harcourt

C) Bill Bennett

D) Dan Miller

9. Premier Boss Johnson was born

Bjorn Jonsson, but his Icelandic family anglicized it before he picked up the nickname ‘Boss.’ What was the English first name his parents chose?

A) Bruce

B) Brian

C) Byron

D) Bernard

10. Premier Bill Bennett oversaw major infrastructure upgrades for Vancouver, including BC Place, the Coquihalla and which transit system?

A) The SeaBus

B) SkyTrain

C) Pacific Great Eastern Railway

D) West Coast Express

11. Premier Bill Vander Zalm resigned due to a conflict-of-interest scandal involving what somewhat magical amusement park property?

A) Enchanted Forest

B) Fantasy Gardens

C) Dinotown

D) Storyeum

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HAPPY DAY BC

Strange and unusual tdbits about BC’s leadership

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

12. Who was the first female premier of British Columbia?

A) Rita Johnston

B) Christy Clark

C) Joy MacPhail

D) Kim Campbell

13. Which NDP premier was forced to resign in 1996 because of the political controversy known as “Bingogate?”

A) Glen Clark

B) Mike Harcourt

C) Dave Barrett

D) Dan Miller

14. Current Premier David Eby is six

feet, seven inches tall. Because of that, he uses a special piece of equipment. What is it?

HAPPY BC DAY

TO OUR MORE THAN 33,000 WEEKLY READERS THANK YOU FOR MAKING US YOUR FIRST CHOICE FOR LOCAL NEWS AND SPORTS IN PRINT AND ONLINE

A) A motorized podium that can be raised for him and lowered for others.

B) A black SUV with extended legroom in the back.

C) A private plane that he can fly in comfortably.

D) An extra-large desk and chair.

15. Premier Gordon Campbell resigned in 2010 largely due to public backlash over the sudden introduction of which policy?

A) Carbon tax

B) BC Rail sale

C) Harmonized Sales Tax (HST)

D) Bridge Tolls

16. Ujjal Dosanjh made history as Canada’s first Indo-Canadian provincial premier. During his brief tenure, his government established what?

A) The BC Lobbyist Registry

B) The Sex Offenders Registry

C) The Environmental Protection Registry

D) The Foreign Buyers Real Estate Registry

17. John Horgan became premier by forming a minority government backed by a confidence-and-supply agreement with which party?

A) The Conservative Party of BC

B) The BC Liberal Party

C) The BC Green Party

D) Independent MLAs

18. Christy Clark served as premier for 56 days without holding a seat in the Legislature until winning a byelection in which riding?

A) Vancouver-Point Grey

B) Westside- Kelowna

C) Surrey-Newton

D) Abbotsford South

19. George Anthony Walkem holds a unique distinction in BC political history. What is it?

A) He was the youngest premier ever elected.

B) He is the only premier to serve two non-consecutive terms.

C) He served as premier while simultaneously sitting in federal parliament.

D) He was the first BC premier born in Canada.

20. How many premiers has BC had?

A) 22

B) 29

C) 33

D) 37

Premier David Eby, seen here chatting with city councillors at an event in PG earlier in July, is known for his height.

Clark

Celebrating British Columbia. Celebrating Prince George. Opening

the Door to Our

Future.

BC Day is an opportunity to celebrate the place we call home.

From our forests and rivers to our thriving businesses, hardworking families, volunteers, and community organizatons, Britsh Columbia is built by people who care deeply about where they live. Here in Prince George, that spirit is part of who we are.

We are a city that has never been afraid of hard work. We step up when our neighbours need us. We support local businesses. We cheer for our kids on the ice, on the feld, and in the classroom. We volunteer, we innovate, and we contnue building a community that generatons of families are proud to call home.

Prince George has enormous potental.

We are the economic heart of Northern Britsh Columbia. We have incredible entrepreneurs, dedicated workers, outstanding educators, world-class health professionals, vibrant arts and culture, and some of the most generous volunteers anywhere in Canada. We have every reason to be optmistc about our future.

As Mayor, my commitment will be simple:

• To listen before making decisions.

• To work respectully with Council, community partners, First Natons, businesses, and residents.

• To focus on practcal solutons that improve everyday life.

• To be transparent, accountable, and accessible.

• Most importantly, to always put Prince George frst.

Leadership is not about having all the answers. It is about bringing people together to fnd the best ones.

I believe our city is strongest when we focus less on what divides us and more on what unites us. We all want safe neighbourhoods, a growing local economy, responsible stewardship of taxpayers’ dollars, and opportunites for our children and grandchildren to build their futures here at home.

This BC Day, let’s celebrate everything that makes Prince George such a remarkable place to live—and let’s look ahead with confdence. Together, we can build a city that refects the values of the people who call it home: hard work, respect, integrity, compassion, and optmism.

Thank you for taking the tme to read this message. I look forward to meetng more of you in the weeks and months ahead, hearing your ideas, and earning your trust.

Have a safe and happy BC Day.

Roy Stewart, Candidate for Mayor, City of Prince George Experienced, thoughtul leadership that listens, brings people together, and focuses on practcal solutons. Authorized by Eric Evans, Financial Agent for Roy Stewart for Mayor.

Two Rivers Gallery reopens with visions of the future

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

Visitors to the Two Rivers Gallery can get a glimpse of two different visions of a post-apocalyptic future over the next few months.

In the venue’s first major exhibition since renovations temporarily closed the gallery, Paradise Lost is showcasing the work of Jazz Keillor and Laura St. Pierre until Oct. 11.

The Citizen caught up with both artists at the gallery before the exhibit’s opening on July 23.

Keillor introduced herself as being from Kjipuktuk, a Mi’kmaq word meaning “great harbour” that refers to the area now known as Halifax, N.S.

She said the paintings displayed in the front gallery examine contemporary relationships with the land and ideas of wilderness from a bird’s-eye view.

Many of the paintings are on canvases cut into unconventional shapes. They depict landscapes that appear untamed and unpopulated but contain subtle signs that people once lived there.

“A lot of my work is based on looking at the history of outdoor recreation in North America and some of the ironies that exist within that history,” Keillor said. “It’s kind of developed into this idealized vision of wilderness, where the idea of wilderness as an escape is more important than the specific location itself and some of the tensions that holds.”

One piece depicts a campsite with rocks arranged in the floor plan of a house, complete with furnishings laid out in what would be each room.

Keillor said that while living briefly in Vancouver, she became interested in backpacking and camping. That led her to think about the irony of people seeking an escape into nature while expecting many of the comforts of home.

The floor plan in the piece is based on a prefabricated home she found advertised online, inspiring its title, Floor Plan for Adorable Bungalow.

Keillor said she considers the frames to be as much a part of each work as the paintings themselves, describing them as “organic portals into these strange

little scenarios.”

Growing up in the industrial city of Hamilton, Ont., Keillor said nature was often viewed as an escape. Over time, she came to question whether that separation really exists.

“I like to use the analogy that there’s nothing more natural than a bee in a beehive or a beaver in a beaver dam,” Keillor said. “Than a human in their house. A lot of my work is exploring the systems of control like capitalism and colonialism that have come to shape this very idealized version of wilderness, pointing out these absurdities and also pointing out that these boundaries don’t exist.”

Walking into the second gallery, the contrast between the two artists’ work is immediately apparent. A shack stands

human society and in other imagined scenes.

By using her own body in the work, St. Pierre said she is drawing on a long tradition of women doing the same in photography.

“There’s no animals, there’s not too many other people and there’s no plant life except for what she creates and nurtures,” St. Pierre said. “She plants little gardens in different spaces and she’s responsible for keeping them alive and protecting them from the elements.”

To create the scenes, St. Pierre said she and a partner head out at dawn or dusk to stage photo shoots. The work is generally done without permission, guerrilla-style, because she leaves no garbage behind and does not damage the sites.

Although many people think of photography as inherently documentary, St. Pierre said she considers her work “constructed photography,” assembling imagined elements into carefully created scenes.

Video has always been part of The Sower’s story, she said, but the work has evolved from short clips to longer pieces.

in the middle of the room, containing what appears to be a bank of security camera monitors.

St. Pierre introduced herself as a queer francophone visual artist from Saskatoon, Sask.

Unlike Keillor’s work, St. Pierre’s photographic and video installations include people.

The central figure in her post-apocalyptic world — which she stresses is “in the not too far future” — is called The Sower.

The Sower lives in a largely lifeless urban landscape where the only greenery is what she has cultivated herself. Photographs show St. Pierre portraying the character in abandoned homes, carrying a tree wrapped in plastic on her back, tending plants among the ruins of

Projected onto one gallery wall is a circular video running in a five-hour loop. It shows The Sower working with half a dozen other women known as The Gardeners, using body heat and breath to propagate seeds that have grown into a flourishing garden by the end of the film.

Inside the shack is a setup of six computer monitors, each displaying a different video feed of The Sower’s activities. A switchboard-style device on the table allows visitors to select one feed to be displayed across all the screens.

“The shack is supposed to be reminiscent of a security shack,” St. Pierre said. “So in a way, it’s surveilling different spaces that she’s growing things in. Through this weird glitch in time, we can see her at work in different spaces at the same time and how she’s caring for her plants.”

St. Pierre said the work is not intended as a message of hopelessness or despair, but rather as an invitation to think about reciprocity and care.

CITIZEN PHOTOS BY COLIN SLARK

Halifax artist Jazz Keillor (top photo) with her Biomes Series and Saskatoon artist Laura St. Pierre with Diffusion and Pied-a-terre (bottom photo) are exhibiting their work at Two Rivers Gallery until October.

Throwback Thursday: Week of July 30

July 29, 1992: A re ghter took directions on where to spray water to stop natural gas from concentrating after a pipe was broken during the demolition of the former Triad Racquet Centre, which had been destroyed by re on May 18, 1991. The gas leak at the 700 Kinsmen Place property forced the evacuation of about 30 homes on Tay Crescent and Stuart Drive. The site is now a parking lot. CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

July 31, 1961: It took ve locomotives to pull 12 train cars full of pipe for the construction of the Westcoast Transmission oil pipeline from Kamloops to Taylor. The load, which was coming from Edmonton, passed through Prince George on its way to Hixon. CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY HAL VANDERVOORT

July 30, 2008: It was a balancing act for Dave Brown of Surespan Construction as he walked a steel girder after bringing parts to other workers during the expansion of the Simon Fraser Bridge. CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY DAVID MAH

July 30, 1975: Mayor Harold Moffat displayed the sneakerclad feet he said would defeat Kamloops Mayor Al Thompson in a walkathon that coming September called WACK, or Walk a Calculated Kilometre. The winning city would record the highest total kilometres walked in three-kilometre segments, with the mayors taking part. In the end, though, Kamloops won out, walking a collective 95,688 km to PG’s 90,792. About 12,000 Prince George residents took part. CITIZEN PHOTO BY DOUG WELLER

Local Sports

Special Olympics athletes heading to natonals

The 1,700-plus competitors will include 14 from PG

CHRISTINE DALGLEISH

Citizen Staff

Fourteen Special Olympics BC Prince George athletes are heading to Medicine Hat, Alta., to compete at the 2026 Special Olympics National Summer Games from Aug. 11 to 15.

More than 1,700 athletes will come together to test their strength, speed and skill at the national level, hoping to earn the opportunity to represent Canada at the 2027 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Chile.

The Prince George athletes will compete in golf, swimming, basketball, rhythmic gymnastics, five-pin bowling and track and field. They qualified for nationals at the Special Olympics BC Summer Games, held in Prince George from July 10 to 12, 2025.

Tyler LeFebvre is the only Prince George athlete competing in track and field.

LeFebvre is a wheelchair athlete who will compete in the 30-metre slalom, 25-metre sprint, turbo javelin and shot put.

Wilma VanHage, track and field coach and public relations co-ordinator, said Tyler calls his new racing wheelchair the Black Panther.

During training, LeFebvre is assisted by his father, Alain, because the racing wheelchair is very tippy. Tyler has to stay in a forward-leaning position at all times as he races down the track.

LeFebvre enjoys his time racing but that’s not where his love lies.

“My favourite event is the javelin,” he said.

And the reason is apparent. LeFebvre sent that thing flying through the air, getting better with each toss.

Special Olympics BC Prince George athletes Darcie Muzychka,

ing at the Canada Summer Games in Medicine Hat Aug. 11 to 15.

When I visited LeFebvre’s track and field practice there were other athletes training there as well, including Adam Spokes, an all-around great athlete who chose to focus his talents on basketball for the first time.

Spokes had competed at the national level in five-pin bowling in 2020 so this is the first time that he will experience the national competition as a member of a basketball team.

The team Spokes is on consists of three players from Prince George, including Chase Caron and Josh Mehrassa and six others from Kelowna, making practice a challenge.

“I will just be glad to be there,” Spokes said about the upcoming nationals.

“It just proves that all that hard work means something and then, of course, the nationals in itself — you are a nationally ranked athlete — and you should be proud of that.”

Michaela

Spokes said he knows playing basketball is a much more demanding sport compared to his five-pin bowling competition.

“And with five-pin you can really only control your game — if you get a good score that’s all you can really do but with basketball it’s always got to be a group effort,” Spokes said. “One person can’t do it alone.”

So what’s it like to be a nationally ranked athlete?

“It’s humbling, to tell you the truth,” Spokes said.

“And it’s really given me a big boost of self esteem.”

The biggest thrill for Spokes was when the Kelowna Thunder, the team the three Prince George players are on, participated in the biggest basketball competition west of Toronto called the North Shore March Madness tournament in Vancouver held Feb. 28 to

March 1 where 25 teams competed.

“We had to go up against the topranked team Richmond and all the other top-rated teams and we managed to take gold,” Spokes said, with a head shake of disbelief.

“We won the whole thing! And we’d only had one practice and we looked at March Madness like our second practice with the three from Prince George and the six from Kelowna and we were just trying to meld something together and it’s got our hopes up while trying to stay humble because you know everybody can have goods days and bad days and we all know that it’s the ones that are far too confident that will get tripped up the quickest.”

Spokes is mostly on defense but sometimes he has to step up to be centre, he said.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

CITIZEN PHOTO BY CHRISTINE DALGLEISH

left,

Samsonoff and Angela Hills will be compet-

Sports include basketball, golf, track and feld and more SPORTS

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

“But I’m not usually the one that gets those layups,” Spokes said.

“I’m the one that gets the rebounds and gets the ball to where it needs to be. If my teammates feel safe when I am back on defence then they feel more confident about going up to score.”

Spokes said when he goes into a game he’s always looking for chances.

“You look for opportunities and then don’t get bogged down if your opportunity doesn’t pan out. You just have to keep trying again and again and again. OK, that one worked! Try again, try again, try again — Ok that didn’t work, so try again, try again, try again. You just can’t get bogged down and stop — you just have to keep going.”

Spokes, in his wisdom, sounds like he’s talking about life, not just a game of basketball.

He has a great perspective going into the nationals and reflected on what it took to get there.

“It’s nice to know that all the hard work over the years — the sweat and tears — actually amounts to something but at the same time you also don’t want to be expecting too much,” Spokes said.

“I always think of it more as taking a look at the level I am at — this is good and now I will start thinking about what I need to do to get to that next level and keep on doing that, always keeping in mind that nobody succeeds all the time. There’s going to be plateaus and there’s always going to be some going back while always moving forward. So I focus on realistic goals and you always have to think about what you can actually achieve and always trying to do your best.”

Taryn Atkinson, a UNBC student, started volunteering with Special Olympics BC Prince George as a basketball coach two years ago.

“I’ve always been really passionate about sports and when I came across it online I thought ‘oh, this looks like a really great volunteer opportunity to help out with my community,” Atkinson said.

“Because our team is made of the three from Prince George and six from Kelowna we are just practising by ourselves, so the focus is on our skills, making sure they are ready to go, so passing, shooting, defence, offence and a lot of cardio because it’s a five-day competition so we’re making sure their fitness is up and they are ready for that.”

Atkinson will be attending the nationals as a Team BC assistant basketball coach.

Atkinson agreed with Spokes that the March Madness tournament where the Kelowna Thunder took gold was momentous.

“You never know what to expect and you just want the athletes to play their best and for them to win that tournament was just so exciting and really special and it was just a bit of a glimpse into what’s going to happen at nationals,” Atkinson said. “So my hope for nationals is that they play their best, have fun and hopefully win — I think

“They aren’t strangers — they will be new friends,” Snyders said.

The unfortunate thing about the 10-pin bowling is that nationals is as far as the athletes can take their competition because in Santiago, Chile where the worlds will be held next year, they have no 10-pin bowling alley.

“Some areas don’t have it,” Renner added.

“So this is their grand hurrah,” Cole said.

Cole has been coaching Prince George athletes for 12 years.

“So I’m their training coach so I won’t be coaching them during the competition so they will have different coaches as well,” Cole explained.

“So I’m going to support them and cheer them on.”

Cole talked about last year’s BC Summer Games in Prince George.

“It was a really nice opportunity for them to showcase their sport in front of their hometown crowd so from there they earned the honour to go to Nationals,” Cole said.

they can do it.”

The Prince George bowlers will see something a bit different going on for their competition.

There are 28 bowlers from BC attending the nationals and they will be put in teams of four that have similar averages to level the playing field, coach Tracy Cole, explained. There are 118 bowlers who will attend nationals from across the country.

Only two of the five Prince George athletes will be on the same team. That’s Emilie Snyders, who has competed at the Nationals four times in a variety of sports but this is a first for 10-pin and Linda Renner, who has competed at the worlds twice in 10-pin in 2015 and 2019.

“I am pretty excited to go to nationals,” Carol West said.

“It’s my first time and I feel good about it.”

Snyders has the right attitude about teaming up with people she doesn’t know during the competition.

“And they have been bowling in their league from October to the beginning April and then we took a short break and we’ll continue to practice right up until the week before the nationals. These athletes show up and are totally committed.”

Cole had this to say about the upcoming championship

“Not a lot of athletes get an opportunity like this so first of all I want them to have a really great time and to do their best and if they medal, that’s a bonus,” Cole said.

The athletes are looking forward to the big party that ends the Nationals and because they will be competing in Medicine Hat the theme is hats — the goofier the better.

“We’ve been asked to wear hats and I’ve got mine all ready to go,” Barbie Conway said.

Rhythmic gymnasts Darcie Muzychka, Angela Hills and Michaela Samsonoff all qualified to compete at the nationals this year.

CITIZEN PHOTO BY CHRISTINE DALGLEISH

Special Olympics BC Prince George athlete Tyler LeFebvre will be competing at the Canada Summer Games in Medicine Hat from Aug. 11 to 15. His father, Alain, will be attending as mission staff and participant assistant.

AiMHi gym set up as a replica practce space for team

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

While Dee Neukom has coached for 40 years, she will be attending the event as a supporter this time so she can have some fun with her sisters and take in some of the other sporting events during the five-day event.

Before the practice got into full swing I asked the gymnasts to chat.

“I started in 2014 and this is my third nationals,” Samsonoff said.

So she knows what to expect going into the competition.

“And those nerves are gone,” she added with a smile, grabbing her favourite apparatus, the ball.

“I don’t get nervous, I just go out there and have fun.”

This will be Hills’s first national competition and she said she’s looking forward to it.

“And I hope I can get a medal,” Hills smiled. Her favourite apparatus is the ribbon.

Muzychka has the most experience of the athletes heading to the big competition and this will be her fourth Nationals. Her favourite apparatus is the clubs but don’t let the name fool you — these

are delicate batons with a bit of heft to them.

“For my events it’s more individual so I get to pick out my own music and pick out my own choreography and so I have a bit more memorization to do for my routines,” Muzychka explained.

“I’ve been doing this for 20-something years and it’s more about the different people that you meet, making friends and visiting different areas of the province.” And now Canada.

Coaches Dee Neukomm and Annaliise Wilson were on hand during a recent practice that saw the AiMHi gym set up like the national competition floor. It was taped off to the right specs and there was a table and three chairs for imaginary judges to sit at so that the athletes would know what they could expect at the meet.

“We’re going through everything tonight so they’ll be ready for nationals,” Neukomm said.

“I’m just very thrilled that I’ve got three athletes who have qualified and yeah, it’s a little different not going as a coach but I have had so many opportunities that I think it’s time now that the young ones have

Who’s on the team?

Special Olympics runs on a four-year cycle, starting with regionals, then provincials, then nationals to qualify for the worlds.

In 2027 the Special Olympics World Summer Games will be held in Santiago, Chile.

Prince George athletes will be competing in Medicine Hat in the hope of representing Canada on the world stage.

Athletes that are going to nationals are:

• Josh Pudney, golf

• David Dunn, swimming

• Josh Mehrassa, basketball

• Adam Spokes, basketball

• Chase Caron, basketball

• Darcie Muzychka, rhythmic gymnastics

• Angela Hills, rhythmic gymnastics

the opportunity to step forward and take over. I will enjoy watching all the athletes compete.”

Josh Pudney will compete in golf at the nationals and it’s his first time attending for this sport. In the past Pudney has competed at nationals for swimming and cross-country skiing and medaled each time, his athlete profile posted on the Special Olympics BC site said.

David Dunn is the only swimmer from Prince George heading to nationals. He’s gone to nationals before for swimming and snowshoeing.

Dunn is looking to achieve some personal best times in his events, he said as part of his online athlete profile.

• Michaela Samsonoff, rhythmic gymnastics

• Emilie Snyders, 10-pin bowling

• Carol West, 10-pin bowling

• Barbie Conway, 10-pin bowling

• Linda Renner, 10-pin bowling

• Greg Cole, 10-pin bowling

• Tyler LeFebvre, track and field They will be accompanied by the following Special Olympics BC Prince George coaches

• Sylvia Masich, track and field

• Alain LeFebvre, track and field, participant assistant and mission staff

• Alexandra Orser, soccer

• Taryn Atkinson, basketball

• Sydney Hall, mission staff, soccer

CITIZEN PHOTO BY CHRISTINE DALGLEISH

These are the Prince George 10-pin bowlers attending the Special Olympics Canada Summer Games after qualifying at last year’s BC Summer Games in Prince George. From left are Emilie Snyders, Barbie Conway, Greg Cole, Linda Renner, Coach Tracy Cole and Carol West, seen here at a practice at Strike Zone on July 22.

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY TED CLARKE

Josh Pudney won gold during the Special Olympics BC Summer Games in Prince George last year, which qualified him to compete in Medicine Hat.

Kodiaks make lopsided return in 50-3 loss to Raiders

The football team’s future was looking shaky earlier this year

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

Saturday’s season opener for the Prince George Kodiaks will go into the BC Football Conference archives as a 50-3 loss to the visiting Vancouver Island Raiders.

But the lopsided score is not what matters.

It’s the fact that game even happened. That’s the real story.

And for the Kodiaks, that’s more valuable than two points in the standings.

Considering all the doubts raised in the previous six months of turmoil away from the football field that nearly doomed the Kodiaks’ existence as the BCFCs seventh franchise, the fact they somehow overcame those hurdles to field a team to face the Raiders is almost miraculous.

Those 56 players wearing Prince George jerseys who ran through a cloud of yellow smoke onto the field in front of a small but enthusiastic crowd at Masich Place Stadium and played their hearts out, albeit in a losing cause, made us forget about the chain-linked anchors that only a few months ago came close to sinking the good ship Kodiak.

Once that ball was in flight on the opening kickoff, nobody gathered around the field was thinking about the team’s accumulated $426,000 debt, the wholesale resignation of the entire Kodiaks board and the fact they were forced to give the Canadian Junior Football League’s reigning coach of the year his walking papers because they could not afford to pay him.

They didn’t come close to winning their first game of the new season. But considering the big picture, losing by 47 points wasn’t the end of the world for defensive back Andrew Brown, back for his fifth and final season with the Kodiaks.

“I feel like it’s a huge step that we’re

even on the field this year, a lot of behind-the-scenes work led up to this game,” said the 22-year-old Brown, who was in on every special teams assignment in the game and was feeling the post-game pain in his body.

“I think it goes over a lot of people’s heads how much the behind-the scenes people matter, the people who came on to the board to have this happen.

“Having a first game with young guys, it’s a little tough when you get the new guys in like a week ago. I stayed disciplined and just took control, they showed up ready to play. We just have young guys out there who need to learn the playbook, need to trust the guy next to you, and we don’t have that yet.”

The game got off to a shaky start for Kodiaks quarterback Jeanathan Chremshynski, a former Edmonton Husky, when Raiders linebacker Max Shippam intercepted his pass on the first play of the game, but no damage was done.

The Kodiaks threatened to open the scoring on their third possession of the game when they got the ball deep into Raider territory, set up by Aidan Leslie’s interception of a Dylan Moreno pass and a 25-yard runback that brought a roar out of the crowd of about 400 mostly Kodiak supporters.

Toby Plett, who took over as quarterback for the second Kodiak series, found Xander Tabora for a 10-yard gain and Gavin Halvorson ran the ball to just shy of the 10-yard line. But on third down, Plett fumbled the snap and a promising drive ended with no points on the scoreboard.

The bad luck continued for the Kodiaks near the end of the first quarter when Maxim Murphy went back to punt and the long snap sailed over his head, leaving him no choice but to fall on the ball, which gave the Raiders possession just 17 yards from the Prince George goal line.

The defence held and the Raiders had the ball on the 11 yard line on a

third-down gamble when Moreno found Parker Moscrip for the first touchdown of the game with a circus one-handed grab from the Raider receiver.

Aided by sharp and consistent special teams play that gave them good field position, the Raiders’ offence continued to move the ball and on their first possession of the second quarter, after penalties to the Kodiaks for no-yards and facemasking, they marched the ball downfield and found paydirt again when Blaze McCarty hauled in a 16-yard TD catch.

William Maras-Hilling booted the convert for a 14-0 lead.

On their next drive, back-to back catches from McCarty got them almost into the red zone. Morgan MacCubbin kept up the momentum with a couple of sideline catches before Morgan Crisp took the handoff and ran the ball seven yards for the third Vancouver Island major.

CITIZEN PHOTO BY TED CLARKE

The Vancouver Island Raiders (in white) get set to run a play against the Prince George Kodiaks (black) during their BCFC game at Masich Place Stadium on Saturday, July 25.

Teams’ new coach calls season opener ‘a rough start’

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

The Raiders increased their lead to 23-0 before the half when Murphy wisely elected to concede a safety with the Kodiaks pinned deep in their own end.

“We played a really good first quarter defensively. We just couldn’t get the offence meshing, little things shot us in the foot for a majority of the game,” said Kodiaks head coach Ryan Bellamy.

“We had times when it looked good and it was coming together and we got some drives together, we just didn’t have that finish to capitalize when we really needed to. We’re still sorting out who this team is and how we’re going to be. I’m happy with the effort the boys put in, a lot of intensity, a lot of physicality, they’re in the right mindframe to be able to play this game.

“For us it was a rough start, 50-3 wasn’t the goal, and we’re going to come up from there. We’ll find ways to build within and continue to take the talent we have and get it to the point where we need it. It was the little things we can correct at practice and hone in going into our next game.”

The Raiders came to Prince George with a game already under their belts, a 45-17 loss to the Okanagan Sun on July 18 in Nanaimo. Prince George drew the bye and it showed. They lacked polish and made some first-game mistakes, twice penalized for lining up with too many players. Their rustiness showed in the number of drives that stalled.

“We knew Prince George was going to be a young team with everything that happened up here and they actually

Prince George Kodiaks head coach Ryan Bellamy speaks to his players after their 50-3 loss to the Vancouver Island Raiders on Saturday, July 25 in their BCFC season-opener at Masich Place Stadium.

fought hard in that first quarter and second quarter, they showed a lot of grit,” said Raiders head coach Shawn Arabsky.

“Our goal was to come up here and make a statement of last week, that fourth quarter against Okanagan, a team we’re trying to beat. We had the luxury of playing in Week 1 and some of the too many men stuff that happened to them happened to us in Week 1. It’s just young mistakes. The (Kodiaks) coaching staff has probably been here a couple of years but it’s probably the first time maybe in new roles and I thought they did pretty good considering the circumstances.”

It didn’t help the Kodiaks’ cause when linebacker Colton Finstead started the

second half with a pick-six act of thievery when he got his hands on Plett’s pass and run it 27 yards into the end zone, which increased the lead to 30-0.

On the next Raiders possession, the Kodiaks’ defence almost came up with a goal-line stand when a pass into the end zone on third down deflected off the hands of Leslie. But just when it appeared the ball was going to hit the turf, Raider receiver Jakob Celso dove to catch it for another touchdown.

The Kodiaks avoided getting skunked late in the third quarter when Murphy kicked a 32-yard field goal to make to 47-3. They held the Raiders to a short field goal from Maras-Hilling, the only points of the fourth quarter.

“It’s great that we’re back out here,

this team means a lot to everyone,” said Kodiaks middle linebacker Jaden Craig, 22, also in his fifth and final year with the team.

“This game is not to the level we need to be at, I personally wasn’t there and I think as a group we weren’t there. There’s lot of pieces that are good. We see the effort is there, the knowing what to do to make plays, its just the consistency of making those plays and getting our jobs done. They took advantage of their opportunities and made plays and that was the difference in the game.”

The Kodiaks play their next two games at home, hosting the Kamloops Broncos on Saturday, Aug. 1, followed by a date at Masich against the two-time defending champion Sun on Aug. 8.

This is oneof-a-kind former premier George Anthony Walkem of Question 19.

From amusement parks to military vehicles, here are the answers to the BC Day quiz from pages 26-28.

1. C) Joseph Martin

2. A) W.A.C. Bennett

3. B) Submarines

4. B) Mount Robson

5. C) John Oliver

6. B) Mayor of Victoria

7. B) Boss Johnson

8. A) Dave Barrett

9. C) Byron

10. B) SkyTrain

11. B) Fantasy Gardens

12. A) Rita Johnston

13. B) Mike Harcourt

14. A) A motorized podium

15. C) Harmonized Sales Tax (HST)

16. B) The Sex Offenders Registry

17. C) The BC Green Party

18. B) Westside-Kelowna

19. B) He is the only premier to serve two non-consecutive terms.

20. D) 37

Posse barred from provincial lacrosse championship

Last-minute decision comes after team had already booked hotels

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

The Prince George Posse received some devastating news on Friday, July 24.

They have been denied entry in the C Lacrosse Association junior B Tier 1 provincial championship and will not be allowed to play for the right to represent BC at the Founder’s Cup national championship next month in New Brunswick.

That goes against a July 7 ruling by the BCLA Appeal Panel which indicated the Posse would indeed be eligible to challenge for the BI provincial title.

The team’s appeal was quashed by the BCLA board of directors on Friday, July 24 when it ruled the BCLA senior directorate does not have the authority to allow a team to receive a bye into the provincial championship.

“The email from the senior directorate came out on Friday to let me know our team is not eligible for provincials, seven days before we were supposed to leave for Kamloops, with everything booked,” said Posse head coach Jeff Moleski.

The problem stems from the fact the Posse are the only junior B team in the northern half of the province and do not have a league to play in. Now they’re paying the price for their geographic isolation, being told by the provincially funded organization they are ineligible.

“It’s criminal what they’re doing,” said Moleski. “The worst part about it is we have kids who are 20 in their last year of junior and it’s wasted. We have kids who made sacrifices and didn’t take summer jobs because they wanted to play lacrosse. We spent tens of thousands of dollars on travelling. We registered cards with the BCLA for these players that say you’re eligible for provincials.”

Posse captain Josh Mantler, 21, says it’s a shame politics is getting in the

The Prince George Posse learned on Friday, July 24 they are ineligible to compete in the BC Lacrosse Association junior B Tier 1 provincial championship.

way of him playing out his final season of lacrosse, a game he started playing when he was seven.

“It’s pretty sad, they promised us a lot of things throughout the season and this is what we’ve been working towards and they made a decision a week before, after we booked hotels and everything,” said Mantler.

Mantler had other lacrosse opportunities but wanted to play his last season with the players he grew up knowing.

“I definitely could have played somewhere else if I wanted to and there was a couple of other kids, the Moleski boys (Jackson and Hunter), who could have played good lacrosse all season for Langley,” said Mantler. “But they gave it up to have a chance to win a provincial championship with the Posse. That’s a big letdown. I honestly think we would have won provincials and that’s the sad part about it. They just felt threatened and a lot of people were rooting against us. It’s very unfortunate”

Posse management first contacted Van Beek in July 2025 about what was required for its team to qualify for the junior B (16-20-year-olds) provincial championship. Van Beek suggested the team contact the Thompson-Okanagan Junior Lacrosse League and fill out an application to join that league. But it turned out the application package was under revision and was not available online to the Posse.

In October, the Posse contacted the league to find out how to launch the application process, knowing there was a Jan. 1 deadline looming. The league informed Posse manager Jamie Bellamy

it was still reviewing its application package and any submission by the Posse would likely be too late. The Posse submitted an application letter in Nov. 12 and learned two weeks later through an email the league rejected their application to join.

The Posse was invited to join the league’s January meeting and the team came prepared with a budget, a player list, proof of community support and a calendar of floor time availability in Prince George. The league cited concerns about additional travel costs and the ability of the Posse to compete in the junior B league and a decision was made to allow the Posse to visit for exhibition games to prove the Posse was capable of playing at that level. They were asked to re-apply for full membership for the 2027 season.

In May, the BCLA told the Posse they would not be getting a bye into the provincial junior B Tier 1 championship and that it would be left up to the TOJLL or BC Junior Tier 1 Lacrosse League to determine in a vote if the Posse could participate in playoffs in either league. The Posse was supposed to have a decision in writing by June 8, but that never came.

“The meeting in May was supposed to determine where we sat in provincials (either B1 or B2) and they got back to us stating they had basically changed their minds and they would vote on it to see if we were in one of the league’s playoffs, which is ridiculous,” said Moleski.

“That was not talked about and they were just trying to get us out of there.

Who’s going to want us in their playoffs when we never played in their league? Quite frankly, I wouldn’t want to win a league and take somebody else’s spot. That’s not fair to the team that played in the league all year.”

The Posse told Van Beek on Jan. 26 they’d been turned down in their attempt to join the TOJLL and he sent an email to BCLA senior directorate which indicated the Posse’s desire to challenge for the 2026 B provincial championship, despite not being part of any league and being limited only to exhibition games.

“Our proposal then to the BCLA was to find us a path to provincials,” said Moleski. “We’re still part of the province and there needs to be a path, it’s not our fault that nobody will allow us in a league.

“We formed this team in February on the promise of provincials. We have a bunch of kids who could’ve gone down south to play junior lacrosse if they wanted to but they were told we would have a team here. It was told to us by multiple people and tabled in the BCLA minutes that we were in and now for whatever reason, we have a lot of success, and we’re not in it.”

The Posse reached out to junior B and junior 1 teams, offering to pay the cost of bus to make the trip to Prince George this summer, but were unsuccessful. They did play two exhibition games at Kin 1 against the Scamp Transport Devils, the top team in the Prince George Senior Lacrosse Association.

The understaffed Posse squad lost its first two games to the Port Coquitlam Saints in early April, then defeated Ridge Meadows and Delta the following weekend.

In May they hit the road again and defeated Kamloops and Vernon to improve their exhibition record to 4-2.

Port Coquitlam and the Kamloops Venom won their respective leagues and are slated to play each other in a best-of-three provincial B Tier 1 final series that starts Saturday in Kamloops. The winners will advance to the Founder’s Cup Canadian junior B championship in Saint John, N.B., Aug. 16-23.

Paige Payne named to Timberwolves’ Wall of Honour

UNBC ATHLETICS

Long before she became the first Canada West all-star in UNBC women’s soccer history, Paige Payne was a young athlete from Kitimat with visions of greatness.

What followed was a journey that helped transform UNBC women’s soccer and established Payne as the most accomplished offensive player in program history.

“It doesn’t matter where you’re from,” said UNBC Timberwolves women’s soccer head coach Neil Sedgwick. “Paige is living proof that if you want it badly enough, you can come from a small community like Kitimat, you can find the right direction and purpose, and you can become a strong Canada West player and more.”

Payne’s soccer journey began at age five in Timbits Soccer.

“It was really the only sport you could play in Kitimat besides hockey,” Payne said with a laugh, recalling the early days of her soccer passion.

As her passion for the game grew, so did the sacrifices required to continue developing.

By middle school, she was travelling to Terrace multiple times each week to train, and the commitment paid off.

After moving to Prince George in Grade 11 and joining the Whitecaps Academy program, Payne discovered she was “right there” with the province’s top players.

“I was always super competitive,” Payne said. “Playing in tournaments and realizing maybe I was better than I anticipated in my head made me want to challenge myself even more.”

That mindset ultimately led her to UNBC. Being close to home mattered, but so did the opportunity to help build something.

“Family was super important to me,” Payne said. “I knew what my role could be at UNBC and I liked the idea of playing for a smaller program and helping to build it.”

Sedgwick still remembers seeing her for the first time.

“I had heard from a few people that

there was this good player in Kitimat,” he said. “Then, when I had a chance to watch her, I could see the special qualities.”

Payne arrived in 2016 alongside fellow recruit Mara McCleary, joining a roster that was beginning to establish its identity within Canada West.

“As history shows, those two recruits contributed to the program immensely,” Sedgwick said.

The early years weren’t easy.

UNBC failed to record a victory during Payne’s first season, but a foundation for future success was being built, and few players embraced that challenge more fully.

Over five seasons, Payne evolved from an energetic young attacker into one of the most dangerous and complete players in Canada West. Her growth was especially evident during her breakout 2018 campaign, when she scored nine goals and earned Canada West second-team all-star honours.

By the end of her career, Payne had established herself as the most prolific offensive player in program history, finishing with 21 goals and 30 career regular-season points while helping guide the Timberwolves through one of the most important developmental periods in team history.

“There are so many players deserving of recognition,” Sedgwick said. “But Paige is incredibly deserving for all that she did and for helping guide the program through a period when we were transitioning into becoming a stronger team capable of getting results.”

Few players witnessed Payne’s development more closely than fellow 2016 recruit Mara McCleary.

The two entered the Timberwolves program together and quickly formed a friendship that became one of the defining relationships of their university careers.

“We first met over a text,” McCleary said with a laugh. “We were in a similar situation as recruits, and Paige picked me up from the airport. She immediately showed that northern kindness.”

For McCleary, that first impression never changed.

The recognition was historic, making Payne the first Canada West all-star in UNBC women’s soccer history.

“When Paige arrived she had so much energy,” Sedgwick said. “Then in Year 3 she had figured a lot of things out. She slowed down her game, made better decisions and put herself in better positions.”

That evolution transformed her into a player capable of impacting matches from anywhere on the field.

“She could play as a striker or as a fullback,” Sedgwick said. “She was a player who allowed us to play out of difficult positions because her decision-making was so strong. If we could get the ball to Paige, we knew we’d have time to get into advanced positions.”

What made Payne particularly dangerous was her unpredictability.

“She’s a footballer,” Sedgwick said. “She just loved to play and loved the challenge of whoever was in front of her.”

“I was shy, but she was so talkative that it immediately put me at ease,” she said. “That’s just who she is. If somebody needs help, she’s there.”

Together, they balanced ambitious academic goals with the demands of Canada West soccer.

“Paige and I were ambitious with our course loads, but we loved the soccer,” McCleary said. “We didn’t have a lot of success in the standings right away, but game by game we could see growth.”

As the years passed, McCleary watched Payne develop into one of the conference’s most dangerous attackers.

“Paige came in as a really hard worker. You could never deny her work ethic,” McCleary said. “In her first year she’d run all over the field because she was so fit and worked so hard. But by Year 3 she understood exactly where she needed to be, and that made such a big difference.”

RICH ABNEY/UNBC ATHLETICS

Paige Payne, right, battles for the ball in this file photo.

Guard Nevena Nogic moves north to play for UNBC

CITIZEN STAFF

The UNBC Timberwolves women’s basketball team has added guard Nevena Nogic to its roster for the upcoming season.

Nogic, a Kamloops native, joins the program after spending the 2025-26 season at UBC Okanagan. The 5-foot-11 combo guard will enter her second year of eligibility while pursuing a finance degree at UNBC.

“We’re excited to add Nevena to our young, up-and-coming group,” head coach Sergey Shchepotkin said in a statement. “She brings talent, experience and energy to our program. Nevena has big athletic and academic goals, and I think we can help maximize her potential in both areas.”

A graduate of Sa-Hali Secondary School in Kamloops, Nogic developed through the BBall4All program under the guidance of her father, Goran Nogic. She has attended training camps with

Serbia’s under-16 and under-18 national teams.

Her older sister, Jovana Nogic, has played professionally in Europe and has also competed in the WNBA.

Nogic earned top scorer and all-star honours in the 2024 B.C. Champions League and was named player of the game at the 2024 BC provincial championships. She also received multiple allstar selections at the Okanagan Championship and Fulton Cup tournaments.

Away from the court, Nogic was named to the academic honour roll in Grades 9 through 11 and received Sa-Hali Secondary’s Block Award, recognizing excellence in academics and athletics.

Nogic said she chose UNBC after visiting the Prince George campus and meeting the coaching staff and players.

“As soon as I stepped into the gym, the first thing I felt was welcomed, from my teammates and the coaching staff,” she said in a press release.”

Payne played 5 seasons at UNBC

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

The chemistry between the two became one of UNBC’s greatest weapons.

“She knew where I’d put the ball,” McCleary said. “She’d be there. That connection evolved over time, but it came from a shared drive. We both wanted to improve every day and help the team improve.”

For McCleary, Payne’s impact extended far beyond goals and assists.

“Even through struggles, she never made it about herself,” she said. “The focus was always on how we could get better. That’s what made her such a strong teammate.”

When Payne returned for a fifth season in 2022 while pursuing graduate studies, she had the opportunity to finish what she started in 2016 alongside McCleary.

After suffering a significant Achilles injury during the pandemic years,

The

McCleary said Payne’s return influenced her own decision to suit up for a fifth season at UNBC.

“I wasn’t sure how things were going to go,” McCleary said. “But the fact that Paige was back there too made it feel like a true fifth season.”

Payne responded with another remarkable campaign, scoring eight goals and earning her second Canada West second-team all-star selection.

Today, Payne continues to make an impact as a physiotherapist in the Lower Mainland. In recent years, she has remained involved in soccer through League1 BC competition.

The same curiosity and commitment that made her an exceptional soccer player now drive her professional career.

“Physiotherapy couldn’t be a better fit for Paige,” Sedgwick said. “She’s curious about how the body moves, how to improve movement, and how to maximize performance. I knew she’d excel in that field.”

UNBC PHOTO

Kamloops basketball player Nevena Nogic will join the UNBC Timberwolves’ roster.

Life Events

Michel Labonte

September 19, 1942 - July 17, 2026

It is with heavy hearts and profound love that we announce the passing of Michel “Mike” Labonté, 83, of Prince George, BC. Mike passed away at his home on Friday, July 17th, 2026.

Born Joseph André Wilfrid Michel in Morinville, Alberta on September 19, 1942 to Lucien and Honorine Labonté, Mike was the fourth of eleven children. He moved to Prince George in the late ‘60s as a salesman for Gainers Meats. He married Kathleen Glasser July 11, 1970 and together they raised fve children. He worked as a salesman and sales manager for Malkins and Sunspun Foods for over two decades, then operated his own catering and concession stand business.

He was a loving and devoted husband, father, and Pepère, as well as an actve member of his church and community. He was a member of St. Mary’s parish for nearly six decades, led several fundraising campaigns for the Church and Elementary school, and was a proud contributng member of the Knights of Columbus. He was also a driving force behind the growth of youth soccer in the city, frst as a coach, then as a zone manager, and ultmately as the chair of Prince George Youth Soccer Associaton where he, in collaboraton with his board, created the soccer felds now used by youth players across the city. One of the felds is named for him.

Mike is survived by his wife Kathleen, his daughters Michelle (Jack) and Karen, his sons Chris (Michelle), Daniel, and Mark (Roberta), as well as his grandchildren Paul, James, Sophie, Simon, Elliot, Megan, Owen, Juliet, and Jolene. He is also survived by his sisters Evangeline (Louis), Rogelle (Willie), Denise, Yvonne (Tom), and Marie (Gerry), and his brother Roger (Bernadete).

A life devoted to caring for others

Dianne Lea MacDonald (née Forrest)

April 30, 1947 - June 25, 2026

With great sadness, we announce the passing of Dianne Lea MacDonald (née Forrest) on June 25, 2026, at the age of 79.

Born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Dianne moved to Prince George as a child, growing up frst in the sland ache before her family setled in Blackburn. She developed the quiet compassion and strong work ethic that would defne her life.

ianne completed her icensed Practcal urse training in 1972 and began her career at Prince George Regional Hospital. During her training, she received the Fairlie Peacock emorial Award for Best Bedside ursing, recognizing the e ceptonal compassion that became her hallmark. She worked in Pediatrics and Emergency before choosing in 1980 to leave nursing to raise her children, Michelle and Michael, believing that caring for her family was every bit as important as caring for her patents.

On September 21, 1972, Dianne married the love of her life, Byron. Together they shared more than 50 years of marriage before Byron’s passing in 2023. They built a home on fve acres in Pineview, where family and friends were always welcomed with generous hospitality, memorable gatherings, and meals that ensured no one ever le hungry.

n , ianne returned to nursing with Home Support, caring for countless people throughout the Prince George area untl her retrement. hether in hospital, in her clients’ homes, or with her own family, she treated everyone with dignity, patence, and genuine kindness.

Dianne loved summers at the family cabin on Cluculz Lake, trips to the Okanagan to visit family and preserve fresh fruit, and baking her cherished Christmas cakes, though ully gi ed each year to a fortunate few.

Being a grandmother was among her greatest joys. She lovingly cared for Gabriel, Garret, Gemma, and auchlin and spent many years caring for Gabriel, Garret, and Gemma a er school, creatng a home where her grandchildren always felt safe, welcome, and deeply loved. She also gave generously to her community through years of volunteer service with Highland dance and the lder itzens Recreaton Associaton.

Dianne will be remembered for her unwavering kindness, uiet strength, and sel ess devoton to others. She faced a long batle with P with remarkable grace and determinaton. ven throughout her illness, those caring for her o en remarked on her patence, politeness, and gentle spirit.

Dianne is lovingly remembered by her daughter, Michelle (Trevor); her son, Michael (Amber-Dawn); her cherished grandchildren, Gabriel, Garret, Gemma, and Lauchlin; her sister, Cheryl (Byron); her brothers, George (Joanne), Kim (Stacey), and Dave; and many nieces, nephews, extended family members, and dear friends.

She was predeceased by her beloved husband, Byron MacDonald; her parents, Armand and Dorene Forrest; and her brothers, Ronald and Kendall Forrest.

he family e tends hear elt thanks to r. ooldridge and the physicians, nurses, and sta of the Primary are edical nit at the niversity Hospital of orthern Britsh olumbia for the e ceptonal care, compassion, and dignity they showed Dianne throughout her illness.

A elebraton of ife will be held on September , 2026.

To have been cared for by Dianne was to know her kindness. To have been loved by her was life’s greatest blessing. Her example will live on in the family she cherished, the friends she welcomed, and the countless lives she touches. She will be deeply missed and forever remembered.

It is with sorrow and sadness in our hearts, that we announce the passing of Harry… husband, father, Opie, and greatgrandfather.

In 1962 Harry married Doris Kwiatkowski, his loving wife for over 64 years. They had one daughter Lana (Regan). With the birth of his grandchildren, Harry became a proud grandfather, or as he was called Opie. 1999 Rebecca (Jonathan) and in 2006 - Caleb. Harry became a great-grandfather to Jason Ryan on June 5th.

Afer a lengthy struggle with dementa, Harry passed away peacefully in the early morning hours of July 12th, leaving earth for his heavenly home.

Harry - Refectons:

Harry was born in Joanka, Poland, moving to Prince George, in 1948, where his family built their homestead on Cranbrook Hill. On the farm, a perfect environment to develop character, he learned the importance of work ethic, helping others, and being a good neighbor. His character, integrity, and work ethic served him well in life, and as he worked for Gundy’s News, eventually becoming the general manager. Owning the building that Gundy’s occupied in downtown PG, saw him become involved in city politcs for a short while, as the PG Town Center Business Associaton President. He received the Business Person of the Year award. While atending work-related conventons, where business and pleasure exist together,

Harry Helmut Streckenbach

September 3, 1940 - July 12, 2026

Harry and Doris visited all parts of Canada, which allowed them to make many new connectons and lifelong friends.

He retred at 55, but was merely switching gears. His work for a friend found him driving a big truck, delivering important supplies to remote forestry camps during frefghtng season. He saw remote areas of BC ofen, including Doris as his traveling companion, seeing beautful country while making many backcountry memories.

Many people knew Harry as a ‘Go-To Guy’. He didn’t make a big deal about anything for himself, yet when someone needed something done, you could count on Harry to help you with just about anything. Harry served as a church trustee for many years, working behind the scenes, fxing various problems in his competent way.

Harry was a very valuable part of Noah’s Ark Adventure Land, helping with both big and small jobs. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday he’d pick up unwanted food from Just Good Foods and St. Vincent de Paul’s for his animal friends. He helped out with fencing, loading, hauling, and stacking hay in the summer, to plowing the barnyard and the sleigh ride trails, which was no small task. He would wear his Noah’s Ark jacket and went in town as a proud ambassador, so many people knew who Harry was.

Harry enjoyed spending tme with friends and family,

entertaining, or going out for dinner, pool games, playing the card game called Rook, fying airplanes, snowmobiling, DJ at private events, playing the keyboard or the accordion, camping at Babine Lake, fshing, working on tractors, and his 1960’s cars, GTO, Vete, and Bonneville. He managed tme for himself as well, which usually involved putering around the yard, moving rocks for Doris, plantng many trees, pruning those trees, picking fruit, and building fences. They enjoyed their tme, working well together to create the peaceful setng of their beautful yard, and garden space. As per Harry’s wishes, there will be a private, quiet memorial service for him in that space he called home.

Special thanks to...

*The teamwork of Dr. Shepard and Dr. Carter, who strategized for the best possible outcome for Harry’s journey through dementa.

*Parkside Care Home, where Harry spent six months in the bright, cheery, homey facility. The warmth, caring and professionalism of the staf helped to create a comfortable atmosphere that felt like home. *PG Rotary Hospice House, where Harry received such compassionate care. The peaceful atmosphere was greatly appreciated for his transiton to his heavenly home.

In lieu of fowers send donatons ‘In memory of Harry’ to Prince George Rotary Hospice, 3089 Clapperton St. Prince George, BC V2L 5N4.

LEGAL NOTICE

Notce is hereby given to BRIAN ROBERT GIBSON he may contact Dale Sands, lawyer for Julie Mae Morin, Executor and Trustee for the Estate of Cliford Anthony Gibson, Deceased at: Dale Sands, Barrister & Solicitor 32540 Logan Avenue Mission, B.C. V2V 6G3 1-604-820-4056 or dale@dalesandslaw.ca,

to obtain a November 1 , 2025 le er by Julie Mae Morin to him enclosing a Notce Of Proposed Applicaton In Relaton To Estate (dated November 1 , 2025) and a copy of the Deceased s last will and testament (dated April , 2025), as well as obtaining a copy of the June 29, 2026 Supreme Court of Britsh Columbia Order, entered July , 2026, he may be served substtutonally with the aforesaid November 1 , 2025 le er and its enclosures.

The Court Bailif ofers FOR SALE BY TENDER 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 Bailifs Ltd. 250 - 491-1033. Sale is subject to cancellaton or adjournment without notce. Sealed bids will be accepted on the claims untl AUGUST 21ST, 2026. Goods to be sold as is where is. Bidder takes responsibility to ensure they are satsfed with the descripton of unit/goods being sold. North Central Bailifs Ltd. is not responsible for determining the correct descripton. Terms of sale: Immediate full payment upon successful bid, plus sales tax. Please be aware to bid on Placer claims you must have a “Free Miners Certfcate#” and be able to produce this number before acceptance of funds. Claims may be subject to being partally on Provincial Park land, it is up to the buyer to research placer claim locaton and rules of the Mineral Tenure Act or take directon by The Mineral Titles Branch of B.C. North Central Bailifs Ltd. is not responsible for any fees afer transfer. Warning — This property is ofered for mining purposes only and ownership of the ttle to it does not include ownership of the surface rights or the right to use the surface for residental or recreatonal purposes.

www.northcentralbailifs.bc.ca

North Central Bailifs Ltd.

Court Bailif Jenny Melnychuk

*On Aug. 10, 30 B.C., Cleopatra, queen of Egypt and the lover of Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, died by suicide -- according to legend, by the bite of a poisonous snake -- after her forces against Octavian, Rome’s future first emperor, were defeated.

• On Aug. 10, 30 B.C., Cleopatra, queen of Egypt and the lover of Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, died by suicide — according to legend, by the bite of a poisonous snake — after her forces against Octavian, Rome’s future first 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 that I’ve signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes.” His approval rating suffered a slight drop, but he went on to serve a second term.

ARIES(March 21 to April 19) A strong social whirl brings a new round of good tmes to fun-loving Rams and Ewes! Cupid’s also busy aiming arrows at single Lambs who are hoping for a heart-toheart encounter.

* 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 that I’ve signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes.” His approval rating suffered a slight drop, but he went on to serve a second term.

* On Aug. 12, 1964, Charlie Wilson, part of the group responsible for the 1963 Great Train Robbery, one of the biggest thefts of its kind, escaped from

the Winson Green Prison in Birmingham, England, with the aid of several men who broke into the facility for that express purpose. He was not recaptured until 1968.

* On Aug. 13, 1995, former New York Yankees star Mickey Mantle died of liver cancer in Dallas at the age of 63. At the time of his passing, he held many World Series records, including 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.

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22)

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) A romantc incident could take a more serious turn if the Divine Bovine considers meetng Cupid’s challenge. Meanwhile, a professional opportunity is also about to turn up!

• On Aug. 12, 1964, Charlie Wilson, part of the group responsible for the 1963 Great Train Robbery, one of the biggest thefts of its kind, escaped from the Winson Green Prison in Birmingham, England, with the aid of several men who broke into the facility for that express purpose. He was not recaptured until 1968.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) A bit of hardheaded realism could be just what the Twins need at this emotonally challenged tme. Face the facts as they are, not as you want them to be. Good luck!

• On Aug. 13, 1995, former New York Yankees star Mickey Mantle died of liver cancer in Dallas at the age of 63. At the time of his passing, he held many World Series records, including 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-

CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Many opportunites open up, but you need to be aware of their actual pros and cons. Check them all out and make your choice from those that ofer more of what you seek.

LEO (July 23 to August 22) A more stable situaton begins, allowing you to feel more secure about making important decisions. Meanwhile, be sure to meet your project deadlines so that you can move on to other things.

VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Congratulatons! A new personal relatonship thrives as you learn how to make room in your busy life for this wonderfully warm and excitng emotonal experience.

A new contact opens some doors. This is the good news. But there’s a cauton involved: Be sure to protect your rights to your work before showing it to anyone.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) A former colleague might seek to resume a working partnership. Ask yourself if you need it. If “yes,” get more informaton. If “no,” respectully decline the request.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Good tmes dominate your aspect. So, why not have a party to celebrate a loved one’s success? And do invite a special person you want to get to know beter!

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) The shy side of the Sea Goat soon gives way to your more assertve self. This should help you when it comes tme to speak up for yourself and your achievements.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18)

A new period of stability will help you deal with some recently reworked plans. Once you get your current tasks done, you can devote more tme to personal maters.

PISCES (February 19 to March 20)

Things are fnally much more stable these days, so you can restart the process of meetng your well-planned goals with fewer chances of interrupton or delay.

Homes & Living

Protectng Your Home’s Interior and Exterior from Wildfre Smoke and Ash in Northern BC

Wild re season has become an increasingly familiar part of life across Northern British Columbia. Communities from Prince George and Fort St. John to Smithers, Terrace, and surrounding rural areas regularly experience periods of heavy smoke, falling ash, and poor air quality.

While much attention is given to evacuation preparedness and re prevention, homeowners should also understand how wild re smoke and ash can affect their homes long after the ames are gone.

Smoke and ash contain ne particles that can damage surfaces, reduce indoor air quality, clog me-

chanical systems, and accelerate wear on building materials. Taking proactive steps before, during, and after a wild re smoke event can help protect your home’s value, improve your family’s health, and reduce costly maintenance.

Protecting Your Home’s Exterior

Your home’s exterior is the rst line of defence against wild re smoke and ash. Although ash may appear harmless, it often contains abrasive particles that can scratch surfaces and become corrosive when mixed with moisture. One of the most important steps is to remove ash promptly. Allowing ash to accumulate on siding,

roo ng, gutters, decks, and outdoor furniture increases the risk of staining and surface damage. Use a garden hose with gentle water pressure to rinse away loose ash, avoiding pressure washers that can force particles deeper into porous materials or damage nishes.

Gutters deserve particular attention. Ash mixed with leaves and other debris can create blockages that interfere with proper drainage during Northern BC’s summer storms.

Regularly cleaning gutters helps prevent water damage while reducing the buildup of combustible materials around your home.

Windows and doors should also be cleaned carefully. Fine ash particles can scratch glass if wiped while dry. Instead, rinse surfaces thoroughly with water before using a soft cloth or sponge.

Outdoor HVAC units, heat pumps, and air conditioning condensers can also collect ash. Once conditions are safe, gently remove debris according to the manufacturer’s recommendations or have the equipment professionally inspected if heavy ash accumulation has occurred.

Vehicles, boats, and recreational equipment stored outside should be covered whenever possible. Ash acts like ne sandpaper and can

damage paint nishes if brushed or wiped without rst rinsing the

Keeping Smoke Out of Your Home

While protecting the exterior is important, maintaining healthy indoor air quality is often the greatest concern during wild re season. Keep windows and exterior doors closed whenever smoke levels are elevated. Although opening windows may normally improve ventilation, during smoke events it allows ne particulate matter to enter the home.

Inspect weatherstripping around doors and windows each spring to ensure a proper seal. Small gaps can allow smoke to in ltrate even when openings appear closed.

If your home has a forced-air heating or cooling system, replace furnace lters with high-ef ciency lters that are compatible with your HVAC equipment.

High-quality lters can signicantly reduce airborne particles

circulating throughout your home. During prolonged smoke events, lters may need replacement more frequently than usual.

Portable air puri ers equipped with HEPA lters can provide additional protection, particularly in bedrooms or designated clean-air rooms. Creating one room with the cleanest possible air gives family members a place to escape when outdoor smoke becomes severe.

Bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans should be used only when necessary during heavy smoke conditions, as they can draw outdoor air into the home if replacement air enters through leaks.

Protecting Interior Surfaces

Even with precautions, some smoke and ash may nd their way indoors. Cleaning correctly is essential to prevent spreading ne particles throughout the home.

Vacuum using a machine equipped with a HEPA lter whenever possible. Standard vacuums

Property & Strata Management

may simply recirculate ne particles back into the air.

Dust hard surfaces with damp micro ber cloths rather than dry dusters, which tend to spread ash into the air. Wash cloths frequently to prevent scratching delicate nishes.

Carpets, upholstery, and curtains can absorb smoke odours. Prompt cleaning helps reduce lingering smells and prevents particles from becoming deeply embedded in fabrics. In severe smoke events, professional cleaning may be worthwhile.

Shoes worn outdoors can track ash inside. Leaving footwear at the entrance and using washable oor mats can signi cantly reduce indoor contamination.

Don’t Forget Your Roof

Roofs in Northern BC often accumulate surprising amounts of ash, especially during extended wild re events. While it may be tempting to remove ash immediately, safety

should always come rst. Never climb onto a roof during poor air quality or when surfaces are slippery from moisture mixed with ash. If signi cant accumulation has occurred, consider hiring a quali ed roo ng professional to safely remove debris and inspect for any damage.