Prince George Citizen June 19, 2025

Judge to issue ruling on Moccasin Flats closure in July

The Vancouver lawyer representing residents was in the city last week

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

The City of Prince George will have its day in BC Supreme Court in Prince George during the first week of July.

That’s when a judge is expected to rule on whether the city has lived up to its court-ordered obligations to demonstrate the city has enough capacity to serve the unhoused population of the Lower Patricia Boulevard (Moccasin Flats) encampment with sufficient overnight shelter space and daytime facilities.

Vancouver criminal defence lawyer Casey St. Germain was in the city last week, conducting interviews with unhoused individuals, community advocates and stakeholders and will represent Moccasin Flats residents at that court hearing, scheduled for between July 2 and 4 at the Prince George Courthouse.

The City of Prince George initiated a claim in February in BC Supreme Court seeking an order to permanently close Moccasin Flats as a permanent campsite with the provision it continue to offer overnight camping from 7 p.m.-9 a.m. in a smaller designated area of the camp.

Mayor Simon Yu looks forward to a positive court ruling and said the city has done everything it can to live up to its obligations to find housing alternatives for Moccasin Flats residents and appease public concerns about the violence, drug overdoses, noxious campfire smoke and suspicious shelter fires that have plagued the area. But the problems of the opioid crisis, poverty and a shortage of affordable housing remain as provincewide issues that all BC cities will continue to have to face.

“This is more or less a provincial file, and we’re just living with the consequences of what’s happening on the street,” said Yu. “Our city bylaws at the

time basically did not coincide with the some of the provincial ministry stuff and through bad communication and multiple things this thing ended up going to the court.

“What we see on the street is not something that was intended by the old city bylaws, when the provincial HEART and HEARTH programs were not there. Now every city has to have overnight shelter space available and those things were not there (as bylaws) a couple years ago, so we ended up with this case in front of us.”

On Feb. 27 the city issued a notice of civil claim to Bel (Johnny Edward Belvery), the last of the original inhabitants of the camp living there on May 13, 2024 when the province’s Homeless Encampment Action Response Team (HEART) conducted a count of residents. His receipt of the notice initiated a 21-day timeline for response,the start of the legal process to close the encampment as an entrenched site.

of comprehensive support and wraparound services, lack of culturally appropriate supports for Indigenous residents, inedible food coupled with the inability of individuals to cook their own food, inadequate accommodation for individuals with mental health needs, limited availability of harm reduction supplies, numerous security cameras, no security of tenure, and fenced or brick wall perimeters.

The response document states some Moccasin Flats residents struggle with completing administrative tasks and will have trouble moving their personal belongings themselves. They also object to the rules and regulations of housing facilities and believe they won’t be able to conform to living arrangements and the expectations of communal living in those facilities.

St. Germain states close to 70 per cent of unhoused people in Prince George are Indigenous.

The civil claim noted that Bel had been offered shelter and housing numerous times from BC Housing and its partner organizations and he indicated he wasn’t interested in accepting options presented to him for indoor shelter, supportive housing or rent supplements. Bel owns a dog and the prohibition on pets in transitional housing facility offered by BC Housing and other social agencies is one of the reasons he doesn’t want to live in a housing facility.

Until a ruling has been obtained, Bel and other Moccasin Flats residents have court protection to continue to stay at Moccasin Flats indefinitely.

In the court response sent to the city May 6, St. Germain cited other restrictions of the shelters, such as: prohibitions or significant restrictions on visitors, mandatory sign-in, sign-out protocols, lack of space for personal possessions, reports of staff mistreatment and unfriendly conduct, absence

For reasons of mental and physical illness, combined with systemic racism and life experience, she said that increases the likelihood that Moccasin Flats occupants won’t trust BC Housing representatives to look out for their best interests.

Over the past four years the city made several attempts to permanently shut down Moccasin Flats to prevent people from using the area as a permanent encampment until a precedent-setting court ruling in October 2021 obtained by Bel and two other unnamed residents, represented by the Indigenous Justice Centre, forced the city to back off on its original eviction plans.

On Feb. 23, 2022, Justice Simon Coval ruled against the city’s second request to close Moccasin Flats, citing insufficient shelter space and a lack of daytime facilities for people without permanent homes. Coval stated that the city’s dismantling of much of the encampment in November 2021 breached Hinkson’s October 2021 ruling, which allowed the camp to remain open until sufficient housing and daytime facilities were available.

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CITIZEN PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

Vancouver lawyer Casey St. Germain talks with an unidentified man at a Healing Fire picnic held in front of the Prince George courthouse Wednesday, June 11.

Mayor, council address neighbours’ concerns in leter

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Coval also ruled that the city was not entitled to dismantle much of the camp and failed to identify how many people were regularly occupying the camp and how their shelters and belongings should be handled after it brought in heavy equipment to clean up the site, resulting in destruction of personal property.

“This action eroded trust in a community that already experiences distrust of institutions due to histories (both individual and institutional) of mistreatment,” said St. Germain, in her response to the city’s claim.

She also states that Bel allows unhoused visitors to Moccasin Flats the chance to stay overnight at his camp.

Shutting his camp down would leave them nowhere else to go and they would instead have to erect their own shelters at the site.

In an update letter from Yu and city council sent two weeks ago to area residents and business owners, council acknowledges shutting down Moccasin Flats will not address what that has become a nationwide crisis.

“We want to be clear: this legal action is not a solution to homelessness,” said the letter.

“The path forward requires sustained collaboration and investment from all levels of government and our community partners.

“We believe the city’s case is strong

and are actively pursuing a timely resolution through the court process.”

The letter acknowledges the city’s efforts to clean up Moccasin Flats, working with community and social partners.

Since 2024, 250,000 kilograms of debris has been removed to reduce fire hazards and improve safety at the site. Notices of the cleanup work was provided directly to camp residents.

The city installed gates at either end of the camp on May 7 to block the entry road to prevent illegal dumping and restrict traffic only to authorized vehicles.

The area that last year was home to 44 individuals has less than 20 people living there now.

“We are aware of community concern that the number of occupants could increase again,” states the letter. “Council shares this concern and remains committed to ensuring sheltering options expanded on collaboration with BC Housing and the province. To date, growth has been limited in 2025 and we continue to monitor the situation closely.”

Council and senior staff have kept up regular correspondence with Premier David Eby and provincial ministers to continue to highlight the urgency of coordinated responses to issues of mental health, addictions, encampments and public safety.

The city’s intergovernmental affairs committee met with the Eby in Victoria

in early May to reinforce the city’s push for bail reform to address chronic property crime by repeat offenders and the establishment of a mental health and addictions treatment centre in Prince George.

“Council wishes to reaffirm that addressing the impacts of the

encampment on nearby residents, businesses and the wider community is among our highest priorities,’ said the letter. “We remain committed to supporting partners such as BC Housing and Northern Health in their critical work to provide housing, health and mental wellness supports.”

GRADUATION GRADUATION

You showed perseverance and dedication, and made a lasting impact in your school communities. Be proud of all you’ve accomplished. Wishing you every success in the exciting journey ahead! Congratulations to the class of 2025!

A message from your teachers, members of the Prince George District Teachers’ Association

CITY OF PRINCE GEORGE

The city installed locked gates to block public access at either end of Moccasin Flats on May 7.

Closing Flats will lead to ongoing issues: Advocate

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

If and when the Moccasin Flats encampment is shut down, and longterm occupation at that and other campsites around the city becomes illegal, more unhoused people will be forced to congregate in downtown Prince George and residential areas, predicts a longtime advocate.

Alan Huggett, a former youth social worker, said the city must come up with a better solution than only allowing overnight camping, from 7 p.m. to 9 a.m., at designated sites.

“Forcing people to pack up their belongings each morning is not going to solve the homeless problem,” said Huggett.

“I don’t know what the city is trying to solve, because you’ll just have more people wandering the streets. And if you camp out somewhere, bylaw (officers) will move you along.”

The city, working with BC Housing, has added capacity in supportive housing projects. But for a variety of reasons, many people living at Moccasin Flats and other camps do not see that as a viable option. Supportive units have limited storage, pets are not allowed, and there are restrictions on visitors — among other rules some residents find unacceptable.

“The housing doesn’t suit everybody,” said Huggett. “We’ve been talking to people with lifelong mental illness and behaviour problems because of it, and they can’t get into that housing. The staff are doing a good job in those places, for the most part, but a lot of them aren’t trained to deal with complex cases. And the ones who are trained and doing a good job are few and far between.

“They’re mixing together people who are in recovery with people who are actively using (substances), or you get people who are higher functioning mixed with people who have severe mental illness, banging on the door. It’s not a one-size-fits-all.”

As of Wednesday, June 11, there were 18 shelter sites occupied at Moccasin

Flats. The residents are legally allowed to remain until the city obtains a BC Supreme Court ruling confirming it has met its obligation to provide sufficient overnight housing, along with accessible daytime facilities for residents. Until that ruling is issued, Moccasin Flats will remain a designated extended-use campsite.

The hearing is scheduled for July 2 to 4 at the Prince George courthouse.

“There’s a bunch of declarations they’re seeking from the court,” said Huggett. “They’re saying they’ve done all this work building housing — and they are building more — but people have been waiting months, if not longer, to get a place.”

Huggett spent 30 years working at the Camp Trapping wilderness facility south of Prince George. It offered mandatory outdoor activities as an alternative to

city gets the declarations, it will have the right to just keep people moving around. And that’s not a solution.”

BC Housing has added considerable supportive housing capacity to downtown Prince George in recent years, including a 43-unit transitional trailer complex — the Homeless Encampment Action Response Temporary Housing (HEARTH) project — which opened in December 2024 next to Moccasin Flats at Ottawa Street and Third Avenue.

Construction continues on the First Avenue Supportive Housing project at 150 Ontario St.

That building will double the capacity of the adjacent 50-unit structure operated by Connective Support Society, which includes 10 complex care units.

The new facility will also house a 9,000-square-foot health clinic operated by Northern Health.

Connective also runs the Victoria Street Supportive Housing complex at the former North Star Inn & Suites (1550 Victoria St.). The larger 60-unit building is occupied while renovations continue on the smaller 36-unit section.

jail time for young offenders. He was also a founding director of Building a Healthy Community — The Voices Project, a non-profit society advocating for unhoused people, started by former Moccasin Flats resident Hank Hayden.

Hayden died in December of an overdose, and the group has since lost much of its momentum.

Nine members remain, most from social service agencies.

They’ve been interviewed by Casey St. Germain, the Vancouver lawyer representing the Moccasin Flats residents in court.

“The society was all about building relationships, getting to know people, coming up with solutions, and having voices heard,” said Huggett.

“I don’t know what our chances are of keeping Moccasin Flats open — or even if that’s what we want to do. But if the

BC Housing also manages Quebec Street House, a four-storey building at 605 Quebec St., offering subsidized rental housing for low- and moderate-income residents. It includes four studio units, six one-bedroom units and 26 two-bedroom units.

In 2023, the city purchased the former Knights Inn on Dominion Street from BC Housing.

It now serves as a 47-unit supportive housing complex operated by the Prince George Native Friendship Centre and leased by BC Housing. The centre is not replacing tenants as units become vacant, due to the building’s poor condition. It is slated for eventual demolition as part of the Civic Core Plan redevelopment.

Huggett continues to volunteer at Moccasin Flats, helping residents clean up the encampment. A recent cleanup effort was disrupted when one of the large bins was removed and not returned.

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CITIZEN PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

Alan Huggett takes part in a Healing Fire picnic held in front of the Prince George Courthouse Wednesday, June 11, 2025.

Conditons mirror those in London slums a century ago

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After several attempts to coordinate with city parks and bylaw staff, a bobcat operator and dump truck were eventually dispatched to remove debris from unoccupied shelter sites.

Since Hayden’s death, Huggett said communication between city staff and Moccasin Flats residents has broken down.

“There’s nobody from the city connecting with the people down there,” he said.

“They’re leaving it to BC Housing or the agencies. Nobody from the city is getting a good understanding of what’s happening.”

Huggett said it’s easy for society to turn its back on the unhoused community — to distance itself from “those people” and expect them to fend for themselves while struggling with poverty, addiction, mental illness

and prejudice. But ignoring them, he warned, will only worsen the problem.

He recently purchased The People of the Abyss, a 1903 non-fiction book by novelist Jack London, which documents the author’s time living incognito in London, England’s East End slums.

“It’s exactly the same issues we have here now,” said Huggett. “(British doctor) Joseph Townsend wrote in 1786 in his Dissertation on the Poor Laws about how we shouldn’t help poor people because it would only encourage them. That the productivity of the nation would suffer, and we shouldn’t even feed them because the best thing for society is poor people with empty stomachs.

“It’s exactly the same stuff we’re dealing with — with a little bit of niceness on the side. What I’d like to see is a totally different approach, and start by talking to people. But that’s not happening, because they’re afraid if we’re too nice, more people will come.”

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO

The city has taken steps toward the eventual closure of Moccasin Flats, seen here in fall 2024, including adding new supportive and transitional housing.

Flats veteran sees a gloomier future for new arrivals

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

For the better part of four years, Bel has been one of the go-to guys newcomers seek out when they arrive looking at the city’s most notorious homeless encampment.

The operator of the Moccasin Flats “welcome wagon” provided protection and slice of stability for another lost soul late Wednesday night — a woman in her 20s who came looking for a safe place to sleep. At midday Thursday she was still zonked out on a couch near the entrance to Bel’s camp.

“She made it back last night, I hadn’t seen her in a couple of weeks,” said Bel. “She didn’t have any blankets or anything. She just needs help, really. She came (originally) here with a group of young people, at least five of them, and they just kind of dispersed and lost each other.”

Bel is one of the last of the original residents of the place otherwise known as the Lower Patricia Boulevard encampment, and he knows he likely won’t be calling that place home much longer.

In a Prince George court hearing set for July 2-4, a BC Supreme Court judge is expected to decide the fate of Moccasin Flats and whether the City of Prince George will be granted the authority to evict Bel (named on the civil claim as Johnny Edward Belvery) and every other long-term Moccasin Flats resident.

If that court ruling goes the city’s way, there will no longer be any permanent campsites at Moccasin Flats. Only overnight camping will be allowed and only in a smaller designated area at the site with access open only from 7 p.m. –9 a.m. each day. City bylaw officers will then have authority to tell campers to take down their tents and move along. Where those people will go, nobody really knows.

Most are young adults. They arrive pushing carts, hauling backpacks, tents, tarps — all they can carry themselves behind the locked gates that keep vehicles off the road through camp. About 20 newcomers have come there over

the past two months and the Flats is now home to about 25 people.

There is shelter space available in the city but the rule requirements act as barriers and some people would rather camp than conform.

Most of the new people Bel meets at the Flats come from smaller communities close to Prince George. Some have aged out of the social welfare system that pays monthly cheques to their parents or guardians of kids, which ends when they’re 18.

“A lot of them aren’t trained in anything and sad to say it, they don’t have any life skills, they were just cut loose, and that’s where a lot of young folks get in trouble with outside influences, ” said Bel. “It’s like a trend, like there’s a script for it. You see one fall into that that trap and it’s an ongoing thing, it seems like down here, it’s vicious cycle over and over and it’s not being addressed.”

Bel turned 60 on Wednesday and didn’t know it was his birthday until the following day. He grew up in Dease Lake and was in his 20s before he saw or heard about anybody living out on the streets. He’d see the odd drunk downtown in PG but that was it. It’s not like that anymore.

“A lot of people wind up here because they can’t get jobs,” he said. “It’s just untapped talent and they don’t have

and then somebody might come up with a better solution.

“A lot of these young people were raised on the streets or their parents were on the streets or they were raised by parents who were drug addicts, so they have no sense or responsibility, no sense of morals, no sense of anything, and it’s not necessarily their fault,” said Ken, a former Moccasin Flats resident who now lives at the 96-unit BC Housing supportive housing complex at 1550 Victoria St., the former North Star Inn.

“They were never told, never shown how to live a productive life. They’ve got two strikes against them before they’ve gotten anywhere and the third strike to them is, so what, because they’ve been swinging at the ball forever.”

anywhere to use it take it. A lot of these people you see downtown are going to be here again (sheltering outdoors) next year. They’ve become OK with their future and they’re just riding along with it. They’re so used to just going through the motions day to day. Nobody’s got no plan for nothing, it’s just become a way of life for a lot of folks.

“Soon as they wake up they wonder, am I going to be safe today? I always feel bad for those folks that just don’t have any drive, and they just accept it. To see that loss of hope in people, it’s pretty bad.”

Bel spent the afternoon Thursday putting up a gazebo he plans to enclose to give the women of Moccasin Flats a private place where they can change their clothes, wash themselves and use a five-gallon bucket that serves as a toilet.

“I’m just trying to give them a bit of their dignity back, I guess,” Bel said. His friend Ken came around for a visit and they were going to hang up a water tank for all camp residents filled with water supplied by Carrier Sekani Family Services.

Assuming the court upholds the city’s civil claim and the authorities have the power to close Moccasin Flats, Ken says he wonders where everybody will go. He suggests maybe they should move their camp shelters to the grass lawn in front of city hall and start camping there

Ken says he knows dozens of people he’s met at Moccasin Flats he’ll never see again.

“I’ll bet you in the last three or four or five years I’ve been around here there’s at least 100 people under 30 that I knew who are dead, and didn’t deserve it, and they keep coming,” she said. “There was a girl I think 17 years old in front of the North Star the other day that OD’d. I don’t know if she died.

“You can’t convince any of these people to get off dope. They all say, ‘Oh I’d love to get off dope,’ but give them the opportunity and see if they do. I’m an alcoholic and it took me until I was 45 to quit drinking. It was either that or kill myself I was so (messed) up in the head about everything, I didn’t have much of a choice.”

Moccasin Flats is one of at least eight unofficial campgrounds in Prince George and now that the weather is warmer, campers are occupying sites in parks, green spaces and river banks.

Ken has been around Moccasin Flats long enough to know the encampment earned its reputation as a dangerous place that attracted a violent criminal element who stabbed, shot and beat people and burned them out of their campsites and how they preyed on the vulnerabilities of residents who weren’t bothering anybody. SEE ‘FIRES’ ON NEXT PAGE

CITIZEN PHOTO BY TED CLARKE

A City of Prince George bobcat driver loads a truck with the remnants of one of the campsites at Moccasin Flats on Thursday, June 12.

Classics shine in the sun

John Vlchuk’s 1967 Mustang Fastback with its Boss 502 aluminum block engine got a lot of attention at the Cruisin’ Classics Father’s Day Show ‘n’ Shine at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park Sunday, June 15. Thousands of people checked out the classic vehicles, which included vintage sedans and coupes, hot rods, trucks and more, on the sunny Sunday.

Fires that destroyed dwellings were intentonal, says resident

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“There’s five people who are responsible for 99 per cent of the headaches down here, and most of them are not around here anymore,” said Ken, 56, who did not want to reveal his surname.

“But as soon as you get rid of some of the sharks, some bigger ones are going to move in,” he continued.

“All they’re interested in doing is coming down here and stealing everything that people have, that they’ve worked for to get, and they just take it for no other reason than they’re greedy pieces of (crap).”

Of the 17 tiny homes set up at Moccasin Flats, only four of five are still standing, including the one Ken lived in for about a year.

The rest, he said, were set on fire purposely and destroyed.

“Every one of them was burnt for no good reason whatsoever, other than people were jealous or pissed off at somebody else, and 22 of them were set by one person,” he said.

“These politician idiots have their heads shoved up their asses so far, they can’t see the light of day anymore and they don’t talk to anybody around here. They sit in their offices and make their own decisions and that’s a fact. It’s really quite disturbing.”

Bel has talked about going back to work in construction and finding a place to rent.

He’s hoping he’ll have a place to go where he won’t feel threatened by someone pointing a gun at his face or where he’s a target of someone on the adjacent ridge shooting arrow shafts or golf balls at his camp.

“It’s not normal,” he said. “I know that, but it’s become that.”

CITIZEN PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

BC’s new mining strategy could be our lucky strike

KENNEDY GORDON Citizen Managing Editor

BC’s new push to fast-track mining projects represents more than just an industry shift. It’s an opportunity for Prince George to claim a leadership role in the province’s economic future.

As the province accelerates 18 critical mineral and energy projects, worth a combined $20 billion, communities like ours — already connected to northern infrastructure and rich in skilled labour — are poised to benefit in new ways. With billions of dollars in mining and energy projects lined up and permit-granting processes being streamlined, our city could become a significant hub for mining operations, transportation, and supply chain logistics. These projects will require transportation, equipment, housing, repair services, retail support, and workforce accommodations.

That sounds like Prince George. We have the rail lines. We have the trucking routes. We have the proximity to major project sites such as Blackwater Gold and Cariboo Gold. We have the proven ability to host work crews on a large scale. We can be the logistical and service backbone for new mining operations.

This could mean thousands of new jobs, a diversified economy and a reinvigorated tax base. Hospitality, automotive, and retail sectors would thrive. So would education and trades training institutions as the next generation gears

up to support BC’s resource economy. Prince George, if proactive, could be at the centre of it all.

But none of this can happen without political will, especially at the local level.

Our current council and mayor have a narrow window — less than 16 months — before the next municipal election.

It is a short period for them to engage directly with the opportunities the mining sector could offer us by prioritizing mining support and infrastructure expansion at the provincial and federal level.

This is also a call to First Nations leaders and representatives: your voices must be central in shaping not only how these projects move forward, but how

the benefits are shared.

With Indigenous consultation now a formal requirement in the new permitting system, First Nations are positioned to be long-term partners and shareholders in these developments — not just stakeholders. That’s going to require capacity building, resources, and a say in governance structures.

But there’s more. Even the most ambitious municipal strategy won’t be enough if the provincial government doesn’t fix the bottlenecks holding back the mining sector.

If our leaders fail to act now, we risk watching investment, jobs, and prosperity pass us by in favour of communities better prepared to attract and

accommodate industrial growth.

Energy supply is the biggest looming crisis. Site C alone won’t power 20-plus new mega-mines. We need significant investment in energy generation, in addition to the alternative energy solutions being proposed, to make these projects viable. Otherwise, we’re promoting an industry that won’t be able to turn on the lights.

BC Hydro is touting its new North Coast Transmission Line project, which will see expanded high-voltage lines running west from Prince George being built starting next year. This is a key infrastructure piece, but without significant additional power generation feeding them, those lines won’t be able to meet new heavy industrial needs. And while we welcome permit-granting reform, it will have to come with clarity and certainty. Investors and Indigenous communities are asking for predictable, respectful processes, not bureaucratic confusion or rushed policy.

This is a test. Let’s not fail it. If we get this right, we could be part of a generational economic transformation. If we fail to act, others will seize the opportunity.

It’s time for our city, our leaders, and our province to work together — to build the infrastructure, engage meaningfully with Indigenous partners, and ensure this mining resurgence includes Prince George.

Have your say with a letter to the editor: editor@pgcitizen.ca.

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Premier David Eby speaks during the grand opening ceremony at Blackwater Gold mine on Friday, May 30.

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OPINION

BC prepares to clearcut old growth in the Walker Valley

One of the great mysteries in the local forest industry has got to be why BC Timber Sales would start auctioning off the Walker wilderness for clearcut logging while obstructing a shift to plantation thinning.

I went to a Conservation North event at Books and Company May 23 to watch their short film The Walker Valley.

Located between Prince George and McBride, this pristine complex of small valleys, which includes the Walker Creek, covers about 1,000 square kilometres and is tucked between the McGregor and Fraser River valleys.

We watched stunning footage of untouched wilderness forests and mountain meadows.

What really struck me about the presentation was the importance of the Walker for threatened bull trout and endangered chinook salmon.

Many important bull trout and chinook salmon watersheds in the Upper Fraser have been impacted by clearcut logging, roads, pipelines, and glyphosate spraying.

Bull trout in particular need exceptionally clear water for spawning and like the upper Goat, the Walker is one of the clearest, coldest, and purest watersheds left in the area.

Despite that, BC Timber Sales is in the process of auctioning off cutblocks of old growth in the lower Walker to start moving the industrial clearcut plantation machine into the headwaters. If the history of logging around Prince George is any indicator, where the clearcuts happen, the helicopter glyphosate herbicides follow and we usually end up with lifeless even-aged monocrop plantations with next to no wildlife, nothing like the old growth mixtures we had before.

This is where it gets confusing.

Right now we have a growing stable of innovative logging operations, from Freya Logging to Integrated Operations, trying to turn the attention of the industry away from those pristine headwaters and towards the older previously cut plantations to start thinning them.

Thinning the dense — typically pine — plantations can have dramatic improvements for biodiversity, fire resistance, and plantation function.

BC Timber Sales, instead of auctioning off old growth with a 7-8-hour haul in a place we should be protecting, could start auctioning off thinning in the plantations around town to set a market price for commercial thinning while keeping the pulp mills running and wildfire at bay.

But despite the fact that Forests Minister Ravi Parmar has issued a directive to BC Timber Sales to start thinning, they aren’t doing it.

Your guess is as good as mine as to

what goes on in the mind of the BC Ministry of Forests and their agencies like BC Timber Sales. But I think it’s a couple of things.

First off, the bureaucratic machine is locked into the old-growth primary forest harvesting paradigm and that’s a hard habit to kick.

Thinning should theoretically involve little to no red-tape, no surveys, no planting, no brushing needed, and bureaucracies don’t want to give up their red tape easily.

Secondly, I’ve heard from high levels in the ministry the belief that thinning is bad for wood quality. The plan since around the 1970s was to clearcut, plant, eliminate the aspen and birch, and walk away for 60-80 years.

Other than a few taxpayer funded passes with fertilizers to compensate for the elimination of the nutrient-providing deciduous, there would be minimal intervention otherwise.

Densely packed slow-growing

northern conifer stands, so the argument goes, have tight growth rings and smaller branches on the lower part of the trunks, reducing taper and knot size. This theoretically protects our national brand of superior lumber and provides us with a marketing advantage over the twisty, fast growing southern yellow pine taking over the American softwood industry.

The reality is other than some specialty products, this argument is more about marketing and perception than reality. Southern yellow pine is currently the same price as number 2 SPF. Studies show thinned pine increases stand value and has minimal if any reduction in lumber quality. Increased taper and knot size tends to be balanced out with lower rot and a higher lumber recovery factor, especially if thinning takes out the crooked trees for pulp.

And as someone who has worked in construction, nobody building homes cares about the negligible differences in growth ring width or knot size other than the woodworker dweebs like myself.

And timber isn’t the only value anyway. The benefits of plantation thinning, especially if we leave residual aspen, birch, and douglas fir to increase diversity, can include more moose, more birds, more berries, more cattle grazing, and more drought resiliency.

If perceived timber quality reduction is the only reason BC Timber Sales reckons we need to log the Walker instead of thinning the plantations, I’m not buying it. We can keep the industry going by shifting gears and fixing the mess we already made, like they do in Germany and Sweden.

Let’s lay off the old growth rainforests and the disappearing Douglas fir stands and start thinning the pine.

If thinning plantations is a viable alternative for the industry, the only reason we will log the Walker will be bureaucratic ineptitude and stagnation.

James Steidle is a Prince George writer.

JAMES STEIDLE

e Back Story

PAUL MORGAN/CONSERVATION NORTH PHOTO

The Walker wilderness, located between Prince George and McBride, covers about 1,000 square kilometres.

OPINION

Closing Moccasin Flats will lead to other problems for downtown, says advocate

Permanent encampments are no solution for a number of reasons.

• In very short order it becomes the wild west with shooting, stabbing, assaults, arson, etc.

• A hive of criminal activity with drug dealing and a clearing house for stolen merchandise

• A drain on emergency services

Moccasin Flats must be closed and bylaw must nip any other encampments that pop up in the bud.

It is disingenuous for Huggett, to say the problem is how society treats the poor. There are countless programs to help but some whinge “I don’t want to follow the rules” To this group involuntary treatments programs may be the only answer

Lastly, as articles have stated recently 70 per cent of camp residents are Indigenous and area bands must become more involved and should develop on-reserve programs where those in crisis can receive culturally appropriate treatment under the guidance of tribal elders.

Lastly No 2, the revolving courthouse door must be nailed shut

Bobs your uncle

City of Prince George going to court on Moccasin Flats in July

St. Germain sure has a long wish list for those provided free housing. Well, free to them any way.

• Visitor restrictions are for security

• Sign in/sign out for safety in case of emergency(Fire)

• Transitional housing has limited storage capacity(for your 10 bikes)

• Staff unfriendly: read asking residents to follow rules

• Support & services available nearby

• Culturally appropriate support: red herring thrown in for good measure

Closing Moccasin Flats will lead to other problems for downtown, says advocate

Build addiction, mental and correctional facilities to deal with the problem.

It’ll cost us, but in the end we may actually save money on lost business, insurance, shoplifting, vandals, emergency services and on and on...

Maybe it will actually deter people from this lifestyle.

Maybe we’ll have a safe, clean community we can be proud of.

Financing free drugs, free housing, free food and no consequences for almost any action is putting us deeper and deeper into the hole as a society.

It enables and encourages the worst in people.

PGLocal

• Separate cooking facilities not feasible in temp housing

• Mental heath & harm reduction available nearby

• Cameras etc should not be a issue if obeying law

This lawyer is chucking everything at the wall to see what sticks.

The residents of PG especially in Miller Addition have put up with the Flats for long enough. The city/BC Housing have lived up to the court obligations and deserve to see the CLOSED sign on MF despite the lack of personal chef and baggage porters.

Bobs your uncle

Closing Moccasin Flats will lead to other problems for downtown, says advocate It is interesting how this entire article avoids the main problem which is drug addiction.

The only thing that will save lives is to have enforced treatment centres where everyone who is picked up high on drugs is placed for treatment and when and if they return to their addiction after treatment they are readmitted immediately.

Pretty soon the drug dealers will have nobody to sell to and they will disappear.

The few mentally ill street people who aren’t addicted to drugs could use the supportive housing safely if they weren’t sharing space with the addicts.

Retired librarian

Fired Prince George re nery worker’s grievance dismissed

Hope it was worth losing your +100k a year job.

Unions in general, have become such a joke today. I used to be pro-union and I have worked union my whole life.

While unions in construction were decent and functioned fairly well. All unions do in mills, refineries and hospitals, is enable entitlement and outlandish behaviour. They shield people, who are basically unemployable from getting fired and defend the most ridiculous grievances.

I have heard it all. People legitimately claiming they don’t expect to work all day, while on the clock. They were justified in committing theft. How the company doesn’t appreciate them, after they did a paid months long stint in rehab.

It’s pathetic. And I fully believe it’s a major problem that plagues our industries and institutions. It’s a shame, because it’s a good idea, but like everything, people have to abuse it.

It worked in construction because jobs were always temporary and your reputation mattered.

Zangief

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SD57 sees increase in number of students with autsm

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

School District 57 saw a large increase in the number of students with autism from 2023 to 2024, according to figures presented at the board of education’s Tuesday, June 10 meeting.

At that meeting, director of instruction for inclusive education Lisa Horswell gave an update on her department’s work with students with disabilities and chronic illnesses.

To provide accurate educational plans that meet students’ needs, Horswell said staff need specialized training as well as mental health and wellness supports.

Her presentation said that students with special education designation make up around 14 per cent of the school district’s entire student population.

On top of that, 25 per cent of students without those designations are supported by the inclusive education department at some point during the school year.

A graph in the presentation compared the number of students in each of the 14 special education designations in the district in both September 2023 and 2024.

There were 23 students with physical dependency issues in 2023 and 27 in 2024.

In 2023, there was a single student who was deaf and blind. In 2024, there were two.

The number of students with moderate to profound intellectual disabilities went down from 47 in 2023 to 25 in 2024.

Students with chronic health conditions like diabetes and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder increased by 16 from 249 in 2023 to 265 in 2024.

The district had five blind students in 2023 and seven in 2024.

There was a slight decrease in the number of deaf and hard of hearing students from 22 in 2023 to 20 in 2024.

The number of students with autism saw the largest jump with 418 in 2023 to 628 in 2024.

The second-largest increase was with students with intensive mental health issues, going from 300 in 2023 to 345 in 2024.

There were 136 students with mild intellectual disabilities in 2023 and 144 in 2024.

In 2023, there were four students considered gifted. That went down to three in 2024.

The Gifted Children’s Association of BC describes gifted children as “a subset of people born with distinctive, innate, neurological differences. Inherent in these differences are intellectual and talent-based capacities which score far beyond average.”

There was a small increase in the number of students with learning disabilities from 364 in 2023 to 380 in 2024.

The final category is students with moderate mental health issues. It saw a decrease from 106 students in 2023 to 73 in 2024.

Discussing the changes, Horswell said some students might have graduated or moved to a different designation.

“We have a lot of students coming into our district, starting in kindergarten or coming in on diagnosed autism-like traits that are just waiting to have an assessment,” she said.

“We have a massive amount of students on waitlists for assessment. I’ve been doing this job for 10 years and when I first started in this position, I remember very distinctly us having 169 autistic students in our district … we are now at 628. Ten years later, that’s approximately a 325 per cent increase.”

The current waitlist for an autism assessment is around three years for the public system and 18 months for a private assessment, Horswell said.

“Every district in the province is seeing an increase specifically in autism,” she said.

Students with physical dependencies are those who require an educational assistant who works directly with them. These, she said, are usually wheelchair-bound students that need assistance with lifts, transfers and feeding.

The first priority for the district’s

assessments each school year, she said, is to reassess students with intellectual disabilities who are turning 16 and may qualify for Community Living BC funding when they become adults.

The second priority is to reassess

Grade 7 students who have previously been diagnosed with intellectual disabilities or developmental delays. Horswell said that in many cases where a student has been diagnosed with FASD or autism, there are also comorbid conditions present.

Priorities three and four are new assessments.

Horswell said that there’s a misnomer that psychological education assessments act as cures, creating a miraculous intervention once a diagnosis has been provided.

“Schools are so good at identifying that there is a learning disability or an intellectual disability that a psychological educational assessment just already confirms what you know and they usually carry on with the practices,” she said.

“A great set of recommendations is usually produced, but schools are very good at recognizing what’s going on for a child.”

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CITIZEN PHOTO BY COLIN SLARK

School District 57 director of instruction for inclusive education Lisa Horswell gives a presentation to the board of education at its Tuesday, June 10 meeting.

D.P. Todd considered for renovaton or replacement

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

School District 57’s board of education approved applications to the provincial government for 13 capital projects worth almost $238 million at its final meeting of the 2024-25 school year, including once again requesting a replacement for D.P. Todd Secondary School.

At trustees’ Tuesday, June 10 meeting, they approved both major and minor capital project funding requests for the 2026-27 school year.

There were three requests in the major category, two of which involved D.P. Todd.

The secondary school was built in 1977 and opened in 1978.

The first request was for around $90.3 million to facilitate renovations increasing the high school’s capacity from 600 to 900 students.

The second request proposed a complete replacement of the school with capacity for 900 students worth around $131.5 million.

The third and final major request was around $10.74 million to add four classrooms and a daycare multipurpose room at Springwood Elementary. A note attached to that request said that prefabricated construction would be considered for the project.

Major capital requests must be submitted to the Ministry of Education and Child Care by June 30.

Under the minor capital requests, five projects were under the carbon neutral capital project (CNCP), three were under the playground equipment program (PEP) and the last four were under the school enhancement program (SEP).

At the meeting, secretary treasurer Lynda Minnabarriet said the repair or replacement of D.P. Todd has been identified as a need for several years, though the estimated costs have increased.

In 2020, the district asked the province for $75.3 million to replace the school. In 2024, the board asked for $88.38 million for renovations and $130 million for a new school.

School District 57 is considering replacing or upgrading D.P. Todd Secondary School to allow for expected growth in student population in coming years.

The Springwood project’s projected costs have also increased, she said. A response from the province on whether these items will be funded is expected next spring.

Vice-chair Erica McLean asked what the condition assessment of D.P. Todd has been in recent years. Minnabarriet said she did not have the information on hand but would look it up for the next meeting.

The CNCP projects total $2.8 million and include:

• $675,000 for boiler plant upgrades at Prince George Secondary School

• $625,000 for a boiler plant upgrade and the addition of variable-frequency drives at College Heights Secondary School

• $625,000 to replace the boiler system with a new condensing system at the John McInnis Centre

• $450,000 to replace the boiler system with a new condensing system at Vanway Elementary School

• $425,000 to replace the boiler system with a new condensing system and replace temperature coils in air handling units at Westwood Elementary School

The three PEP projects total $585,000 and include:

• $195,000 to replace play equipment at Hixon Elementary School,

• $195,000 to replace play equipment at Beaverly Elementary School

• $195,000 to install a new playground for intermediate students

at Morfee Elementary School in Mackenzie.

The four SEP projects total $2,025,000 and include:

• $450,000 to replace rooftop heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) units at College Heights Secondary School’s industrial education wing,

• $550,000 to replace three rooftop HVAC units at Buckhorn Elementary School

• $400,000 to replace a section of roofing at D.P. Todd Secondary School

• $625,000 to replace electrical unit ventilators in the shops wing of Prince George Secondary School

Minor capital requests must be submitted to the ministry by Sept. 30. However, since the work is already done, Minnabarriet said they would submit both lists of capital requests at the same time.

In the 2024-25 school year, she said the district received around $1.3 million for minor capital projects.

Trustee Sarah Holland asked whether the playground projects were accessible projects, Minnabarriet confirmed that they were.

Supt. Jameel Aziz said parent advisory councils are no longer expected to help raise funds for playgrounds, but sometimes still lend a hand to enhance the projects’ budget.

Both submissions were approved unanimously.

Speaking to The Citizen after the meeting, Aziz said the student population at D.P. Todd is relatively stable and the urgency of a replacement or addition

has settled somewhat.

“Now it’s more around the condition of the building, the lighting of the building,” Aziz said.

“When you compare it to a Shas Ti-Kelly Road or you compare it to a Duchess Park which are light and bright and have really welcoming spaces, D.P. Todd was built at a time when it’s not as welcoming. Even College Heights, when you go to that facility you can tell it was built in a different era.”

He said that there are no operational or safety concerns with the current D.P. Todd.

While the district would be happy with either a replacement or a renovation, Aziz said building a new school would allow for it to be built from the ground up rather than trying to incorporate an addition onto the existing structure.

Board chair Craig Brennan said he and his colleagues are scheduled to speak with Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma at the end of the month and one of the items they want to bring up is whether there’s another way to present the province with the district’s needs rather than asking for the same projects over and over again.

In April, the board received word from the Ministry of Infrastructure that it would be getting more than $1.2 million in funding for HVAC upgrades at Beaverly and College Heights elementary schools.

The letter from the ministry warned of a “limited ability to advance major capital projects.”

Brennan said the district would do everything it can “to keep our schools welcome and safe and happy places.”

“Our staff does a great job with resources, but those big projects we’re going to keep lobbying the government for because they have to be done to maintain integrity of our buildings.”

Even though the board is done meeting until next school year, Brennan said trustees will continue to work on policy items throughout the summer.

The first regular board meeting of the 2025 school year will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 9.

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO

Board looking to restart internatonal student program

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

School District 57 will relaunch its international student program to some of its high schools, it was announced at the board of education’s final meeting of the 2024-25 school year on Tuesday, June 10.

The program allowed students from other countries to live and study at schools in the district.

A report written by district staff said an ISP previously existed but ceased to operate “for a variety of reasons.”

“We currently have interest from international students in attending SD57 schools and will begin the process of working with an ISP principal in a neighbouring school district for student placement,” the report said.

The report also said that the program could be a potential revenue generator for the district, but staff recommended that any dollars collected not be used

to fund core programming but instead enhancements and extras.

“Also, it must be noted that no SD57 dollars will be expended into the program,” the report said. “Revenues generated from the program (tuition and program fees) will be utilized to support homestay costs, recruitment costs, and the overall management of the program.”

More information on how local families can get involved and apply for opportunities to host foreign students will be sent out later this month, the report said.

Supt. Jameel Aziz said at the June 10 meeting that when he assumed his job, he wondered why the district did not have an ISP.

He said Coast Mountain School District (SD82) has such strong uptake for its ISP that it fills all its available slots and it’s his understanding that there is a demand for such a program in School District 57.

Nutriton programs served more than 700K meals in 2024-25

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

Nutrition programs in School District 57 are projected to have provided 717,284 meals throughout the 2024-25 school year, according to a report at the Tuesday, June 10 meeting of the board of education.

School District 57 received $1,667,742 in funding for nutrition programming through the province’s Feeding Futures Fund in the 2024-25 school year as well as $317,136 from the federal government’s National School Food Program. In the presentation given by assistant superintendent Pam Spooner, meal programs were broken down into two categories: centralized and school based.

She said Prince George’s meal programs have been showcased by the Ministry of Education in three webinars presented to other districts to help get

Before establishing the program, Aziz said the district needs to make sure that quality homes are available for international students to stay at.

On top of the planned survey, the superintendent said administration had started to reach out to district staff about support for the program.

Speaking to The Citizen after the end of the meeting, Aziz said it was his understanding that the district’s previous iteration of the ISP ended just before or in the early days of the COVID19 pandemic.

In the previous communities he worked in, Aziz said homestays — homes that welcome in international students — are key to those programs’ success.

“I think there is an opportunity all across this beautiful province for students to want to come and have a great educational experience and the other piece, of course, is it brings their families who typically come

and spend time to see where their students are and enhances tourism,” Aziz said.

“I think Prince George deserves that opportunity. We also heard from that international student principal that there are students who are looking for opportunities in smaller communities as well. Some students want to be the only international student in a particular high school and so we hope as we expand that Valemount, McBride and Mackenzie will also have opportunities to have international students.”

If School District 57 introduces an ISP, Aziz said it could help create connections and facilitate local students’ exchanges to other countries.

Currently, he said the district has a great program where students from College Heights Secondary School visit Japan each spring break and students from Japan visit Prince George after the break.

Today we celebrate, honour, and uplift.

theirs up and running.

There are two centralized lunch programs in the district, one based out of Prince George Secondary School and another based out of Mackenzie.

The PGSS program delivers lunches to 22 different schools and employs four CUPE staff, one teacher/chef and one business manager.

By June 26, it is projected to have delivered 81,951 meals in 2024-25.

Mackenzie’s lunch program involves one CUPE staff member, two principals, one vice principal and one secondary. It is projected to have delivered 12,155 meals by June 26 this school year.

The presentation indicated 1,349 breakfasts are served daily to elementary students and 1,169 to secondary students.

By June 26, the program is estimated to have served 451,586 breakfasts this school year.

Day!

DAY JUNE 21

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park will come alive with music, performance and cultural expression this Saturday, June 21, as the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation hosts National Indigenous Peoples Day.

The free, family-friendly event will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and will feature live stage performances, singing, drumming, food, artists, vendors and activities for kids.

Headliners include Chubby Cree, J.J. Lavallee, Kym Gouchie, Doris Munger, and a Métis jigging workshop onstage.

“National Indigenous Peoples Day is about celebrating who we are,” said Chief

Dolleen Logan of Lheidli T’enneh First Nation. “It’s a time to honour our culture, language and traditions — and to share them with the whole community. This land has always been a gathering place, and on June 21, we continue that legacy in the spirit of reconciliation and unity.”

Juno-nominated artist and event organizer Kym Gouchie told The Citizen what locals can expect from her performance.

“I’m definitely going to be doing music for kids,” said Gouchie. “I’m going to be singing in the Dakelh language and singing some of the songs off of my Juno-nominated album. I’ll get the kids involved — it’s very interactive and lots of fun.”

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Honouring Indigenous culture, language and traditon

JAMES DOYLE PHOTO

Doris Munger drums and sings on stage during the 2024 National Indigenous Peoples Day at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park.

CONTNUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Gouchie was recently nominated as best children’s artist for the Western Canadian Music Awards.

She said events like National Indigenous Peoples Day are essential for building connection and offering a platform for Indigenous voices.

“As an Indigenous woman, I feel that now — in all of the history of ever being Indigenous, not talking pre-contact — it is one of the most exciting times to be Indigenous,” she said.

“We have our voice back and people are listening. As the original peoples of these lands, we are being consulted more than ever. Music and art have become such powerful vehicles to bring

21

JUNE21

Gouchie

people together and build that bridge.”

For Gouchie, a highlight of the day is seeing people from all walks of life come together to celebrate Indigenous culture.

“I love seeing the people come together in the park and knowing that all of the people in that park are there because they care,” she said.

“They want to be part of the team. They want to celebrate the Indigenous Peoples of Canada. They’re there for that reason, and I love it — because

‘We have our voice back and people are listening’

often people don’t associate or they don’t have those connections to Indigenous people or cultures.”

The event will also feature Shoresy star Keilani Elizabeth Rose as emcee. Rose will also perform a DJ set during the day.

The celebration will wrap up at 4 p.m. with a mini-powwow and a blanket dance to raise funds for Lheidli T’enneh First Nation elders.

The festivities don’t stop there — an after-party called Rock the Knox will take place at the Knox Performance Centre, featuring performances by Joel West and Misty Raine.

Admission will be by donation, with proceeds supporting the Lheidli Elders Society.

Approximately 20 volunteer roles remain open for the event.

Those interested in signing up can visit: https://volunteersignup.org/ YLQDK

“This isn’t just an event — it’s a movement,” added Logan.

“It’s a celebration of resilience, of culture, and of coming together. Everyone is welcome.”

Community partners and sponsors for the event include the PG Native Friendship Centre, PG Métis Commu

George, Carrier Sekani Family Services,

City looks to reassure developers over inspecton delays

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

The City of Prince George told residents it is “working to address concerns about wait times for building inspection services” amidst staffing shortages in a media release issued the afternoon of Wednesday, June 11.

The release said that like other local governments in the province, Prince George is both experiencing building inspector shortages causing delays and competing with other municipalities to hire new inspectors.

“These vacancies span all levels of building inspection roles, from entrylevel to chief building officials,” the release stated. “This province-wide trend reflects the challenges many communities are facing in recruiting and retaining qualified inspection staff.”

Because of the situation, the city said it is recruiting for vacant building inspector positions on an ongoing basis, starting mentoring for new staff as soon as possible and contracting out some inspection services to contractors on a short-term basis.

“We are confident that these measures are already resulting in service improvements. Ensuring continuity of service to the public remains a top priority, and we have been extremely proactive in responding to these issues,” director of planning and development Deanna Wasnik said in the release.

“It is important to emphasize that the city is committed to supporting development. We want businesses to open, grow, and succeed. At the same time, we have a duty to ensure all construction projects meet the health and safety requirements outlined in the BC Building Code and the BC Fire Code. That responsibility cannot be compromised.”

The release added that the city has decreased its backlog of building permit applications by 73 per cent, though the total number of backlogged applications was not listed.

Reached by phone on Wednesday, June 11, Wasnik said the building inspection division has three positions.

Two of these positions are currently filled, including an inspector who started a couple of months ago, and another new inspector is set to join the team in the near future.

Of the two currently employed inspectors, one is a level 1 inspector and the other is a level 2 inspector.

The city does not currently have any level 3 inspectors, who are qualified to inspect commercial, industrial and some multi-family developments.

However, Wasnik said, the city’s inspectors aren’t responsible for inspecting those kinds of developments. Instead, they use a professional reliance model that sees registered professionals review the different phases of building as a project progresses, with level 3 inspectors reviewing the final paperwork to decide whether a permit is issued.

As the city does not have any level 3 inspectors, this work is contracted to outside inspection services like the ones mentioned in the release.

Those external inspectors, Wasnik said, were identified through a public procurement process that created a rotating list of qualified professionals that can help with level three projects. They can also step in to help with level

The issue was also brought up during a discussion regarding building permits issued in April at the May 26 city council meeting. Coun. Trudy Klassen said council had been hearing concerns from the local building community regarding delays and asked city manager Walter Babicz if he could give them any assurances.

“The city, like many other cities, is experiencing a temporary vacancy in the building inspection department,” Babicz said. “Staff are working diligently to create contingency plans and be proactive in terms of finding alternate resources and working to improve the situation. We appreciate the patience that the building community is expressing.”

Babicz then referenced the short-term contracts and turned to Wasnik to further discuss the situation and how the city intends to improve matters.

one or two projects as well.

From January until May 23, Wasnik said, the city received 250 building permit applications with 120 of those coming in March alone.

“That’s a massive influx of applications to receive in one month for the city and it’s not typical,” she said. “But what happened was the BC Building Code had an update, if I can call it that, that was being implemented and became effective at the end of March, so builders were trying to beat that change.”

Typically, she said, there are between 35 and 50 permit applications a month. With 120 applications in March, Wasnik said even a fully staffed inspection division would have found it a lot to process.

As for why the city sent out the release, Wasnik said that customers have been calling to ask about staffing shortages they’ve heard of on social media and what that might mean for their projects.

Going forward, she said, she would be happy to keep the public and groups like the Canadian Home Builders Association and the Northern Regional Construction Association in the loop about what’s going on with the inspection division.

“We are working diligently and if there are concerns with building permits, occupancy permits, business licenses to please reach out and we’re happy to work through with our customers through perhaps the outstanding information needed to allow for an approval,” Wasnik said.

“But from what we can see in our stats, yes we have vacancies and yes we have, I think, addressed them very quickly and efficiently for the time that we were provided to address these shortages.”

She said she appreciated the building community’s patience in working with the city through “perhaps a bit of a bumpy time.”

After Wasnik finished speaking, Coun. Brian Skakun said he received a call from a developer before the start of a closed council session earlier that day expressing frustration over delays.

Coun. Cori Ramsay said Prince George builds quickly compared to other communities in BC, with multi-family developments taking 18 months to build elsewhere and just six months here. Once the department is fully staffed up again, she said it would be “off to the races.”

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY COLIN SLARK

Prince George director of planning and development Deanna Wasnik (left) explains administration’s objection to granting a U-Haul business in the Hart a temporary use permit at the Feb. 3, 2025 city council meeting as manager of IT services Luke Reid looks on.

Woman pleads guilty to manslaughter in stabbing case

BOB MACKIN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A judge sentenced a 25-year-old woman June 9 in Prince George Provincial Court to another year-anda-half in jail after pleading guilty to manslaughter.

Danika Rose Payou, 25, was originally charged with second-degree murder after stabbing Cassie Larocque twice at the Sunrise Valley Mobile Home Park after midnight on Feb. 14, 2023.

“The injuries were severe and catastrophic, and almost immediately fatal,” Crown prosecutor Robert Climie told Judge Martin Nadon.

Payou and Larocque had been at a man’s residence with another woman where they ate dinner and socialized for several hours. Court heard that Payou and Larocque had been consuming methamphetamine before the incident at 12:21 a.m.

The man they were visiting found Larocque lying on the floor, bleeding from stab wounds. He tried to resuscitate her, but went next door to call 9-1-1. Police arrived in four minutes and found a bloody knife on the floor near the front door.

Nadon officially sentenced Payou to five years in jail, but she qualified for 1,269 days in time-served credit, leaving 556 days to serve.

Nadon also sentenced Payou to three years of probation, with the first year being under a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew. While on probation, Payou must not possess or consume alcohol or drugs without a prescription and must not possess weapons, including knives, but must report for a treatment and counselling program directed by a probation officer.

Nadon said that Payou has been substance-free during her time in custody, but Climie was concerned about her ability to stay sober when she returns to the community.

“That’s based on her prior history,” Nadon said.

“However, she did have a brief period of sobriety a couple of years before the chain of events that led to the matter

that brings her to court.”

Pre-sentencing reports found Payou had a difficult upbringing in government care, feeling she did not belong as an Indigenous girl with Caucasian foster parents.

She started to use alcohol and marijuana as a 13-year-old and then crack cocaine and methamphetamine on a daily basis by age 16. She worked in restaurants, hotels and the oil industry while the Ministry of Children and Family Development paid for an apartment, but she aged out of care when she turned 19.

“She wasn’t able to afford an apartment, and eventually she returned to living on the streets, and by that time engaging in sex work to support herself,” Climie said.

She became pregnant at age 20, but after the child’s birth, returned to living on the streets.

Defence lawyer Jason LeBlond noted Payou confessed to the crime shortly after it took place, entered the guilty plea last August and has expressed regret.

“In so doing, we want to clearly acknowledge the profound loss to the family of Miss Larocque, and the profound tragedy in the fact that Miss Larocque is deprived of all of her opportunities,” LeBlond said. “She was a young lady with many years of her life ahead of her.”

Victims services worker Aralee Hryciuk read a statement from Larocque’s mother, Diana Dergez, who was

in the gallery. It said Dergez constantly mourns for her daughter, a Metis woman, who only ever wanted “to love and be loved.”

Dergez said her daughter was taken twice. First when she lost custody of Cassie at age nine to a man that abused her for nearly 30 years. Then by Payou.

“No parent should have to bury their child. No child should die in fear at the hands of someone who had no right to decide when her life should end,” Dergez wrote. “There are days I don’t want to be here anymore, but I stay for my youngest daughter, who still needs me, because when I’m gone, she’ll have no one.”

Public Interest Disclosure Act

The Public Interest Disclosure Act is British Columbia’s whistleblower protection legislation for current and former public sector employees.

Learn more and submit your input by August 1, 2025 via bcleg.ca/consultations or scan the QR code. Or call: 250-356-2933 Toll-free: 1-877-428-8337

A woman has pleaded guilty to manslaughter after a death at the Sunrise Valley Mobile Home Park on Feb. 14, 2023.

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Machete-wielding man acquited of all charges

BOB MACKIN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A Provincial Court judge in Prince George found a man not guilty on June 10 of possessing a machete for a dangerous purpose and wilfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer.

Stanley Albert Wilson, born in 1964, was also charged with assault with a weapon, but the Crown asked Judge Peter McDermick to acquit him of that charge.

Court heard that Wilson, who was tried in October and January, carried the machete on Dec. 14, 2023 when he had an altercation with a driver on Turner Road.

The driver testified that he noticed

Wilson in the middle of the road, swinging the machete. So he stopped his Jeep, rolled down the window and asked Wilson what he was doing.

“The accused replied, in essence, get out and find out,” McDermick said, recounting the driver’s testimony. “The accused raised his machete up, which [the driver] perceived as a threat. He began to drive off. The accused then hit the back of his Jeep with the machete. (The driver) got out of his car to confront the accused. They were almost face-to-face. He told him to drop his machete. He did not. He went to raise up his arm, and then (the driver) pushed him away, at which point the accused ran off.”

Wilson testified in his own defence

that he never intended to use the machete as a weapon and had earlier been accosted by a carload of youths. He said he used the machete to cut a path for a shortcut to the Nechako library branch in the Hart Centre Mall where he used the Internet.

He also claimed that he struck the Jeep by accident when he slipped on the icy road and eventually dropped the machete when he ran into a forested area because he feared he might fall onto it.

The Prince George RCMP officer who arrived on Turner Road in an unmarked police vehicle with lights on testified that he drew his firearm, had his finger on the trigger and pointed it at Wilson. He said he identified himself as a police

officer and yelled at Wilson to stop because he was under arrest. Wilson fled into the woods.

“The assertion that he didn’t hear the officer is not unreasonable or astonishing in light of the full body of evidence before me,” McDermick said.

The judge decided the Crown did not prove the charge beyond reasonable doubt. Same for the charge of possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose. McDermick said there was no independent evidence to contradict Wilson’s “unlikely narrative.”

“While I do not fully believe the evidence of the accused, all things considered, I find myself with a lingering, reasonable doubt,” McDermick concluded.

Man used an imitaton frearm in Smithers robbery

BOB MACKIN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A 57-year-old known as “Hector the Collector” pleaded guilty to using an imitation firearm in a robbery and was sentenced to time served on June 9 in BC Supreme Court in Prince George.

Court heard that Phillip Gilbert Fraser went to the Smithers residence of two individuals in September 2022 and demanded they pay money they owed. He showed them an imitation firearm and struck them both with it. They gave him all the cash they had, which amounted to $50.

Fraser also pleaded guilty to breaching the round-the-clock house arrest condition on his bail when he assaulted a man who would not leave a family’s residence.

Justice Michael Tammen said that Fraser’s 357 days in custody earned him 536 days of time served credit, “which is either four days or potentially 11 days short of 18 months, depending on how one does the arithmetic.”

Tammen gave Fraser time served of 18 months plus one day in jail, “and that day will be today, and 12 months probation.”

The mother and fiancee of the Tahltan

Nation man were both in court for the hearing. Fraser’s defence lawyer, Mohammad Hajivandi, said his client had been incarcerated in the Prince George Regional Correctional Centre

but was transferred to the Kamloops provincial jail due to crowd control policies in Prince George. Court also heard that Fraser has worked as a heavy machine operator and driller, including on projects in the Middle East.

He lost his most recent job, as a site supervisor at a major BC mine project, after he was arrested.

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO

A man nicknamed ‘Hector the Collector’ was sentenced to time served in connection with a robbery in 2022.

RCMP investgatng pair of Cuddie Crescent fres

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

Prince George RCMP investigators are looking for any information regarding the two suspicious fires that occurred at the same housing complex on the 1200 block of Cuddie Crescent in the last week.

The first fire occurred on Thursday, June 5, just before 2 a.m. and was contained to the end unit of a fourplex at Cuddie Crescent.

The second fire occurred on Wednesday, June 11 at approximately 2:30 a.m. and this time engulfed all four units leaving nine residents displaced. These fires have caused approximately $350,000 in damages.

“Thankfully, everyone was able to get out of the houses in time and no injuries have been reported,” stated Cpl. Jennifer Cooper, media relations officer for the Prince George RCMP. “Investigators are now asking for anyone in that

A firefighter tries to coax a resident’s cat into a box for safekeeping after a fire on

area to check their video surveillance or dash camera footage for anyone caught moving through that neighborhood

BC government seeking shoes, socks and underwear for inmates

BOB MACKIN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The BC government is looking for a single supplier of shoes, socks and underwear for B.C. Corrections inmates.

In a June 13 tender call, the Ministry of Citizens’ Services product distribution centre wants to begin a new contract after the current one runs out at the end of August. It says the annual requirement is for 14,000 pairs of Velcro shoes, 14,000 pairs of socks, 700 pairs of insoles and 14,000 units of undergarments.

BC Corrections operates 10 regional jails, including the Prince George Regional Correctional Centre, to keep accused adults in custody while awaiting trial as well as jailing offenders for sentences of less than two years.

“It helps offenders in custody and the community learn better ways of responding to the world around them

BC correctional system goes through 14,000 pairs of socks and 14,000 pairs of underwear a year.

and to reduce reoffending,” the document says.

BC Corrections says the shoes must contain no plastic or metal parts and no embroidering or labeling of any sort. Along with documentation, bidders must submit two sample pairs each of the following products: unisex Velcro inmate shoes, white, unisex athletic tube socks, unisex insoles, men’s briefs, men’s boxer shorts and women’s briefs. Deadline is July 10.

around the time of the two fires or for any footage relating to the fires that would assist these investigations in moving forward.”

Both of these investigations remain open.

Cuddie Crescent on Wednesday, June 11.

Tony Hawk wows crowd at Smithers skatepark event

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

The small town of Smithers got some big-time guests on May 29.

World-famous skateboarder Tony Hawk made a surprise visit to the northern BC community of about 5,000 people to help open the new skatepark expansion and inspire small-town skaters to embrace the sport.

Hawk was joined by pro snowboarder Mark McMorris and other extreme sports athletes. More than 1,000 people gathered to watch the skating demonstration.

The Smithers Skatepark Society — responsible for organizing and fundraising the project — was recognized by Hawk, who highlighted the importance of facilities like this in rural areas.

“These kinds of parks encourage active lifestyles and foster deeper interest in skateboarding, especially in smaller communities,” Hawk told the crowd.

Jake Daly, treasurer for the Skatepark Society, spoke to The Citizen about how Hawk and McMorris connected with the local crowd.

“They are just down-to-earth people, and they both came from being kids growing up with boards — it’s where they found meaning,” says Daly. “Tony described skateboarding and the skatepark as his salvation when he was growing up. For Mark, snowboarding is his life. They understand the power of boards, and what it’s like growing up in a small town where it’s really important to have something healthy to love and build a community around.”

Daly says Hawk’s visit has already made a huge impact around town.

“Tony’s management team explained to us that things could get crazy — and we didn’t quite believe them,” says Daly. “As soon as we posted that they would be coming, the local skate shop got rushed. They sold out of skateboards immediately — every single one gone.

“You go by the skatepark now and there are 30 or 40 people there, full families, kids going before school. It’s all anyone’s talking about in town.”

Part of Hawk’s visit also included celebrating the fundraising efforts of the Skatepark Society, which since 2016 has raised about $1.6 million over three phases to complete the skatepark expansion.

Christy Sawchuck, the society’s vicechair — known locally as “Rad Mom” — says Hawk refused to accept payment for the visit.

“It meant a lot to us, because that’s not something we could afford as a society,” says Sawchuck.

“We do our fundraising, and it goes toward park improvements. For him to come to our small community, to see what we’ve done, because it aligns with his values — and then say, ‘Hey, I’m not going to charge anything’ — that was incredibly generous.”

In addition to waiving his fee, Hawk also spent time with skaters and members of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation before the event.

“The Skatepark Society is partnered with the Wet’suwet’en First Nation, who graciously offered to host a welcoming ceremony,” says Daly. “Before we held the skate event, Kayla Mitchell and a group from the Wet’suwet’en led the athletes through a welcoming ceremony — introducing them to the territory, the culture, and even the Wet’suwet’en language. It was really special. You could tell it meant a lot to the athletes and to all of us.”

Both Sawchuck and Daly are lifelong skaters and say the visit was deeply meaningful for those who grew up in the community.

“I grew up learning to skateboard here,” says Daly. “If we weren’t on the mountain snowboarding or at the skatepark, we were probably at someone’s house playing Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater on PlayStation.

“So to fast-forward — all of us young punks who hung out at the original skatepark are now volunteers, board members, and parents with kids and nephews out there. Standing shoulder to shoulder with our board sports heroes, celebrating the growth and maturity of this scene — it’s pretty emotional and kind of surreal.”

SIMON WALFORD PHOTO

Tony Hawk skates in front of onlookers at the opening of the Smithers Skatepark expansion on May 29.

UNBC researchers working with Robson Valley seniors

ABIGAIL POPPLE Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Researchers from the University of Northern BC paid Valemount a visit last week to discuss how northern BC seniors could be better included in future research. Over the course of a three-hour workshop, local seniors and researchers talked about access to longterm care, combating isolation, and the sense of community among Valemount seniors.

The workshop was just one of several that researchers are organizing across northern BC this spring, said principal investigator Shannon Freeman. The workshops are a way to discuss forming an older adult research advisory group that could guide future research, she said.

“We try to take a positive, empowering perspective on what we do. Our work is done in partnership (with communities),” Freeman said. “When you partner, your partners (are) more likely to uptake, implement and sustain the different interventions and projects that we collaborate on together.”

Freeman is also the academic director of the Centre for Technology Adoption for Aging in the North (CTAAN), a group that researches technology meant to improve the well-being of northern seniors. The group is a collaboration between UNBC, Northern Health and the research organization AGE-WELL, and frequently partners with northern and rural communities, according to Freeman.

“We co-develop our projects in partnership with communities and individuals … so that the research we do and the impact we have makes a meaningful difference in the lives of persons who are aging – whether they’re still healthy and well in the community, receiving home care support, or receiving longterm care, acute care or end-of-life support,” Freeman said.

Research managers Emma Rossnagel and Matt Sargent agreed.

“People do research with older adults in bigger metropolitan centres and bigger universities, but it’s fairly new

Including rural seniors in research makes it easier to generalize aging studies to broad groups, instead of just urban seniors, say the UNBC researchers working with older adults in the Robson Valley.

in northern BC,” Sargent said, adding that including rural seniors in research makes it easier to generalize aging studies to broad groups, instead of just urban seniors.

Attendees appreciated the opportunity to talk about their needs and challenges. Local resident Michel Ball said he hoped the workshop would provide insight on how the research group could support Robson Valley seniors.

“I wanted to be a small part of the solution and help out with research,” Ball said. “We can help with finding out what people require, and what they actually need.”

Likewise, McBride-based Judy Holmin said she saw the workshop as a way to find solutions for seniors who have less help around the house.

“I can hire help, or have (my) family help, but not everyone has that,” Holmin said. “I’d like to find ways for others to not have trouble getting help.”

That ability to support rural seniors’ needs is one of the goals of the workshops, said Freeman.

“We want to connect with older adults across all of our northern communities to hear what their experiences are, to learn from them and learn with them in partnership,” Freeman said.

She added that while different communities have many needs in common, each community and each individual has their own unique challenges and perspectives. Having face-to-face conversations helps researchers determine how to support seniors on a

community-by-community basis.

“People want to stay and age in their rural communities,” Freeman said. “What we’re really trying to fill is that gap — that access gap, that education gap, that availability gap — to make things more accessible, so people can access the right care and supports at the right time and place for them.”

Additionally, building connections in northern communities helps CTAAN share technology for older adults, said Freeman and Sargent. These technologies range from smartphone platforms that measure vital signs, to indoor gardening activities, to tablets that seniors and their families can use to stay connected. All of these technologies, plus over a dozen more, are available for examination at CTAAN’s AgeTech Lab on the UNBC campus, said Sargent.

To that end, the group is already gearing up for its next study, which will look at the impact of remote monitoring on seniors and caretakers, said Rossnagel.

The year-long study will provide participants with a monitoring device for free, which can track anything from resting heart rate to a person’s movement and even provide information on whether they forgot to close the fridge, according to Rossnagel. People who are interested in participating can contact researchers at ctaabcp3@unbc.ca, she said.

At the heart of their work is a commitment to enhancing rural seniors’ lives by complementing and supporting the resources communities already have in place, Freeman emphasized.

“When we hear about rural and northern communities, often we hear about the challenges and deficits that they face. But they have a lot of strengths and resilience,” she said. “Our work looks at how we can leverage those positives and that community resilience to (empower) people to live well.” This story originally appeared in The Rocky Mountain Goat.

2SLGBTQIA+ students, colleagues, and families: We see you, we love you, and we celebrate you—exactly as you are.

What’s happening in PG

Yun Ts’uwhut’loo: Braiding the Land goes Friday, June 20 at 7 p.m. at the Prince George Playhouse. This event is presented by the Northern Indigenous Arts Council and is a powerful celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day. Acclaimed Juno nominated Lheidli T’enneh artist Kym Gouchie and the internationally renowned Raven Spirit Dance company from Vancouver, will perform. Through dance, song, and embodied storytelling, Yun Ts’uwhut’loo speaks to the interwoven nature of identity, land, and collective legacy. Proceeds of the ticket sales go to support the Northern Indigenous Arts Council. Doors open at 6:30 and performance starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at https://method-dance-society.tickit.ca/events/29819.

National Indigenous Peoples Day goes Saturday, June 21 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park. Commemorate National Indigenous Peoples Day to recognize the history, heritage, and diversity of Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Truth and Reconciliation is the heart of National Indigenous Peoples Day. The Lheidli T’enneh First Nation will be hosting National Indigenous Peoples Day on their ancestral lands and historic village site, now known as Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park.

Sweet Summer Market goes Saturday, June 21 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at CN Centre. Browse local vendors, indulge in great eats, all while supporting local small businesses in your community. Vendors can register at www.justsugarcookies.ca.

Kryple – Live in Prince George, the Johnny Rich Tour goes Saturday, June 21 from 7:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. at Ignite Nightclub, 1232 Third Ave. There’s a VIP meet and greet, Gold Messiah, Urban Indian, Glazier, Highbryd, Kryple and DJ Colt 45 will entertain. For tickets visit www.eventbrite.ca/e/kryple-live-inprince-georgejohnny-rich-tour-tickets.

Junk in the Trunk goes Saturday, June 21 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Pineview Recreation Commission 6470 Bendixon Road. People will have their wares in the parking lot for purchase.

Call Judy 250-963-9723 or the hall 250963-8214 to reserve your space.

Kris Yip Memorial Fondo goes Saturday, June 21 and starts at Canada Games Plaza. Riders depart at 8 a.m. Food trucks and vendors will be open at 10 a.m. Riders will be finishing between around 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. This is more than just a bike ride — it’s a heartfelt celebration of community, inclusion, and the spirit of a local legend. This event, organized by the Kris Yip Memorial Foundation, invites cyclists to join a fully supported ride through scenic routes, with distances of 60km, 95km, and 120km. The Fondo also raises funds for Kris’s Memorial Fund at the Prince George Community Foundation and promotes awareness of heart health in athletes, a cause close to the Foundation’s mission. For more information or to register visit www.krisyipmemorialfondo.ca

Santacruzan sa Prince George 2025

goes Sunday, June 22 from 4 to 9 p.m. at Sacred Heart Cathedral, 887 Patricia Blvd. This special event is sponsored by the Cathedral Migrant Ministry and the Filipino-Canadian community in Prince George. It will become part of the observance of the parish feast day and June as Filipino Heritage Month in Canada. Highlights include the Santacruzan parade, salo-salo (potluck), adobo cook off, palarong Filipino (games), and arch design competition. For more information visit www.facebook.com/ events/597537025960340.

Come Try Ringette and Bring a Friend Event goes Sunday, June 22 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at Kin 3 and is presented by PG Ringette. This is a free event where participants between the ages of 14 and 18 strap on some skates, grab a stick and a ring, and try out the fastest game on ice. All you need to participate is skates, helmet (mandatory), warm clothes, a pair

of gloves and a smile! (Skate and Helmet rentals will not be available on the day of the event). To register visit www. rampregistrations.com.

Annual Grandmothers to Grandmothers Golf Tournament goes Sunday, June 22 at Alder Hills Golf Course. This is a fundraiser in support of the Stephen Lewis Foundation. This organization funds many programs in Africa for the Grandmothers who are raising their grandchildren. The children they raise have lost parents to AIDS. The foundation supports in many ways including education as well as medication, etc. The annual golf tournament is G2G PG’s biggest fundraiser. Registration is $85 and includes 18 holes, dinner and a chance to take home a great prize. To register call Ruth at 250-964-0498 or email ruth.meger@gmail.com.

Cinematography One-Day Workshop goes Friday, June 27 or Saturday, June 28 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is presented by the Arts North Digital Media Centre, a division of the Community Arts Council of Prince George & District at Studio 2880. The workshop is led by Jeff Gruending, local founder of video marketing firm Precision FX,and includes camera fundamentals, lighting essentials, audio production, composition & storytelling, editing & final production. For more information and to register visit www.studio2880. com/arts-north-digital-studio-media/ cinematography-workshop.

Summer Vacation Improv goes Friday, June 27 at 8 p.m. at The Underground Show Lounge and Bar, 1177 Third Ave., and presented by Improv Shmimprov. Slide into summer with a healthy dose of comedy. This is live theatre, on stage, based on the audience suggestions. You bring the suggestions, we supply the funny. Improv comedy, live on stage with games and hijinks. Snacks and drinky drinks available so bring friends and have some laughs. For more information and tickets visit www. shmimprovimprov.ca/summer-vacation

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CITIZEN FILE PHOTO

The Come Try Ringette and Bring a Friend Event, presented by PG Ringette. happens Sunday, June 22 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at Kin 3.

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Comedy Night Raw goes Saturday, June 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the Central BC Railway and Forestry Museum, 850 River Road. Brace yourself for an 18+ night of uncensored, unfiltered, and unforgettable stand-up comedy. Farmhouse and Gypsy Entertainment Group host the event with all proceeds going to Cariboo North Cultural Society. Six brave new comedians take up the mic, each with five minutes to bring the house down with their best jokes. Think you’ve got what it takes? Register on our event page. For tickets and more information visit www. farmhousecatering.ca/event-details/ comedy-night-raw.

Northern Riffs goes Saturday, June 28 at 6 p.m. at the Roll-A-Dome, 2588 Recplace Drive. Santana Pro in collaboration with Infectious Nation are bringing a night of hard rock meets heavy metal and punk. Bands include The Dusty Pines, an all-female punk supergroup from Vancouver, The Infirmary of Smithers and Sustain from Terrace. PG’s own favourite zombie hard rock and metal band Infectious will be supporting these three touring bands along with local heavy metal and hard rock band Cynnical. For more information and tickets visit www.northernriffs.art.

Free Concert in the Park goes Saturday, June 28 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park at the bandshell. This event is presented by the City of Prince George and everyone is welcome to attend. Bring chairs and blankets to sit on to enjoy the music of Aquiles Tarumba, The Verdants and Andrew Judah. There will be a variety of food trucks on site.

Startup to Success Program participants will be at the Q3 Community Market, 1299 Third Avenue on Saturday, June 28 from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. These talented young entrepreneurs spent 16 weeks developing their business plans during a 16-week program supported by Junior Achievers and YMCA BC. Teams will showcase their products, including

crafts, party packages, car scents, and mental health colouring books. Bring the family and be part of this inspiring event to celebrate and support the next generation of local entrepreneurs.

Canada Day in the Park goes Tuesday, July 1 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park and is presented by Canadian Tire. Enjoy multicultural food and entertainment, games and bouncy castles for the children and browse the marketplace. There’s plenty of fun for everyone.

Pride Drag Show 2025 goes Friday, July 4 from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. at The Underground Show Lounge and Bar, 1177 Third Ave. Presented by the PG Pride Society, The Underground and Ma Dame Foreteaze this event celebrates Celebrate love, diversity, and the art of drag with a dazzling lineup of queens, kings, and non-binary royalty bringing their charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent to the stage, with dance to follow. Tickets at www.eventbrite.ca/e/ pride-drag-show-after-party-tickets.

Foodie Fridays are back at Canada Games Plaza and will go from noon to 4 p.m. on July 4, 18, 25 and Aug. 1, 8, 29.

There will be food trucks, vendors and entertainers. The Tourism PG Nanguz ’An Market is open Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in July and August.

Chris Goodwin Band goes Saturday, July 5 at 8:30 p.m. at Nelly’s Pub, 2280 John Hart Hwy. This well-known fourpiece country group has been captivating audiences in Northern British Columbia since 2019. They’ve gained a strong reputation in Western Canada, headlining events like the 2020 Rooftop Rock Festival and sharing the stage with renowned artists like Brett Kissel, Dean Brody, and Corb Lund at the 2022 Best Damn Music Fest.

BC Old Time Fiddlers’ Jams and Lessons go every Tuesday from 7 to 9 p.m. at the First Baptist Church, 483 Gillett St. Everyone is welcome to attend. Drop-in fee is $5 at the door.

Games Night goes every Thursday at 7 p.m at Spruce Capital Seniors Centre, 3701 Rainbow Drive. Come on down and join in a game of backgammon, checkers, crib or better yet try out the pool table or dart board, please bring your own darts. Open to everyone for a $5

drop-in fee.

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.

Parkinson Support Group meetings are the third Saturday of each month (June 21) at 1 p.m. at the Spruce Capital Seniors Centre, 3701 Rainbow Drive. Meetings are informal and are for sharing information about slowing down the progression of PD. There are guest speakers, special events and biweekly exercise sessions and positive social interaction. Use lower parking lot beside ball diamond to access the seniors centre.

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.

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

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

Members of Troupe Zahira from Zahira Dance Studio take to the stage at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park as part of last year’s Canada Day celebrations.

LEFT: Quesnel’s Kali Forgrave, 16, takes the women’s 16-17 javelin throw.

A capital efort

The city’s top athletes compete at Masich Place Stadium as the Spruce Capital Track and Field Meet returns

CITIZEN PHOTOS BY CHUCK NISBETT

RIGHT: Paige Bueckert breaks a record in the 14-15 high jump with this 1.55-metre performance.

BELOW: Zoe Vine, 11 (left), Carolyn Padilla, 11, and Mika Cronje, 10, all from the Prince George Track and Field Club, cross the line of the 100-metre for a photo finish.

ABOVE Meriam Aka, 9, competes in the long jump.

RIGHT: Tuomas Ukonmaanaho, 80, leads Arthur Gee, 81, in the 100-metre dash.

ABOVE: Julia Cross, 15, of Smithers leads Hana Liston, 17, of Prince George in the U18 400m hurdles.

RIGHT: Waylan Matte, 10, leads Emmett Baumbach, 11, across the line of the 199 metres.

ABOVE Ellia Garland, 16, of Smithers jumps 3.7 metres in the U18 long jump.

Majestc beasts: This is where the bison stll roam

Area couple has been running the unusual farm for decades

CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen Staff

On 600 acres south of Prince George you walk along the well-worn winding path at October Farm and look to the crest of the hill. Standing there in silhouette are the majestic beasts who once roamed the Earth wild and free. You take a breath, your heart skips a beat, and you blink twice because it’s not every day you see a herd of bison, 70 strong.

Del and Eileen Myers, owners of October Farm, have chosen to let the bison “do bison things.”

Very little is curated, so questions like “How many babies will be born this spring?”, “What are their names?”, or “Do you have a favourite?” go unanswered — they aren’t pets.

Wondering whether it’s wrong to call a bison a buffalo? Here’s a quick lesson: North American bison belong to the Bison bison species. Buffalo are either water buffalo from Asia or African buffalo — different animals entirely.

The Myers’ bison journey began around 1994, when a shift in Canada’s mining industry prompted Del to pivot careers.

At the time, Del is working as an exploration geologist. With Eileen’s support, he decides to buy a farm.

“He thought he would be a farmer, and he had seen bison when he was a kid, so he thought he would do that,” Eileen says, speaking as Del has a tracker installed on his tractor — it had recently been stolen and recovered.

Eileen, then a teacher at Harwin Elementary, has only one condition for the farm purchase: it must be close to town and a school.

She transfers to Pineview Elementary when they buy October Farm. It’s just a short drive from the school and home. Eileen teaches there until she retires 11 years ago.

As we walk the property, a friendly flock of chickens scoots in and out of

A large male bison, estimated at about 2,000 pounds, seems

day, April 22.

their coop, wings flapping and cooing.

“They are free-range chickens in every sense,” Eileen says. “The other day, I saw one over by the shop. They just wander.”

But usually not far — predators like hawks, owls, coyotes and foxes keep them close to shelter.

“So they’re locked up at night, just to be safe,” she explains.

A padlock now secures the chicken feed freezer after a bear broke in, leaving a mess and sadly ending the lives of a few chickens, Eileen adds.

October Farm is also home to barn cats, and once a beloved dog — lost to a moose that frequented their front yard one spring. Eileen says she doesn’t have the heart to get another pet right now.

They’ve also had deer drop by, and beavers once set up camp in the pond.

“But not so far this year,” Eileen says.

The Myers start with 10 bison.

“Then they had babies, and the herd kept growing. We got up to about 100, but that was too many for us,” Eileen says.

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October

CITIZEN PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

to watch over the herd in a pasture at October Farm Tues-

CITIZEN PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

Farm has chickens along with a herd of 70 bison.

October Farm takes a natural approach to its livestock

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They now maintain a manageable 70. Eileen says she’s seen some surprising behaviour from the animals.

“They are more agile than you’d think and can wheel their bodies 180 degrees in an instant,” she says.

“And they jump straight up in the air with all four feet off the ground. They just go boing, boing, boing. It’s kind of neat to watch.”

What’s the best part of raising bison?

“The meat is really good,” she says, smiling.

When it’s time for butchering, the herd is guided into a smaller pasture with a handling system that includes a 200-foot corral and a 100-foot corral. The animals move through alleys.

“At any point, we can decide we want that one and not that one,” Eileen explains.

“Then the bison are diverted, loaded into a truck, and shipped to the butcher just down the road. They take care of that part — inspected, butchered, cut and wrapped.”

The Myers work with Kawano Farms, a fully licensed Class A abattoir in Prince George.

“Del decides which bison go by look, by age, and whether they are boys or girls,” Eileen says.

“We like to keep more of the girls than the guys.”

Breeding isn’t curated — nature takes its course. Some females have calves every year, others every other year.

“It can depend on the weather, how much grass there is in the spring, when they’re breeding, who’s the boss at that time. We usually get between 10 and 17 calves, depending on the year,” she says.

The bison selected for meat are usually two or three years old.

As we approach the herd, the bison scamper lightly across the field, climbing to higher ground. Surprisingly nimble, they move as a group — led by a stoic alpha whose subtle shift in stance causes the herd to reposition.

The bison are rotated between large pastures and are contained by electrified fences — though the current isn’t

Eileen and Del Myers stand in front of their 70 head of bison in the pastures of October Farm Tuesday, April 22.

always needed. “They’re smart enough to know better,” Eileen says.

Solar panels help power parts of the farm.

With warmer weather, the bison begin shedding. Eileen gathers their fur to give to a local spinner who uses it to make wool.

“They’re being very calm today,” she observes.

Del catches up with us near the far pasture, where the bison graze.

The couple has no plans to stop anytime soon. Del reflects on why.

“I would get the newsletter from my old company, and there were so many death notices in it,” he says.

“People would retire and then a few years later they’d die. They’d sit in front of the television and die of a heart attack. That’s not for me.”

Supporting local food is central to the Myers’ farm philosophy. Thriving farmers, Del says, are part of a healthy community.

This spring, the BC government launched the Premier’s Task Force on Agriculture and the Food Economy, calling on farmers to share their insights on food security.

“All British Columbians want reliable access to healthy and affordable food,” Premier David Eby says in the announcement.

“We must protect our food sources and our agricultural sector in the face of the threat of unfair and damaging

selling it at the Prince George Farmers’ Market, 1310 Third Ave., year-round.

“Every year we see more confirmation of how important it is that we not forget how to take care of ourselves and take care of our neighbours,” Del says.

“We knew from the start that we would be selling the meat locally.”

“And we like to know who we’re selling our meat to, and we like that they know where they’re getting it from,” Eileen adds.

“I’m a pretty lousy gardener — that’s what the Farmers’ Market is for — but we’re pretty independent when it comes to our meat. We have the bison and chickens.”

tariffs.”

Eby says task force members will offer government direct, practical advice on preparing for and responding to such challenges.

The Myers do their part by raising bison, processing the meat locally, and

“But we’re still dependent on the big chain stores for most of our food,” Del says.

He recently researched how Indigenous Peoples have lost access to much of their traditional food sources, though many could still live off the land.

“But can we?” Del asks.

‘Million Dollar Jim’ hits his Terry Fox fundraising target

PG’s Jim Terrion has single-handedly raised $1,000,316.10 to fund cancer ght

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

“Million Dollar Jim” Terrion, standing beside the statue of Terry Fox outside the Canfor Leisure Pool, celebrated his $1 million fundraising success Friday, June 13 with Mayor Simon Yu, former MLA Shirley Bond, Fox’s brother Fred Fox and a group of supporters to commemorate his lifetime of fundraising achievements.

Terrion was met with words of encouragement and celebration as his decades of grassroots fundraising efforts were recognized.

To date, Terrion has raised $1,000,316.10 for the Terry Fox Foundation and cancer research.

He is one of only four people in Canada to raise this amount for the cause and the only person in British Columbia to do so.

Among those gathered was Fred Fox, Terry Fox’s older brother, who spoke about when he first realized the scope of Terrion’s efforts. He recalled a moment from 1993 when he came across a stack of pledge sheets totalling $47,000.

“The amazing thing was that most of that $47,000 — most of the pledges and donations in Jim’s name — were $1 donations, $2, $4, $5 and $10,” said Fox. “There were also some larger donations, of course, but the significant thing about those smaller amounts is that it’s exactly how Terry raised money when he was running across Canada. People would hand Terry $5 bills, $2 bills. It’s this grassroots fundraising that’s gotten the Terry Fox Foundation to where it is today.”

Terrion’s efforts are truly grassroots — he travels on foot, going door-to-door to homes and local businesses with his pledge sheets.

Former MLA Shirley Bond also addressed the crowd to celebrate Terrion’s achievements.

“Today, we celebrate you, Jim, and we thank you for reminding us that yes, one person can make an extraordinary difference,” said Bond. “It started with Terry Fox, and now we have our very own Million Dollar Jim. You walked in Terry’s footsteps. You kept his dream alive, and now we all need to do our part to finish it.”

Yu closed the celebration by proclaiming June 9 to 15 as Million Dollar Jim Week in Prince George. He also presented Terrion with a pair of Prince George socks to support his ongoing fundraising efforts.

In an interview with The Citizen, Terrion reflected on the moment that stood out most in his 34 years of fundraising.

“I started on the scene in September 1991,” he said. “When I first saw the Bank of Montreal pledge — I saw that name on the pledge sheet — that’s when things started rolling. That was an incredible moment.”

Since May 8, 2025, Terrion has raised over $33,000 to push him past the $1-million mark. The final donation came from Selan Alpay of the Prince George Canadian Tire, who sent a $5,000 cheque to cap off Terrion’s

decades-long effort.

Terrion expressed deep gratitude to the communities that supported him.

“I just feel so incredible about that support — both in Prince Rupert and Prince George — the support has been absolutely incredible,” he said. “I’ve been in the businesses and canvassing door-to-door. And it’s been amazing. Just marvellous.”

Fred Fox also spoke to The Citizen about how it feels to see Terrion carry forward his younger brother’s legacy.

“I think that’s what Terry wanted to do when he was running across Canada,” said Fox.

“He was running to raise money for cancer research, but he hoped to inspire people to go beyond their own disabilities, to go beyond their challenges and do something.

“He would be happy to know that all these years later, that continues — and the way he’s inspired Jim, who has a

different disability than Terry did, to still unite a community and fundraise for research.”

Prince George holds a special place in Terry Fox’s story. It was here, during the Prince George to Boston Marathon in 1979, that he decided to launch the Marathon of Hope.

Fox reflected on what it meant to witness this milestone take place in such a symbolic location.

“It really couldn’t be any better,” he said. “It’s so symbolic for this to happen here in Prince George. Terry’s original goal was $1 million, and Jim has reached that. Terry’s goal may have changed, but Jim’s reached that — and to be able to celebrate just a few feet from where Terry finished the Prince George to Boston Marathon, which was a turning point in his decision to run across Canada — it’s pretty cool.”

Terrion has no plans to stop now. In fact, he resumed his fundraising immediately after the announcement, going door-to-door and collecting two $100 donations during the celebration.

He has now raised an additional $316 over the $1-million mark — and he’s just getting started.

CITIZEN PHOTO BY MATTHEW HILLIER

Jim Terrion puts the last number on the board showing his total on Friday, June 13.

Fox

Ashley Homestore PG

Betulla Burning

Blue Shore Resort

Carl’s Jr.

Carters Jewellers

Central Door and Window

Central Mountain Air

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PG AUC ION

Charles Jago Northern Sports Centre

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Forest Power Sports

Grama’s Inn

Homework

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Nancy O’s

Northern Lights Estate Winery

Prince George Conservatory of Music

Prince George Motorsports

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The Dudley

Theatre NorthWest

Van Horlick’s Trophies and Gifs

If you happen to see bear poop, pick

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

Urban bears have long been a part of life in Prince George.

Now, a research team from the College of New Caledonia (CNC) is trying to better understand what separates these urban visitors from their wilderness counterparts — by studying their poop.

Laura Graham, a biologist and member of the CNC Research Forest team, is asking locals to help collect samples of bear feces to get the “scoop” on what makes urban bears tick.

Graham previously developed this hormone-testing method during her work in zoology, using it to determine pregnancy in large predators such as lions and tigers without invasive blood tests.

The project is being conducted in partnership with the Northern Bear Awareness Society and has support from the BC Conservation Officer Service.

In an interview with The Citizen, Graham explained what she and her team hope to achieve.

“We really wanted to look at the hormone indicators, measured non-invasively in the feces of the bears,” said Graham.

“And compare the bears in the urban area or within city limits to the bears in the research forest and see if we could find some clues as to what’s driving some of these bears into the city limits and potentially into conflict with humans.

“If we can generate some information about that, maybe we can find more ways to reduce the amount of conflict between humans and bears in the city limits.”

Graham and her team are currently studying and comparing hormone levels related to stress, metabolism and overall condition of urban bears as they emerge from hibernation.

Prince George recorded the highest number of black bear deaths in B.C. in 2023, with 76 bears killed. Graham said she’s found that locals want to change this dynamic.

it up (for science)

“I was very impressed with just how much people in Prince George care about their bears,” she said. “They value the wildlife — the bears and the moose — and I’m very pleased that they recognize just how gorgeous the area is around Prince George and how lucky they are to live in such a beautiful area.

“It was very evident that the people of Prince George really do love their bears and they do not want to see them destroyed because of human-bear conflict.”

How to help the research

There are several ways locals can support the CNC Research Forest team if they come across bear feces in the area.

• Send a photo: If you encounter droppings that are relatively fresh and not rained on, you

can text a photo and location to 778-349-4813. A member of the research team will collect the sample.

• Drop it off: If you’re willing to go a step further, collect the sample the same way you might pick up after a dog. Deliver it to the designated fridge beside the geodome greenhouse near the ATCO trailer on the CNC campus. Label the sample with the date and general location using a permanent marker. A photograph of the sample is also helpful. It only needs to be about the size of a golf ball.

• Bonus help: If you also manage to photograph the bear that left the sample, send that image to the number above along with the feces photo.

Graham said she hopes this research will support Prince George’s progress toward becoming a Bear Smart Community.

She offered a few reminders for reducing wildlife encounters.

“Take down your bird feeders before the bears come out of hibernation. Obviously, don’t put your garbage out until the morning it’s being picked up, and remove the attractants,” she said.

“I know people with apple trees — if they’re not going to pick their apples, there are volunteer groups that will come out and take the apples for them to decrease the attractants for bears coming into the city.

“The reality is, if you’re surrounded by forest, then yeah, there’s going to be bears there — and we need to live with them peacefully whenever possible.”

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KAST

A bear moves along a trail in College Heights on Saturday, May 10. The differences between urban and wilderness bears is being studied by researchers from the College of New Caledonia.

Petton aims to see blood donaton centre restored

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

A local petition to bring a blood plasma donation centre to Prince George is picking up steam.

So far, the petition, started by Mark Karjaluoto, has garnered more than 1,700 signatures. A dedicated team of volunteers has been working to raise awareness about the issue.

Plasma donations are urgently needed to produce life-saving medications for individuals with serious conditions such as cancer, kidney disease and immune disorders.

Despite this need, only about 20 per cent of Canada’s plasma supply is donated by Canadians. The remainder is imported, primarily from the United States.

Karjaluoto, a longtime health advocate, spoke with The Citizen about the impact a new centre could have.

“What I’ve heard from the people who sign the petition is that the loss of the donor centre left a pretty big hole here,” he said. “They were used to donating. Some people donate when they travel — I do. Other members of my committee do the same, but it’s not the same as having a local or nearby donor centre.”

Prince George has been without a blood donation centre for a decade, after the previous site closed due to logistical challenges.

“These donations can be life-saving and are desperately needed by those across the North,” Karjaluoto said. Amy Margison, a plasma recipient

A local petition being circulated will be used to push for the return of a blood plasma donation centre to Prince George.

from Vanderhoof who also signed the petition, echoed the urgency.

“Blood and plasma products don’t just help people in an acute medical crisis. They help people with chronic and sometimes debilitating conditions as well,” she said. “Plasma products have not only greatly improved my health — they have given me life and allowed me to be the involved parent I wanted to be.”

Due to Prince George’s northern location, whole blood from the former donor centre had to be transported within a week. Plasma, however, can be frozen and stored for longer, making it equally critical but more logistically feasible.

Karjaluoto believes a centre would benefit not only Prince George but the broader Northern Interior region.

“Canadian Blood Services has said

that Prince George doesn’t have the population to support a plasma donor centre. I can’t disagree with that,” he said. “What we’re trying to say is, look at all of the Northern Interior and those communities. Together, they likely have the population to support it.

“It’s about the connection people want to have with that blood supply — because they know blood and blood products make a difference for their loved ones.”

Currently, the closest place to donate plasma is Kelowna. The nearest location for whole blood donations is a mobile clinic in Kamloops.

Karjaluoto has been donating since 2020. Giving blood has become a major part of his life — something he’s often unable to do without a local facility.

“My general perspective is if blood donation returned to Prince George, I

think I could die happy,” he said. “When I was doing contract work for Canadian Blood Services, I learned that one in two Canadians will need blood at some point, but only one in 16 actually gives.

“We’re not asking for this to get something. We’re asking for this so we can give something — and be part of a national solution.”

Support for the petition has grown over the past year, with endorsements from Prince George city council, Quesnel city council, the Village of Valemount and the District of Mackenzie.

In May, the North Central Local Government Association — representing more than 240 elected officials from 42 local and First Nations governments — passed a resolution backing the proposal for a plasma donor centre.

Karjaluoto plans to continue pushing for a donor centre and showcasing the vital work Canadian Blood Services performs across the country.

“We’re not doing this to be critical of Canadian Blood Services,” he said. “We’re doing this to help them. I hope they’ll see that, and while it may take time, we believe a centre in northern B.C. could work — and it would benefit the region and Canadians as a whole.

“We have an opportunity to build something terrific here.”

To sign the petition, visit https:// docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSei8R3G3eD1txgr-xZJ0Psa7G28pjsUlYDxZzobYlx-cUv3JA/ viewform

To volunteer or get involved, contact ourbloodcounts@gmail.com.

End of school year means some changes to local transit

CITIZEN STAFF

School’s out — almost.

And thst means changes to some transit routes.

BC Transit and the City of Prince George have announced upcoming changes to local bus service, set to take effect on June 29.

As part of the summer service adjustment, school special routes will

be suspended until classes resume in the fall.

The affected routes include

• Route 12 Parkridge

• Route 96 Shas Ti Kelly Road

• Route 97 Shas Ti Kelly Road

These changes are part of BC Transit’s regular seasonal service planning, and happen every year.

Other routes saw service changes in April after UNBC and the College of New

Caledonia’s spring semester ended. Other routes saw service changes in April after UNBC and the College of New Caledonia’s spring semesters ended.

Some trips on Route 15 UNBC/Downtown and Route 55 Victoria have been suspended.

These trips are designated with a “U” or “N” in the Rider’s Guide, indicating they are typically used by university

and college students.

Service will also be restored for those routes in the fall.

Transit users are encouraged to plan ahead using the Umo app, Google Transit or other real-time trip planning apps to check schedules and route availability.

For more details on service schedules or to sign up for service alerts, visit bctransit.com/princegeorge.

PRNIDCHAKAN BOOMRON/PEXELS PHOTO

Kitens bringing comfort to BC long-term care homes

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

Providence Living at The Views, in partnership with Cat Advocates Teaching & Saving Society (CATS), has introduced a new method of care for seniors at its assisted-living facility in Comox.

The program, launched during Seniors Week, brought furry felines to visit residents at the facility.

It may also be part of the new Providence home being built in Prince George.

Described as a win-win, the initiative offers residents a home-like experience in line with Providence Living’s Home for Us care model, while also helping socialize young kittens.

Kelley Romeril, director of site operations, told The Citizen the idea came from a personal experience.

“One of the members of the CATS society — his mother lives here — noticed how she responded to visits with their cat and how much she loved it,” Romeril said. “He wanted to bring that same experience to other residents.

“He approached the CATS group, and then together they came to us and asked if we’d like to have weekly kitten visits. Of course, we welcomed that opportunity with open arms — because how couldn’t we?”

Romeril said the benefits to residents were immediate and profound.

“There are so many benefits,” she said. “You see residents’ eyes light up, and they begin to reminisce about the pets they’ve had. You witness a sense of comfort and serenity come over them when they’re around animals.

“We also know that interacting with pets reduces boredom and brings spontaneity and joy. All those inherent benefits are there when we bring animals into the space.”

Romeril added that Providence Living plans to incorporate animal visits in all its facilities, including new sites currently under construction in Smithers, Quesnel and Prince George.

“I think the intention for Providence Living and our Home for Us care model is to ensure that residents have a day well lived,” she said. “That of course includes pets and animal visits.

“What exactly that will look like in

Prince George or at other care homes still remains to be seen, but it is certainly our intention that pet visits are a part of life at the river.”

Pet visits are already a fixture at many Providence Living facilities. In Comox, the care home has partnered with organizations such as St. John Ambulance’s pet therapy program and local farms.

“We always look for those opportunities to invite animals into the home,” Romeril said. “As we build new homes, we’ll continue to seek out those community partnerships.”

Animal visits are not restricted to cats. Providence Living has also partnered with local hobby farms, therapeutic horse programs and St. John Ambulance therapy dog teams.

At various sites, residents have had the chance to interact with horses, goats, ducks, dogs and more.

“We are open to every opportunity that comes our way,” Romeril said. “It’s our goal to provide as many chances as possible for residents to visit with animals and pets.

“Part of my role is to continue to reach out and build those community partnerships. This summer, we’re planning to have miniature horses visit on-site. We’re also expanding our dog therapy program and will be welcoming two new dogs in the fall.

“We continue to seize every opportunity available to us to create lasting and sustainable relationships.”

Mix of music to be heard at free Concert in the Park

CITIZEN STAFF

The City of Prince George is bringing back an afternoon of food and music to the bandshell at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park on Saturday, June 28 with a free Concert in the Park.

The event will feature three musical acts from 1 to 4 p.m. that day, according to a media release on Wednesday, June 4.

At 1 p.m., Mexican artist Aquiles Pérez Merlos will perform his solo act known as Aquiles Tarumba. The release describes his music as “having a sound

with warm and embracing melodies and harmonies, fearlessly going from folk to jazz; from alternative rock to pop.”

At 2 p.m., Prince George-based indie/ folk rock band The Verdants will perform in their style said to evoke the “happy sad energy” of the late 1990s and early 2000s indie rock.

The final act coming to the bandshell stage is BC multi-instrumentalist and composer Andrew Judah.

“Andrew Judah’s diverse sound is strung together by a love of evolving cinematic orchestrations and

bittersweet melodies. Piecing together what others might dismiss as incompatible sounds, he has found a way to employ familiar, organic instruments with warped analog textures,” the media release said.

In the lead up to the concert, the city is looking for interested food trucks to apply to take part. Those applicants must be made on the city’s website by June 13 at 5 p.m.

A second Concert in the Park is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 22 from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

PROVIDENCE LIVING HANDOUT PHOTO

A resident of the Providence Living facility in Comox embraces a new furry friend.

ANDRE JUDAH/FACEBOOK PHOTO

Andrew Judah is one of three musical acts featured in Sunday’s free Concert in the Park.

Throwback Thursday: Week of June 19

June 20, 1969: This natural stone fountain under construction at Connaught Hill Park was a gift to the city from an anonymous donor. It was designed to complement the natural setting of the park’s owerbeds. Flash forward to 2025 and the city is completing new upgrades to the hilltop park. CITIZEN FILE PHOTO

June 17, 1983: The Westwood Elementary School kindgarten class looked like little robots from Star Wars as they displayed space costumes built using paper bags as a base, adding plastic lm faceplates, pieces of fruit baskets and paper antennae — along with plenty of imagination — to make something to take them out of this world. CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY BROCK GABLE

19, 1999: Allan

Know your limit, play within it.

June 19, 2012: Meadow Newcomb, 5, left, her brother Max, 2, Faren Brinkman, 4, her brother Jude, 3, Tatianna Bobenham 6, her sister Courtney, 4 and 40 other children dressed up for the Elder Citizens’ Recreation Association Prince and Princess Tea and Parade. CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY DAVID MAH

June

Dayck rode in the bareback event at the Great Northern Rodeo, ending up with a score of 79. The action continued all weekend at the Exhibition Grounds. CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN

BC doesn’t require measles vaccinaton for schools

MICHELLE GAMAGE Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Canada is in the middle of the largest measles outbreak it has seen in generations, with 2,515 cases so far this year as of May 17, which is the most recent data reported by Health Canada as of Monday.

Despite the spread of the disease BC is not considering making measles immunization mandatory for attending school, as it is in Ontario and New Brunswick, the Health Ministry told The Tyee in an emailed statement.

“There is no requirement from the province for students to be vaccinated to attend school, or that students’ immunization records be provided as part of school registration,” the ministry said.

Instead its strategy is mostly a reactive one, where it will use data to respond to outbreaks and exposures. BC will also encourage people to get vaccinated and will open school-based immunization clinics in some areas with low vaccination rates.

Measles can cause brain swelling, which can lead to seizures, deafness and brain damage. It kills around one in every 3,000 people, according to HealthLinkBC. In the United States, 40 per cent of children who get measles are hospitalized.

Measles can also cause what’s known as immune amnesia, meaning an infection can wipe out up to 70 per cent of a patient’s antibodies, said Dr. Lyne Filiatrault, a retired emergency physician who helped prevent a major SARS outbreak in BC when her team isolated Vancouver’s first SARS patient. This hugely increases a person’s risk of getting sick and dying from an infection years after they recover from measles. Not making the MMR vaccine a requirement to attend school is the wrong strategy to take with one of the most infectious diseases on the planet, Filiatrault told The Tyee. Filiatrault is a past member of Protect Our Province BC and a current member of the Canadian Aerosol Transmission Coalition. The MMR vaccine protects against

This is what measles look like on a person’s arm. Despite outbreaks in other parts of the country, the province of BC has no plans to make measles vaccinations mandatory for school attendance.

measles, mumps and rubella. Measles, also known as rubeola, is different from rubella, which is also known as German measles. Rubella can cause the most harm when it infects a pregnant person, often leading to miscarriage or stillbirth, deafness, eye problems, heart defects or liver, spleen and brain damage, according to the BC Centre for Disease Control.

“Public health should be about protecting the most vulnerable,” Filiatrault said, adding that babies and immunocompromised people, such as people getting cancer treatment, cannot be vaccinated against measles. Waiting for outbreaks to happen before pushing for widespread vaccination is a problem and public health officers need to “have the guts to say, ‘If you want to go to school you need to be vaccinated,’” she said.

With school wrapping up next month, now is an excellent time to roll out school-based mass vaccination campaigns across the province to catch all school-aged kids up on any vaccines they might be missing, Filiatrault said. Schools should also introduce vaccine mandates that will kick in for September when kids come back to school, she added.

Herd immunity for measles requires 95 per cent of the total population to be vaccinated.

In Canada about 87 per cent of adults are vaccinated against measles.

But that drops in certain geographic areas and populations. Only 62 per cent of school-aged kids are vaccinated against measles in the Kootenay

Boundary Health Service Delivery Area, according to the BC Childhood Immunization Coverage Dashboard, for example.

BC’s routine childhood vaccination program recommends kids get their first measles shot at 12 months, and their second between four and six years old as they enter school. This schedule can be accelerated to the first shot at six months and the second between one and four years old if the family is travelling to areas where measles is spreading.

The measles vaccine is a live attenuated vaccine, meaning the vaccine exposes people to a weakened version of the virus, which their immune system can fight off. Side-effects can include mild flu-like symptoms and feeling tired for a day or so, Dr. Jia Hu, interim medical director of the BC Centre for Disease Control’s immunization programs and vaccine-preventable diseases team, previously told The Tyee.

One dose of the vaccine offers between 85 and 95 per cent protection, and two doses offer 97 to 100 per cent protection from getting sick if exposed, Hu said.

It’s safe to get another measles vaccine if you’re not sure if you’ve had one or two doses, he added.

Anyone born before 1970 is assumed to be immune to measles because they would have been exposed as a child, but adults born after 1970 should get two doses of the vaccine, the ministry said.

The measles vaccine is free in Canada and available at most pharmacies for

anyone four and older.

There are more measles cases in Canada than in the entire United States right now, which is concerning considering Canada has a smaller population and therefore a larger percentage of people are sick with measles, Filiatrault said.

In the week of May 11 to May 17, which is the most recent data available, Health Canada said there were 194 new cases in Ontario, 135 new cases in Alberta, 15 in Manitoba, eight in Saskatchewan and two in BC.

BC’s cases will likely increase in September after people from Alberta travel to the Okanagan for summer holidays, Filiatrault said.

From 1998 to 2024, measles was considered eliminated in Canada. Any infections that occurred during that time among Canadians came from travelling abroad.

Now Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, has warned that measles could become endemic, meaning people will continue to catch measles within Canada.

BC has been collecting data on which school-aged kids are vaccinated against measles, pertussis (whooping cough), mumps, rubella, varicella (chickenpox) and meningococcal disease (a bacterial infection that can infect the lining of the brain, spinal cord or blood) since 2019 through its Vaccine Status Reporting Regulation.

The VSRR requires all school-aged kids in public, independent and home schools to provide up-to-date vaccination records for the Provincial Immunization Registry.

The Health Ministry says it will be able to quickly respond to outbreaks and exposures using this database. That could mean recommending people immediately get vaccinated after an exposure to measles, or prohibiting unimmunized or under-immunized children from attending school until an outbreak is over.

The ministry didn’t directly answer a question about at what point it might consider making vaccines mandatory. This story originally appeared in The Tyee.

HANDOUT PHOTO

BC targets U.S. health workers in cross-border efort

CITIZEN STAFF

British Columbia is ramping up efforts to recruit doctors, nurses and other health professionals from the United States with a new marketing campaign launched this week in key border states.

The six-week campaign, which began June 2, is targeting healthcare workers in Washington, Oregon and select California cities with digital, print, video and audio ads. The advertisements — placed in high-traffic areas such as restaurants, grocery stores, transit shelters and on rideshare screens — are designed to promote BC as an attractive destination to live and practise medicine.

“Our message to U.S. doctors, nurses and allied health workers is strong and clear — there has never been a better time to come to British Columbia,” said Health Minister Josie Osborne in a statement.

“With the chaos and uncertainty happening in the U.S., we are seizing the opportunity to attract the talent we need to join and strengthen our public, universal health-care system.”

The campaign, which is expected to reach 80 per cent of health-care professionals in the target regions, also includes ads in six major U.S. medical trade publications with a combined circulation of more than 500,000.

Health workers are being directed to BC’s recruitment website, where

A six-week campaign, which began June 2, is targeting health-care workers in Washington, Oregon and select California cities with digital, print, video and audio ads in an effort to attract them to work in BC.

they can access information and personalized support for relocating.

The effort is part of the province’s “Team BC” strategy, which involves partnerships with health authorities, regulatory colleges and local governments to attract and retain medical professionals.

Since the recruitment push was first announced in March, the province says nearly 1,600 people have expressed interest in relocating to BC, including more than 700 doctors and over 500 nurses.

To support their integration, Health Match BC offers free guidance and navigation for incoming health professionals. Recruiters are also focusing on areas with high demand, such as cancer care, emergency departments and rural communities.

U.S. professionals arriving in BC will be able to work in a range of settings, including primary care clinics where team-based models are being emphasized.

Colwood, a city on Vancouver Island, is one example of how

municipalities are working with the province to support recruitment. The city runs the Colwood Clinic, a family medicine practice established in partnership with the province to ease administrative burdens on doctors and improve access to care.

“Working with provincial partners to ensure residents have a family doctor is a logical next step,” said Colwood Mayor Doug Kobayashi. “We are able to offer an attractive municipal benefit package while also taking administrative responsibilities off the shoulders of doctors.”

Dr. Muthanna Yacoub, a U.S.-based physician who plans to begin practising at the Colwood Clinic this year, said working in BC aligns with his values.

“My experience practising in the States has been eye-opening regarding social determinants of health,” Yacoub said. “The opportunity to practise in British Columbia makes perfect sense to me.”

The province has also taken steps to streamline licensing processes. As of April, the BC College of Nurses and Midwives reduced the average registration time for U.S. nurses from four months to just a few days.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC is preparing bylaw changes to allow U.S. doctors to become fully licensed without additional exams. Details are expected soon.

A step forward in caring for children in northern BC

Doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists from across northern British Columbia recently came together to learn how to better care for seriously ill children.

The training, called the Stabilization Essentials in Pediatrics (StEP) course, took place this spring at the new education centre at Ksyen Regional Hospital in Terrace.

The StEP course began in 2023 as part of the Provincial Pediatric Critical Care Project, led by BC Children’s Hospital and Child Health BC. The goal is to help health-care workers in smaller communities gain essential skills to care for sick children, particularly those who may need to be transferred to larger hospitals for treatment.

During the two-day training, experts from BC Children’s Hospital and Victoria General Hospital delivered lectures and hands-on practice sessions.

Participants trained in high-tech simulations to prepare for real-life pediatric emergencies.

The first StEP course was held in Prince George in June 2023. Thanks to collaboration between Northern Health, BC Children’s Hospital and Child Health BC — along with generous support from the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation — the program has since expanded to reach more providers in the Northwest. Participants included doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists from

Terrace, Kitimat, Prince Rupert, Haida Gwaii, Hazelton, Smithers, Fort St. John and Prince George. The program helps ensure that children in rural and remote areas receive high-quality care when they need it most.

The success of the StEP course underscores the importance of ongoing education and collaboration in advancing health care.

As the program continues to grow, it aims to improve pediatric care across communities throughout the province.

ERICA KOOPMANS Northern Health

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO

Local Sports Double gold for Shas Ti Kelly Road sprinter

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

Shas Ti Kelly Road Secondary School sprinter Kasieobi Udumaga knew he was fast on his feet.

He has a fistful of gold medals at his Prince George home to prove it.

The Grade 8 student has long history of winning 100-metre and 200m races that dates back four years when he first joined the Prince George Track and Field Club.

But until he competed in the BC Secondary School athletics meet June 5-7 in Langley, he wasn’t sure where he stacked up against the best of his age group peers in a provincial-calibre meet.

Udumaga answered that question when he won gold in the 100m and 200m events while rewriting the provincial record book.

In the 100 on Friday (June 6), it came down a photo finish to determine Udumaga broke the tape first, winning by a three hundredths of a second over Cole Walters of St. George’s School.

Udumaga clocked 11.60, which bettered the provincial record 11.63 set in 2019 by Liam O’Donnell of Clayton Heights. Walters clocked 11.55 in the heats and he now owns the provincial record.

Then in the 200 final on Saturday, Udumaga and Walters each broke the provincial standard (23.86) set in 2019 by Jackson Bradley of R.A. McMath. Udumaga won gold in 23.54 and Walters took silver in 23.62.

“Kasi was a phenomenal athlete to watch and I personally really enjoy seeing him being pushed now by other athletes,” said Duchess Park coach Lauren Matheson, who provided coaching support for Udumaga at the Langley championships.

He has won (junior development) championships, which is a provincial meet for that age level, and he’s been a

gold medalist in basically every race he does. Now he’s getting pushed more in the high school competition and I think it’s bringing out a more competitive side to him and we can really see the potential he has.”

Only the top 25 Grade 8 athletes in each event were invited, based on their zone times this year.

“This was a very high-competition performance meet, I don’t think I’ve ever attended a high school provincials meet where so many provincial records were broken,” said Matheson. “In the 100m alone, every division except the senior category there were provincial records broken, not by one but by multiple athletes.”

Matheson remembers seeing Udumaga compete in his first BC Athletics Junior Development Championships in 2022 and she knew then he had the tools to become a track star.

“He’s always had a very good gift,” said Matheson. “He was injured for much of the season last year and then he showed up for provincial championships and won it, after taking over a

month off. He’s very athletically gifted and he’s very intelligent as well. He knows everyone’s numbers and statistics and he can translate the feedback he gets well. If his coaches tell him to do something he listens and does exactly what he’s being told to, and that really translates well on the track.”

Udumaga is taking over the role as the fastest guy around from former Duchess Park sprinter Adam Sieben, who won the 100 and 200 senior boys provincial races last year and now competes for the University of Regina.

Udumaga is taking aim at the club provincial championships in Coquitlam, July 4-6, and will likely enter the Legion National Youth Championships set for Calgary, Aug. 8-10.

Duchess Park sprinter Sarah Aka had her moment in the spotlight in Langley when she won silver in the junior girls 80m hurdles. Aka finished in a personal-best 11.69, right on the heels of gold medalist Lea Vorster of R.E. Mountain (11.62), and also placed 15th in the 100m (12.94).

Aka won silver in the 14-15-year-old

girls 80m hurdles last year at the Legion National meet.

Kavita Dhillon of Nechako Valley Secondary in Vanderhoof was also provincial recordbreaker. Dhillon established a new standard in the Grade 8 girls 3,000m with a time of 10:34.17. In other local results, Ava Matthews of D.P. Todd finished fifth in the junior girls pole vault. She cleared the bar at 2.55 metres. Amy Woods of Westsyde won the event (3.11 m).

Matthews has climbed the provincial rankings since pole vaulting event was resurrected locally two years ago by Quinn Matthews, a DP. Todd alumnus who now coaches at the PGTFC’s practices at Masich Place Stadium.

Kionae Roberts of Duchess Park placed fifth in the senior girls 400m event. Roberts, a Grade 11 student, finished the final in 57.75, after posting a personal-best 57.59 in the heats. Chloe Symon of Lord Byng was the gold medalist (54.47).

Roberts was 12th in the 200m (26.27). Julissa Veenstra of North Surrey ran the Grade 8 girls 400m in 58.18, which broke Roberts’s provincial record (58.91) set in 2022.

Noah Gladdish, in his final high school meet before he heads off the college at Trinity Western University, finished ninth in the senior boys 800m. clocking 1:58.07.

Aka

Roberts

HANDOUT PHOTO

Kasieobi Udumaga of Shas Ti Kelly Road Secondary School had a memorable weekend at the BC high school provincial track and field championships in Langley. He won Grade 8 boys 100m and 200m sprints, posting provincial-record times in each event.

Of to the races at

PGARA

Mini Stocks jostle for position in the four-lap A Dash with 55, Davis Cooper and 97X, Emma Crawford battling down the front straight with 09-Riley Markovics and 94-Nathan Linfitt in hot pursuit at PGARA Speedway Saturday, June 14.

Spruce Kings adding championship-calibre forward

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

Marcus Lougheed has a junior hockey championship leadership pedigree and he will be bringing that to the rink next season when he joins the Prince George Spruce Kings.

The Spruce Kings announced Thursday, June 12 they’ve added the 20-year-old forward to the roster for the 2025-26 British Columbia Hockey League season.

The five-foot-10, 180-pound Lougheed played the past four seasons in the Ontario Junior Hockey League for his hometown Collingwood Blues, totalling

82 goals and 100 assists in 184 regular season and 56 playoff games in that four-year span.

As captain of the Blues this past season, he collected 26 goals and 36 assists for 62 points in 55 games.

“I am super excited and honoured for the opportunity to play in Prince George,” said Lougheed.

“I have heard really good things about the organization and am excited to learn from the great staff and further my game. The professionalism and detail they show was a huge factor in my decision and I’m really excited to get the season going.”

The Blues won the OJHL title in 2023 and 20204, and he was an assistant

captain in 2024 when they won the Centennial Cup national championship in Oakville, Ont.

“He’s not only a very good player but a person of high character with great leadership abilities,” said Spruce Kings general manager Mike Hawes. “He’s also been on championship teams and adding that intangible to the group is immeasurable. He will play a huge role on this season’s team.

“We’re thrilled to work with Marcus on his development and preparation for NCAA hockey.”

Lougheed has signed a commitment to join Lake Superior State University for the 20206-27 season.

The

Kings have signed 20-yearold forward Marcus Lougheed for the 20205-26 BCHL season. He played the past four seasons in the OJHL for Collingwood Blues.

Provincial track meet brings out young athletes’ best

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Gladdish also ran 4:11 in the 1,500 m event. Both were personal bests for the D.P. Todd student.

Kristian Richards of Prince George Secondary School ran 6:48 in the men’s two kilometre steeplechase to achieve the national standard for that event while finishing 18th. He posted a time of 9:53 and finished 22nd in the 3,000 m.

Connor Garrison of College Heights was 16th in the 3,000m for Grade 8 boys, finishing in 10:43.

Clara Campbell, a D.P. Todd rugby player and wrestler, ran 2:41 in the

junior girls 800m in her first provincial high school meet. She placed 31st.

Zavier Gladdish of D.P. Todd was 15th in the Grade 8 boys 800m (2:19)b and ended up 12th in the 1,500m race (10:39). Max Pettersen of D.P. Todd finished 11th in the Grade 8 boys 200m

race (25.15).

In other Duchess Park results, Jinichi Cronje ran a personal-best 45.46 in the junior boys 400m and placed 26th.

Nic Scarpino was 11th in the junior boys 100m hurdles (15.31) and 25th in the long jump (5.49m).

Hana Liston was 16th in the senior girls 100m hurdles (17.76) and 13th in the 400m hurdles (1:14.73).

Abdul Hien (senior boys) was injured competing in the 100m run and did not race in the 200m event.

Wasim Aka was 19th in the senior boys 400m while posting a PB 51.66, and placed 25th in the long jump (5.63m).

The meet drew 2,650 athletes, the largest of any high school track and field championship in Canada.

The Prince George club hosted its annual Spruce Capital meet Saturday, June 14 at Masich Place Stadium. Look for photos from the event on pages 24 and 25.

PRINCE GEORGE SPRUCE KINGS PHOTO

Spruce

HANDOUT PHOTO

Grade 8 boys get set for their 800m race in Langley.

UNBC president Geof Payne joins U SPORTS board

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

Geoff Payne’s passion for university varsity sports is blatantly obvious.

If there’s a soccer or basketball game home or away that involves the University of Northern BC Timberwolves, chances are you’ll see the UNBC president on the sidelines or in the stands cheering on the guys and gals wearing green and gold.

Payne, UNBC’s president and vice chancellor, has been chosen to serve as the Canada West Conference presidential representative for the nine-member U SPORTS board of directors for a twoyear term that starts this month.

He will represent the TWolves and 16 other Canada West universities in the U SPORTS national organization, assuming the role the role from David Docherty, president and vice-chancellor of Brandon University.

“UNBC is proud to be part of the U SPORTS community, and I’m honoured to take on this role as a representative for Canada West,” says Payne.

“Our athletes, coaches, and staff demonstrate that excellence isn’t limited by size or location. It’s driven by passion, commitment, and opportunity. Representing northern British Columbia at the national level

is a responsibility I take seriously, and I look forward to working with colleagues across the country to strengthen the future of university sport together.”

The U SPORTS board maintains authority over and responsibility for the systems and structures employed by

the organization to direct and manage its general operations.

Payne, a native of Newfoundland, was named UNBC’S sixth president in February 2020.

Currently in his 10th year as a professor, he joined the teaching staff at the Cranbrook Hill campus as founding

director of UBC’s Northern Medical Program in June 2004.

He’s a PhD graduate of Memorial University on St. John’s, Nfld., who specialized in cardiovascular and renal physiology, and followed that a fellowship in cellular and molecular physiology at Yale University.

Cairo Wells brings height and skill to the Timberwolves

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

The Great Pyramid of Giza stands at 451 feet (137.5 metres) and dominates the skyline of Cairo as the tallest of its kind in Egypt.

On Friday, June 13 the UNBC Timberwolves announced they’ve added a human skyscraper to their men’s basketball program who just happens to answer to the name Cairo.

Listed at six-foot-eight without his sneakers, forward Cairo Wells of Coquitlam has committed to the TWolves for the 2025-26 season.

Known for his scoring ability from

anywhere on the court, Wells graduated from Charles Best Secondary School in Coquitlam in 2023 and played in the 2023-24 season for the Calgary-based Canada Topflight Academy (West).

Wells sunk 40 per cent of his threepoint shots playing for his academy team, a post-grad prep program that plays a 45-game schedule against college teams from Canada and the United States.

“I shoot the ball,” said Wells.” My favourite part of my game is shooting the mid-range,” shared Wells. “A lot of people can shoot the three and finish at the rim but being able to get to that shot at the end of the shot clock when you need a bucket — that’s what I do.”

UNBC point guard Ben White was one of his CTA teammates at CTA in 2023-24 and he knows TWolves guard Chris Ainsley.

“They’ve had great things to say about the program,” said Wells, who will study health sciences. “It makes it a lot easier to be able to speak to people I know about the Timberwolves.

“The plan for the offseason is to get into the best shape possible so that I can be ready to go and give everything I have on the court.”

Wells red-shirted last season at Murray State College in Oklahoma.

Wells visited the UNBC campus in May and met the players and head coach Todd Jordan, who is approaching his 16th season behind the bench.

“He gives us a stretch-shooting four who can make threes at a high-level and adds some size and length,” said Jordan.

“He is a good athlete and has a high upside. I am really looking forward to working with him.”

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

Geoff Payne, UNBC president and vice-chancellor, addresses the more than 500 attendees at the 10th Annual Timberwolves Legacy Dinner at the Prince George Civic and Convention Centre on Nov. 22, 2024.

Wells

Life Events

January 27, 1988

June 16, 2007

In Loving Memory

Gairett

MacIver and Bill MacIver

Not a day goes by without thoughts of you both, You are loved, You are missed, You are forever in our hearts.

Love Lori & Josh (Kate, leanor), Betty-June Gair (Don), Michael Gair (Kelly)

James William Phillips

February 7, 1942 - June 10, 2025

It is with a heavy heart I announce the passing of my beloved husband, James William Phillips. Jimmy passed away at home on June 10, 2025.

Jimmy is survived by his wife Lorraine.

James was predeceased by his parents William & Inez Phillips, and only sibling Frank Edward Allan Phillip (know to many as Bud)

Jimmy is also survived by several of Lorraine’s nieces and nephews, all of which became his own.

He is also survived by the Roy boys, who were like his own brothers.

e will e missed y his wee ly co ee crew

No service as per Jim’s wishes. est in eace my love un l we meet again

September 24, 1953

June 17, 2023

David James Edward Wight

Born April 9,1945, passed June 2, 2025

Survived by mother Patricia, brothers; John, Alan, Tom (Shirley), sisters; Jackie (Steve), Barb (Doug) numerous, neices and nephews ele ra on of life at a later date

In Loving Memory of Leslie Dawn Norbeck Jan. 17, 1969 - June 22, 1986

The broken hearts and shatered dreamsThey never go away...

Missing you so much, dearest Leslie, Love always and forever Mom and Dana

In Loving Memory

une , - May ,

It is with broken hearts, Jason’s family announces his sudden passing.

Jason spent most of his life in Duncan and Quesnel. He graduated from Cowichan Senior Secondary in 1984, then pursued a degree in Business dministra on Management from amosun ollege

Jason loved travelling the world, fast cars, motorcycles, was an avid hiker and always up for adventure. His family and friends were very important to him. Jason was a son, brother, uncle, great uncle, nephew and cousin n addi on, ason held a strong assion for animals of any all inds is s ecial assion was for the birds at the sanctuary where he volunteered, while growing up in Duncan. Jason played hockey while there, he was the goaltender and played lacrosse as well.

ason had a very large family, ado ve mother and father, Patricia (Peter) Henry and Spencer (Greta) Simmons, biological parents, mother, Janice Cleland (John) and family, father, Ted Arbour, (Sharon) and family. Tracee (Rene) Desmarais his sister and family, played a large role in his life.

Jason literally had friends all over the world, but his best friend Gavin Cross stood out as their rela onshi started at a out or years old and con nued to the end

With love in our hearts, Jason’s family and friends would li e to than the sta of the uesnel and Prince George Hospitals for all they did for Jason. e may e gone, ut will never e forgoten

Jason Spencer Simmons

Jean “Claude” Morin

November 18, 1940 - June 11, 2025

Words can t e press what my heart feels at this tme in the loss of the friendship between two neighbours for the last 30 years.

Jean “Claude” Morin was more than a neighbour. He was a quiet force of kindness. A Frenchman with a love for gardening, dog walking (my dog), and helping others. Claude’s generous spirit and greeen thumbwill be missed by his community .

A special thank you to all the sta at Juniper House for your kindness and caring for Claude over the last 18 months. You are amazing and your kindness will not be forgoten.

With love, your neighbour, Diane Caston

Rita Marie Clemence Gaudete

February 14, 1928 - June 7, 2025

With loving hearts, we announce the passing of Rita Marie Gaudete.

Born February 14th, 1928 in Shell River, Saskatchewan and died on June 7th, 2025 in Prince George, BC.

Rita loved to drive and travelled the roads of BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan. She also took to the skies and few to Niagara Falls for many years to visit her family wherever they lived.

She was a farmer at heart and always had a large vegetable garden. In the later years of her life, Rita tended to her huge fower garden with her good friend Jean Caufeld.

She leaves behind all of her children; Jackie, Denis, Pauline, Sylvia, Annete, Lucy, Marcella and Helen. She will be missed by her many Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren and all her surviving family.

A Funeral Mass will be held for her at St Mary’s Catholic Church, 1088 Gillet Street, Prince George, BC on Tuesday June 17th at 1:30 pm and a Recepton to follow at 2:30 pm.

All are Welcome.

She will be laid to rest in Leoville, Saskatchewan later this year.

Herb Donald Lovell

July 5, 1955 - June 4, 2025

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the sudden passing of Herb Donald Lovell on June 4, 2025, at the age of 69.

Born on July 5, 1955, in Vancouver to Jim and Wilma Lovell, Herb lived a life full of laughter, love, and loyalty to the people and passions he held dear. A proud father, cherished grandfather, beloved brother, favourite uncle and friend. Herb s presence flled every room with warmth and wit.

He leaves behind his wife Lorna, children Jody (Jamie), Dan, and Greg, and grandchildren Layla, Reagan, Mason, Paityn, and Nova, as well as greatgrandchildren Avanna and Roland. He also leaves behind Carling, the mother of his grandsons.

Herb is survived by his siblings Linda, Dave (Sharon), Irene, Larry, and George (Giselle), and is predeceased by his brother-in-law Bill. His memory will also live on in the many nieces, nephews, and extended family members who knew him as a gentle and generous man.

Herb had a deep love for the outdoors — especially fshing and camping and was a loyal fan of the B.C. Lions. Whether telling stories around a campfre or cheering from the stands, he lived with authentcity, humour, and heart.

A private celebraton of life will be held by the family. In lieu of fowers, the family asks that you honour Herb by castng a line, taking a drive into nature, or watching a Lions game — just as he would have loved.

James Allan Boomer

November 10, 1945 - May 19, 2025

James Allan Boomer, 79 of Prince George, BC, passed away May 19, 2025.

Born November 10, 1945, in Truro NS, Jim journeyed west eventually meetng his wife of 3 years, Lynne. He proudly owned Nite wl Pilot Car Service for 30 years. Jim s hobby farm, love of the outdoors, and great hugs were legendary.

He leaves behind Lynne children ric, Shirley, Amber, Nathan 21 grandchildren 5 great grandchildren and his dog Chauchie

A celebraton of life will be held June 21, 2025, at 11:00am at CRA, 1 2 10th Ave., Prince George, BC.

Steven Robert MacDonald

June 26, 1952 - January 20, 2025

In Loving Memory of Steven Robert MacDonald. Please join us in honoring the life and memory of Steven Robert MacDonald, a beloved husband, father, papa and friend.

A Memorial gathering will be held on: Saturday, June 28th 2025 13240 Carmel Drive (Beaverly) @130pm

We invite all who knew and loved Steven to come

Classifeds

our website at www.pgairport.ca/business-informaton/rates-charges/ for details

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n r t es Act, Canadian Forest Products Ltd. (Canfor) invites the i to revie its orest er tons s I in t e rin e eor e t r eso r e istri t e es ri es re s ro ose for n er it n o er it eve o ent it in t e ne t t ree e rs st rtn on , , n en in on ne , e e o e o r o ents n fee rin t e one ont revie erio st rtn ne , , n en in , e is essi e for revie n o ent s ission on ine t s fo nrs ov i ro e ts i ot es tern tve , in erson revie n o ents n e o ete t t e fo o in o ton rin re r o e o rs on ri , ort oo i o , o , rin e eor e o ents so e s i e i to t e ove ress or s i e vi one or e i t fo o ent nfor o

licaton for a Permit nder he Provisions of the nvironmental anagement ct

e, Coastal Gas ink Pi eline td., intend to submit this a licaton to the irector to authori e the discharge of air emissions from the ount Bracey Com ressor Staton the Pro ect . he source s of discharge are

hree 30. gas red turbines

Four 50 k gas red generators

Si 31 k glycol heaters

hree enclosed com ressor seal gas combustors

he Permit a licaton re uests to esignate two gas red turbines as contnuous units, and the third as a stand by unit.

esignate three gas red generators as contnuous units, and the fourth as a stand by unit.

esignate three seal gas combustors as contnuous units.

esignate si glycol heaters as contnuous units.

he land u on which the facility will be situated, and the discharge will occur at is 0 G 0 3 J 1 , located within the egional istrict of Fraser Fort George, a ro imately 1 km northeast of Prince George, Britsh Columbia. he ma imum rate of air emissions discharged from all e ui ment at this facility will be 13 .3 standard m3 s 20 C, 101.325 kPa, dry . he o eratng eriod for this facility will be 2 hours day, days week. he characteristcs of the discharged are those of sweet natural gas combuston and include emissions of o ides of nitrogen N , sul hur dio ide S 2 , artculate ma er P 2.5 , carbon mono ide C , and volatle organic com ounds C . a imum emission rates from all e ui ment at this facility for normal o eratons will be

N .135 grams er second

S 0.2 0 grams er second

P 2.5 0.0 grams er second

C . 113 grams er second

C 0.1 3 grams er second

he ty e s of treatment to be a lied to the discharge are

N emissions control for the turbine com ressors and reci rocatng engine ower generators to meet re uirements of the Guidelines for the educton of Nitrogen ide missions from Natural Gas fuelled Statonary Combuston urbines and the ult Sector ir Pollutant egulaton, res ectvely.

he use of seal gas va our combustors to reduce methane emissions to meet re uirements in the rilling and Producton egulaton. n air uality assessment has been conducted, and it indicates ollutant concentratons are less the Britsh Columbia mbient ir uality b ectves.

he a licaton can be viewed at h s www.coastalgaslink.com cedar link ro ect

ny erson who may be adversely a ected by the ro osed discharge of waste and wishes to rovide relevant informaton may, within 30 days afer the last date of ostng, ublishing, service or dis lay, send wri en comments to the a licant, with a co y to the Su ervisor, nvironmental Stewardshi , BC nergy egulator at 53 100 ve, Fort St. John, BC, 1J C5. he identty of any res ondents and the contents of anything submi ed in relaton to this a licaton will become art of the ublic record.

ated this 1 th day of June, 2025.

Contact erson Coastal Gas ink ele hone No. 1 55 33 2011 email coastalgaslink tcenergy.com i e al e e

Repairers Lien Act

your Classifed Ad

Whereas Cela Nora West is indebted to Subaru of Prince George for repairs and storage in the amount of $18304.14 on a 2010 Subaru Impreza 4 door Sedan VIN# JF1GE6C68AG501168

Notce is hereby given that at noon on July 3, 2025 or thereafer, the unit may be sold at 105 Brunswick St, Prince George, BC. For more informaton call Subaru of Prince George. 250-564-3300

SUBARU OF PRINCE GEORGE

IN THE MATTER OF THE BANKRUPTCY OF DANIEL LEO YLIRUUSI

NOTICE is hereby given that Daniel Leo Yliruusi led an Assignment in Bankruptcy on June 11, 2025, and that John S. Beverley & Associates Inc. was appointed as Trustee. The rst meeting of creditors will be held on the 27th day of June, 2025 at the hour of 11:30 o’clock in the morning, at the o ce of the Trustee, 1240 5th Avenue, in the city of Prince George, in the Province of British Columbia.

Dated at Prince George, BC this 12th day of June, 2025.

DID YOU KNOW?

Carrie Jane Gray was the frst female mayor of Prince George and only the second female mayor in all of BC. She was also the City’s frst female alderman (Councillor). Gray was born in Oklahoma and arrived in Prince George in 1932. During her tme as mayor of Prince George, Carrie Jane Gray witnessed the opening of Fort George Park and Connaught Hill Park.

Afer her tme as mayor, Gray was again elected as an alderman in 1965 and held the positon for a number of years. Carrie Jane Gray died in 1984. Carrie Jane Gray Park was named afer her in 1966.

*On June 30, 2015, Misty Copeland, who only started ballet at 13 but was receiving both awards and professional offers a mere two years later, became the first African American woman promoted to principal dancer in the 75-year

• On Nov. 11, 1831, Nat Turner, an American slave and educated minister who believed that he’d been chosen by God to lead his people into freedom, was hanged in Jerusalem, Virginia, for leading a revolt with 75 followers through Southampton County, killing about 60 white people.

ARIES (March 21 to April 19) You feel ready to face a major change, although it might involve some risks. A once-dubious family member comes around and ofers support and encouragement.

• On Nov. 12, 1969, investigative journalist Seymour Hersh revealed the extent of the U.S. Army’s charges against 1st Lt. William L. Calley at My Lai, Vietnam, in a cable picked up by more than 30 newspapers, saying that “The Army says he [Calley] deliberately murdered at least 109 Vietnamese civilians during a searchand-destroy mission in March 1968, in a Viet Cong stronghold known as ‘Pinkville.’”

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Move forward with your plans, despite discouraging words from those who underestmate the Bovine’s strong will. Your keen instncts will guide you well.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) A misunderstanding is easily cleared up. Then go ahead and enjoy some fun and games this week! Meanwhile, a

• On Nov. 13, 1979, Philadelphia 76ers center Darryl Dawkins leaped over Kansas City Kings forward Bill Robinzine for a memorable slam dunk that shattered the fiberglass backboard. His equally memorable comment on the move, which was not his last and the sound of which spectators likened to a bomb going off: “It wasn’t really a safe thing to do, but it was a Darryl Dawkins thing to do.”

• On Nov. 14, 1882, outlaw Frank “Buckskin” Leslie shot and killed Billy “The Kid” Claiborne, who had publicly challenged him, in Tombstone, Arizona.

• On Nov. 15, 1984, Baby Fae, a month old infant who received the world’s first baboon heart transplant, died at California’s Loma Linda University 20 days after the operation. Three other people had received animal heart transplants, but none survived longer than a few days.

• On Nov. 16, 2001, British author J.K. Rowling’s most famous and beloved creation, the bespectacled boy wizard Harry Potter (played by Daniel Radcliffe in his first major role), made his silver-screen debut in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” which went on to become one of the highestgrossing movies in history.

• On Nov. 17, 1903, the Russian

history of the American Ballet Theatre.

* On July 1, 1867, the autonomous Dominion of Canada -- a confederation of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the future provinces of Ontario and Quebec -- was officially recognized by Great Britain with the passage of the British North America Act. July 1 would later become known as Canada Day.

* On July 2, 1992, the one-millionth Chevrolet Corvette rolled off the assembly line in Bowling Green,

Kentucky. Though it met the wildly unexpected fate of being swallowed by a sinkhole there in 2014, the car was rescued and restored to its former glory.

* On July 3, 1952, the ocean liner SS United States departed from New York on her maiden voyage to Le Havre, France, eventually breaking the speed record for an eastbound Atlantic crossing. On her return trip, she earned further distinction by breaking the westbound record as well.

CANCER (June 21 to July 22) You might feel as if you’re in an emotonal pressure cooker, but the situaton is about to change in your favour. Take tme out for some well-earned fun!

LEO (July 23 to August 22) A shif in your workplace responsibilites creates resentment among some co-workers. Deal with it before it becomes a threat to your success on the job.

VIRGO (August 23 to September 22)

Expect some surprises in what you thought was one of your typically well-planned schedules. Deal with them, then enjoy some lighthearted entertainment.

* On July 4, 1971, a baby western lowland gorilla made her earthly debut at the San Francisco Zoo. Originally christened Hanabiko (“fireworks child” in Japanese), she was soon known as “Koko.” Animal psychologist Francine “Penny” Patterson taught her sign language and the primate became celebrated for her personality and intelligence, as well as her pet cat she named All Ball, appearing in numerous articles and documentaries until she died at age 46 in 2018.

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22)

Be careful: What appears to be a solid fnancial opportunity might have some hidden risks atached. In additon, a hazy personal mater needs to be cleared up.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) It’s a good tme to strengthen tes with family and friends. In other news, you might feel unsure about a recent workplace decision, but tme will prove that you did the right thing.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Just when you thought your relatonship was comfortable and even predictable, your partner or spouse could spring a potentally lifechanging surprise on you.

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Your usually generous self is overshadowed by your equally strong suspicious nature. You might be judging things too harshly. Keep an open mind.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Love and romance dominate the week. Married Aquarians enjoy domestc harmony, while singles could soon be welcoming overtures from loving LEOs.

PISCES (February 19 to March 20) An old health problem recurs, but it is soon dealt with, leaving you eager to get back into the swing of things. Also, a favorable travel period starts this week.

Homes & Living

Midlife career change: where can you take your skills?

People are living longer than ever before, and they’re also spending more of that life in the workforce. So is it any wonder that the number of professionals starting a second career is at an all-time high? It can be a great way to take the skills and experience you’ve earned over the years and apply them in a new field or direction. Unsure where to take that earned expertise or where it can make a meaningful impact? Here’s something you might not have considered:

International development. There’s a growing movement to try and make the world a better place by addressing issues of poverty, discrimination, and injustice in developing nations that don’t always have the resources or infrastructure to make a large-scale impact on their own.

As part of this movement, Canada is starting to leverage one of its greatest resources—its people. Initiatives like the Technical Assistance Partnership (TAP) project are bringing

Canadian experts in a diverse range of fields to partner nations.

You can apply your earned skills in unexpected places. After a 35-year career serving in the RCMP, one Canadian financial crime specialist brought his expertise to Paraguay’s Economic Crimes and AntiCorruption Unit. He’s been providing them with training, as well as spreading education and awareness more broadly in the country. This helps fight back against corruption, money laundering and organized crime.

Where will your career take you? You don’t have to be an RCMP veteran to make a real difference. From the communications agency fighting cyberbullying in Tunisia to the women strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare system, local leaders are bringing their skills and knowledge to partner nations around the world. They’re making an impact that benefits us all.

Learn more from the new podcast, Canadian Changemakers, that’s bringing stories about the

local leaders making waves overseas at tap-pat.ca/canadian-changemakers.