Prince George Citizen May 29, 2025

Current and future transit plans on council’s agenda

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

Prince George city council unanimously passed the first three readings of a bylaw renewing its annual operating agreement with BC Transit at its Monday, May 26 meeting.

Each year, the city must renew its annual operating agreement for BC Transit to operate both conventional and accessible bus service in alignment with the provincial government’s fiscal year.

Prince George Transit is funded by both the City of Prince George and BC Transit, with Pacific Western Transportation operating local transit services.

For the 2025-26 fiscal year, Prince George’s conventional service is expected to see operating costs worth almost $13.2 million while the accessible service has estimated expenses worth almost $1.9 million.

Once the provincial government’s share of costs and revenues from fares and advertising are removed from the equation, Prince George is expected to have around $4.9 million in net costs for the conventional service and $626,621 for the accessible service.

Those are increases from the approximately $4.6 million and $528,421 net costs for the city for each service seen in the 2024-25 fiscal year.

At the meeting, city staff and BC Transit manager of government relations Elise Wren presented statistics showing that while ridership increased considerably for both conventional and accessible services from lows caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the 2019-20 fiscal year, it had yet to reach the same levels from before the pandemic by the 2023-24.

That decrease and subsequent recovery was seen by all transit services in the province. The 2024-25 statistics will be available in June, she said.

She said the provincial government provides more than 60 per cent of Prince George’s transit funding for both conventional and accessible service.

Last year, BC Transit introduced the Umo contactless payment system to

Prince George, which allows riders to pay with a smartphone app or reloadable cards.

While the rollout was smooth overall, Wren said there was some feedback about the difficulty of purchasing physical cards that they’ve tried to address. On-bus debit and credit payments are expected to come to local buses later this year.

This fiscal year, she said, BC Transit is looking to improve services on routes 5, 15, 88 and 89 during weekday evenings. Across the whole province, Wren said there was an unprecedented number of requests for transit funding increases.

Routes 88 and 89, which travel from College Heights to the Hart, are the busiest in the city at present.

Prince George’s request for funding on these routes was accepted due to strong ridership figures.

Wren said that the federal government has established a public transit fund with $3 billion a year in funding available starting in the 2026-27 fiscal year.

Prince George is getting some funding from the baseline funding stream on this program, Wren said, which will provide almost $7 million over the next decade to help with the cost of bus replacement

concerns every morning and forwards them to the appropriate people to address.

Coun. Garth Frizzell expressed hope that funding from higher levels of government for transit would continue to increase. With other BC communities like Victoria getting electric buses, he asked whether PG would.

Wren said the battery-powered electric buses are still in training mode and have yet to operate in Victoria. Phase two of the electric rollout will extend to other communities in the Kootenays, but the north has yet to be added to the list.

She said there are concerns over battery longevity and performance in cold weather that need to be explored.

and infrastructure upgrades.

Over the next three years, the organization is looking to complete a transit exchange study, an operations and maintenance facility study, investigate the feasibility of service to Prince George International Airport and industrial areas and improve service frequency between the Spruceland exchange and the Westgate exchange.

Wren also looked at limitations facing local transit in upcoming years. She said keeping services affordable, acquiring new buses and ambitious infrastructure projects will all be challenges.

Coun. Tim Bennett said he appreciated new bus shelters that had been installed across the city earlier in the year.

He said he’d heard frustrations from parents that ticketing and fare apps do not allow multiple members of a family to pay for fares at once.

Unfortunately, the app only lets one person at a time pay for fares, Wren said, but she hoped that the introduction of debit and credit services would help with this. Cash is always an option too, she added.

Coun. Trudy Klassen asked how safety concerns are addressed. Wren said BC Transit reviews complaints and

After seeing Ontario get a lot of transit funding from the federal government in recent years, Coun. Susan Scott said she was glad that communities in BC like Prince George are finally receiving a share.

Coun. Cori Ramsay said she hoped ridership levels would continue to climb towards pre-pandemic levels.

In the past, Ramsay said most people paid for transit rides with cash or prepaid tickets. With people loading fare money onto the Umo app, she wondered what happened to those funds before they’re officially spent on a bus.

Wren said her organization talks a lot about keeping money collected by Umo in the cities they’re spent in. She said when people buy monthly or semester passes, that money goes directly towards the city.

However, fare funds stored on the app act like a gift card only go towards municipalities when they’re spent. If someone from Prince George went to Bulkley-Nechako, those funds could still be spent but would go to the other transit system.

Coun. Ron Polillo said he was glad to see consideration of expanding services to the airport and industrial area, saying it’s one of the most frequent pieces of feedback he receives on local transit including one note on the subject earlier that day.

Council voted unanimously to pass first three readings of the bylaw.

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO

A BC Transit bus heads up University Hill in Prince George. Representatives from city staff and BC Transit gave a presentation on the City of Prince George’s annual operating agreement for transit services at the Monday, May 26 city council meeting.

Council approves $11.369 million worth of new loans

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

Three loans worth a collective $11.369 million were given final approval by Prince George city council at its Monday, May 26 meeting after not enough residents expressed opposition to trigger a referendum under the alternative approval process.

Council passed final reading for bylaws borrowing $5.489 million for various equipment purchases, $3.26 million to replace the Civic Centre’s building automation and air conditioning systems and $2.26 million to replace parts of the city’s stormwater system.

Together, the loans are expected to cost the city $1,078,129 in annual debt servicing payments.

As the loans are to be paid back over more than five years, the city was required under provincial law to get approval from the public either through a referendum or the alternative approval process.

Back in February, council decided on the latter approach, meaning that eligible voters in the city had the option of submitting forms stating their opposition to the borrowing. If 10 per cent or more of residents had voiced objections this way, council couldn’t have moved forward without holding a referendum.

According to documents attached to the meeting agenda, there are 56,291 eligible voters in the city, meaning that 5,629 people had to voice their opposition to force a referendum.

However, the number of people who ended up objecting to the loans by the 5 p.m. deadline on May 20 was far below that threshold.

For the first loan, borrowing $5.489 million for mobile equipment, janitorial equipment, fire hoses, a hoist system, a tractor with flail mower and arborist equipment, just 22 people were opposed.

The second loan was worth $3.26 million and is for the replacement of

the Civic Centre’s building automation system and air conditioner. A total of 20 people voiced opposition to this loan.

The third and final loan was for $2.26 million to replace stormwater system assets like drainage ponds, storm mains, culverts, manholes and more. It received the fewest number of objections with 14.

The motion accepting the report on the alternative approval process was approved with only Coun. Trudy Klassen voting in opposition.

Klassen was also the only councillor to vote against fourth and final reading of the three individual borrowing bylaws.

City set to celebrate CN Centre’s 30th anniversary

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

Prince George city council approved a proposal by two councillors to look into holding a 30th anniversary celebration for the CN Centre at its Monday, May 26 meeting.

At the May 5 council meeting, councillors Kyle Sampson and Brian Skakun gave notice that they would ask their peers to approve three recommendations for celebrating the former Prince George Multiplex, which opened on Sept. 30, 1995.

The first directed administration to develop a plan by June 30 for hosting a “fun, financially accessible, safe and community-oriented public event as part of the CN Centre’s 30 anniversary celebration, to be hosted around Sept. 30, 2025.”

The second recommendation directed administration to look for partnerships or funding opportunities for the event while the third had council expressing its intent to pay for the event through its annual contingency fund.

The councillors’ report said that while staff are already working on commemorative events for the anniversary, they want to make sure there’s a fun, inclusive, accessible and affordable event for

the public to take part in, whether it’s an open house, public skate, concert or something else.

They suggested that CN Rail, which has possessed the naming rights for the venue for the last 20 years, could be a possible partner in arranging this event. Additionally, they also said it could be a chance to honour elected officials, city staff, contractors and facility staff who helped bring the project to life.

Speaking remotely during the meeting, Sampson said there’s already some great programming getting set up for around the anniversary including a Trooper performance, a Garth Brooks

tribute band and the Prince George Cougars’ home opener, but they wanted something “accessible to the masses.”

In chambers, Skakun said the council of the day including former mayor Colin Kinsley put their political capital on the line to get the facility built and it has brought in millions to the local economy over the last three decades.

Coun. Ron Polillo said he wasn’t opposed to spending council’s contingency fund but wanted specifics on costs as there’s a lot of demand for those dollars.

Sampson said they’re looking for a modest event but they didn’t want to

prescribe an exact cost before staff have a chance to come up with proposals.

Coun. Tim Bennett said the Standing Committee on Finance and Audit has talked about trying to improve outreach for yearly budget consultations and wondered if some of the funds put aside for that purpose could be used to incorporate it into the anniversary event in some way.

Coun. Garth Frizzell asked how the facility is doing after 30 years. Director of civic facilities Andy Beesley said it’s in good shape but some structural repairs are needed.

Beesley said there would be building envelope repairs like those at the Aquatic Centre, but not as expensive. He added that the Cougars would be on board with participating in the celebrations.

Coun. Cori Ramsay said the City of Prince George turned 110 years old this year and there wasn’t a celebration for that and suggested serving birthday cake at the anniversary celebration might be appropriate.

She also said some kind of legacy project to commemorate the anniversary would be a good way to get the public involved.

Mayor Simon Yu said he couldn’t believe it has been 30 years since he had been a consultant on the project.

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

Cougars fans celebrate their team’s 4-1 victory over the Portland Winterhawks in the dying seconds of the game Sunday, April 6. at the CN Centre, which turns 30 this year.

Tenants forced to fee early-morning apartment fre

CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen Staff

As she stepped out of her apartment at about 5:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 22, Haley Dennill heard the fire alarm.

Boardwalk Apartments on Killoren Crescent in Prince George was ablaze.

“I was heading to work and I literally just locked my door and the fire alarm went off,” said Dennill, who has lived on the opposite side of the apartment complex from the fire for the last five years.

Unfortunately, it is estimated that 24 units out of the 57 have either fire, smoke or water damage.

“We have a lot of false alarms so I didn’t think much of it so I went down and as I’m leaving the parkade I saw the one side essentially on fire,” Dennill said.

“Then I was like ‘oh sh#@ it’s actually a fire’ and then at that point there was already a couple of guys out front honking their horns trying to alert people and then I called Lynne (Haley’s husband’s grandmother, another resident).”

When Haley called 911 she was told there had already been a call made and emergency response units were on the way.

Residents who were gathered around Haley and Lynne talked about other who were close to the blaze who reported they had knocked on doors as they made their way out of the building.

“At that time the building was already disintegrating,” Dennill said.

“It went quick.”

Lynne Viik has been a resident of Boardwalk Apartments for the last 29 years.

“This is so awful,” Viik said. “When you hear a fire alarm and you come out here and you wait and wait and wait, it’s always a false alarm. This is the first time ever that it’s a real fire and unfortunately it’s a bad one.”

Prevalent in the conversation among residents hunkered down across the street watching the blaze — some in their pyjamas, one lady in her robe and slippers, others using walkers and wheelchairs with blankets wrapped

around their under-dressed bodies — was gratitude for making it out safely.

Gill Mostrom said the unit she shares with her husband Reg is in the section of the apartment complex that is beside the one that was ablaze.

“It’s close, too close,” Mostrom said, as she sat with a blanket around her, watching the fire crews battle the blaze.

“Somebody knocked on our door just one time but that was enough,” Mostrom said.

“My husband Reg is in a wheelchair and I use a walker. Needless to say I came out of the apartment just pushing his chair and that’s when we could smell the smoke and hear the fire alarm. Neither one of us can do the stairs so we took the elevator, which is a no-no but it worked fine and that was before the fire department even got here and most importantly — everybody’s out.”

The Mostroms have a 95-year-old neighbour who’s deaf.

“We were relieved to hear she made it out safely,” Mostrom said. “They brought her out on a stretcher. That’s who we were very concerned about and then we were told everyone made it out. But nobody knows how it started. No idea. I am just thankful everybody is OK, everybody got out. They literally went door-to-door and searched in the rooms. Most people were already out here. And the most important part is we

all got out. The rest is just stuff.”

An emotional Charlene Halladay said her neighbour, Rita, saved her life.

“She kept pounding, pounding on my door and I thought who the hell is bugging me this early in the morning? So I went to the door and Rita said ‘get outside the building’s on fire’.”

Halladay said she somehow managed to grab her purse and her cell phone.

“I could smell smoke so I didn’t even get dressed,” Halladay gestured to her robe and slippers.

“And I forgot my glasses and some lady gave me her extra pair. I mean, it’s traumatic when you get up because someone’s pounding on your door, the fire alarm is going and you come out and your building is on fire. I’m homeless and everything I own is in my apartment and I’m pretty scared because that fire is really pretty near my place. I went around the back to have a look at my place and there is smoke coming from my neighbour’s so I’m pretty worried.”

Walking by the residents gathered together across from the section of the apartment not ablaze, Ann Ballinger said ‘be sure to mention our wonderful, wonderful, wonderful neighbours’.

One elderly woman wearing just her nightie and a sweater and using a walker emerged from a neighbour’s house after using the facilities.

“These neighbours (indicating the

house behind the group) went and bought McDonald’s breakfasts and coffee and set up the table even before we were all fully evacuated,” Ballinger said, who didn’t seem concerned about her apartment or its contents.

“Those are just things. Everyone got out as far as we know so that’s so important. There are a lot of old people who live here, including me! But the most wonderful thing happened and that was when neighbours came out with pots of coffee and bottles of water and just the kindness — it’s just nice to see in this world. So I think for me that’s the most wonderful thing because if you lose that kindness you’ve lost the world. There you go, that’s my philosophy for today.”

A smiling young man answered a knock at the door of the home where Ballinger, Halladay and the Mostroms were gathered, soon calling over a young women to speak to The Citizen. Amandeep Kaur said when it first happened it was really cold outside.

“People were evacuated so early and no one had anything so we just set it out for them,” Kaur said, indicating to an eight-foot table filled to capacity with fast food breakfasts and coffee.

“I hope no one would ever have to go through anything like this. I wish I had a bigger home so I could just take everyone in.”

CITIZEN PHOTO BY CHRISTINE DALGLEISH

Residents of the Boardwalk Apartments gather on a neighbour’s lawn after being evacuated when a fire started at about 5:40 a.m. on Thursday, May 22.

Minor injuries as fames spread through multple units

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

Sixty people were displaced and two people were treated by paramedics after the Boardwalk Apartments on Killoren Crescent caught fire on Thursday, May 22.

Prince George Fire Rescue crews arrived at about 5:45 a.m. and were quickly engaged in battling the fire with ambulances on scene.

Residents of the building were evacuated.

The building, which has 57 apartments, is located near D.P. Todd Secondary School. Smoke from the fire could be seen from kilometres away.

Deputy Chief Brian Burleigh told reporters at the scene that afternoon that residents sustained only minor injuries and had since been released from the hospital.

“Through our evacuation process, there were occupants that were transported to the hospital, ” said Bailey. “It’s my understanding that they’ve since been released and cleared, so injuries were insignificant and minor and there were no reported injuries to fire crews on scene.”

Bailey, in an interview with the media, added that their priority was the evacuation of residents of the building.

“A portion of the building is a complete loss,” said Burleigh. “On arrival, crews found fire, smoke and flames coming from the roof on their arrival. Our priority was evacuation and accountability of the people that were residing here. That was our primary focus and efforts directed on arrival.”

He added that the firewalls built into the apartment likely saved the rest of the building from the blaze.

“The firewall did its job and so as a result of that, I’ll say this building has got five segments to it, and two of them were a complete loss. The firewall stopped it, we’ve saved three segments of the building.”

He added that residents were expected to be able to return in a few days following an assessment of the building.

“There’s a little bit of water damage there as a result of our efforts,” said Burleigh. “Smoke will be minimal and currently the utilities have been disconnected from a firefighter safety perspective, so it will be a couple of days to get that sorted out, but they are hopeful that those units will be habitable again in the next couple of days.

A total of 19 firefighters from fourdifferent stations responded to the call, with one truck and apparatus remaining on the scene to manage the aftermath of the fire.

Burleigh also gave some insight into the firefighters’ approach while battling the fire.

“These multi-residential occupancies are always challenging from an accountability perspective. How many people are here and who’s been accounted for? So life safety is always our number one priority and that’s where our focus is,” he said. “We search floor by floor, we’ve cleared room by room and that’s our priority and then we get to containing and managing the fire from there.”

A Prince George Fire Rescue firefighters sprays water into a flaming apartment from a neighbouring balcony at Boardwalk Apartments on Killoren Crescent on Thursday, May 22.

GoFundMe launched by man who knows how it feels

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

The May 22 fire at the Killoren Crescent Boardwalk Apartments in Prince George left about 60 residents displaced after 24 of the building’s 57 units were destroyed.

Lucas Boreland, owner of Armoured Electrical & Fire Safety in Prince George, has stepped forward to support those affected by launching a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds.

Boreland, a survivor of a house fire that occurred when he was a child, has seen firsthand how such tragedies can create confusion, stress, fear and financial hardship.

He told The Citizen he was inspired to help the victims of the Killoren Crescent fire after seeing his own community rally around his family when their home was destroyed.

“I first heard about the fire and it made me remember the fire that I went through as a kid and, yeah, how that affected me and my mom,” said Boreland. “It definitely was not an easy thing to go through. I just thought about wanting to give back, and so many people helped us out right after our house fire, I thought it would be good to pay that forward.”

He added that supporting those in need is a pillar of the Prince George community.

“It just showcases who we are as a community and that we are here to support each other, and that when these things happen we’ve got each other’s back,” he said.

The GoFundMe campaign is working in partnership with local emergency services, volunteers and victims to distribute the funds to those in greatest need.

The money will go toward temporary housing and moving costs, replacing household essentials, transportation and emergency care needs, as well as any expenses not covered by insurance or municipal programs.

“Donated funds will go towards needs that aren’t getting met by the city’s help,” said Boreland.

“Some of the long-term issues they might have — maybe things that aren’t covered by insurance, personal belongings, maybe they have medical needs, anything they lost that isn’t easily or quickly replaced. I know sometimes insurance coverage takes quite a while depending on the provider. It can be a really long process when somebody has urgent needs.”

Boreland is also donating a portion of his company’s profits for the month to the GoFundMe and is encouraging other local businesses and trades to contribute what they can — or even match his company’s donation.

“A big part of why I started this company is to keep people safe in their homes and protect them from incidents, but they still happen,” said Boreland. “We wanted to just show our support as a company, that we are here for the community and to support them.”

To donate or share the GoFundMe for victims of the Killoren Crescent fire, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/ support-killoren-boardwalk-fire-families

A fire destroyed 24 of the 57 units in the Boardwalk Apartments on

Crescent last Thursday.

Emergency team steps in to assist displaced residents

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

Tanya Spooner, the city’s manager of emergency services, also updated local media about the evolving situation with the displaced residents.

“We have opened up our reception centre, the trailer is in behind the Kin 2 arena, and we’re helping people at that facility right now,” said Spooner. “We

don’t have a total number of people in the building. We’ve had about 50 people check in on-site and we’re aware of another 10, so we know of 60 people that are safe and supported in this event at this point.”

Spooner said that no additional supports were needed to assist displaced residents and that they are agreements in place with her program and local

hotels and businesses to further assist if need be.

She added that displaced residents are safe and are being supported by her well-trained team.

“I think there’s a lot of emotions, a lot of stress this morning,” said Spooner.

“It’s a wide range of people who had levels of preparedness for their emergencies or events. I think there’s a lot of

shock and that’ll be there for at least the next few days. Our team is well-trained and well-versed in how to support people who have been through this type of event and is supporting them in the best way possible.”

The cause of the fire remained under investigation as this edition of The Citizen went to press.

WIth files from Christine Dalgleish

Killoren

Big wheels, big fun at Resources Expo

Joel Burnett, 6, finds a comfortable skidder wheel to curl up in out of the wind at the Canada North Resources Expo in the CN Centre parking lot Saturday, May 24. The expo drew more than 1,000 visitors eager to learn about industry, construction, mining and related sectors on Friday and Saturday. The CN Centre’s parking lot featured 60 booths displaying heavy machinery, industrial equipment, farming tools and emerging technologies. Inside, the venue hosted 120 booths showcasing everything from innovative construction methods and tools to drone technology built for field use. See more photos at www. princegeorgecitizen.com.

NEWS NOTES

Housing minister encouraged by Prince George figures

“I am encouraged that the city has delivered 210 net-new units at the sixmonth mark, or 76 per cent of the year one target,” Kahlon wrote.

British Columbia’s minister of housing and municipal affairs is “confident” that the City of Prince George is on track to meets its provincially mandated housing targets.

At the Monday, May 26 meeting of Prince George city council, a letter from Minister Ravi Kahlon dated May 7 was presented to councillors.

On July 24, 2024, the provincial government set a target for the city to build 1,803 total net-new housing units over the next five years.

That included a target of 273 units built after the first year, 575 units after the second, 921 after the third, 1,325 after the fourth and 1,803 after the fifth.

When the city issued an interim report on meetings its target back in early February, it reported that 210 net new units had been built in the first six months of the program.

“With 532 reported instream units, I am confident that Prince George is on track to achieve its year one target of 273 net-new units.”

City to host AGM of north central local governments

The City of Prince George will be hosting the 2026 annual general meeting of the North Central Local Government Association, city council announced at its Monday, May 26 meeting.

The city’s bid to host the 2026 meeting with the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George and Lheidli T’enneh First Nation was accepted.

The NCLGA is made up of representatives from regional districts and municipalities from north-central British Columbia with members spanning from as far south as 100 Mile House and as far orth as the Yukon border and from Haida Gwaii in the west to the Alberta border in the east.

OPINION

Our community is a lifeline in a tme of crisis

KENNEDY GORDON Citizen Managing Editor

Prince George shows what a community emergency response should look like

In the early hours of Thursday, May 22, a fire tore through the Boardwalk Apartments on Killoren Crescent, displacing dozens of residents and destroying nearly half of the units.

It was tragic and devastating,. Thankfully there was no loss of life, but people were left without their homes and belongings.

And yet, in the face of fear, uncertainty and loss, two remarkable things emerged: the compassion of neighbours and a strong emergency response system that operated effectively and with humanity.

This was not just a story about fire alarms and firehoses. It is a story of neighbours pounding on doors to wake sleeping families, strangers handing over spare reading glasses, and neighbours delivering breakfasts to evacuees. It’s about people unable to simply stand by and do nothing.

This is a story of a city with its priorities straight and effective systems in place to support the people in need.

Let’s start with the formal response: Prince George Fire Rescue responded swiftly, dispatching 19 firefighters from four stations.

Deputy Chief Brian Burleigh confirmed that crews arrived to find fire erupting from the roof.

Their immediate and unambiguous

We acknowledge the fnancial support of the government of Canada.

Nous reconnaissons l’appui fnancier du gouvernement du Canada.

priority: saving lives. They did so through floor-by-floor searches and swift evacuations, some of which were via ladders, even before tackling the blaze.

Their actions, supported by smart fire-resistant building design — particularly firewalls — prevented an even worse disaster.

Thanks to their quick work, the fire was contained, and injuries were limited to minor cases. No lives were lost.

That’s not accidental, that’s not luck.

That’s preparation in action.

Just as crucial was the city’s emergency management infrastructure.

Tanya Spooner, the city’s emergency services manager, led a calm, co-ordinated effort to support the displaced.

Within hours, a reception centre was up and running behind the Kin 2 arena. Residents were registered, accounted for, and connected with temporary accommodations.

Agreements with local hotels and businesses were ready to be activated if needed.

Stolz Owner / Publisher

Randall-Stolz Owner

Spooner’s team, trained and prepared, assisted evacuees not only with logistics, but with the emotional weight of losing a home. While their work was invisible to most of the community, it remains absolutely vital.

Beyond any official response, though, it was the ordinary people of Prince George who truly showed what community resilience is all about.

Stories abound.

A neighbour named Rita pounding on a door until Charlene Halladay woke up and escaped.

Elderly residents with walkers and in wheelchairs pushing each other to safety.

A 95-year-old deaf resident, rescued by responders.

Neighbours from across the street offering blankets, chairs, and snacks for while worried residents watched the fire spread through their homes.

Others welcomed the displaced into their homes, offering warmth, restrooms, and, in one extraordinary case, a neighbour set up a table of

Kennedy Gordon Managing Editor

McDonald’s breakfasts and coffee.

A few days later, a local business owner who lost his own home to fire as a child launched a GoFundMe to raise money to augment the support displaced tenants are already receiving.

These days, headlines (including ours) often dwell on division and dysfunction. But last week, Prince George offered a powerful reminder: community is a lifeline in times of crisis, and an efficient, capable emergency response systems plays a vital role.

As resident Ann Ballinger put it simply and powerfully: “If you lose that kindness, you’ve lost the world.”

Prince George’s response was not just about professional execution — though that was commendable — but about a culture of care. It’s about helping your neighbours. It’s about showing up, even if you’re still in your nightgown and slippers.

As investigations continue and rebuilding begins, this fire will undoubtedly be an unforgettable chapter in the lives of those affected. But it will also be remembered as a moment when a community proved its strength — not just in fighting flames, but in supporting one another.

In tragedy, Prince George demonstrated something both rare and worth celebrating: a community response that was as immediate as it was heartfelt.

That, more than anything, is what kept people safe, and gave them hope on a day of loss.

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

OFFICE (8:30a - 4:30p)

505 Fourth Avenue

Prince George, B.C. V2L 3H2

FRONT DESK AND CLASSIFIED frontdesk@pgcitzen.ca 250-562-2441

NEWS AND SPORTS news@pgcitzen.ca

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR editor@pgcitzen.ca

OWNER / PUBLISHER owner@pgcitzen.ca

Letters to the editor are welcome. The maximum length is 300 words. Letters may be subject to editing for length, clarity, grammar, spelling and legalities prior to publication. Please include your daytime contact information.

CITIZEN STAFF PHOTO

A Prince George Fire Rescue firefighters operates a hose during efforts to battle the flames at Boardwalk Apartments on Thursday, May 22.

Cameron

Terresa

Should we secure BC’s Interior with a Golden Dome?

ALBERT KOEHLER Guest Columnist

A Golden Dome project has recently been proposed by President Donald Trump for the U.S., and he claims that Canada is interested to have it extended over our country as well.

It means this missile defense shield would be extended over the Interior of BC, too. Why?

This so called “Golden Dome”, inspired by Israel’s land-based Iron Dome defense shield, is an ambitious project aimed at blocking threats from China and Russia.

They have the technology to strike us with a hypersonic missile that travels five times faster than the speed of sound, otherwise known as Mach 5 (3,636 miles per hour).

Such a missile is shot through our atmospheric layers into space where it can travel tremendously fast because there is no atmospheric wind and friction/resistance.

The missile then can come down to earth with a super-hypersonic speed and hit a predetermined spot.

An international ballistic missile (ICBM), is a ballistic missile as well, traveling so fast that it is impossible to be intercepted.

Having this project extended to Canada also to the interior of BC, does not make sense at all.

Yes, we in Prince George are exposed to hypersonic missiles as any other place on the earth, if either Russia or China for instance intend to strike us. But why would they?

There is usually not a lot of time

U.S. President Donald Trump has proposed a ‘Golden Dome’ missile defence system over North America.

between launch and impact to intercept a hypersonic missile, begging the question: Why should we in the BC Interior worry?

LETTERS

EDITOR to the

Let’s not forget why Mr. PG is Prince George’s mascot

I believe it’s time to refresh our local government’s mind as to why Mr. PG was created, and why he is dressed to look like a spruce tree, so we can show him more respect in the future.

We are fortunate to hsave such a vast, rich forest industry in our territory, with four main species of wood fibre — spruce, pine, fir and balsam — and being that our spruce volumes are so high in our region, Prince George has earned the title of being the Spruce Capital of the World.

This is why Mr. PG was created, to look like a spruce tree, and to be our mascot to remind us and tourists that we are proud to be the Spruce Capital of the World.

I would like to see Mr. PG holding a Spruce Capital of the World sign in his hand, plus a plaque stating why he was create: to illuminate people thinking is such a silly icon for this town, and so goofy looking, and to stop this trend of design getting more boring over time.

Billions of dollars would have to be spent to erect and maintain a “defense system” that cannot guarantee a defence!

We should avoid relying on the U.S. for implementation and clearly express to the decision makers in the U.S. that we are not interested. Period!

A recent global survey on safety in general, as well as “feeling safe”, has shown that Iceland, Ireland and Western Canada are considered the most secure countries (areas) on this globe, and are of no military strategic value!

Wonderful to live here and enjoy the best place on earth.

Why should our government contribute billions of dollars, considering that we are already over our ears in dept?

Albert Koehler, P.Eng., is a former city councillor

Is it Houston that has a 25-foot-high fishing rod?

Why? Because the local rivers has record-breaking steelhead caught over the years.

Quesnel has the largest gold pan and handpick.

Why? Because of the gold rush days in Barkerville.

Mr. PG is a strong spruce tree, and you could not take him down. His bark is too thick to penetrate. Terry Campbell, retired logger Prince George

Thanks to the grader operator who made one little boy’s day

I would like to give a thumbs -p to the grader operator that stopped and asked a little boy if he would like a closer look after he seemed mesmerized with the grader.

It happened on Tuesday, May 13, when he let my great-grandson get in the cab of the grader. You made this little boy’s day.

It took one minute to make a lifetime memory.

Anne Bartsch

Quesnel

Mr. PG, Prince George’s mascot, is located at the busy intersection of Highway 16 and Highway 97. The character just turned 60. AP FILE PHOTO

OPINION

Northern health area one of the highest for toxic drug deaths in Feb., March

You think it’s not that bad? Here are the rates of unregulated drug deaths in BC over the years

2013-334

2014-370

2015-529

2016-995

2017-1495

2018-1561

2019-990

2020-1775

2021-2303

2022-2383

2023-2511

2024-2253

It’s only like a 700 per cent increase since 2013, no big deal. Clearly destigmatization and safe supply is working great.

Those figures don’t show how many people, many of the young, who are permanently brain injured either. But judging by how many human kick stands you see down town, it’s very high.

COVID didn’t happen till 2020, so the idea that this started from COVID, is moronic. The NDPs legacy is one of carnage and death.

Zangief

Share your views

Nak’azdli elder Yvonne Pierreroy to receive honourary UNBC degree

What an incredible life and story behind it!

Such a strong woman and supported by family extremely proud of their culture and history.

That is a unique life story about personal success and perseverance in the face of challenges that we nonindigenous never have to face.

Very well done and absolutely deserved. Congratulations! BGeez

Boardwalk Apartments residents gather to watch their homes burn

Thank you Christine Dalgleish for the update and reporting.

And thank you to all the firefighters and paramedics.

Thank you to all the city services for helping the affected people.

Also, a special thank you to all the owners/tenants/ neighbours for looking after all the affected people and their pets.

Well done, Prince George. Never Home

It’s with a profound sense of disconnect that I read “Next phase of North Star Inn conversion set to open.”

While the article highlights “success stories” and “supportive housing units,” what I witness daily working in the area tells a starkly different and deeply disturbing truth: the notion that Prince George’s “social net downtown” is “working” is, frankly, an insult to the reality on the ground, where I see firsthand the unchecked crime, rampant drug use,

frequent overdoses, and tragic loss of life that have become a horrifying norm, with first responders dropping by sometimes a dozen times a day — a clear indicator that the current approach is not simply struggling, but failing catastrophically to address the root causes of these crises, leaving many of us to wonder when real solutions that prioritize treatment and accountability will finally replace the endless cycle of simply building more facilities. Keiser

Construction begins on new long-term care village in Prince George

The idea is fantastic and much needed, but I don’t hear anyone talking about staffing.

Who is going to work here?

Every single health care facility in this region is brutally understaffed with doctors, nurses and care aides.

These don’t just appear, increases need to be planned years in advance.

My wife works in long term care, and has for almost 15 years. 95 per cent of her shifts are have been short staffed.

Many doctors don’t want patients in long term care, so a small number carry the burden. Our health authority already completely relies on travel nurses from around Canada that get paid almost 1000.00 a day, and foreign nurses, but even these workers can’t fill all the gaps.

If Northern Health manages to staff it enough to even open, it will be by pulling nurses and care aides from other facilities/ emergency rooms in our health authority or others, which just force closures in other communities.

This is just so short sighted to imagine staff magically appear.

Super Mutant

Next phase of PG’s North Star Inn conversion set to open

Ceremony held to open Lheidli Litles Lodge daycare

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

Lheidli T’enneh First Nation opened a new daycare facility on the site of the community’s former village in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, May 23.

Elder Loretta John held a smudging ceremony and offered a prayer for the new Lheidli Littles Lodge at the beginning of the event at the daycare, located on Gorse Street near The Exploration Place at the edge of Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park.

“It’s so important to know that we’re taking care of our people as our ancestors took care of us and to have you all here to witness this is a blessing,” John told the assembled crowd.

Speaking on behalf of the nation’s council was Coun. Tasheena Seymour, who thanked the Province of British Columbia for providing $6 million in funding for the facility and the City of Prince George, which provided the land for the project.

Chris Plato of IDL, the contractor that built the daycare, said it was a race against time to secure funding for the facility when they were approached to help complete a funding application about a month before it was due.

He said that an architect was flown up to Prince George to meet with Lheidli T’enneh leadership and create a conceptual design.

In that design and in the finished project, Plato said they worked to have features representing elements important to the First Nation.

The building’s wide opening and narrower rear exit represents the nearby confluence of the Fraser and Nechako rivers. The use of wood for elements like the pillars holding up an awning over the entrance represents the forested landscape of Lheidli T’enneh’s home territory.

The orange concrete blocks that line the entrance and the building’s interior foyer represents the rivers’ cutbanks and the sloped roof is meant to evoke a traditional pit house.

The daycare’s general manager, Tandi

Purych, a member of the First Nation, said she returned to her traditional territory from Calgary to accept the job. She said the project was a labour of love.

After the ceremony, she told reporters that Lheidli T’enneh had supported her when she in her education and she always knew that she wanted to come back and work for her community.

When the facility starts welcoming in children from eight months old to five years old on June 2, Purych said the 71 available spaces will serve kids from Lheidli T’enneh and the wider community.

Beyond providing a space for these kids, Purych said she wants to use the lodge to generate employment opportunities for Lheidli members as well. She said they’ll be partnering with the College of New Caledonia to create a work-integrated learning program so that people will be able to both work at the lodge and get their child-care credentials at the same time.

It’s clear from the interior of the building that teaching Lheidli T’enneh’s traditional language, Dakelh, will be an important component of lessons.

For instance, classroom No. 4 has signs taped to the door showing that “hodul’eh-a” is the word for classroom and “dunghi” is the word for four.

“I think children learn from eyesight and they learn when they’re the littlest,” Purych said. “That’s when they’re sponges. That’s our goal. I have a certain percentage of Indigenous staff too that I’ve been working with and they have been amazing in doing the research.”

For Purych, opening the daycare at the site of Lheidli T’enneh’s original village is important too.

“I think you can feel it in the energy when you walk into this building, to be honest,” she said.

“My ancestors, my grandfather, they are buried behind us. I am to be buried behind us in the park. When you set foot on this land … I don’t know how to put it in words.”

Another member of Lheidli T’enneh council present was Coun. Kyle McIntosh, who also helped design the facility as a project manager for the nation’s special projects department.

He said that after the scramble to

assemble the funding application, they got word they were successful as the COVID-19 pandemic hit. After the pandemic, they decided to keep the project going and the size of it eventually doubled.

“We had to go back to the province and plead our case to see if they were going to help fund the rest of the bill, which they did,” McIntosh said.

He said archeological and environmental work on the site didn’t reveal anything significant.

“My family is the same as Tandi’s, buried in the park,” McIntosh said.

“I’ll be buried in the park. My son will be buried in the park. It sends tingles through you coming here. What better place to place the building and to raise our children here? It’s so positive.”

In future, McIntosh said the nation intends to pursue an addition-to-reserve process for the land the daycare sits on.

As someone who had his first child a year and a half ago, he thanked Purych for her expertise in developing the site.

‘DAYCARE’ ON NEXT PAGE

CITIZEN PHOTO BY COLIN SLARK

Lheidli Littles Lodge general manager Tandi Purych, flanked by her staff, welcomes guests to the facility at 1950 Gorse St. during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, May 23.

Daycare welcomes guests for a tour of the new facility

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Other dignitaries who spoke at the event included Prince George Mayor Simon Yu and Regional District of Fraser-Fort George board chair Lara Beckett.

“What a beautiful spring to see old friends, new friends and everybody here to open another great facility that is meaningful to the true meaning of reconciliation,” Yu said.

“Different levels of government, First Nations, local contractors, local designers, everybody worked together to create a product that will permanently pass on to the next generation and future generations in the name of Lheidli T’enneh.”

Beckett said the project “reflects your values, your traditions, your priorities and mostly the dedication to your children and their futures and all our futures.”

Also attending were Prince GeorgeNorth Cariboo Conservative MLA Sheldon Clare and members of city council.

Lheidli T’enneh spokesperson Todd Corrigall said Chief Dolleen Logan was suddenly called away from the community earlier in the week.

After all the speeches were done, the dignitaries gathered to cut a red ribbon and the Khast’an Drummers performed a song about a little bear as those present were invited to get a first hand look at the inside of the building.

Once inside, visitors were served soup and bannock.

Later in the day, Burnaby East NDP MLA Rohini Arora — the parliamentary secretary for child care — issued a statement on behalf of the provincial government.

“I’m so proud of this partnership. This new child-care centre will give Prince George families greater access to high-quality, inclusive, culturally rooted care where children can learn, grow, and thrive by staying connected to their language, traditions and heritage,” Arora said.

New restaurant, cafe for Prince George Internatonal Airport

Public Consultation

Salmon River-Lakes Offcial Community Plan Bylaw No. 1587, 1996, Amendment Bylaw No. 3386, 2025

Subject property: 16695 Eena Lake Rd

Purpose: to permit subdivision of a portion of the subject property to create a 2.1 ha (5 ac) lot.

Next steps: The Regional District is gathering input prior to the Regional Board consideration of second reading and public hearing for Salmon River-Lakes Ofcial Community Plan Bylaw No. 1587, 1996, Amendment Bylaw No. 3386, 2025.

For more details visit rdffg.ca/landuseapps

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

After going nearly five months without food services, travellers are once again be able to grab a meal or a coffee at the Prince George International Airport.

The Prince George Airport Authority (PGAA) has announced it is bringing back food and beverage services, thanks to a new partnership with Noir Food Services.

The airport (YXS) has been without food services since Nov. 28, when it was announced that Locals by Farmhouse and Gourmet Express Cafe would be closing.

The first food option to open at YXS is the Fly Away Café, located in the departures lounge. The café, now open, offers grab-and-go options, fresh meals and coffee.

The PGAA says the sit-down Altitude

Restaurant and Lounge is expected to open in early summer.

Noir Food Services is a BC-based company with locations in Smithers, Nelson, Salmon Arm, Kamloops, Kelowna, Cranbrook and Vernon.

The company offers a diverse portfolio of food and beverage establishments across the province, including fine dining, catering and other food services, according to the PGAA announcement.

“We’re excited to partner with the Prince George Airport and bring fresh, locally inspired food and beverage options to travellers,” said Jeremy Roth, president of Noir Food Services. “With the opening of the Fly Away Café and Altitude Restaurant and Lounge, we’re committed to creating dining experiences that reflect both the vibrancy of the region and the needs of passengers on the move.”

CITIZEN PHOTO BY COLIN SLARK

Visitors gather outside the Lheidli Littles Lodge daycare at 1950 Gorse St. for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, May 23.

Family found afer GPS goes wrong

A family of three was rescued Saturday, May 24 after a GPS error led them down remote back roads in the area. Prince George Search and Rescue (PGSAR) responded to the call around dusk, deploying its mechanized team to reach an adult and two children who had become stranded on rough terrain. Using side-by-sides and all-terrain vehicles, rescuers safely evacuated the family back to maintained roads, PGSAR reported on its Facebook page. In a statement, PGSAR commended the family for calling 911 early and remaining in one place until help arrived. The incident highlights the risks of relying solely on GPS navigation, especially when directed onto forest service roads, PGSAR warns, noting that such roads can be unmaintained and hazardous, particularly in wet conditions.

Area code 257 to be introduced in Prince George and across BC

CITIZEN STAFF

A new area code is set to launch in Prince George and the rest of British Columbia this week.

Starting May 24, area code 257 will be gradually introduced in regions currently served by area codes 236, 250, 604, 672 and 778.

• While the new area code will begin appearing on newly issued numbers, current phone numbers will remain unchanged.

• The region’s local calling areas will also stay the same.

• Existing phone numbers will not change.

• All local calls must be dialed using 10 digits (area code + local number).

• Special service numbers like 211, 311, 411, 611, 911, and 988 will continue to be dialed with just

three digits.

• Businesses with systems that restrict long-distance calls must update their systems to recognize 257 as a local area code.

New area codes are introduced based on population growth.

The change, announced by the Telecommunications Alliance, ensures that residents and businesses will continue to have access to new phone numbers as the existing supply becomes increasingly limited.

New numbers with the 257 area code will be assigned as needed, once the supply of existing area codes is depleted, the Telecommunications Alliance noted in the announcement last week

The Telecommunications Alliance is a joint public awareness operation run jointly by major Canadian telecommunications companies.

starting soon

Get ready to register & grab some great deals. You’ll be glad you bid.

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN’S

Next phase of North Star Inn conversion set to open

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

Phase two of construction to build supportive housing at the former North Star Inn at 1550 Victoria St. is expected to be complete this fall, Prince George’s Standing Committee on Public Safety heard at its Tuesday, May 20 meeting.

At the meeting, representatives from both BC Housing and non-profit Connective provided updates on their operations in Prince George.

For Connective, that included updates on both 1550 Victoria St. and the transitional housing facility that opened in January at the intersection of Third Avenue and London St.

Representatives Chris Kinch and Camila Sanchez said the Victoria Street facility, which began accepting tenants on May 21, 2024, currently has 54 of 60 units occupied.

When phase two finishes this fall, 33 more units will open, giving the facility 93 total units.

At the Third and London facility near Moccasin Flats, Sanchez said, 34 of 42 units are currently occupied by tenants. A difference between the two facilities, she said, is that the Third and London facility is meant to be a stepping stone for people to stay as they get ready to transition to supportive or independent housing.

“At supportive housing sites like Victoria Street, tenants are under the residential tenancy act,” Sanchez said.

“Just like any tenant in the private market, they are afforded rights under that piece of legislation. At Third Avenue and London and other transitional programs, residents are not under a tenancy agreement but rather a program.”

Sanchez brought up three success stories at Connective facilities, including those of two tenants who granted permission for their stories to be told.

The first, a man named Brian, was quoted as saying he had spent three and a half years in a shelter and had been struggling to find a stable place to stay since 2017.

After moving into the Third Avenue

facility, he said he’s “finally in a place where I don’t have to be out in the cold anymore. I have somewhere to eat. I can take showers and I no longer have to worry about how I smell. What I really appreciate is that this place supports people who have been pushed aside. Being here has helped me grow a lot.

The other two success stories were from the Victoria Street facility. The first was the community garden there, which Sanchez said was started by a resident who came there from Moccasin Flats.

The last story was of a woman referred to as DW, who moved into the facility with a life-threatening infection and an addiction to illicit opioid drugs. Since then, her infection has healed, she has gone through treatments, she has moved into private housing and recently completed her first year of studies at the College of New Caledonia. The hope is that her partner still at the Victoria facility will eventually be able to join her, the committee heard.

After the end of their presentation, Mayor Simon Yu asked whether there would be any difference between the

the housing continuum across the province.

That includes identifying sites that can be turned into new temporary or permanent assets and aligning those efforts with other permanent housing and shelter investments.

Thompson said that to ensure safety at their sites, they have 24-7 staffing, provide direct phone numbers to neighbours in case of emergency, regular property maintenance, cleaning, perimeter checks and use environmental design as a method of crime prevention.

Kinch talked about how BC Housing selects clients to receive a space at its facilities through a process called co-ordinated access and assessment.

Clients go through a triage and intake process to assess their vulnerability and needs to help match them with available housing and supports. BC Housing also considers who is admitted into each facility to ensure that they remain healthy communities.

already open housing at Victoria Street and the new phase two units.

Kinch said they would operate under a similar funding model targeting individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

BC Housing representatives Chris Wetmore and Andressa Thompson provided an update on the Homelessness and Encampments Action Response Teams (HEART) and Homelessness and Encampment Action Response Temporary Housing (HEARTH) programs running in Prince George.

Wetmore said a lot of their work started in the late summer and fall of 2023 with conversations with partnering organizations like Northern Health and that Prince George was the first community in Northern BC to get HEART and HEARTH programs going.

He said the programs’ goal is to address unsheltered homelessness and encampments as well as the safety, health and well-being of people who are in shelters and outdoors.

HEARTH, Thompson explained, is a newer initiative aimed at diversifying

This process is informed by the knowledge of other service providers in the community as well as their relationships with clients.

When BC Housing was first organizing the Victoria Street and Third Avenue facilities, Kinch said they wanted to utilize the connections people formed when they stayed overnight at emergency shelters and create a list of prioritized clients from there.

However, Kinch said, they also had to think of Moccasin Flats and how the people there might not have been accessing shelters and account for the need to find units for them as well.

Coun. Brian Skakun thanked BC Housing for its work in Prince George and said one of the things that the city has focused on is that communication by the organization needs to convey accurate information early on when purchasing and developing projects like one in College Heights.

In response to a question from Coun. Ron Polillo, Kinch said that BC Housing outreach workers helped complete a point-in-time homelessness count that was carried out last November, though they did not lead the process.

CIITIZEN PHOTO BY COLIN SLARK

Camila Sanchez and Chris Kinch of non-profit Connective give a presentation to Prince George’s Standing Committee on Public Safety at city hall on Tuesday, May 20.

Trailer in fames at Moccasin Flats

A firefighter from Prince George Fire Rescue Engine 52 blasts water deep into the depths of a still-smouldering trailer at Moccasin Flats shortly after 3 p.m. Sunday, May 25. No one was injured and the fire mostly extinguished soon after the firefighters arrived. Engine 52 remained at the scene as the crew worked to make sure the blaze was completely extinguished. Witnesses at the scene expressed their desire for the area to be cleaned up, putting an end to the fires.

Man staying in jail afer being caught with shotgun

BOB MACKIN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A Prince George man was sentenced in Provincial Court to another 191 days in jail on May 16 for possessing a firearm without a licence or registration. Associate Chief Judge Paul Dohm also sentenced Teddy James Lowley, born in 1995, to one day in jail for possessing a firearm contrary to a court order. Lowley, who is in custody in the

Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre, pleaded guilty last fall. Court heard that, on May 22, 2024, at 4:10 a.m., two Prince George RCMP officers patrolling around Highway 97 south and Highway 16 east spotted two males without helmets riding BMX bicycles. Police learned one of the males, Lowley, had an outstanding warrant for his arrest for failing to comply with a probation order. They searched his backpack and found a sawed-off .410 bore shotgun.

Lowley was already under a lifetime ban on firearms possession after being sentenced in April 2023 to 225 days in jail and one-year probation for possessing a firearm without licence or registration and disobeying a court order.

Lowley was convicted of sexual interference in May 2018 and that included a 10-year listing on the national sex offender’s registry.

He failed to register for a nearly threemonth period in 2023.

Dohm gave Lowley a two-year sentence, but that was reduced because he had spent 359 days in custody since his May 22, 2024 arrest. That translated to 539 days credit.

Defence lawyer Jason LeBlond said Lowley, who is Indigenous, is pursuing a Grade 12 equivalency behind bars.

He called Lowley’s upbringing “turbulent,” with 14 years living under government care in group homes and foster homes.

‘Not guilty’ says suspect accused of threatening government workers

BOB MACKIN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A man charged with uttering or conveying a threat to cause death or bodily

harm to staff of the Ministry of Children and Family Development is seeking trial by Provincial Court judge.

During a hearing on May 21, a legal representative for Kyle Patrick Bennell told

the court that he pleaded not guilty.

A date for a pretrial conference is to be determined.

Bennell, born in 1987, was charged Jan. 28 with the alleged Dec. 3, 2024 offence in

Prince George.

He is also accused of uttering or conveying a threat to a man to cause death or bodily harm to a woman on the same day.

Prince George RCMP are looking for this suspect in connection with a vehicle break-in.

Police looking for suspect in vehicle break-in

The Prince George RCMP has released surveillance photos of a suspect in a vehicle break-and-enter and is asking for the public’s help identifying him.

At approximately 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 13, the suspect broke into a box truck parked in the 3900 block of Fifteenth Avenue, stealing several items and causing damage to the cab.

“We are releasing still photos of the suspect in the hopes that, despite the mask he is wearing, someone may

CRIME NOTES

recognize the individual and be able to provide us with information on who he is or where he is currently located,” said Cpl. Jennifer Cooper, media relations officer for the Prince George RCMP.

The total loss and damage to the company is estimated at more than $2,500.

The investigation is ongoing.

Accused avoids trial by paying for broken phone

Instead of going on trial for mischief under $5,000 and assault in Prince George Provincial Court, a 32-year-old man agreed May 20 to a peace bond and to pay a woman for the smartphone he wrecked.

Bowdean George Saunders had been charged with mischief under $5,000 and assault for an Oct. 13, 2024 incident.

A Prince George RCMP officer arrested an intoxicated Saunders and found a distraught woman with her smartphone, which had been shattered,

North Coast Transmission Line Open Houses

Phase 1: Prince George to Glenannan Transmission

We’re bringing more clean, reliable electricity to the North Coast to foster economic growth and enable our customers to use clean electricity to power their operations and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

We’re proposing to build new 500kV transmission lines and associated infrastructure from Prince George to Terrace through the North Coast Transmission Line Project (NCTL). NCTL will be developed in two phases: Phase 1: Prince George to Glenannan Transmission and Phase 2: Glenannan to Terrace Transmission. We’re also proposing to upgrade our existing 500kV transmission lines from Prince George to Terrace and expand our transmission system north of Terrace and in Prince Rupert.

Please join us anytime between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. to learn about NCTL Phase 1 and our other activities, and to share your feedback:

Prince George

Monday, June 9

Central B.C. Railway & Forestry Museum 850 River Road

Vanderhoof Tuesday, June 10

Integris Community Center Multi-purpose Room 186 Columbia Street West

*NCTL Phase 2 information will also be available at the Fraser Lake open house.

Fraser Lake*

Wednesday, June 11

Professional Building 298 McMillan Ave

Can’t make an in-person event? We’re having two virtual events from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Monday, June 23, 2025 Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Please register at projects@bchydro.com by June 22, 2025.

We look forward to discussing our plans with you.

Information about the NCTL Phase 2 Open Houses and our other activities is available at bchydro.com/ncelectrification. If you have questions or comments, please contact us at 1 866 647 3334 or projects@bchydro.com.

7334

bent in an angle and no longer operable. Saunders did not plead guilty and has no criminal record. He agreed to keep the peace and be of good behaviour for the next year.

“I do encourage you to perhaps get some help, you have a problem with alcohol,” Judge Martin Nadon said to Saunders.

Nadon said the peace bond would include a $500 pledge in case of breach. He also required Saunders to pay $1,100 restitution via the court clerk to the victim, for the replacement value of the phone.

The Crown stayed the assault charge. Bob Mackin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Man wanted for being unlawfully at large

Prince George RCMP are searching for 25-year-old Jonathan Joseph Eric McKay, who is wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for being unlawfully at large.

McKay is described as an Indigenous man, 6-foot-2 (188 cm) and 157 pounds (71 kg), with brown hair and brown eyes. He has a scar on the back of his neck or upper back.

He also has several tattoos, including music notes on the right side of his neck, feathers on the left side of his neck, the letter “R” on his right hand and the name “Cheyenne” on his forehead.

Police consider McKay dangerous and advise the public not to approach him. If you see him, call your local police immediately.

Anyone with information on McKay’s whereabouts is asked to contact Prince George RCMP at 250-561-3300.

To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).

Drugs, weapons, cash, cigarettes seized as police search home

A raid at an Eaglet Crescent home May 19 turned up drugs, contraband cigarettes, cash and weapons, Prince George RCMP are reporting.

Police use a Controlled Drugs and Substances Act warrant to search the residence, located in the 1300 block of Eaglet Crescent.

The items seized include:

• 50 cartons of contraband cigarettes

• Approximately 500 grams of suspected methamphetamine

• Approximately 500 grams of suspected cocaine

• More than 40 grams of suspected fentanyl

• More than 20 grams of suspected ketamine

• Approximately 20 grams of suspected psilocybin

• More than 100 grams of suspected pharmaceuticals

• More than $2,700 in Canadian currency

• Just over $300 in American currency

One person was arrested during the execution of the search warrant. He was later released the same day.

Police say the suspect is known to them. He was released as charges related to the drugs seized are pending further laboratory analysis and are subject to approval by the Public Prosecution Service of Canada.

Second lawn tractor stolen from baseball association

The Prince George RCMP is asking for public assistance in locating a stolen 2025 Husqvarna lawn tractor that went missing over the May long weekend. It was taken from the 4800 block of Heather Road and belongs to the Prince George Youth Baseball Association.

The tractor is worth just over $3,000.

“The lawn tractor belongs to the Prince George Youth Baseball Association and is the second lawn tractor they have had stolen in the past 12 months,” said Cpl. Jennifer Cooper, media spokesperson for the Prince George RCMP. Cooper said police hope someone will see the tractor in the area.

RCMP investigators ask anyone in the area of Heather Road who noticed anything suspicious over the weekend or has video surveillance or dash camera footage showing the lawn tractor being moved to call the non-emergency line at 250-561-3300.

Downtown explosion lawsuit dealt a blow by judge

The owners of the former Heartbreakers building are suing the company responsible for 311 calls

BOB MACKIN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A lawsuit stemming from the Aug. 22, 2023 natural gas explosion of the former Achillion restaurant in downtown Prince George was dealt a blow after a BC Supreme Court judge called a city parks department worker’s memory of her phone call to 311 “not correct.”

1075459 B.C. Ltd. and Encore Promotions Inc., companies behind the Heartbreakers nightclub, allege an operator from City of Prince George contractor Four Star Communications Inc. was negligent in failing to relay Victoria McGivern’s 6:20 a.m., Aug. 21, 2023 report of a strong natural gas smell and a hissing sound at 422

Dominion Street.

“She states in her affidavit that she was upset that the city had apparently not dealt with her report from the previous day, and so this time she called Fortis BC to report the gas leak,” said Justice Matthew Kirchner in a May 1 oral ruling.

“The explosion happened while she was on the phone.”

McGivern was airlifted to a hospital in Vancouver due to severe burns and a concussion.

Last June, a judge ordered Four Star to provide a digital copy of any recorded messages by McGivern at the specific time. Two employees searched the servers and found a recording of McGivern, but the call was instead about fires and rowdies at the civic plaza. McGivern said the call about people in the civic plaza was made on an earlier date.

The plaintiffs’ lawyer, Roy Stewart, applied to the court for a search by a

Courthouse murderer to undergo testng before sentencing

BOB MACKIN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A BC Supreme Court judge decided May 21 that a woman guilty of committing second degree murder outside the Prince George courthouse will undergo a fitness assessment before sentencing proceeds.

Charlene Jane Alexander, 59, faces a jail term of between 10 and 25 years without parole for the July 2, 2020 stabbing murder of 26-year-old Jessie Mae Hayward-Lines.

RCMP officers were called to the courthouse around 10 p.m. that night. Hayward-Lines died in hospital.

Alexander is in custody at Prince George Regional Correctional Centre.

Justice Neena Sharma heard Alexander’s lawyer Lisa Helps describe concerns about Alexander’s medical issues. The details are protected by a

certified digital forensic examiner for any files, including deleted ones. Stewart argued it was necessary because

the Four Star server had been decommissioned and suggested “files had potentially, but innocently, been deleted from the server.”

Kirchner dismissed the application. In his ruling, he said an internal note was found on the server with a date and time stamp that contains “overwhelming evidence to support the conclusion that the .wav files produced by Four Star are the correct recordings of Ms. McGivern’s 6:20 a.m. phone call.”

Kirchner said the Four Star evidence met and exceeded the civil court standard of balance of probabilities “and that Ms. McGivern’s recollection of that call is not correct.”

“I have no doubt that Ms. McGivern is sincere in giving her evidence and in her recollection of the call, but I find that recollection is mistaken,” the judge concluded.

Kirchner said there was nothing more on the server to be searched, “thus no reason to order that it be produced.”

was stabbed to death outside the Prince George Courthouse in 2020.

ban on publication.

Sharma ordered the assessment under the Criminal Code.

“She’s been convicted, there’s a mandatory minimum,” Sharma said. “The only issue at this stage is eligibility for parole.”

The case was adjourned for a scheduling hearing.

SHAYNE HAWLEY PHOTO

The former Achillion restaurant building exploded on Aug. 22, 2023.

Former bookkeeper jailed for defrauding employer

Court heard she helped herself to more than $64K to fund online subscription boxes and in-app game purchases

BOB MACKIN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A former bookkeeper who pleaded guilty to fraudulently transferring more than $64,000 to herself from her Prince George employer’s accounts was sentenced May 16 to six months in jail and 18 months probation.

Diane Friesen, 57, pleaded guilty to fraud over $5,000 on April 30, 2024 and was subject to pre-sentencing assessment. Provincial Court Judge David Simpkin heard Crown and defence sentencing proposals last month. Crown sought nine-to-12 months in jail plus three years probation and a standalone restitution order in the amount of $64,425.25.

Friesen’s lawyer sought a conditional sentence of 18 months to two years less a day to be served in the community, plus probation.

Simpkin said Friesen worked for 45-70 Management Inc., parent company of APR Contracting Ltd., and admitted to transferring a total $64,425.25 over

A Prince George woman will spend six months in jail and be on probation for 18 months for stealing $64,425.25 from the management company where she worked as a bookkeeper. Court heard she transferred the funds to herself.

33 occasions between Jan. 1, 2017 and April 1, 2019 to herself.

She concealed the transactions by categorizing them as paycheques until her employer found out and fired her on April 2, 2019. Most recently, she lived with a relative in Chilliwack and delivered food and groceries to earn income.

Simpkin said one of Friesen’s employers, Andre Faucher, told the court in a victim impact statement that he knew Friesen for 14 years and treated her like a member of his family, even paying for her training and educational opportunities.

Faucher said the financial loss the companies suffered caused sleepless nights and forced him to work an extra 10 years to earn enough for a decent pension.

Simpkin also said 45-70 obtained a default civil judgment against Friesen for $250,000, but has yet to recover any of the stolen funds.

According to the pre-sentencing reports, Friesen told a psychologist the first time she transferred funds to herself was prior to receiving an expected Christmas bonus.

She repaid some of the money, but then needed to buy a new car and the loan payments became onerous.

She bought online subscription boxes containing makeup, skincare, pens and household items, becoming so ashamed that she left them unopened or avoided picking them up from the delivery hub.

She also spent “an excessive amount of money on in-app purchases on an Internet-based game that she would

play on her phone,” Simpkin said.

A report from a psychologist said Friesen suffered depression, anxiety and unregulated eating patterns. She had thoughts of self-harm and suicide.

The report determined Friesen is a low risk to reoffend, but is prone to binge purchases and compared her problem to a gambling addiction, “in which the thrill does not necessarily come from winning, but the thrill comes from participation.”

“The overall impression I was left with is that Ms. Friesen has led a life that has been sadly unfulfilled,” Simpkin said. While she committed an egregious breach of trust, Simpkin noted Friesen had no prior criminal record. She pleaded guilty, accepted full responsibility for her actions and expressed shame in court.

“She spoke eloquently about the impact of the crime and I found her expression of remorse to be genuine and heartfelt,” Simpkin said.

Simpkin said the only sentence that can address the “pressing need for denunciation and deterrence” is imprisonment followed by probation. He did not agree to the Crown’s request for a restitution order, because there already is a civil judgment against Friesen for a larger amount claimed by her former company.

Judge rejects joint Crown/defence probaton proposal

BOB MACKIN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A Provincial Court judge in Prince George rejected a joint proposal to sentence a 23-year-old man to probation for being unlawfully in a house.

Jesse James Richardson pleaded guilty as charged to the Nov. 28, 2024 offence. Crown prosecutor Anna Novakovic told Judge Cassandra Malfair on May 21 that Richardson should receive a suspended sentence and 18 months probation. Judges generally accept a joint sentencing proposal from Crown and defence lawyers, unless it is deemed

likely to bring the administration of justice into disrepute or contrary to the public interest. Richardson was in the middle of a probation term when he committed the offence.

“I was expecting at least some type of house arrest or some type of term [to be proposed],” Malfair said, before adjourning the matter to May 28 to schedule time to additional Crown and defence submissions.

Court heard that RCMP officers found Richardson inside an empty house near Highway 16 and Orion Road after a report of an alarm at 12:41 a.m. on Nov. 28, 2024. The house was empty, except

for cleaning supplies, because new owners were scheduled to take possession the next day. There was no report of damage or missing items.

Novakovic read from the owner’s informal statement that said Richardson triggered post-traumatic stress disorder.

“This break-in may have seemed like a minor incident to some, but for me, it was a devastating reminder of past trauma,” said the victim’s statement. “It robbed me of the sense of closure I was trying to build by selling that home. It shook the fragile peace that I’ve been working every day to rebuild.”

Richardson identifies as Metis on his

mother’s side, has a Grade 12 education and has worked as a labourer. He has struggled with depression and anxiety.

But, Malfair noted Richardson was in court on June 6, 2024, less than six months before the offence. He was ordered to serve a year on probation after pleading guilty to possession of stolen property over $5,000, mischief, obstructing a peace officer and assaulting a peace officer.

“(The proposed sentence) is woefully inadequate of what would be required and, in terms of it having any deterrent or denunciatory effect, in my view, it has zero,” Malfair said.

Consultant outlines regional district’s wildfre risks

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

Recently completed community wildfire resiliency plans (CWRP) for the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George’s seven rural electoral areas will help with grant applications for further fire prevention efforts, the district’s board of directors heard at a committee meeting on Thursday, May 22.

In March 2024, Forsite Consultants was contracted to produce the CWRPs for Electoral Areas A, C, D, E, F, G and H. These plans were finalized and sent to the regional district on April 30 this year.

At the May 22 meeting, Forsite’s Lauren Shinnimin connected remotely to provide an overview of the CWRPs and the recommendations they contain.

She said funding to complete the plans was obtained through the Union of BC Municipalities’ Community Resiliency Investment Program.

The objectives of the plans, Shinniman said, was to identify local wildfire hazards and risks, increase the regional district’s capacity and understanding of wildfire risk, foster greater collaboration between different administrative groups and agencies, increased wildfire preparedness and reduce the potential loss of homes, critical infrastructure and other valued entities.

While the work encompassed the entirety of the electoral areas, Shinniman said the field work was centred around what’s called the wildland urban interface, which are areas where the flammable vegetation meets homes, structures and critical infrastructure.

Specifically, it’s defined as a one-kilometre buffer zone between wild areas and areas with a density greater than six structures per square kilometre.

The recommendations made in the plans follow the seven disciplines laid out by the FireSmart program: vegetation management, education, legislation and planning, emergency planning, cross training, interagency co-operation and development considerations.

The area-specific recommendations were created by gathering background

Lauren Shinnimin of Forsite Consultants (on screen) gives a presentation to the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George’s board of directors on community wildfire resiliency plans during a meeting at 155 George St. on Thursday, May 22.

information, holding open houses in each of the electoral areas, engaging with Lheidli T’enneh First Nation and McLeod Lake Indian Band, assessing wildfire risk on Crown land adjacent to private properties and developing each of the plans.

The meetings with the First Nations were opportune, Shinniman said, because they were developing their own CWRP at the same time and it allows the regional district to develop relationships between their staff and the nations’.

District staff said there were around 50 people who completed an online survey on the CWRPs while around 90 people participated in the open houses across the entire district.

Assessing the Crown lands had the consultants complete 200 different wildfire threat assessments, which

so it’s not municipal governments (in charge),” Shinniman said.

“This really takes a burden off of regional districts to have to find the funding to complete all these fuel treatments when the ministry already has a plan in place to do so.”

Each of the CWRPs were more than a hundred pages long, so Shinniman summarized some of the common themes and major findings across all seven areas.

The first was that within each electoral area, over half the land within the wildland urban interface is occupied by private land. That limits the available options for fuel management treatments on Crown lands next to nearby private homes and structures.

The second finding was that adopting FireSmart principles and retrofitting has been slow among residents. In the public feedback received during the development process, private land owners said they were concerned about the high costs of doing so.

The third finding was that there are no development permit areas where wildfire hazards are identified in most of the regional district and no requirements for new buildings to implement FireSmart principles. That means they could be at greater risk from wildfires.

includes analyzing the potential fuel for fires at the surface level, at the ladder level which includes shorter trees and the lower levels of taller trees and at the aerial level which includes the tops of trees.

Keeping fires to the surface level is important, Shinniman said, because “if we keep the fire on the ground, it’s a lot easier for BC Wildfire personnel to fight safely and keep that fire intensity below a certain threshold.”

She said the Ministry of Forests previously developed landscape-level wildfire risk reduction plans for Crown land in the Prince George and Mackenzie resource districts.

“That’s going to be the primary source of fuel treatment for Crown land, which is important for regional districts because your communities are located on Crown land, they’re unincorporated

The fourth finding was that there are a lot of isolated communities as well as communities with only a single exit throughout the regional district, many of which aren’t covered by a fire protection area.

The final finding was that there are mainline railway lines passing directly through or next to small communities in much of the regional district. When conditions are dry, there is a wildfire risk from grinding along rail tracks creating sparks.

Now that the CWRPs are complete, they’ll provide a roadmap for how the regional district can improve its wildfire resiliency for the next five years and beyond.

They’ll also allow the regional district to apply for grant funding to complete the recommendations as well as FireSmart funding.

CITIZEN PHOTO BY COLIN SLARK

Regional district set to start clearing out man’s old cars

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

The board of directors for the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George gave permission for staff to solicit bids for the removal of dozens of derelict cars on property in the Pineview areas as the property owner’s deadline to deal with the situation approaches.

As previously reported by The Citizen, the regional district was granted an injunction back in March to force Thomas Stander of 8570 Chilcotin Rd. to clean up the more than 100 vehicles stored on his five-acre property.

Justice Kenneth Ball’s verdict said the regional district had tried to get Stander, as well as Stander’s father before him, to deal with violations of both the zoning bylaw and the unsightly premises bylaw.

He was given 90 days to remove items violating the bylaws included mechanical and metal parts as well as all his motor vehicles except for 10 of them. Should he not meet the deadline, the district has been authorized to remove the materials at Stander’s cost.

When The Citizen interviewed Stander in April, he said seasonal load restrictions on nearby roads were making it difficult to get scrap dealers and tow trucks to remove items from his property.

At the regional district’s Thursday,

May 22 board of directors meeting, administration asked for permission to open a competitive bidding process to find a contractor to clean up the property.

A report issued by district staff said that complaints about the property had been received dating back to 1999 “with only some compliance being achieved.”

It also said that three separate bylaw enforcement officers had been working to deal with the property since 2018 and after seeing no improvements, legal action was pursued in December 2019.

The report is dated May 8, 2025

and said that by patrol observations had noted “there have been minimal attempts to clean up the property.”

“Considering the deadline date, the remaining number of items on the property and in order to not delay process, the board is being asked to consider entering into a competitive bid process for the clean-up of 8570 Chilcotin Rd.”

Bylaw enforcement officer Corinne Hickman told the board that Stander had visited the regional district’s office earlier that day and said he had removed 10 vehicles from the property and was looking to remove another 10

during the upcoming weekend. Hickman also said that Stander had told them that he had been approached by two metal recycling visits to assess the removal of other debris on the property.

Blaine Harasimiuk, the district’s manager of inspection services, said that through the cleanup process, the district would try to recover as many costs as possible “through the sale of scrap or if there are valuable vehicles, possibly getting an appraiser to evaluate that as well.”

“If we do end up recovering more than what it costs, that amount would go back to the homeowner,” Harasimiuk explained.

He said the sale of some of the vehicles, if it gets to that point, could be handled through a court bailiff. When staff and the contractor arrive on site, he said the policy would generally be to have the RCMP on site to gauge whether the property owner would obstruct their work.

Staff’s report also noted that that the potential cost of the cleanup is expected to be around $30,000 and that if costs are not fully recovered through the sale of scrap and valuable vehicles, the district has the option of requesting that the bill be applied to Stander’s next property tax bill or a future tax sale.

The motion approving the competitive bid process passed unanimously.

McBride to end agricultural plastcs recycling program

ABIGAIL POPPLE

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

McBride residents will no longer be able to recycle agricultural plastics as of June 30th, when the agricultural plastics recycling pilot program ends, says the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George. Residents can dispose of agricultural plastics the same way they dispose of other garbage, the regional district stated.

Run by Cleanfarms, a non-profit which seeks to reduce waste in the agriculture industry, the program was meant to build a foundation that the regional

district, BC government and local farmers could use to create future recycling programs, said Kim Timmer, director of stakeholder relations and policy.

“If you make a convenient and accessible recycling program available to farmers, they choose it over any other disposal method,” Timmer said, noting that the organization’s empty pesticide and fertilizer container recycling program has seen success.

She added that recycling agricultural products has benefits for both agricultural producers and local governments.

“By recycling that plastic, they’re

keeping their yards clean, they’re extending the lifespan of their landfills, and their keeping that plastic circulated into new materials, which reduces the need for virgin plastic,” Timmer said. “So bottom line, I think farmers are always looking for ways to improve the sustainability of their farming practices.”

In a press release, the regional district said the program was ending because Cleanfarms was unable to secure funding to continue the program. However, Timmer says Cleanfarms pilot programs are typically short- to medium-term projects that allow the organization to iron out

the details of an idea — for example, the McBride pilot program allowed them to determine the best collection mechanism for agricultural plastics and find effective communication methods to inform farmers about the program.

“I commend the (regional district) for stepping up to the plate, for getting something started for the farmers in their communities,” she said. “The foundation’s in place should they wish to restart, and we’re always willing to work with communities to get projects up and going.”

This story originally appeared in The Rocky Mountain Goat.

CITIZEN PHOTO BY MATTHEW HILLIER

Thomas Stander has many old vehicles parked on his property.

Ancient Forest Enhancement Project breaks ground

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

Lheidli T’enneh First Nation, BC Parks, the BC government and numerous community partners officially broke ground Tuesday, May 20 on the Ancient Forest Enhancement Project (AFEP).

The initiative aims to enhance the visitor experience, preserve the forest’s ecosystem and provide cultural education to people from across the province.

Elders and members of the Lheidli T’enneh, along with representatives from BC Parks, construction and design leads and project workers, attended the groundbreaking ceremony at the site east of Prince George and spoke about the project’s goals and their hopes for its completion.

The new interpretive centre will include space for visitors to learn about the cultural, historical and ecological significance of the forest. It will also feature educational displays showcasing local flora and fauna, traditional knowledge, and the conservation history of the area.

“It’s going to have Lheidli T’enneh culture,” said Lheidli T’enneh Coun. Crystal Gibbs. “We’ll have local artists displaying and selling their work, and a visiting space where our Elders can come together. The project has finally come to light, and just to see where it’s going — to bring in tourism — I think it’s a beautiful, amazing space. Just look around, it’s incredible.”

Plans for the facility include an Indigenous gift shop and accommodations for overnight stays. Notably, the interpretive centre will be 100 per cent off-grid, relying entirely on solar power.

“Today’s project is a meaningful step forward in realizing the intent of the partnership and advancing reconciliation in tangible and lasting ways,” said Edward Hoffman, executive director for BC Parks’ North Area. “The new interpretive centre, along with cultural spaces and boardwalk improvements, will enhance the visitor experience while sharing the stories, voices and values of the Lheidli T’enneh. It will be a space to learn, connect and reflect

— celebrating both Indigenous knowledge and the important conservation legacy of this forest.”

Boardwalk improvements will provide visitors with expanded access to the forest while protecting sensitive ecosystems. A new waterfall viewing platform is also in development.

“The project is truly coming to life today with financial support from both the federal and provincial governments. We look forward to seeing it become a pillar of Indigenous tourism and cultural education in northern BC, as well as a model for effective collaboration within our protected areas,” Hoffman said.

Juno-nominated Indigenous artist Kym Gouchie, who also attended the ceremony, shared her excitement and personal connection to the work.

“I’ve been part of the Ancient Forest Working Group since its inception,” Gouchie said. “I’ve witnessed all the growth and changes. To be here today and see the groundbreaking — it made my heart jump a little. It honours not just those involved in the project and those we’ve lost along the way, but also our ancestors. This project gives our community a voice on a global level.”

Gouchie emphasized how the project is building stronger relationships.

“Our community of Lheidli T’enneh has been displaced from the city to the north and south sides of Shelley, out to Miworth, and west of Prince George,”

she said. “It’s felt like an ‘us and them’ situation for a long time. Events like this, just like the Canada Winter Games, bring us together. The many stakeholders involved, including the Caledonia Ramblers, BC Parks, the city and others, are helping us understand each other and build relationships. I think the forest and this project have really done that.”

The AFEP is funded through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program’s Community, Culture and Recreation stream, with a total estimated cost of $8.7 million. Ninety per cent of the funding comes from the federal and provincial governments, with the remaining 10 per cent contributed by the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation.

Originally scheduled for completion in March 2025, the project has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the passing of the project manager. It is now expected to be completed by March 2027.

Sultanur Ashikin, infrastructure and housing manager for the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation, said the project remains financially and logistically viable, despite challenges.

“The project was initially priced at $8.7 million, but we’re now looking at about $11 million,” Ashikin said. “Lheidli T’enneh is contributing 10 per cent, with the rest coming from the province and Ottawa. We’ve already spent about

$700,000 on design and development.

“There’s currently a $3-million shortfall. That’s on us for now. We’re actively seeking grants and recently secured $200,000 from the Northern Development Initiative Trust. We’re confident we’ll meet the funding goal.”

Ashikin said the team is in discussions with Tourism Prince George to potentially join the project as a partner, and is also pursuing additional funding — particularly for the solar component — through an energy efficiency grant.

The nature of the project has created some logistical challenges, particularly with construction.

“The boardwalk portion is completely unique compared to the usual work we do,” Ashikin said. “When we tendered it in 2023, we didn’t get any bids. Part of the issue was that no heavy equipment or excavators are allowed in the forest, which made it too difficult for many contractors.

“So we worked with PRD Construction and our design team to revise the RFP to make the work more accessible. As for the building, because it’s fully off-grid, we had to design it to be as energy-efficient as possible, to ensure it can run reliably on solar year-round.”

Ashikin acknowledged that maintaining the interpretive centre may present difficulties due to its location and power system but expressed confidence these challenges can be managed.

CITIZEN STAFF PHOTO BY MATTHEW HILLIER

Lheidli T’enneh Coun. Crystal Gibbs (front left) and Edward Hoffman, executive director for the North Area of BC Parks, break ground at the site of the new interpretive centre at the at the Ancient Forest on Tuesday, May 20.

What’s happening in PG

Europa Super Circus goes Thursday, May 29 to Sunday, June 1at CN Centre for evening and matinee shows. This show features world class artists from all over the globe like International tightwire acrobat, Geoffrey Berhault, Jose Ponce Ramos on the Wheel of Death and the ALL-STAR FMX Ultimate Circus riders. Witness high flying aerialists, dizzying roller skaters and comedic clowns all presented by Europe’s best circus artists. For Prince George tickets visit www.//tickets.supercircus.com/shows/ princegeorge.

Mixology Evening at the Farm goes Friday, May 30 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at Wildflower Farm, 9295 Pooley Road. Led by Worth A Shot Mobile Bar guests create three summer-inspired cocktails using farm florals and herbs. Master mixologist provides instructions. Get a bouquet of 10 assorted tulips to take home, do a walk thru of the gardens, visit the animals and enjoy the country vibe. $50 per person to register. Text Lisa to join at 250 961 3519 or email wildflowerfarmpg@hotmail.com.

Prince George Gun and Sportsman Show goes Friday, May 30 from 4 to 9 p.m., Saturday, May 31 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, June 1 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Kin 1 & 2. This event features a variety of firearms and outdoor fun. Vendors coming from across Western Canada to bring a selection of firearms, knives, hunting supplies, fishing supplies, ATVs, boats and all things outdoors. Day entrance is $10 and weekend passes are $15.

Galaxy Psychic & Crystal Fair goes Friday, May 30 from 2 to 10 p.m., Saturday, May 31 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday, June 1 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Ramada, 444 George St. Some of Canada’s top psychics, mediums, astrologers, rune reading, healers, tea leaf, palm readers will be on hand. Aura photo booth is $20. Lots of beautiful crystals and hand made jewelry. Tickets are $10 and good all weekend. Children 12 and under free. For more information visit www.galaxypsychicfairs.com/princegeorge.

Community Moves Mainstage goes Friday, May 30 at 7 p.m. at the PG Playhouse is presented by Method Dance Society. An unforgettable evening where live music, dance, and film collide. Featuring Danny Bell & His Disappointments in a junkyard disco choreographed by Shelby Richardson. Ecstatic movement & rhythm with Alyssa Favero’s Wanderers, a nature-soaked duet by Ana Sosa & Matt Emmings, a dreamlike film and dance fusion by Shayla Dyble & Matt Leslie and surprises, sound loops, bamboo flutes & psych-folk magic. Come tumble into the weird, the wild, and moving. For more information and tickets visit www. method-dance-society.tickit.ca/events.

Geekshow! goes Saturday, May 31 at 8 to 11 p.m. at Omineca Arts Centre, 369 Victoria St. Improv Shmimprov presents an evening of ultimate Geekery, presenting live theatre, on stage, based on the audience suggestions. Bring the suggestions, we supply the funny. Improv comedy, live on stage with games and tomfoolery. As always, there are snacks and drinky drinks. Doors open at 7 p.m. For more information and tickets

visit www.shmimprovimprov.ca/event/ geekshow.

Wrangler Round Up 4-H Dinner & Dance goes Saturday, May 31 at 6 p.m. at Pineview Hall, 6479 Bendixon Road. Support the Prince George 4-H district at the annual fundraiser. Wear your western best for best dressed contest. There are spot dances and a silent auction starting at 6 p.m. There is a dance with a DJ that will follow dinner. Tickets are $50 each, cash bar only. For more information contact Liz Ramsay at 250-301-4686 or email pineview.4H. club@gmail.com.

90s Icon Extravaganza goes Saturday, May 31 at 6 p.m. at Crush Nightclub, 1192 Fifth Ave. Join Wilma Knickersfit and Lola O’Dare as they celebrate their birthdays in true 80s baby style with an iconic night of 90s inspired burlesque, drag and comedy. Fun, fierce and fabulous live performances, raffle prizes, a costume contest and a dance off, featuring a 90s style after party with DJ ANT. Tickets available at Omineca Arts Centre, 369 Victoria St. Open hours Tuesdays to Fridays from noon to 5 p.m. $25 presale tickets for general seating

first come, first seated. Cash only or etransfer accepted. Name and email required upon purchase.

Northern BC Multicultural Children’s Festival goes Saturday, May 31 at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park. Free entertainment, engaging games, and tasty food options (some costs may apply). There’s something for everyone. Let’s kick off this annual tradition with smiles, laughter, and lasting memories to cherish for years to come. Come together and join the fun.

WalkPG 2025: Wild about Lheidli Keyoh Prince George Outdoor Festival goes Saturday, May 31 from 9:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. at Cottonwood Island Park, River Road. This is a free family-friendly event to celebrate adventure, culture and the beauty of nature. There will be a variety of hands-on workshops and activities for all ages. This event is presented by Wild About Outdoors Learning Society.

Salmon Send-Off goes Sunday, June 1 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 1384 River Rd. The Spruce City Wildlife Association is hosting this ninth annual event and invites the community to release some of the Chinook salmon fry the association has been raising for the last 10 months. Enjoy a free barbecue lunch, tour the hatchery and release the Chinook salmon fry down the famous ‘fry slide’. There will be activities and local non-profit information booths on site where people can learn about salmon conservation in the region.

Chamber Music Concert Series Favourites & Friends with special guest Method Dance goes Sunday, June 1 at 3 p.m. at Trinity United Church, 3555 Fifth Ave. and is presented by the Prince George Conservatory of Music. The program blends classical favourites by Bach and Tchaikovsky with traditional tunes and brand-new compositions. This one-of-a-kind performance promises to be a rich and joyful celebration of the arts. Admission is pay-what-youmay at the door.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

Brianne Ceal releases Chinook salmon fry down a waterslide into the Nechako River in this file photo. The Salmon Send-Off happens June 1 this year.

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Carwash and Barbecue goes Sunday, June 1 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at CSN Norgate, 615 First Avenue, is a fundraiser for Prince George Palliative Care Society. Get your car washed, enjoy a delicious barbecued hot dog, and have some fun — all while supporting a great cause. Minimum donation of just $5 gets you a hand carwash and a barbecue lunch. Every dollar raised goes directly to the Prince George Hospice Palliative Care Society.

Legends, Live! Presents 99 Candles In The Wind — Happy Birthday, Marilyn! on Sunday, June 1 at 7 p.m. at OM Pizza Bar Café, 1970 Ospika Blvd. S. An unforgettable night of live music and legendary performances pay tribute to the Queen of the Golden Age of Hollywood on her 99th birthday. Party games, prizes, live music and more. For more information and tickets visit www.eventbrite.ca/legendslive.

Everything Equine Night Market goes Wednesday, June 4 from 5 to 9 p.m. at CN Centre. Got tack collecting dust or looking to score a deal? Don’t miss this ‘Junk in the Trunk’ style tack sale — a fun, casual way to buy, sell, or trade used tack and horse gear right from your truck, trailer or table. Plus, shop from amazing local equine businesses offering everything from equine inspired decor, clothing lines, boutiques, vets, supplement suppliers, equine care and more! We will be looking for a food truck or two as well! Spots will be $15 each and are filling fast, bring your horse trailer and set up a booth, bring a tent, or whatever suits you. Please contact Alicia Vogl to reserve your spot, or with questions or inquiries at https://www.facebook.com/ alicia.gohl

Italian Heritage Month Celebration Dinner goes Saturday, June 7 at 6 p.m. at the Prince George Italian Club, 1209 Fifth Ave. The menu features spaghetti, Italian sausage, seasonal salad, garlic bread and dessert. Tickets are $20 for members, $30 for non-members,

The Old Fort Traditional Dancers, from Babine Lake, brought their dancing, drumming and singing to the stage at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park for the 2024 National Indigenous Peoples Day (NIPD) celebration. The event returns June 21.

children five and under are $10. Tickets are non-refundable. Reserve your tickets now by e-transfer at pgitalianclub1@ gmail.com by June 2.

Battle in the North Functional Fitness Competition goes Saturday, June 7 and Sunday, June 8 at Masich Place Stadium. Registration closes May 18. This is a two-day competition where athletes will push themselves to the limit no matter what their skill level. There is options for individuals and teams. Five workouts for two days. For all the details visit https://competitioncorner.net/ events/15972/details

Fishing Forever Prince George goes Saturday, June 7 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Vivian Lake Resort, 10435 Vivian Lake Road. BC Wildlife Federation-affiliated clubs host Fishing Forever events across BC to make fishing accessible to people of all abilities, backgrounds, and ages. Fishing Forever volunteers and sponsors have spent countless days outdoors helping those who may need a little extra assistance to learn how to fish and enjoy nature. For a complete list of dates, times, and locations for Fishing Forever 2025 events visit https:// bcwf.bc.ca/fishingforever/.

Spring Fun Day goes Saturday, June 7 at 9 a.m. at Dusty Trail Riders, 10597

Blackwater Rd., for Horse Council BC Members. Come join fun events, obstacles and games. Concession will be available. Spectators welcome. For all the details visit https://www.facebook. com/events/1295326981692483

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.

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.

Pride Picnic goes Sunday July 6 at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park from 3 to 8 p.m. This event is presented by the Northern BC Queer Connection Society and is a free, family-friendly celebration of love, diversity, and community spirit. There will be live music, food trucks, games, crafting fun, a fabulous queerfriendly market, access to amazing community resources and a special Queer History Exhibit. Wear your brightest rainbow gear and bring your picnic essentials like chairs, blankets, baskets and sunscreen. Market vendors, musicians, performers, artists and poets who wish to participate can email events@ nbcqueerconnection.com.

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. This event is in partnership with Great Northwest Fibre Fest.

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

Out and about in the parks of Prince George

Whether they were having fun in one of the city’s many parks or taking part in a walk to raise awareness for an important cause, the people of Prince George enjoyed last weekend’s spring weather outdoors. Look for more photos at www.princegeorgecitizen.com.

LEFT: Ethan Clark,19, sticks a Backside 180 out of the bowl at the Rotary Skate Park Sunday, May 25. ABOVE: Brogo (Damen DeLeenheer) backs away from the thrusting staff of Brandy Mcroy (Brenda Morgan) while dueling at a Northern Grove tournament held at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park Sunday, May 25.

ABOVE: Rowen Prince, 3, (left) and Norma Beausegour, 5, chase bubbles while speeches take place prior to the MS Walk at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park Saturday, May 24.

RIGHT: Gregory Campbell, chair of the 2025 IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer’s, leads the walk around Carrie Jane Gray Park Sunday, May 25.

ABOVE: Ashley Provencher (left) and Sandy Stibrany reflect on their 10-year partnership organizing the MS Walk prior to this year’s event at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park Saturday, May 24.

LEFT: Tracy Peters and Valerie West, 6, dance prior to the MS Walk at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park Saturday, May 24.

Congradulations Grads

Congratulations on your well-deserved success!

Chase Warmerdam

Dream big, stay true, shine bright. Love always, Mom, Dad & Jack

Shas Ti Kelly Rd

Harold Lang Fix Them Cars Up Real Nice, Harry!

Brooklinn Hardy Papa, and us are so very proud Brooke!

Sebastian Botten Congratulations, Book Boy! Your next chapter starts now!

Callie Peterson

Keep reaching for the stars! We love you!

Tanner Gagnon Graduated! And we didn’t even bribe anyone, Squashie!

Emily Johnston May your future be flled with endless possibilities!

Keziya Cunningham We are so proud of you! Love Mom, Dad, Kelsyn and Nina

Braden Porter You’re rocking it! Congratulations from Mom & Dad

There are no limits to your future endeavours

Constructon begins on new long-term care village

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

Construction has begun on a new non-profit long-term care village set to open in early 2028, Health Minister Josie Osborne announced Friday, May 23 at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Prince George.

The new facility will be developed through a partnership between Northern Health and Providence Living, which have signed an agreement to lead the project.

The village will add 200 long-term care beds for seniors, an eight-bed geriatric psychiatry unit, and 37 licensed community child-care spaces designed to foster intergenerational connections.

In addition, a 30-person adult day program will offer services to support seniors living in the community, promoting social interaction and reducing isolation.

The design includes 16 close-knit “households,” each accommodating 12 residents. These households will feature private suites with ensuite bathrooms, shared kitchens and gathering spaces to enhance the sense of community.

Planned amenities include a community hall, recreation areas, a bistro, a grocery store, an art studio and outdoor therapeutic environments.

During her remarks at the announcement, Osborne emphasized the project’s local benefits.

“It will bring more than 275 full-time health-care jobs to Prince George,” she said. “That will support the local economy, along with about 65 full-time construction jobs during the three-year build. That’s always welcome news for the community.”

She said the project reflects the province’s commitment to improving care for older adults across British Columbia.

“Having 200 new beds in the region ensures seniors in Prince George can access high-quality care close to home,” Osborne said. “This lets people age with dignity and comfort, near their families and loved ones.”

Osborne credited the project’s success to the collaboration between

partner organizations. Northern Health will provide operational funding, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Prince George is providing the land, and the Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation is also contributing.

Mark Blandford, president and CEO of Providence Living, also addressed the crowd, saying the new facility will mark a shift in how long-term care is delivered in the region.

“We are moving away from traditional models of care,” he said. “We’re embracing what we call a social-relational model, giving seniors an environment where they can thrive and make choices. They can decide when to get up, what to eat, and use technology to move freely around the facility.”

Northern BC’s senior population is expected to grow by 26 per cent over the next decade. Osborne said the facility will help address long-standing barriers to care in the region.

“This will serve as a model for longterm care facilities across the province,” she said. “It offers not only a better experience for residents but also a meaningful workplace for staff. I think there’ll be no shortage of people who want to work here.”

Speaking with The Citizen, Osborne underscored the importance of partnerships in making the project a reality.

“There’s a clear need for more longterm care in northern communities, including Prince George,” she said. “This innovative partnership between Northern Health, Providence Living and the diocese shows what’s possible when we work together.”

She also spoke personally about the challenges faced by small communities without care facilities.

“My hometown has just 2,000 people and no long-term care facility,” said Osborne. “I’ve watched elders leave for Port Alberni or elsewhere, and we miss them terribly. Being able to age in your own community makes for a stronger, more vibrant place.”

Osborne said the province will continue investing in long-term care, including new projects planned in Smithers and Quesnel.

CITIZEN PHOTO BY MATTHEW HILLIER

Elder Darlene McIntosh (left), Rev. John Garden and Health Minister Josie Osborne officially launch the construction of a new non-profit long-term care village in Prince George on Friday, May 23.

Celebratng what makes the City of Prince George tck

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

The first CityFest drew crowds to the Prince George Civic Centre on Wednesday, May 21.

The event transformed both the interior and exterior of the centre with booths, fire trucks, Zambonis, face painting, games and food trucks.

Attendees had the chance to speak with a variety of community figures, including RCMP officers, firefighters, emergency program officials, city councillors and the mayor, all of whom were on hand and eager to engage with residents.

Inside the Civic Centre, booths offered a look at the behind-the-scenes work done by the City of Prince George, including asset management, infrastructure planning, city planning, communications, bylaw enforcement and other services.

Residents were also invited to share their opinions on infrastructure investment, new projects and city spending directly with municipal staff.

Claire Thwaites, one of the event’s lead organizers and the city’s communications manager, told The Citizen that a major goal was to connect with residents from all walks of life.

“This came about because last year council put through a notice of motion requesting that the city do two engagement events a year,” said Thwaites. “We always did one around budget time in the fall, and then last year we held a town hall in May around public safety.

“Following that, council said, ‘You know what? We need to make sure that we’re meeting with our people and engaging.’ As the event date got closer, we realized there wasn’t one single project or issue on everybody’s mind — there were a whole bunch of things.

“So we thought: let’s do more of an open house style, make it family-friendly, bring in some trucks, and make it fun.”

Thwaites said she hopes the event helped residents better understand the work that happens behind the scenes in local government.

“People know about solid waste, they know about bylaw, they know about snow removal,” she said. “But we’ve got representation here from some of the areas of the city that are a bit more behind the scenes — like asset management, project delivery and the capital projects office.

“I hope people get around, have a chance to talk to different groups, and learn a bit more about how local government works.”

Mayor Simon Yu was also in attendance, speaking with constituents and sharing his own thoughts on the event’s value.

“Looking at all the information the planning department put forward regarding each of our neighbourhoods, we now have a much deeper understanding of the city’s composite demographics,” said Yu.

“To know where people live — this is great information. Even as mayor, I came down here and learned a lot. It’s a huge value to the city.”

Yu said he hopes CityFest inspires more residents to engage with their local government — and he’s already looking ahead to next year.

Firefighters take locals on a tour of one of the PG Fire and Rescue trucks at the Civic Centre during CityFest on Wednesday, May 21.

“My takeaway immediately is that we need to do this at least twice a year,” he said.

“Also, we should have a permanent display of all this information on the first floor of city hall. That way, whenever people visit, they’ll be able to see what’s going on and talk to staff.”

He added: “Democracy only works if

people participate, and people can only participate when they have the right information. It’s our duty — as mayor, as council, as a city — to make sure residents are engaged. Not just once every few months when we send them a utility bill.

“There should be a place where people can ask questions — live.”

CITIZEN PHOTO BY MATTHEW HILLIER

Mr.PG says hello to families at the Civic Centre during CityFest on Wednesday, May 21. Canada Games Plaza was full of city-related exhibits and booths, along with activities and games for kids.

CITIZEN PHOTO BY MATTHEW HILLIER

Local teenagers given Startup to Success for business

CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen Staff

Training your brain to be business minded gets a Startup to Success with the Prince George YMCA program for Junior Achievers.

That’s right, during this Northern BC pilot project teens 16 to 18 years old learn to create and run their own business during a 16-week course and get paid while they’re learning.

In groups of five, teens create their business model, fine tune it where they need to and execute all under the guidance of well-established business people who are volunteering their mentorship skills.

“Junior Achievers BC (JABC) put up the seed money for each group to develop their business and this is a partnership between the YMCA Prince George and JABC,” said Mary Paz Michel, youth community action coordinator, Northern BC.

There are three stages to the Startup to Success including life skills, like leadership, communication and teamwork. The next stage is business development and the third is personal finances, Michel added.

“This program will give strength to the youth and open their minds to the future, especially in this global economy where everything is changing so quickly,” she said.

Michel said the Y didn’t anticipate a high demand for the program and were expecting about 10 or 12 youth to register but it reached capacity with 20 in the program with a waiting list already in place for the next program.

When the group of 20 teens gathered at the inaugural Startup to Success meeting at the Highland Development Centre on Thursday, March 13 most of them were strangers to one another.

Michel organized the teens into smaller groups which saw Amy Pryschlak, 16, Felicia Cailleaux-Cauley, 18, Dayton Fraser, 16, Azriel McGowan-Cox, 18 and Chantelle LeClaire, 16, become team Party Packz.

“We were told that we’re kind of on your own now but they’re here to help,”

Azriel said.

In the initial stages of development the group’s Party Packz vision was to encompass all it took to streamline the party planning process and decorating aspects of any occasion for parents with young children but once the logistics of it was researched the team decided to downsize their aspirations to offer all-occasion goodie bags.

“We are currently looking at pricing, scoping out where we’re going to get stuff, what we’re going to put in the bags and getting the design for the bags ready,” Felicia said.

“We’ll do custom orders for different age groups,” Amy added.

Some members of the group use notebooks to keep track of their progress while laptops are used for research.

“And I have been doing some research on giving money to charity from proceeds of the business,” Azriel said.

Cameron Braun, client relationship manager at Scotiabank, is the team’s volunteer advisor.

“Cameron is awesome,” Amy said.

“He is very straight forward and very helpful. He checks in on things and makes sure we have all the things we need while still encouraging us to do it on our own as we try to figure it out.”

“And he can take a joke,” Azriel smiled.

“Also what’s very nice is to have a

straight-forward answers when we’re looking for them rather than someone hinting towards answers, which I don’t like. If you’re going to make me guess, I’m just going to stop asking.”

During the business development stage, coming to the realization that they would have to downsize their ideas was the most challenging part of the process, Azriel added.

“Deciding what kinds of things we would keep, what kind of things we would take away from the project in the end. But the whole downsizing the project to little goodie bags has been really beneficial towards the start up of this whole thing.

“It’s easier in a sense.”

“It helped relieve the stress a little bit because trying to locate everything especially the bigger pieces that we needed would have been harder than just finding the stuff we need for the goodie bags,” Felicia said.

Amy said team communication was a bit of a challenge at the start.

“But we eventually got over it,” Amy smiled.

“I think it was just the initial awkwardness of being tossed into a group of people we never met before,” Azriel added.

Dayton is the only male in the group and said he’s getting used to being the only ‘dude’ as Amy called him.

“My mom told me about the program

and she thought it would be a good thing to have on my resume and I thought it would be a good opportunity to make a little money and learn about business,” Dayton said.

“And they get to keep the money they make from the business, too,” Braun the advisor said.

“When I saw this volunteer opportunity was about youth entrepreneurship and something I wasn’t involved with in school, growing up playing video games, I was very impressed that they all sought this out as an opportunity and it’s really cool on my end to be a part of this, providing some insight from my experience.”

During the business development stage of the program Braun said he was impressed with the students’ ideas.

“I was just glad I was on this end of it and didn’t have to come up with ideas for a new business because I was certainly stumped,” Braun said.

“So I was very impressed with all the different ideas that came up.”

Once the business plan is finalized and executed at the end of June, Prince George parents of young children will be able to reach out to Party Packz to place their orders and The Citizen will provide updates to the story as things progress.

For more information about the Startup to Success program visit nbc.ymca.ca/youth-services/ startup-to-success/

CITIZEN STAFF PHOTO BY CHRISTINE DALGLEISH

This is the Party Packz team at the Startup to Success Junior Achievers program at the Prince George YMCA. From front left is Azriel McGowan-Cox, 18; Chantelle LeClaire, 16; team advisor Cameron Braun, client relationship manager at Scotiabank; Amy Pryschlak, 16; Mary Paz Michel, youth community action coordinator Northern BC YMCA; Jennifer Evens, advisor, MMP Accounting Firm, human resources manager; Felicia Cailleaux-Cauley, 18 and Dayton Fraser, 16.

Howling Wolf Team walking the kidney disease path

CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen Staff

His blood pressure was so high when he went to donate blood in 2009 they wouldn’t let him donate and instead encouraged him to see his family physician.

“They freaked me out a little bit because they kept saying ‘you feeling OK? You should be in the hospital.’ And I’m going what are you talking about? I feel fine.”

A year later a specialist diagnosed Clint McNeill with IgA nephropathy or Berger disease an autoimmune disease that occurs when clumps of antibodies are deposited in the kidneys causing inflammation and kidney damage.

“The doctor said I probably had it since birth,” Clint, 66, explained.

He was 50 years old when he was diagnosed and his kidney function was at 42 per cent when it should have been at 70 or even 80 per cent.

But he felt fine.

“I was told that one in four people who have this disease sees a drop in kidney function,” McNeill said.

“But chances are it may not and it would hold where it is. It will never get better but with medication I was taking it might hold.”

Because of the disease his blood pressure stayed chronically high which can lead to a heart attack and Sue, Clint’s wife, said that was the concern for her.

“If he hadn’t been diagnosed we might have gone on for years not knowing until cardiac arrest took him — that’s always the fear — that he would have a heart attack well before the kidney disease would take him,” Sue said.

Throughout the years Clint’s kidney function did diminish and he was referred to the kidney clinic.

“That was good because I would get my blood tests every three months and when I didn’t hear anything from my family doctor — I’m thinking to myself well, if I don’t hear back then they aren’t alarmed about what’s going on. But then when I hit below 30 per cent and the kidney clinic took over I was quite

relieved to become part of that because they were sending me my test results and if I have any questions I would just call the nurse and then once a year I would get a phone call with the doctor, the nurse, dietician and a pharmacist to review everything.”

Now that he has reached a more critical stage Clint’s blood tests are every two months and a review of his condition takes place every nine months.

“The lowest my kidney function got was 22 per cent,” Clint said. “It went up to 24 per cent so it’s hanging in there. If it gets down to 20 percent or below I go on the transplant list.”

But Clint feels fine.

Full kidney failure is usually at 15 per cent, Sue added.

“You can still function at that rate,” Clint said. “I have been told that transplant patients waiting for a kidney have been as low as two or four per cent range.”

Last year was the first year the McNeills joined in the annual Kidney Walk, an event that raises awareness as well as funds for the cause.

“And that led to meeting some interesting people who have gone through it and we heard about the coffee club meeting they have once a week from Paul Ravelle,” Clint said.

old — he didn’t go to the doctor,” Sue said.

“He was not one who frequented a physician because he had no health concerns at all.”

“I never checked my blood pressure on my own ever,” Clint said. “There was no reason to — I felt fine.”

At this stage Sue has been peeking into the process of a kidney transplant.

“Some of it’s good, some of it is a little scary,” Sue said with a grimace.

Through gathering information Sue learned one important thing.

“The kidney transplant might not be the miracle — it could be but it may not be the fix-all,” Sue said.

There are so many different circumstances and so many issues people deal with on the kidney disease path, she added.

Ravelle is president, Northern BC chapter, volunteer regional director and Kidney Walk coordinator, Northern BC, BC & Yukon branch Kidney Foundation of Canada.

“We have met eight or 10 people from that,” Clint said. “Hearing their stories — people who have lost a spouse, are on dialysis or had a kidney transplant, so I get good information from their stories and that helps me quite a bit –being able to talk to them about some of it. I’m glad we’re involved with the walk. We’re doing pretty good in raising money for the cause. It’s family and friends who have pitched in and helped quite a bit and we appreciate everybody’s commitment to that.”

The Kidney Walk in Prince George takes place on Sunday, June 1 at 11 a.m. at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park. The walk is hosted by the Northern BC Chapter of the Kidney Foundation of Canada.

“We feel really lucky he got diagnosed by accident because a lot of people don’t know until it’s too late,” Sue said.

A lot of people experience the out-ofcontrol blood pressure that Clint did but that symptom of kidney disease is not usually recognized until that person has a heart attack, she added.

“Clint was typical of a male at 50 years

The McNeills have always been cautiously optimistic throughout Clint’s journey.

Some of the symptoms Clint experiences are muscle cramps in his hands and legs and feeling cold.

“But I walk a lot and I drink lots of water,” Clint said.

“I call it the limbo disease because there’s no definitive end,” Sue said.

“So you kind of live day by day and do what you can. Our family calls him the Marathon Man because he walks so much.”

“I walk a lot because I want to get in as much as I can because there might come a day where I am laying in the bed — hopefully I won’t get that far but maybe I’ll be healthy enough to withstand whatever is coming down the road,” Clint said.

Along with the usual kidney disease symptoms like weight loss, weakness, vomiting, shortness of breath, leg cramps, itching, chest pain, easy bruising and swelling in ankles and legs, Sue said there is one sign that many people overlook.

“Many people don’t know that frothy pee is a sign of kidney disease,” Sue said. “That’s the one that I remember the most.”

SEE ‘KIDNEY WALK’ ON NEXT PAGE

SUE MCNEILL PHOTO

Clint McNeill, seen here with Cooper the dog, has kidney disease and will be participating in the Kidney Walk on June 1 at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park.

PhD student wins internatonal award for her research

Janet Ocloo’s

work focuses on challenges facing caregivers in Ghana

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

Janet Ocloo, a PhD candidate in community health sciences at the University of Northern British Columbia, has won the International Doctoral Research Award from Universities Canada. Her research, which highlights the challenges faced by caregivers of children with cerebral palsy in Ghana, has earned her national recognition through the prestigious award.

Ocloo also received $20,000 to support her fieldwork, which addresses critical global development challenges. Born and raised in Ghana, Ocloo studied medical laboratory sciences at the University of Ghana before earning a master’s degree in public health promotion from Leeds Beckett University in the United Kingdom.

She arrived in Prince George in 2023 to pursue her PhD in health sciences at UNBC, specializing in public health promotion in global health. Her experience

supporting children with cancer, along with raising a child with complex needs, inspired her to explore the effects of raising children with cerebral palsy in Ghana.

“Ghana is a place where there’s a lot of religion and a lot of superstition,” Ocloo said. “People do not take disabilities as disabilities. They ascribe some spiritual meaning or implications or causation. People stigmatize people with disabilities. People believe that cerebral palsy is spiritual and it’s due to the mother’s infidelity or maybe some curse.

“It’s very difficult for you to have a child with a permanent disability

and get any kind of support in Ghana, especially in terms of social support. Partners have decided to abandon their wives because they feel like that is a curse from the woman’s family.”

Ocloo’s work shows that caregivers are often ostracized and excluded from their communities once their child’s condition is revealed. Many are unable to shop, live or work in their neighbourhoods.

She told The Citizen that her research focuses on connecting with caregivers, pediatric health professionals, government health agencies and academic mentors in both Ghana and Canada.

She found that many caregivers devote their entire lives to caring for their children, often at the expense of their own well-being.

“We forget that these are women who have their own lives to live,” said Ocloo. “For the sake of these children, they sacrifice everything and put their lives on hold. Who cares for them? That is my question. Who cares for the caregiver? Who cares if they’re okay? Who cares if they’re eating? Who cares that they also get some respite? They don’t have any social life anymore.

“I want to be that platform because I believe that one person can make a

difference. I believe that when you give them a voice and make them heard, help might just come from somewhere.”

Ocloo said she wants to advocate for improved public health education and better health infrastructure in Ghana. A lack of access to care often leaves parents solely responsible for their children’s needs.

She also plans to return to Ghana to continue her research and push for policy changes that would improve support for caregivers.

“I am going back to Ghana and I am going to communities to interview people with children with cerebral palsy,” she said. “I am also going to interview caregivers and healthcare providers like physiotherapists, clinical psychologists and pediatricians to find out what kind of support would be relevant to caregivers.

“I hope to do that across Ghana. Then I will put that information together and bring a policy brief to the government to see where we go from there.”

Ocloo credited her supervisor, Dr. Sarah de Leeuw, for supporting her throughout her academic journey.

“My achievements and accolades would not be possible without her,” she said.

Kidney Walk returning to Prince George on June 1

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Another challenge for Sue is that Clint doesn’t look sick so family and friends forget how far along Clint’s kidney disease has progressed.

“I think because I don’t look sick it’s easy for people to not have an understanding of how serious this disease can be,” Clint said.

Dietary restrictions help manage kidney disease and Clint is cautious about how much sodium, protein and potassium he consumes.

“I used to eat a banana every day,” Clint said. “So I had to give up bananas and yeah, I missed it for a while.”

At the kidney clinic they advised him on what to avoid.

“They told me to be careful but you can’t stop everything, so moderation is part of it,” Clint said. “So that’s what I try to do as best I can.”

So now to cut down on protein he eats a steak the size of a deck of cards or a half a chicken breast.

“So we share a lot of our protein now,” Sue nodded. “What he’s supposed to eat and what I eat is the opposite. We always say I live to eat — I love food — and he eats to live.”

Clint eats white rice while Sue should be eating brown rice, she added. All vegetables are good for Sue but some are not recommended for Clint like beets and beet greens.

“There’s a lot of things — I shouldn’t eat raw carrots but I can eat cooked

carrots,” Clint said. “And potatoes — I have to parboil them and boil them — that’s the safest way to eat them.”

“What we all lean towards is green leafy vegetables and that’s what we have to avoid now,” Sue added.

It’s all about avoiding processed foods for Clint and Sue so everything is homemade to guarantee there is no hidden ingredients that could wreak havoc on Clint’s kidneys.

Things have changed over the years as Clint’s kidney function declined.

“I’ve noticed that he gets tired now,” Sue said. “Where he never did before.”

Clint walks about 10 miles a day with the community-owned neighbourhood dog, Cooper, who is a faithful companion.

For now, Clint and Sue will keep doing what they’re doing and are participating in the Kidney Walk as the Howling Wolf team.

This event is raising awareness and funds in support of those living with kidney disease, like Clint, who still feels fine and their families.

Kidney disease is often referred to as the silent killer as symptoms don’t become evident until it seriously inhibits kidney function.

Kidney disease affects one in 10 Canadians and has no cure.

To donate to the Howling Wolf team visit https://kidney.akaraisin.com/ui/ BCYWALKS25/t/howlingwolf and for more information visit www.kidneywalk. ca

UNBC PhD candidate Janet Ocloo is the winner of the International Doctoral Research Award.

UNBC lab develops tech to help seniors age in place

CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen Staff

Tucked away in the hallowed halls of UNBC there is a lab filled with tech treasures to help those aging in the North.

Getting a glimpse of the Centre for Technology Adoption for Aging in the North in the Teaching Laboratory building there are many items featuring advancements in technology geared to support older adults wherever they are at.

Built on a partnership between UNBC, Northern Health, and AGE-WELL, programs focus on testing, piloting, implementing, and promoting new and existing technology solutions tailored to support older adults and caregivers in northern and rural communities.

From a team of two in 2020 that started the CTAAN program to the 16 people on the team currently, Emma Rossnagel, research manager, said they are a large and thriving team engaged in quite a number of projects.

Right now there is an ongoing project featuring a remote monitoring systems study.

“We are looking for pairs of people,” Rossnagel said.

“So someone that is 65 plus and a care partner, and that could be a spouse, an adult child, a friend – they don’t have to live together and we’re looking for people to have these remote monitoring systems placed in their households with the aim of delaying the transition to long term care, delay or prevent emergency room utilization or hospitalization, support caregivers and care partners with caring for their loved one.”

“The ultimate goal is to have that person age in their community longer,” said Dr. Shannon Freeman, academic director, Centre for Technology Adoption for Aging in the North.

For the study they are looking for 150 pairs where at least one participant lives in the province, Rossnagel added.

“What’s really cool about this study is that we have four different types of monitoring systems that people can choose from,” Rossnagel said.

“When someone signs up for the

study we will see what suits their needs. So if you’re worried about falling and how to prevent falling, some of the systems have different ways of predicting that. Are you looking for a wearable technology or non-wearable technology?”

Options include a wristwatch and a motion sensor that can locally convert the image of a person to a stick figure to preserve privacy.

“The really interesting aspect of that technology is that it can recognize faces so it can detect if a stranger comes into the home,” Rossnagel explained.

“It can also recognize, for instance, if there is an area rug with the edge flipped up and notify that as a fall risk. This technology is very advanced in this area. To be able to remotely monitor people, who for all intents and purposes can be independent who just need that little extra support for peace of mind.”

There are other advantages to monitoring a loved one, Freeman added.

“This kind of project would definitely help someone who wanders,” Freeman said.

“It would equip them with different

technologies so they could monitor their loved one. There are great technologies out there to support people who do that because you know wandering is a very meaningful activity, right? On the weekend we wander through the Farmers’ Market, we wander around the mall, you don’t have a set purpose and this is something we do naturally throughout our life — we walk all through the park. We don’t have a plan of where we’re going to go or what we’re going to do. We just immerse ourselves in nature.”

The remote home monitoring will allow the client to wander in a way that is safe, Freeman added.

“The caregiver can set whatever boundaries that are acceptable to that person,” she said.

“So that boundary might be the front door at night. So that’s where the sensor is and they can go out during the day but in the middle of the night the caregiver needs to know their loved one is safe or maybe the loved one can wander around the neighbourhood but the caregiver can ping them and find them when it’s time to come home. So these technologies empower the caregiver to

set those boundaries – is it the end of the street? Is it the front door?”

CTAAN is currently in recruitment for this year-long no-cost study.

During the intake people are made aware of the options available to them so they can make an informed decision on what monitoring system is best suited for their circumstances.

“And then we monitor them to make sure their goals are being met,” Freeman said.

After the year is complete, people can keep the equipment but if there is a subscription to use it they would have to pay for that,” Rossnagel said. “But they do get a $200 honorarium once the study has been completed.”

The obligation for the clients is four or five surveys conducted over the phone that take about 10 minutes to complete.

“It’s pretty light on the research participants and it’s just a little check in that doesn’t impact their lives. They just keep doing what they’re doing day to day and we’re just hoping to evaluate if it does make it easier to age in place safer using the technology and if they feel more supported,” Rossnagel said.

CTAAN GRAPHIC

Centre for Technology Adoption for Aging in the North at UNBC is studying monitoring systems to help seniors stay in their homes longer. This is one video system that protects the person’s privacy by showing them as a stick figure.

Throwback Thursday: Week of May 29

May 28, 2014: Gemma Hansen, 16, of the Prince George Sprint Canoe and Kayak Club, helped students Matteus Leblond, 10 (left), Kagan Burns, 10, Bjorn Van Geloven, 9, and Aidan Carkner-Burns, 12, get a feel for kayaking at the club’s open house at Four Seasons Pool.

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY DAVID MAH

May 29, 1980: Tanya Haywood, 4, tried roller skating after the old Prince George curling rink was transformed into a roller-skating facility with wooden oors for rsttimers and concrete oors for old pros. CITIZEN FILE

PHOTO BY DOUG WELLER

May 29, 1989: Juggler Henry Davis kept the kids entertained during the Canadian Northern Children’s Festival at what was then called Fort George Park. The festival featured ve days of fun with live music, clowns, comedy, games, a maze and more.

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY BROCK GABLE

May 28, 1965: This sports car, called the Python, was at the time the only sports car manufactured in Canada. It was driven to Prince George and put through its paces with the designer of the automobile, Fergus Dudley of Vancouver, saying the car represented his idea of what a sports car should look like. Pythons were built in Vancouver from 1965 to 1969. CITIZEN FILE

PHOTO

Contnuous quality improvement in nursing with Viva

ANGELA KEHLER Northern Health

We’re wrapping up our National Nursing Week celebration by highlighting Viva Swanson, executive director, nursing, minimum nurse-to-patient ratio (mNPR) implementation.

Describe your own personal/professional transformation throughout your educational journey?

It’s been an incredible journey! I was born and raised in Prince George and have spent the entirety of my nursing career in Northern BC. After completing my two-year nursing diploma at College of New Caledonia in 1989, I started my nursing career at the Houston Health Centre as a new grad. I worked as a casual nurse, partnered with one of the family practice physicians, to cover weekends on-call.

Shortly thereafter, I moved to Smithers and started working as a casual nurse at the Bulkley Valley District Hospital. It was there that I fell head over heels in love with perinatal nursing. We had around 350 deliveries a year in those days, and a beautiful labour and delivery room that positioned the birthing bed so moms could look through

that huge picture window at Hudson’s Bay Mountain. It was the perfect setting to grow and develop as a novice maternity nurse. That experience truly set the trajectory for the rest of my nursing career.

Inspired by all things rooted in maternal child health, I pursued my BCIT Advanced Specialty Nursing Certificate in Perinatal Nursing and applied those credits towards my Bachelor of Science in Nursing via distance education. All of this while moving to Fort St. John, getting married, and starting a family of my very own!

Though my first love has always been perinatal health, I have a keen interest in continuous quality improvement and projects dedicated to improving the lived experience of the patients we serve. I have worked on organizational initiatives such as nursing recruitment, building clinical information systems, supporting nursing computer literacy in preparation for the onboarding of an electronic health charting system, and I served as the Clinical Lead for the design and construction of the Fort St. John Hospital & Peace Villa development project. That was truly the biggest baby I ever helped deliver!

On this last leg of my nursing career,

During the summer of 2013, our city experienced a significant loss of family practice physicians in the community which resulted in a growing volume of unattached pregnant patients in need of care. The clinic was set up with a new model of care where a pool of family practice physicians covered the clinic, outpatient assessments, deliveries, and postpartum care in a rotation. This new model served to standardize care in the single clinic setting, incorporating registered nurses, public health nursing, and a multidisciplinary allied health team.

I started working as the NH executive director, nursing, minimum nurse-topatient ratio (mNPR) implementation. This initiative is truly taking me back to my roots in professional practice and allowing me to apply a lifetime accumulation of nursing knowledge, leadership skills, and advocacy for safe, quality patient care. This initiative will be transformational as a commitment to a quality practice learning environment that will improve the patient’s experience, empower nurses to find joy in their work life, and serve to both retain and recruit nurses in our province. I am so excited to participate in an initiative of this magnitude, the first of its kind in all of Canada, and influence the evolution of nursing across our province and country.

Can you share a specific example of how you have witnessed or contributed to the transformation of health in your community?

An example that comes to mind is the launch of the prenatal clinic that is co-located with the Fort St. John Hospital Birthing Centre. I worked with a very creative, collaborative, and committed team of professionals that knew that an innovative solution was required to meet the needs of pregnant mothers in Fort St. John.

Though it took some time for the community to adjust from their previous experience of having their own family doctor provide oversight and delivery of pregnancies, the clinic continues to grow with the addition of nurse practitioners and obstetricians. The greatest impact, aside from ensuring all pregnant women in Fort St. John had access to prenatal care, was a substantial decrease in the cesarean section rate, which caught the attention of other communities across Northern BC and the rest of the province.

What motivates you to continue in the nursing profession, especially during challenging times?

I simply love nursing! I didn’t know it was where I would spend my life, as I had always pictured myself as a kindergarten teacher or a linguistic interpreter for the United Nations, but nursing found me! In May 1985, my dad was admitted to Prince George Regional Hospital (now UHNBC) with a heart attack, which really scared me. While at the hospital, a young ICU nurse saw my fear and took care of me while she simultaneously took incredible care of my dad. Thankfully he recovered, and I walked away thinking that I would love to be a nurse just like her. Generations have experienced challenges before us and will do so long after we are gone. I want to be a part of making it better. How do you see the role of nurses evolving in the next decade, particularly in the context of transforming health care?

NORTHERN HEALTH PHOTO

Viva Swanson is Northern Health’s executive director, nursing, minimum nurse-to-patient ratio (mNPR) implementation.

Roll into spring with GoByBike week in Prince George

GLORIA FOX Northern Health

Remember that “feels like flying” feeling while riding your bicycle on some grand adventure? What if I said you could have that feeling again, even if the adventure is maybe not as grand, because it is just going about your daily life?

Spring GoByBike Week is coming up from Saturday, May 31 to Friday, June 6, and if you haven’t already been out on two wheels this season, I encourage you to use this event as a motivator to get out there whenever you can.

You don’t have to participate every day if it doesn’t work for your schedule, however, logging even one ride makes you eligible to win a cycling trip for two in Vietnam! I can already taste the pho! Sometimes I hesitate to go by bike versus vehicle because of the time it takes to get my bike out, make sure the tires have air, find my helmet (this is a fake problem for me because my helmet is always hanging on my handlebars. However, I want to mention it because please, please, always protect your head and wear a helmet while biking!), gather my bike lock and key if I’m parking it somewhere, etc. But when I choose to bike, I never regret it. Why bike?

• Save time: For distances of a few kilometres, it’s usually almost as fast and a lot more fun.

• Feel better: The fresh air and movement provide an immediate mood boost and help reduce stress.

• Build stronger communities: More people biking means more interaction and safer streets.

• Boost health: Every minute of riding counts towards the recommended 150 minutes of weekly physical activity.

• Better for the environment: Lower emissions, noise pollution, and traffic congestion by choosing two wheels over four.

Register now to participate in GoByBike Week (May 31-June 6), and if I was a betting person, I’d bet you would enjoy it enough to keep riding into the summer.

See you on the streets!

Learn more at northernhealth.ca

Nurses will be part of health care’s transformaton

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Nurses represent the largest profession of health care providers within health care.

They will continue to expand their scope of practice as health care evolves, technology grows, and the complexity of patient care needs shift. I believe nursing will continue to be one of the strongest voices in patient advocacy, to innovate, to test theories and apply our unique lens to the progress, growth,

and development of health care in our region, province, and country. The minimum nurse to patient ratio initiative is a prime example of how nursing will transform health care in BC over the next 10 years.

Can you describe a moment when you felt that your work as a nurse made a significant impact on a patient’s life?

One never truly knows the impact they have on another, but sometimes we are gifted with the kind words of

others who bravely share their experience under your care. A few years ago, I was approached by a lovely woman at a local golf tournament who said she didn’t think I would remember her from her hospital visit in the late 1990s, but she clearly remembered me. She shared what she remembered of her admission to the hospital as she experienced the loss of her first pregnancy, the night she spent in my care, and the conversations we shared. She became tearful when she said that she had always hoped

she would see me again one day to say thank you, and she wanted me to know that she had since safely delivered three healthy babies, and was thankful that she was not alone when she lost her first.

Thank you nurses!

Thanks so much to Viva for sharing her story! Happy National Nursing Week to all NH nurses. We thank you for your transformative work in our Northern communities every day!

NORTHERN HEALTH PHOTO

Gloria Fox takes a short break from a bike ride along the Fraser River. Fox love to ride, and would like to encourage more people to do the same.

Local Sports First-tme bodybuilder wins BC competton

Amanda Spurlock began training last November: ‘A lot of people consider this sport extreme and I can see why’

CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen Staff

Her first love will always be musical theatre but most recently Amanda Spurlock took to the stage for a different kind of showcase.

And she’s still shaking her head in disbelief at the result.

Spurlock was a first-time competitor in the Canadian Physique Alliance BC Cup Naturals competition that was held in Kelowna on May 3 and she won.

She took top spot in Women’s Figure, Masters 40+ and Women’s Figure Overall — Open Class A, which means all competitors are all ages and 5’4” or less.

Talking about the gym as her happy place, Spurlock, who is 5’2”, has always felt her best as a physically fit person so already in a healthy state she recently decided to add an extra challenge to her routine.

In November she started to build her body for competition.

With support from family and likeminded friends Spurlock, who now works for Northern Health, threw herself into this latest adventure.

“I’ve been thinking about doing this for quite a while but there was always something that steered me away from it,” Spurlock said.

“I don’t have the time right now. I don’t know if I really want to do to it and honestly, the initial thought of standing on the stage in a bikini and heels flexing my muscles was I will never do this — why? So it was more coming from challenging myself physically, seeing what I could do.”

Spurlock has known another successful bodybuilder in town, Cara Roberts, for a long time.

“Cara for years has said ‘I think you should consider doing this,’” Spurlock explained.

And with that thought in the back of her mind for a while, working towards becoming a competition-ready bodybuilder changed from being a consideration to reality when Spurlock, unfortunately, lost a family member last year and as many people do she started to

question everything.

“You don’t know how much time you have, life is short, what are you waiting for — that moment came in November and I asked myself ‘what am I waiting for?’ I turned 41 last year and I had told myself I was going to be in the best

shape of my life and I needed a challenge. I wanted all the things that came with that — the self discipline and the whole thing and I did it.”

So she got a coach and signed up for the show.

“I wanted a challenge and boy did I get it,” Spurlock laughed.

She noted as a seasoned musical theatre performer, appearing in front of an audience might not have been as difficult for her as for others.

“When I was there I was never nervous about stepping on the stage,” Spurlock said.

“I just felt like it was second nature and to have that experience was a big help for me.”

To get to that peak performance point on stage Spurlock gathered experienced people around her including Don at DIYBODY and of course Roberts.

“To have such an experienced coach took a lot of the stress out of it,” Spurlock explained.

“I was told exactly what to do for workouts, cardio, how many steps, what I needed to eat, how much water — everything. My prep was about five months. We took a little extra time because we didn’t know how my body was going to respond.”

Her workouts started off at five days a week, just like she always did, and as the snow neared, Spurlock said, it got a little more intense.

“It’s a very gruelling process, especially when you get closer,” Spurlock said.

“A lot of people consider this sport extreme and I can see why. Everything is very calculated based on what you are trying to achieve at the end. You are trying to get to a certain leanness for the stage so it did get to six days a week and it was exhausting.

ROB URNER PHOTOGRAPHY

Novice bodybuilder Amanda Spurlock won the Canadian Physique Alliance BC Cup Naturals competition in Kelowna on May 3.

Jared Young packs a wallop in his call-up to the Mets

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

In only his second game with the New York Mets since being called up for their weekend series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Prince George native Jared Young came close to clubbing his first major league home run in two seasons.

In his first at-bat in Sunday’s game in New York, in the bottom of the second inning, Young got all of a pitch thrown by righthander Landon Knack and the ball headed for the deepest part of the ballpark.

That brought a roar out of the Citi Field crowd of 41,917, but it wasn’t quite deep enough to clear the wall at 408 feet and Dodgers centerfielder Andy Pages took off running and spun twice before he caught the ball on the warning track, denying Young his first hit as a Met.

The Mets went on to win the game 3-1, coming on the heels of a 5-2 win on Saturday that gave them the edge in the three-game series against the defending World Series champions.

The 29-year-old Young was activated for Saturday’s game when he got the call from triple-A Syracuse. As the designated hitter, Young scored the

go-ahead run for the Mets in the second inning Saturday, reaching base after he was hit by pitch. He took off from second base on Brett Baty’s ground ball that bounced into the right outfield and scored easily for a 2-1 lead.

That marked Young’s return to the majors, after he played 22 games over two seasons (2022 and 2023) for the Chicago Cubs, the team that drafted him from Old Dominion University in the 15th round in 2017.

Young has proven his power as a longball hitter throughout his pro career and

produced 10 home runs in 38 games last year playing in Korea for the Doosan Bears. In 65 MLB at-bats he’s collected 13 hits, two home runs and eight RBI and has three stolen bases.

In 22 games in the International League with Syracuse, Young hit five home runs and doubled five times for 21 runs batted in. He was hitting .259 with an OPS of .877 when he packed his bags for New York.

He played primarily at left field during his time with the triple-A Mets but was also used at first, second and third base,

in addition to DH duties.

“Getting the call and making the drive in is always a special feeling,’’ Young told The New York Post. “It’s a good thing. It shows that they believe in the player I am and you feel like everything you’ve been doing has been for a reason.”

The Mets (32-21, second in NL East) continued their homestand with a three games series against the Chicago White Sox that started Monday. They will also host Colorado in a three-game set this weekend.

Next up is a natonal competton in New Westminster

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

“In a lot of way it was one of the hardest things I have ever chosen to do because it’s one thing to have a plan at the gym and to have a meal plan but to do those things and continue to do them when you are depleted, exhausted, it really becomes dedication over motivation. I came to that realization when there were days I wanted to do anything but go to the gym. That was my biggest lesson in all of this is the mindset and the mental game you have to play with yourself to get through it and then try and enjoy the process. Because I did choose this, after all.” It was all she had time for as the competition neared.

And on the other side of it, the result

of all her hard work is nothing less than astonishing to her.

“I am so grateful,” Spurlock said.

“I went into this process very much me getting to my best self. It was me versus me. My goal was to get to the stage. Just to make it. And even before I went on stage for the first time I was just so happy to be there. I was like ‘I made it! I’m here!’”

Spurlock is well aware she started this at a later age than a lot of people do. In the overall competition she was competing with 20-year-olds.

“I was just so happy to be there,” Spurlock said.

“So I went and did the thing and I won my division and so then I was back stage and I am thinking this is incredible and I had my friends and family in the

audience and I was like ‘this is just so cool’ and then they’re like ‘ok, you have to go back on now, you’re up for overall’ and I’m like ‘what does that mean?’ I thought I was done and they’re like ‘no, you have to go out and do the comparison round again because you are up for overall figure’ and I was just like ‘OK!’”

So she went out and did that.

“And I won that and honestly, I was just shocked,” Spurlock said.

“Standing on stage I didn’t know what to do with myself. It was overwhelming. It’s not what I expected and it’s great to win things and it was cool.”

Winning the overall figure qualifies her to attend a national competition, which offers two opportunities: Toronto in August or New Westminster in October. She’ll attend the BC competition.

“I didn’t even know if I’d want to do another one after this but now that I am it’s cool and I’m curious to see how I can tweak things and make improvements from what I did last time and see what happens,” Spurlock said.

“I guess, like a lot of people, I had preconceived notions about how it was going to be backstage. I was very surprised. I met so many great people backstage. We’re all connected on social media now and it was just such a motivating, supportive environment that for some reason I was not expecting on that level but it was an amazing experience.”

The Citizen will be sure to revisit Spurlock after her National competition to provide at update on her bodybuilding journey.

New York Mets infielder/outfielder Jared Young of Prince George connects on a hit during a spring training game March 11 against the Houston Astros.

Life Events

August 29, 1934 - May 19, 2025

With broken hearts, we announce the passing of Kenneth Lloyd Pineo, of Prince George, BC who passed away Monday May 19, 2025, in his 91st year at The University Hospital of Northern Britsh Columbia.

Born in Auburn NS on August 29, 1934, he was a son of the late Carlos and Kathleen (Westhaver) Pineo. Ken was a devoted husband to Winnie for 67 years and loving father to Sheldon.

Ken is survived by his wife Winnie, son Sheldon, sisters, Elsie (Bob) McLeod, ON; Edie (Fred), Poehlke, BC; brothers, Eric Pineo, ON; Ronald (Brenda) Pineo, NS; Carl Pineo, NS; Michael Pineo (Carolyn), NS; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Besides his parents, Ken was predeceased by brothers, Vincent, Sheldon, Wendell and Garth.

Ken was the second oldest of 11 children. He joined the RCAF in 1956 and was posted in every province except PEI and the territories in his 22 years of service. Afer retring from the air force, Ken worked for BC Tel (Telus) for 20 years. Ken loved curling and golf and was an avid fan of the Prince George Cougars of the WHL. A long tme season tcket holder, he never missed a game. He volunteered for many local organizatons and events including the SPCA, where he cared for and loved the dogs who got to know him. Ken also volunteered with the Prince George Sports Hall of Fame, Scot Tournament of Hearts and many golf tournaments.

Ken will be deeply missed by everyone who loved him. His kind and giving spirit will live on in the memories of all who had the privilege of knowing him.

A celebraton of Ken’s life will be held at the Prince George Golf & Curling Club, 2601 Recplace Drive, on Thursday, June 19th from 2-4 pm with words of remembrance at 3pm.

Crematon with inurnment will be at Memorial Park Cemetery Mausoleum in Prince George, BC.

In lieu of fowers, donatons to the Prince George Humane Society would be appreciated.

May 13, 1934 – April 28, 2025

It is with deep sadness that we announce the quick passing of Rose in her home with husband, Noel, at her side. She had not been very well these past few months, but she passed away as she always wished, at home and lef our property, feet rst. The good Lord recognized her problem and has taken her to help tend his garden in heaven.

Beside husband Noel, she leaves in sorrow, her son. Gordon (Lori) and daughter, Karen (Tom). As well, she leaves four grandsons, and soon, not yet born, a great granddaughter.

ose was born in London. ntario, and afer graduatng from Normal School, took on her rst teaching job, in a one room school in the town of Sparta. There was no running water there, and ofen, she would have to re up the potbellied stove before class began. She met Noel on a blind date, at an outdoor dance in London. They were seventeen years old and there started a loving life together for seventy-three years. We married four years later and moved to Calgary, Alberta where Noel had been transferred by his company.

A di cult, but excitng change in her life, to leave all her relatves and friends, and move to a place where many at that tme sarcastcally would ask if she brought her camel with her from the east. It didn’t take long for her to overcome this a tude and took a two-year teaching job in Calgary. A while later, came our rst home and soon, the arrival of a son and later, a daughter.

Company promotons had her move to Lethbridge, Alberta. Although, sometmes rather windy, this became one of our favourite cites.

Four years later, another move to Regina, Saskatchewan, and four more years, back to Calgary. A new, beautful home, only a short block from the gates of Lake Bonnavista.

Yet another move, and one we did not want, a move to Prince George. This was only to be a couple of year move, but when another promoton to Winnipeg, afer a lot of thought, was turned down. The people, our home, church, and so many friends had us. She worked for almost forty-eight years later developing her garden and property, riding horses, sheep, dogs, cats, and feeding the birds. She always enjoyed the wildlife which is plentful in our area.

With her energy, she stll had tme to help the usty Trail iders, Bridelwood iding Club, her uilter group, the Thrif Shop at St Michaels, Victoria Street Market baking group, and craf displays at the PG Fair.

What a lady! Although she is gone now, she will always be in our memories, including our chestnut lab, Sugar. I can stll see her, si ng with trowel in her hand, in her beloved garden.

A funeral celebraton of her life will be held at St Micheals 5th Ave & Victoria Street, June 5, 2025, at 1 00pm. A bu et lunch will follow and tme for all to meet and remember.

Kenneth Lloyd Pineo

Rosemary Louise Hopper ( Nee O’Brien)

George William Fortn

January 4, 1955- April 21, 2025

Just George’ was a well known and trusted member of the Hart community for over 35 years and will be sadly missed.

He lived to fx things and be of service. He also loved golf and was excited to become a Super Senior at Aberdeen this season, his handicap was 13.7.

A Celebraton of George’s life will be held at the Hart Pioneer Centre on Sunday, June 8th from 1 to 4 pm.

Fernie Grant Jackson

December 14, 1945 - April 27, 2025

We are saddened to announce the passing of Fernie Grant Jackson, born December 14, 1945 in Coleman AB.

He is survived by his wife Nadine, son Randall, as well as many family members and friends in Prince George, Alberta, Arizona, Virginia, Texas and Portugal.

He passed away peacefully at Rotary Hospice House in Prince George, BC on April 27, 2025, his son Randall by his side.

He was predeceased by his son Brent, parents Ruth and Ron Jackson, sister Colleen Boreland, in-laws Harry Van Dyke, Jean Briault, Alphonse Briault, Harry Van Dyke, brother-in-law Murray Van Dyke, sister-in-law Geri Altemus, and nephew Anthony Paproski.

The family wishes to thank Dr Syal, Northern Health, his caregivers from Classic Lifecare and PG Rotary Hospice for their wonderful care and support during the last year and a half of his illness.

Prince George Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. f you wish to, in lieu of owers please consider a donaton to the rince George alliatve Care Society.

A memorial service will be held at Prince George Funeral home (10th & Douglas), Saturday July 12th at 1 pm.

mil arlo e rrie nee

November 1, 1946 - May 4, 2025

It is with profound sadness we announce the passing of our deeply loved mom.

She was a woman of incredible strength, generosity, kindness, and loved a good laugh.

Family meant everything to her and is who she commi ed her whole life.

She will be forever loved.

July , 1 8 ay ,

With profound sadness we announce the sudden passing of our cherished Joel.

Joel is survived by his parents oy and a y, his brothers yan Jodi , Jason James , his niece yla Austn and nephew Spencer (Forest). Joel is also survived by his two Labradorables Jax and Loki.

Joel loved so much. He loved his family, friends and dogs especially Jax and o i. Joel was a sports enthusiast, having a passion for hoc ey, football and soccer. Joel loved music, nature and coo ing on his smo ers.

Joel had a wi y sense of humour. He was funny, caring, and ind. His passing leaves us with a huge hole in our hearts.

A Celebraton of ife will be held on Saturday, June , at 1 am irst aptst Church 48 Gille e St. G

Mary Kordyban

November 29, 1929 - May 11, 2025

Our Mom and Grandmother passed away peacefully on May 11 at the age of 95, surrounded by family in Prince George, BC.

Mary was predeceased by her husband William Kordyban, Sr., and her brother Mike Dutka. Mary is survived by her sister Margaret Ewanko, daughter Valerie (Doug McConnery), son William (Elizabeth), 3 grandchildren, and 3 great grandchildren.

Mary moved from Alberta to BC to start the adventure of a lifetme with her husband, ultmately pu ng down roots in Prince George, BC. Mary was the rock that supported her husband’s e orts to build the family lumber company from humble beginnings. She cooked and cleaned in camp, and provided early bookkeeping services.

Our Mom later immersed herself in caring for us, her children. In later life, she was able to travel more and enjoy tme with her grandchildren.

A er her husband passed away from cancer, ary was very focussed on establishing the creaton of the ordyban odge.

Mary will be deeply missed by family and friends alike.

A funeral mass will be held on May 29, at 10:00am, at St. George’s Ukrainian Catholic Church, Prince George, BC. Interment will take place at Memorial Park Cemetery immediately following the funeral mass. A celebraton of life luncheon will be held on May 29, at 12:30pm, at the Coast Hotel.

n lieu of owers, donatons to the ordyban odge, Canadian Cancer Society, would be appreciated by our Mom.

he family extends its deep grattude to r. Andrii Chornenkyi, Dr. Nadeem, the care aids and team at Classic ifeCare, and the nurses and team at irchview esidences. Special than s to anielle, Gisele, Jamie and ri any at Classic for going above and beyond for our Mom. Many thanks to Tamara at Birchview for the dignity, warmth and compassion with which you treated our Mom.

Joel Timothy Norrish

Alejandro Azcona Heinecke

April 25, 1952 - April 24, 2025

With sadness we announce the passing of Alejandro Azcona Heinecke on Thursday April 24, 2025 in Prince George.

Alejandro is survived by his wife Linda Axen, daughter Andrea, son-in-law Rodrigo, grandson Santago, sisters Maria Teresa (Douglas), Aida (Peter), Virginia (Miguel), his brother Carlos (Rosa Maria) and numerous cherished cousins, nieces, nephews and friends in Mexico, Canada and USA. Alejandro was predeceased by his parents Francisco and Aida.

Born in Guaymas, Sonora Mexico, Alejandro moved to Canada in the early 2 ’s with his wife and daughter. Some of Alejandro’s happiest tmes in Prince George were spent walking the many beautful trails that surround the community. He will be remembered by family and friends for his love of music and travel, his curiosity, kindness and warm smile. Buen camino Don Alejandro, vives para siempre en nuestros corazones.

A celebraton of life to be held in San Carlos, Mexico at a later date.

Roger Levasseur

1945 - 2025

It is with great sadness that we share the news of Roger’s passing on May 7, 2025

He is predeceased by eleven of his twelve siblings, leaving his sister Claude e Thoms, and a large extended family

Roger is also predeceased by son Ron. He is survived by his loving wife and partner, Carol, son Todd and daughter Brenda Callaghan (Dave). Also lef with many great memories are grandchildren, Curts Brommeland, Tara Mayes (Curts) Lindsay Eaton (Joe) Tristan Levasseur (Bethany) Rebecca Levasseur (Nathan) and Kianna Levasseur.

Roger had four great-grandchildren that Alzheimer’s prevented him from knowing, Briella, Becke , Jensen, and Nora.

Roger was very actve, hard working and outgoing, as his many friends can a est to. He loved Summit lake, Mexico, sunshine and sunsets. Small in size, huge in life, he lef his mark Special thanks to Dr Boutchard, Colleen and the kind, caring people at Gateway Complex Care

May 30, 1952 – May 19, 2025

It is with deep sadness that the family of Pierre Robert Bergeron announces his passing on May 19th, 2025, at the age of 72, surrounded by his family, in Prince George, Britsh Columbia. Pierre was predeceased by his beloved wife, Kerry Bergeron, in 2001, and by his parents, Gilbert and Bob Bergeron.

He is lovingly remembered by his sons: Jean Paul (Darcie), Denis, Marc (Jocelyn), and Daughter Samantha (Justn); his cherished grandchildren: Maximus, Paisley, Ellis, Felix, and Faye; and his three loving siblings: Louise, Denise, and Richard. Pierre will also be remembered by many extended family members throughout Quebec.

Pierre grew up in Powell River, BC, and moved to Prince George in 1974, where he spent the rest of his life. He began his career as an elementary school teacher, where he met his wife Kerry, at Hart Highway Elementary school while teaching grades 5 through 7. Afer retring from teaching, Pierre found and pursued his true passion in home renovatons, where his creatvity and crafsmanship were deeply appreciated. Kerry and Pierre were married in 1977, where they went on to create a beautful life with their 4 children, spending summers together travelling across North America with a truck and trailer. Pierre and Kerry purchased lakefront property at Cluculz Lake in 1991, spending summers together building a beautful cabin. Pierre carried on his renovatons and house fipping business for many years, culminatng in the constructon of his own home on the beautful Aberdeen Glenn Golf Course. Pierre had a lifelong passion for hockey and proudly played for the University of Victoria Vikes and the Prince George Mohawks. He contnued playing recreatonally well into his later years, ofen sharing the ice with or competng against his son Marc and son-in-law Justn.

Pierre found great joy in staying actve at the gym, on the ice, or playing golf, as well as spending tme with his family and enjoying peaceful summers at Cluculz Lake, flled with wonderful memories with his kids and grandchildren.

The Bergeron family would like to extend heartelt thanks to all members of the ICU team, especially the nurses and physician, Dr. Lee, for their exceptonal and compassionate care during Pierre’s fnal days. Pierre will be deeply missed and fondly remembered by his children and extended family. He contnues his journey, tenderly reunited with Kerry, the love of his life and kindred spirit.

No formal service at Pierre’s request. In memory of Pierre and honouring an older traditon that Pierre and Kerry enjoyed every December, we invite you to one fnal “Bergeron Open House.” Please join us Sunday, June 8th, anytme between 12 pm to 6 pm, at 2418 McTavish Rd. Have a bite, reminisce, and raise a glass to Pierre.

James “Jim” Allan Carlson June 6, 1946 - December 10, 2024

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Jim on December 10, 2025.

He joins his wife Sherri, sister Yvonne, brother Hector, and his parents Nils and Amelia to watch over us all.

Jim leaves behind his four children James (Lindsay), Melanie (Erik), Judy, and Karin (Jon); three grandchildren Cameron, Lucas, and Emily; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins who have fond memories to share and keep his memory alive.

Jim grew up on the family farm in Edson Alberta where he found his love of animals. As Jim’s life lead him to Prince Rupert where he raised his family, he volunteered as a Scout leader while his wife was a Guide leader. They found great value and joy in teaching not only their children but also others about camping, hiking, wildlife, fshing, cooking, hobbies, and crafs. These things stll bring the family together today. Jim fondly remembered riding his horse to school when he was young and carried his love of horses throughout his life.

With life’s twists and turns, Jim ended up in Prince George where he spent his later years with his family and horses Lily and Blaze. He spent countless hours volunteering at the PG Animal Rescue Society caring for not just his horse but all the other animals. Jim never forgot his roots or Swedish heritage. He cherished the memories and Swedish music of his younger years and spoke fondly of the farm, his family, and the adventures they shared.

A Celebraton of Life will be held on May 1 at 2 pm at 1771 George Paul Lane.

Pierre Robert Bergeron

John Goudreau 2006 Ford Freestar 2FMZA57286BA31332

Monty Parker 2006 Ford Explorer 1FMEU73E56UB54694

Arshdeep Brar 2005 Toyota Sienna 5TDZA23C95S267342

MINES ACT NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR A PERMIT APPROVING THE PROPSED MINE PLAN AND RECLAMATION PROGRAM FOR SAND AND GRAVEL EXTRACTION AREA

Take notce that Bruce Kidd o Kidd entures Ltd. has led with the Chie Permi ng cer under Secton 10 1 o the Mines Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 293, a proposed mine plan together with a program or the protecton and reclamaton o the land and water courses related to property Noranda Sand Pit located at 1250 Noranda Rd. Lot A, DL4041, CDP Epp115115 Prince George BC.

A copy o the permit applicaton, including supportng documentaton, is available or public viewing at the Regional Mines ce Prince George BC. Any person a ected by or interested in this program has 30 days to make writen representaton to the Ministry o Mining and Critcal Minerals, c o Southwest Regional ce, P Box 9395 Stn Prov Govt, ictoria BC, 8W 9M9, or email SouthwestMinesDivision gov.bc.ca, with a copy to Northeast Central Mining Region, Suite 350, 1011 4th Ave. Prince George BC.

Applicaton in ormaton and instructons or submi ng comments to the Ministry are also available on the Mines Public Engagement Portal at www.gov.bc.ca minesengagement or scan the QR code below.

GARAGE SALE

May 31 10-3

d ide C as a lied e i is a e a d a d es e e a ds i i e a e i ease C e e la ses si a ed i ial C la d l a ed ea se C ee C e a d ile is a li a is 7410355

a e d e e a si a i e e a ses si a ed i ial C la d l a ed ea se C ee C e a d ile is a li a is 7409796

i e e s e i ese a li a s

By Mick Harper

1. Which band used “Look What the Cat Dragged In” as the title for their debut album?

2. What were the two original names of the O’Jays?

3. Name the Starland Vocal Band’s only No. 1 hit.

4. Which two artists released the duet “Endless Love”?

1. Which group released “Rag Doll”?

2. Name the artist who wrote and released “Dreamy Eyes.”

5. Name the song that contains this lyric: “Everybody’s going out and having fun, I’m just a fool for staying home and having none.”

3. Which group released “GreenEyed Lady”?

Answers

4. Who wrote and released “Cracklin’ Rosie”?

1. Poison, in 1986. Although not initially popular, within nine months the album went gold when it rose to No. 3 on the charts.

5. Name the song that contains this lyric: “If I could take my pick of all the girls I’ve ever known, Then I’d come and pick you out to be my very own.”

2. The Mascots and The Triumphs. Their biggest hit was “Love Train,” but “Back Stabbers” topped the charts rst in 1972.

Answers

3. “Afternoon Delight,” in 1976. The group won Grammys for Best New Artist and Best Arrangement for Voices the following year.

1. The Four Seasons, in 1964. The song spent two weeks at the top of the Hot 100 chart and reached No. 1 in Canada as well.

4. Diana Ross and Lionel Richie, in 1981. Duo Luther Vandross and Mariah Carey followed with a cover in 1994.

2. Johnny Tillotson, in 1958. The song was his first single and made it on to the Hot 100 chart. Tillotson penned several more hits over the years, including “Poetry in Motion.”

5. “Oh, Lonesome Me,” by Don Gibson, in 1957, with “I Can’t Stop Loving You” on the B-side. The song stayed at the top of the chart for eight weeks. Over the years, several other artists released covers, including Ray Charles, the Everly Brothers and Neil Young.

3. Sugarloaf, in 1970. A few years ago an old tape was found of the group’s live performance in 1975. It was remastered and turned into a vinyl album titled “Sugarloaf Live 1975.” It’s available online.

4. Neil Diamond, in 1970.

5. “Never Be Anyone Else But You,”

*On June 9, 1934, Donald Duck made his cinema debut in Disney’s “The Wise Little Hen,” along with his pal Peter Pig. The pair do their best to get out of helping Mrs. Hen plant corn by faking tummy troubles, but she teaches them a lesson (not to mention repentance) with the help

of some castor oil.

* On June 10, 2015, Juan Felipe Herrera, a prize-winning author and the son of migrant farmworkers, whose mother recited poetry and taught him songs from the Mexican Revolution, became America’s first Latino poet laureate.

• 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) Lots of possibilites begin to open up by midweek. Some seem more appealing than others, but wait for more facts to emerge later on before you consider which to choose.

* On June 11, 1949, country singer Hank Williams Sr. delivered such an electrifying performance when he made his first Grand Ole Opry radio broadcast that he was called out for six encores and the audience had to

• 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) Bravo to the determined Bovine! While others might give up, you contnue to search for answers. Expect your Taurean tenacity to begin paying of by week’s end.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) You might want to consider stepping back from the task at hand for a while. This could help you get a beter perspectve on what you’ve done and what stll needs to be done.

be implored not to call for any more in order for the show to continue.

* On June 12, 1975, India’s prime minister, Indira Gandhi, was found guilty of electoral corruption in her 1971 campaign. Despite calls for her resignation, she refused to resign and later declared martial law after public demonstrations threatened to overturn her administration.

* On June 13, 2006, jurors began deliberations in the trial of Susan Polk for the 2002 murder of her husband, psychotherapist Felix

CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Your keen CANCERian insight should help you determine whether a new ofer is solid or just more fuf ‘n’ stuf. The clues are all there, waitng for you to fnd them.

LEO (July 23 to August 22) Being ignored is difcult for any proud LEO or LEOna, but pushing yourself back into the spotlight might be unwise. Instead, let things work themselves out at their own pace.

• 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.”

VIRGO (August 23 to September 22)

Trying to uncover a colleague’s secret under the pretext of showing concern is ill-advised. Control your curiosity in order to avoid raising resentment in the workplace.

• 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.

Polk. The couple had raised three sons together and were in the middle of a contentious divorce at the time of his death. Two of the sons testified against their mother at the trial, which ended in her conviction and incarceration.

* On June 15, 1667, French physician Jean-Baptiste Denis performed the first blood transfusion on a feverish boy, using lamb’s blood. The boy recovered, but two other patients died after the procedure, leading to centuries-long bans on it.

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22)

Expect to hear good news about a loved one. Also, be prepared for some changes in several family relatonships that could develop from this lucky turn of events.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Some surprises are expected to accompany a number of changes that will contnue through part of next week. At least one could involve a romantc situaton.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) You might be upset by some of your critcs. But most of your associates contnue to have faith in your ability to get the job done and done well.

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) A workplace goal that suddenly seems out of reach is no problem for the sure-footed Goat, who moves steadily forward despite any obstacles placed in their way.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Uncertainty about who is right and who isn’t might keep you from making a clear-cut decision. Wait untl you know more about what you’re being asked to decide.

PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Be careful to keep your emotons in check when dealing with a demanding personal situaton. You need to set an example of strength for others to follow.

Homes & Living

Choosing the right decking: a friendly guide to your optons

Adding a deck to your home is a fantastic way to expand your living space and enjoy the outdoors. But when it comes to picking the right decking material, things can get a bit overwhelming. There are quite a few options out there, each with its own advantages and drawbacks. Let’s walk through the most popular types of decking to help you decide which one is the best fit for your home, style, and budget.

Pressure-Treated Wood

Let’s start with the most common and affordable option: pressuretreated wood. This is usually made from pine and treated with chemicals to protect it from rot, insects, and mold. It’s a solid choice if you’re working within a tight budget and like the classic look of wood. The downside? It

does need regular maintenance— think staining, sealing, and the occasional repair. Over time, it can warp, crack, or splinter, especially if it’s not well maintained. It’s not the most durable option out there, but it gets the job done and gives you that traditional deck vibe.

Cedar and Redwood

If you want something a little more naturally beautiful and ecofriendly, cedar and redwood are both great choices. These woods have built-in resistance to rot and insects, which is a nice bonus. They’re lighter than tropical hardwoods and give your deck a warm, rich appearance. However, they still need regular upkeep to maintain their color and integrity. If left untreated, they’ll fade to a silvery gray. They’re a bit more

expensive than pressure-treated lumber, but they’re often worth it for the look and feel.

Composite Decking

If you’re looking for something that mimics the look of wood but with far less upkeep, composite decking might be your best bet. It’s made from a mix of wood fibers and recycled plastics, and it comes in a wide range of colors and finishes. You won’t need to stain, paint, or seal it, which makes it a favorite for lowmaintenance living. It’s also resistant to rot, insects, and fading. On the downside, composite can be more

expensive upfront and might get a little warm under direct sunlight. Some people also find it doesn’t quite capture the feel of real wood underfoot, but it’s a small tradeoff for convenience.

What’s your best choice?

PVC (Plastic) Decking

Going a step further in low maintenance, PVC decking is made entirely from plastic, which makes it resistant to moisture, mold, and pests. It’s super easy to clean, and it won’t fade or splinter over time. It’s also lighter than wood and often easier to install. However, it tends to have a more synthetic appearance, and it can get slippery when wet or brittle in very cold

weather. It’s also one of the more expensive options, but for some, the long-term ease of care is well worth the price.

Tropical Hardwoods

For something a bit more luxurious and long-lasting, tropical hardwoods like ipe, teak, and cumaru are top of the line. These woods are incredibly dense and durable, which means they resist scratches, decay, and insects like champs. They also have a rich, elegant look that can turn any backyard into a resort-style retreat. The trade-off? They’re pricey and a bit challenging to work with, often requiring special tools and hardware. Plus, they still need periodic maintenance to preserve their deep color and prevent graying.

Aluminum Decking

Aluminum decking isn’t as common, but

it’s definitely worth considering if you want something nearly indestructible. It’s fire-resistant, won’t rot or warp, and can last for decades with minimal care. It also stays cooler than plastic or composite decking in the sun, which is great for bare feet. However, it does have a more industrial look, which might not suit everyone’s aesthetic. It can also be a bit noisy and is typically one of the most expensive options on the market.

So, What’s the Best Choice?

The right decking material really depends on your priorities. If you’re on a budget and don’t mind some upkeep, pressure-treated wood is a solid choice. If you value natural beauty and are willing to do a bit of maintenance, cedar or redwood might be perfect. For those who want durability with minimal effort, composite or PVC are worth considering. And if you’re aiming for highend performance and longevity,

tropical hardwoods or even aluminum could be the way to go. Whatever you choose, make sure it fits your lifestyle, climate, and long-term expectations. A deck should be a joy—not a burden. So pick the one that feels right, and you’ll be enjoying your outdoor space for years to come.