Issuu

EXPERIENCE TO LEAD. A PLAN TO ACT.

A CITY HALL THAT ANSWERS TO YOU

I’m a lawyer who has spent decades serving Prince George. I served as a School District 57 trustee and board chair, helped champion the creation of UNBC as president of the Interior University Society, and later chaired the UNBC Foundation. I was named Prince George’s Citizen of the Year and appointed Queen’s Counsel.

Council is elected to oversee the City’s priorities and spending. I will review bylaws that have delegated significant decisions to administration and bring forward changes that restore council oversight where it belongs.

I also spent 20 years advising the City on all legal matters, which involved working with both council and the administration. I know how the City works, what limits it has and what is required to communicate effectively with both council and the administration. Those roles taught me how to bring people together, make difficult decisions and turn ideas into results. Prince George cannot afford four years of learning on the job. I’m ready to lead from day one. SAFER STREETS AND A DOWNTOWN WE CAN BE PROUD OF. People should feel safe walking downtown, visiting local businesses and using public spaces. I will work with council to fully enforce the Safe Streets Bylaw, improve regular street cleaning and ensure bylaw officers have the tools they need to do their jobs. I will also press the Province for appropriate treatment and housing, while working to move services now concentrated in the commercial core into settings where people can get more complete support.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

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I will push for clearer financial reporting and more council business to be conducted in public, while respecting the need for privacy in matters such as personnel, litigation and land purchases. You should be able to see how decisions are made and where your money goes. MORE SUPPORT FOR SENIORS Our seniors helped build Prince George. The City can do more to help them stay connected and live here with dignity.

MAYOR

LEADERSHIP THAT LISTENS. ACTION THAT FOLLOWS.

www.royformayor.ca

Compassion and public safety must go hand in hand.

ON OCTOBER 17, VOTE ROY STEWART FOR MAYOR. Authorized by Eric Evans, Financial Agent, (250) 961-8469

ROY STEWART FOR

I will work to advance seniors’ housing by bringing City land and other governments’ funding opportunities to the table. I will also ask council to consider reducing transit fares for seniors and supporting local charitable groups that provide activities and services for them.

I know one Mayor cannot solve every challenge alone. I can bring people together, ask hard questions and keep council focused on results.

ROY STEWART FOR MAYOR

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Save-On-Foods president, Downtown PG say assaults and arson are having a real effect TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

In response to a SaveOnFoods store manager in Victoria being beaten and seriously injured in an attack in September while working at the store, the president of Pattison Food Group is calling on government authorities to do whatever it takes to prevent violent behaviour that targets store employees. Jamie Nelson, president of the Pattison Food Group, which represents 30,000 workers and operates five grocery stores in Prince George, says despite years of warnings from retailers about increasing crime and violence targeting stores, the problem is getting worse. In last week’s attack, the man sustained a concussion and lost

consciousness and was left with significant injuries that will likely require surgery. Nelson, in an open letter to news media, also cited the Nesters Market fire in the former Woodward’s building in Vancouver on March 30, which was set by an arsonist who left the store and was later arrested. The fire caused $500,000 in smoke and water damage and has temporarily closed the only supermarket that serves Vancouver’s Eastside. The culprits involved in both incidents are repeat offenders and Nelson said both attacks easily could have resulted in deaths and are indicators of how grave the issue has become in the province. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

The ruins of CrossRoads Brewing and Distillery at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and George Street, destroyed by arson on Sept. 5, 2025 and photographed on Sept. 11, 2025.

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PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

Eoin Foley: ‘Our frontline workers are not protected’ CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE “What concerns me most is that these were not isolated incidents,” said Nelson. Nelson says he recognizes societal problems of poverty, addictions and homelessness are contributing to the problem but says businesses that provide food and pharmacy services can’t be expected to invest in areas where the safety of their employees is under continual threat. Prince George has its own issues with retailers and other business operators feeling threatened with violence at their jobs and there have been dozens of arson fires in recent years in the downtown core. CrossRoads Brewing & Distillery on George Street was destroyed by arson a year ago and the owner has no plans to rebuild. On May 18, a fire was set in a back alley staircase at Plaza 4 on Fourth Avenue and several businesses remain closed due to damage to the building’s

electrical system. “It’s a provincewide issue that we’re not seeing go away. It’s continuing on and on,” said Downtown Prince George President Eoin Foley, owner of three restaurants in the city. “It’s very disappointing that despite the efforts that our government says they’re doing, it’s not having a real effect. Our frontline workers are not protected.” The risk of getting caught seems no deterrent for prolific offenders and despite the federal discussions this year to enact bill reform that gives more teeth to property crime legislation, Foley continues to see criminals with long rap sheets escape jail time for their crimes. He also said the province is dragging its feet on opening treatment centres to address substance use and mental disorders. “It’s a pretty brain-dead approach when you’re just letting the same people out, over and over again,” said

Foley, part of the city’s Save Our Streets advisory committee. “As we can see in these incidents, these are violent actions that these people are doing. When we ask the provincial government for help, they give the canned response pointing out a couple of programs that they’ve done and bail reform and involuntary care. But involuntary care is years away and across the province there’s not nearly enough capacity than they’ve announced. “Even with bail reform, we’re still seeing those people released on conditions they’re clearly not abiding by on a regular basis. Why is the criminal justice system not resourced enough to be able to handle these folks that clearly have no respect for the law or any court order or conditions they’re released on? I’m sure police officers across the province are incredibly frustrated, it’s like pushing the same boulder up the hill over and over again, just to see it roll back down the hill.”

He said the effect of property crime and threats to public safety carry a real cost as retailers have to raise their prices to make up for losses from theft. Businesses are forced to increase security staff and equipment and cities resort to hiring more police to try to deter crime. Insurance rates go up if they make a claim and Foley says some businesses can no longer obtain glass insurance due to the frequency of breakages. “Stores have to cover the costs of all the stuff that’s stolen or (employee) time missed out and there’s the unquantifiable toll and the stress it causes workers and in many cases PTSD for severe actions,” Foley said. Foley says downtown retailers have been speaking up about the issues they face daily running their businesses but their complaints to provincial authorities about crime have largely been ignored. He’s hoping Nelson’s letter and the pending BC election will result in real change that addresses crime.

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PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

Council OKs licence for downtown ‘gentleman’s club’ COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

Prince George city council unanimously endorsed a liquor license application by the owners of a proposed new gentleman’s club in the downtown core at its final meeting of the term on Monday, Oct. 5. A report from city staff included with the meeting agenda said that 1436836 BC Ltd. has applied for a liquor primary license for 1466 Third Ave., formerly the home of Sonar Comedy and Nightclub. In April 2024, council unanimously passed a motion to endorse that same company’s application to get a liquor license for the same property. That application was made as an attempt to revive the strip club known as Alibis that operated on First Avenue that closed in October 2020 as “Alibis Bar 2.0.” A letter of intent provided for that application stated that “we do not view

CITIZEN PHOTO BY COLIN SLARK

Though the sign on the building at 1446 Third Ave. says “Alibis 2.0,” Prince George city council voted to endorse a liquor license application for an establishment intended to be called “Secret’s Gentleman’s Club” at a meeting Monday, Oct. 4.

Alibis as the general definition of a ‘gentleman’s club’ or ‘strip club.’” A letter of intent written by a consulting firm for the new proposal says the establishment will be called “Secret’s Gentleman’s Club,” describing it as “a professionally managed, upscale adult entertainment venue offering live performances within a controlled indoor environment.” The letter further emphasizes that all

operations will follow the BC Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch (LCRB) “policies governing adult entertainment and patron participation” and that the owner believes a liquor establishment won’t negatively affect the neighbourhood. For its part, city administration recommended that council signal its support for the application and forward it to the LCRB for final approval.

During the meeting, Coun. Brian Skakun said there’s currently no real nightlife in the downtown and that’s part of revitalizing the neighbourhood. Coun. Garth Frizzell said he looked into whether there’s a correlation between gentleman’s clubs, human trafficking and intimate partner violence and couldn’t find any evidence. Coun. Ron Polillo said he agreed with Skakun that the application would enhance nightlife and benefit the downtown core. Coun. Trudy Klassen said she did similar research to Frizzell and that it appeared that the business was trying to set itself up well. She said she would vote in favour of it cautiously.

Vote summary

Motion: Council supports the approval of a primary liquor license for Secret’s Gentleman’s Club at 1466 Third Ave. Result: Approved unanimously

DAN MCLAREN

CITY COUNCILLOR

A GREAT CITY DOESN’T HAVE TO COST MORE. AFFORDABLE FOR FAMILIES A two-year tax freeze, smarter city spending and sustainable tax reductions for Prince George.

Learn more at votemclaren.ca

SAFER STREETS Take proactive local action to support police, address repeat offenders and improve public safety.

A STRONGER ECONOMY Proactively attract investment, create jobs and make Prince George a stronger economic hub.

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PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

CITIZEN PHOTO BY COLIN SLARK

Moe’s Tavern, formerly known as The Croft, is seen at 1168 Fourth Ave. on Thursday, Oct. 1. The building has been under renovation for months.

‘Working-class bar’ to open in former Croft Hotel Expanded liquor licence for Moe’s Tavern approved COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

The newly renovated establishment on Fourth Avenue formerly known as The Croft received Prince George city council’s blessing at its Monday, Oct. 5 meeting as it pursues an expanded liquor license. Now known as Moe’s Tavern, Areo Holdings Ltd. was looking for a new liquor license that would allow it to expand services at 1168 Fourth Ave. from a maximum of 80 to 150 patrons as it undergoes renovations. In a letter of intent, owner Doug Morrison said that the new name is a nod to his days as a professional hockey player on the Boston Bruins, where he was given the nickname “Moe.” He said that after 20 years owning The Croft, he faced two options: sell and retire, or reinvest in the community. Choosing option two, Morrison said he is looking to reinvent the business as a working-class bar for the downtown core. He said the revised facility will feature live music and a DJ on weekends,

karaoke, a dance floor, a full kitchen, alcohol, televisions, free Wi-Fi, device charging stations, wheelchair access and an accessible washroom. As part of the application process for new or revised liquor licenses, applications to the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch (LCRB) must be forwarded to the applicable local government for comment. While the revised license would maintain The Croft’s old serving hours of 11 a.m. to 3 a.m., it would allow for up to 130 patrons inside the building and up to another 20 on an exterior patio. City administration recommended that council recommend approval of the new license to the LCRB. During the meeting, Coun. Ron Polillo said the application is from a longtime business owner and would improve downtown’s nightlife. Coun. Brian Skakun said the owner had made a significant investment and that it would drive more traffic downtown. It was approved unanimously.

Vote summary

Motion: Council endorses a primary liquor license for Moe’s Tavern at 1168 Fourth Ave. Result: Approved unanimously.

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

Race is on: Provincial election ballots finalized COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

Prince George’s three incumbent Conservative MLAs will be challenged from further left on the political spectrum in the upcoming provincial election as both the BC NDP and Green Party of BC had candidates nominated before Elections BC’s 1 p.m. deadline on Saturday, Oct. 3. However, just one PG district will feature a four-way battle when British Columbians head to the polls on Saturday, Oct. 24. The three candidates in Prince George-Mackenzie are: • Kiel Giddens (Conservative Party of BC, incumbent) • Ian McMahon (BC NDP) • Teri Young (Green Party of BC) In Prince George-North Cariboo, the candidates are: • Denice Bardua (NDP) • Sheldon Clare (Conservative, incumbent) • Randy Thompson (Green) Bardua and Thompson both ran for the same parties in the 2024 provincial election. Running in Prince George-Valemount are: • Rosalyn Bird (Conservative, incumbent) • Carol Bourque (NDP) • Jodie Capling (Green) • Mitchell Lukoni (OneBC) Capling previously ran for the Green Party of Canada in the 2025 federal election. All three Conservative candidates are running for second terms after first being elected in the 2024 election.

Nechako Lakes

The race to succeed longtime MLA John Rustad in the constituency of Nechako Lakes is heating up, with two candidates from major parties and one independent registered with Elections BC as of Friday, Oct. 2. Rustad, the former leader of the Conservative Party of BC, announced

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on Wednesday, Sept. 23 that he would not run for re-election after representing Nechako Lakes in the Legislature since 2009. Before then, he served as MLA for Prince George-Omineca for the BC Liberals between 2005 and 2009. Nechako Lakes includes Burns Lake, Vanderhoof, Houston, Fort St. James, Fraser Lake and Granisle among other communities. In Rustad’s place, the Tories have nominated Diane Black as their candidate for when voters head to the polls on Saturday, Oct. 24. The party’s website says that Black is a third-generation rancher, the great-granddaughter of Vanderhoof’s first doctor and a mother of three. She is both a Chartered Professional Accountant, the recipient of a master’s degree in business administration and a past associate vice-president of finance for the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology. Black’s online profile said she is “committed to improving health and social services” and “recognizes the dedicated work of the teachers, administrators and support staff in each of our communities.” Looking to take the seat for the BC NDP is Jesse Gervais, an employee of the Municipality of Fraser Lake and a member of the boards for both the University of Northern British Columbia and the Fraser Lake Community Foundation. The party’s online profile for Gervais said “he has spent years working in economic development, helping good local jobs and building stronger communities.” Also listed as a candidate by Elections BC is Clint Lambert, who is listed as not having a party affiliation. Lambert is the director for Electoral Area E (Francois/Ootsa Lake Rural) in the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako. He is due to be acclaimed back into that position as no other candidates came forward.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

NEWS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

Trustee candidate Mitchell wants more dialogue with parents MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

Lisa Mitchell is one of 14 hopefuls looking for one of the five Prince George spots on School District 57’s board of trustees and is hoping to bring more parent perspectives to it if elected this fall. Mitchell previously ran as a mayoral candidate in 2022 and said in Friday, Oct. 2 interview with The Citizen that she was urged by a few concerned parents to put her hat in the ring for the school board race. “If you want to make a difference, you have to start by putting your foot in the arena,” said Mitchell. “I’m a grandmother now. I got one that’s in the school system now and a couple more that are gonna be going into the school system and I’m not seeing a good result for students overall.” Mitchell said she is concerned that currently there is not enough

dialogue between parents and the school district. “A key pillar of my campaign would be that we need more dialogue with parents and with children, to make Mitchell sure that everyone is on the same page as far as educational needs. There seems to be a bit of a disconnect with pushing these different agendas in schools, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) being one of them.” SOGI is described by the BC Government as a resource that provides schools and teachers with grade-level appropriate lesson plans, related to topics of valuing diversity and respecting differences. She said she believes the implementation of SOGI policies is detrimental

to students. “It causes more of a disruption, I believe, for the students learning,” said Mitchell, “That’s something that they shouldn’t have to deal with while they’re trying to learn how to read and write and navigate the educational system. That’s something that could be brought in later on.” Mitchell, if elected, said she wants to advocate for parents that she believes aren’t being heard. “I would advocate for parents to be able to have a voice. The ones that are very serious, whether it be religious reasons or just their personal preferences, they just don’t want it. Those parents need to be heard, and we’re not doing a good job of listening to the students who don’t feel safe.” She also believes that students are ill-prepared after graduation and wants to see earlier investment in students’ futures at a younger age. “We need to look at why the

students are not being properly prepared,” said Mitchell. “I believe what we have to do is start thinking about preparing them in Grade 8.” She commented that more job shadowing or job programs need to be available. She also said she takes issue with cell phone usage. While the province has implemented a no-phone policy, she said it needs to be applied more broadly with the policy being able to be dictated by the district on a school-by-school basis. Mitchell said that she believes that SD57 can do better when it comes to students under its banner “These are the young people that are coming up and we need to do better by them. It takes a village. It takes all of us to see problems, to try and fix problems … There are a lot of good kids in this town and we need to raise them up,” said Mitchell. Election day is Saturday, Oct 17.

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PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

OPINION

Neither hope nor denial is a sound financial plan KENNEDY GORDON Citizen Managing Editor

As Prince George prepares to elect a new city council — with at least three new members, possibly more — it’s time to revisit an old idea: hope is not a financial strategy and denial does not make a problem go away. One of the very first items our newlook council will have to pick up is the Civic Facilities Master Plan that our current council kicked down the road. That makes this the right moment to remind both the newcomers and returning councillors that not having a contingency plan for expensive capital projects is a recipe for disaster. Consider some of the major capital projects overseen by the previous council. Carrie Jane Gray Park bathrooms: originally budgeted at $500,000 before being revised in March 2022 to $760,000. Prince George Public Library’s skylight: approved at $900,000 in the 2025 budget, by May, that budget had increased to $1.125 million. The final bill: $1 million. Below the expanded budget, but still more than the $115,000 originally estimated. Canfor Leisure Pool: initially part of a 2017 referendum, voters were asked to approve the project for $35 million. By 2022, the total cost had increased to $39.13 million, $4.13 million more than the original budget, nearly $2.9 million was due to cost overruns. To cap that

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO

Due to previous council reducing the number of bays, current council adding additional staff and equipment, Fire Hall No. 1 needs $34 million over the next 20 years.

off the city’s Civic Facilities Master Plan (CFMP) projects another $14 million in maintenance over the next 20 years. Fire Hall No. 1: originally budgeted at $15 million, completed cost $17 million in 2020. Design changes and other economic factors leaving the project $2 million over budget. Again, the CFMP has troubling news, due to the previous council reducing the number of bays and the current council adding additional staff and equipment, Fire Hall No. 1 will need $34 million in maintenance and redevelopment between over the next 20 years. The Prince George Public Library’s new entrance at the Bob Harkins branch was originally budgeted at $2.472 million in 2014. Once completed in 2020, the final bill came in at $4.12 million. The branch is projected to require another $22 million in renewal work between 2027 and 2046. And then there are those parkades

taxpayers bought. The George Street Parkade was originally budgeted at $12.6 million. Its final cost was $34.16 million. The CFMP projects another $19 million to address water infiltration issues and general maintenance over the next two decades. The Second Avenue Parkade started with a $2.725 million budget. The final bill in 2022 came in at $4.434 million. The CFMP projects $25 million to deal with current HVAC issues and additional maintenance projects over the next 20 years. Now, none of this is an argument against building things Prince George needs. Residents need pools, fire halls, libraries, parks, roads and other infrastructure. Investing in public infrastructure improves the quality of life, supports economic development and makes a community stronger.

Prince George has $787 million worth of facilities and buildings, much of which was built in the 1960’s and 70’s. Cities are responsible for providing public services that the community uses and they need facilities to do so, both cost money. But there’s a serious difference between spending money to build a city people want to live in and spending money without any plan for future maintenance. Our politicians must remember that a capital project doesn’t end at the ribbon-cutting photo-op. The roof on that new building will eventually need to be replaced. A pool needs mechanical systems maintained. A parkade needs repairs. A fire hall needs renewal. Equipment wears out. Infrastructure ages. Eventually, everything needs to be repaired, replaced or rebuilt. That is why every major capital project should come with a credible, long-term plan for maintenance, renewal and eventual replacement, and a contingency for the inevitable surprises that come with managing $787 million worth of facilities and buildings. Prince George’s next council needs to take real steps to address the declining state of the city’s facilities and buildings. The incoming council has an opportunity to make a significant impact. As they develop the strategic plan for their term, specific attention needs to be placed on the reinvestment identified by the Civic Facilities Master Plan.

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

OPINION

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Manage BC’s forests before nature does

Prince George city council candidates gather on Vanier stage

Brian La Pointe

Zangief

Yes, forest management is important and has worked well where it is allowed. The old mountain pine beetle-killed timber areas were harvested and replanted with the same species as nature had grown there. There were few wildfires in harvested areas.

I just think if you’re faced with two options, where one is these people continuing the cycle they are in, destroying themselves and everything around them and exacerbating our services until they eventually die, or defying the odds and turning their life around, or giving them involuntary treatment, where even if the cycle cannot be overcome, they are at least prevented from harming themselves and the broader community. I know which one will yield the least amount of suffering for our society overall. Pity our worthless government can’t seem to figure it out. Instead, they usher in some failed experiment that killed thousands, when the outcome should have been obvious to anyone from the start. You cannot give anyone suffering from any addiction any form of currency, as they will seek to use it to fuel their addiction. And the sad reality is, many people downtown cannot ever be rehabilitated. Is it compassionate to leave the most vulnerable on the streets? All-candidates forum brings together seven in PG mayoral race Susan Jensen In my opinion, the number one thing that makes a senior’s life easier is peace of mind. Our city council should appoint someone on council to be the PG seniors’ city representative. That person could then get in

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touch with BC Transit to discuss better routes and times close to where many seniors live in senior care homes, assisted living, etc. Better times for HandyDART pickup.

Older timber of many species has been harvested in many areas and planted with the same species that were growing on the sites. All are growing healthy young forests, providing needed habitat for many wildlife species. The plantations are not monocultures, but trees of the same species as were originally growing on the site. Forest areas have to be managed to be productive and safe. Enjoy the fruits of the forest.

The senior city representative should know where all the resource services are in our city to help. Maybe businesses that are in our city could provide more discounts to seniors. I know as a senior I appreciate Shoppers Drug Mart discount day on Thursdays.

Save-On-Foods exec makes public plea after store manager attacked

As senior city representative, you will need to know if a senior’s problem is city-related, provincial-related or federalrelated. Senior centres are experts on what is needed.

Empty promises of turning over a new leaf should be thrown out for repeat offenders.

Don’t promise seniors something you cannot follow through on.

BC Highway Patrol impounds semi going 81 km/h outside Pineview Elementary School

As city council seniors’ representative, be transparent.

BlJ

making sure our children are safe! It’s infuriating to hear how many laws were broken and how many tickets were given out. BCBenny Need to be doing more of this work. There are so many speeders and people on their cellphones. Tinted windows are everywhere, and one headlight is more common. School zones were a great place to start. Lou Maurice How about increased enforcement on the Hart Highway, Domano or Ospika? The Hart is insane. Coming into the bowl, the speed limit is 60 km/h with a short 50 km/h zone. I can’t try to follow the speed limit and even “10 over” because most drive 80 km/h or faster. Domano is 50 km/h, but 60-70 km/h is the norm. Ospika has slowly gotten worse over the years.

PGLocal

D Goods

Poverty, drug addiction and a troubled family background shouldn’t be considered in sentencing for crime, especially assault.

We need more tickets for speeding and dangerous driving. Too many drivers seem oblivious to the danger they pose. But enforcement is only part of the solution. We need to build cities where kids can safely walk, explore and just exist. No wonder they’re on their phones when we’ve designed our communities around cars instead of people.

How’s involuntary treatment coming along? At this rate, change will never happen.

Thank you for paying such close attention to school zones and

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

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PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

Mr. PG puts on an orange shirt for the first time MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

For the first time in Prince George’s history, the city’s mascot will welcomed those travelling through the intersection of Highway 16 and Highway 97 wearing an orange shirt emblazoned with the words “Every child matters.” Mr. PG will wore the orange shirt for a few days in recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day on Wednesday, Sept. 30. Members of Lheidli T’enneh First Nation’s council and members of the Prince George Urban Indigenous Coalition welcomed community members, School District 57 students, representatives of Prince George city council and more to celebrate Mr. PG’s new orange attire on Tuesday, Sept. 29. Throughout the event, honks of support could be heard from passing motorists. The orange shirt movement honours residential school survivors and remembers children who never returned home. More than 50 attendees heard speeches from both Lheidli T’enneh Chief Dolleen Logan and Prince George Mayor Simon Yu, with drumming and singing by the Khast’an Drummers. Organizers gave visitors a chance to speak about experiences with residential schools or to remember the victims who did not return home. Visitors spoke about things like the impacts on their families and loved ones as a result of residential schooling and remembered the names of the Lejac Four who froze to death on Jan. 2, 1937, after running away from the Lejac Residential School. The school operated near Fraser Lake between 1922 and 1976. Following the remarks, attendees gathered for a group photo in front of Mr. PG, holding a large orange banner with “every child matters” displayed on the front.

CITIZEN PHOTO BY MATTHEW HILLIER

More than 50 community members, including SD57 students and community leaders, hold up a banner with the words “every child matters” in front of Mr. PG, who donned a new orange shirt on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026.

Speaking to reporters, Logan commented on how essential community partnerships were to get Mr. PG to wear orange. “PG has very strict attire requirements,” said Logan. “We’ve been partners with the City of Prince George and the Regional District (of Fraser-Fort George) for about 20 years now. That’s what truth and reconciliation is about. It’s about communities all coming together, all working together and all learning together.” Logan said she was excited to see SD57 students show up and celebrate with them, as when she grew up, learning about First Nations culture was not considered a priority and education about the residential school system was often considered taboo. However, in recent years, she has seen students from all walks of life engage with her Nation and her culture. “This is fabulous and everyone’s learning,” said Logan. “SD57 is doing a really good job; the teachers are doing really well. They are learning about Lheidli T’enneh and their history. In the past, the priority was always learning about the American Indians. Now they are learning all

about their local Indians, and I gotta tell ya, some of these kids can speak Dakelh way better than I can.” One of the key organizers responsible for getting Mr. PG in orange was James Lambert, co-ordinator for the Prince George Urban Indigenous Coalition (PGUIC). “This whole idea came about to reality about three months ago,” said Lambert. “It really came together when we were talking about it and I just said, ‘Why aren’t we doing it?’ and we made it happen.” In a media release, Lambert spoke about the importance of the gesture. “Mr. PG has welcomed people to Prince George for generations and is one of the most recognizable symbols of our city. Having Mr. PG wear an orange shirt for the first time is a powerful reminder that every child matters. We hope this visible symbol encourages people to reflect, learn, and come together in the spirit of reconciliation.” He said that an estimated $6,000 was spent by PGUIC to get Mr. PG’s shirt made and put on. Lambert commended community partners for getting the funds together and working together to make it a reality.

“I was so pleased to have the community, with all those many different organizations, donating so much because it did cost a lot of money to just make the shirt and have it put up and so forth … more importantly, it just shows what we can do when we talk together. We might not like everything that we’re talking about in the beginning, but we ended up coming to an agreement and getting Mr. PG in an orange shirt,” said Lambert. “It is so important because of the location. No. 1, many vehicles are travelling up and down and back and forth. It also represents the City of Prince George … This is what we need to do,” said Lambert. “This is what’s vitally important. We need to all understand the honest history that existed … That’s why we have truth and reconciliation. That’s what today’s all about.” Lambert is a Sixties Scoop survivor and only learned about his Indigenous background later in his life. He commented that while exploring his Indigenous heritage, he learned that one of the key aspects of truth and reconciliation is learning, something he hopes this event and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation can help create. “Truth and reconciliation is a learning curve for so many of us,” said Lambert. “We need to continue to let it be a learning curve and have those conversations that are meaningful, that are worthy of working together so that we can all create a win-win situation, and that’s what I’m looking for when I do these things.” Mr. PG’s orange shirt celebration leads into the planned National Day for Truth and Reconciliation ceremonies scheduled for noon on Sept. 30 at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park. Celebrations scheduled included a guided reconciliation walk, the reading of the 94 Calls to Action, traditional drumming, a survivor and intergenerational panel discussion and a celebration of First Nations culture through dance and song.

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

Prince George celebrates National Seniors Day

Treats and more from the Council of Seniors Resource centre CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen Staff

National Seniors Day was Thursday, Oct. 1 and the Prince George Council of Seniors celebrated with treats and information booths outside its office at 1330 Fifth Ave. Passersby and visitors were welcome to grab a coffee and donut, bite-size chocolate treats and even cans of sparkling water and bags of chips while getting information about what the Council of Seniors Resource Centre has to offer older adults in Prince George. The Resource Centre is a nonprofit umbrella organization that has many services under one roof, including housing navigation, a better-at-home program, Meals on Wheels, caregiver support and a community connector that provides information about where to go for what you need. “National Seniors Day is very important and the Council of Seniors are acknowledging all of our seniors, not just in Prince George but also in the entire country,” Malhar Kendurkar, executive director for the PG Council of Seniors, said in an Oct. 1 interview. “At the same time we would like people to know that if seniors need any support that’s what we’re here for. All the treats we have here for the seniors are provided by Save-OnFoods and Tim Hortons so we would like to give a big shout out to them and to board members, staff and volunteers who have helped put this event together today.” Kendurkar said there are many volunteers that help make their programs work. “And many of them are seniors so remember one person can make a difference,” Kendurkar said. “We are quite excited to celebrate

CITIZEN PHOTO BY CHRISTINE DALGLEISH

The Prince George Council of Seniors holds a National Seniors Day celebration outside its office at 1330 Fifth Ave., offering people information on their services as well as some treats, on Thursday, Oct. 1.

National Seniors Day today.” At the same time, The Citizen received a press release from the seniors’ advocates for British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Manitoba and New Brunswick including a joint statement celebrating the contributions of older adults and shed some light on the barriers to healthy aging facing seniors across Canada. “Many seniors across the country are providing vital supports for their communities, families and neighbours, yet struggling to have their own basic needs met as their living costs soar,” the statement said. “More and more older adults, many living on fixed incomes, are unable to find affordable housing and pay for medical devices and other services that support healthy aging.” The Canada Health Act does not cover necessities such as medications, eyeglasses, hearing aids, physiotherapy and occupational therapy, ambulance services, home care

services (medical and non-medical), transportation or mobility equipment, the statement continued. Some seniors have coverage through extended health benefits, while many do not. In provinces where coverage is available, it is often inadequate. Federal income benefits aim to keep pace with inflation, but seniors often spend a greater portion of their income on essentials such as rent, food and health-related expenses and those costs have risen faster than overall inflation. Income benefits are indexed to the Consumer Price Index rather than a measure specific to seniors’ spending patterns and cost pressures. “Today is also the United Nations International Day of Older Persons and this year’s theme is The Age of Longevity: Rethinking Systems for Longer Lives,” the release said. “People are living longer now than ever before, which is well worth celebrating. Increased longevity creates

more opportunities for participation, contribution and connection. However, we want longer lives to be accompanied by a good quality of life, and that’s only possible when people have access to affordable housing, adequate income and extended medical care as they age. “Canada’s senior population will grow rapidly over the next decade and beyond. Today, a senior’s ability to age well depends heavily on their location, income, health needs, family support and whether they can afford services outside the publicly-funded system. Despite differences in provincial programs and service delivery models, seniors across Canada report many of the same barriers to healthy aging. We must do better to ensure all seniors have the supports they need to live long, healthy lives with dignity and independence, not only for today’s older adults, but for tomorrow’s as well.” For more information about Prince George Council of Seniors visit www. pgcos.ca/

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

Aboriginal Housing Society wins national award MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

The Aboriginal Housing Society of Prince George (AHSPG) has been awarded the National Indigenous Collaborative Housing Inc. (NICHI) Innovation Award for the redevelopment and repurposing of a society-owned property. Those at AHSPG were given the award at the second annual NICHI Connects Awards Gala, held on Tuesday, Sept. 29. In a media release sent to The Citizen, AHSPG stated that the award was given to commemorate their development of a custom-built six-bedroom home designed specifically to provide safe and culturally supportive housing for Indigenous women who are clients of Community Living BC (CLBC) and are at risk of homelessness. “The project reflects the Innovation Award criteria through its innovation in design, service delivery, and the

CITIZEN PHOTO BY MATTHEW HILLIER

The offices of the Aboriginal Housing Society of Prince George, as seen on Friday, May 1, 2026.

integration of housing and community-based care. Rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach, AHSPG worked to develop a housing model responsive to the specific needs of Indigenous women living with significant barriers to stable housing,” the statement reads. They also note that the development of the home addresses housing

challenges in new ways by bringing together Indigenous housing providers, community care, accessibility considerations, individualized supports, and culturally responsive housing within the purpose-built development. “This award is a tremendous honour for the Aboriginal Housing Society of Prince George and, most importantly, for the women and community

members this home was created to support,” said Julia Sundell, executive director of AHSPG. “This project demonstrates what is possible when Indigenous-led housing organizations, community partners, and support providers work together to develop solutions that respond directly to the needs of our community.” Community benefit was another major focus of this project was seeing direct results for Indigenous women facing housing barriers and providing important foundations for those living in the home and using AHSPG services. “We believe housing is more than four walls and a roof,” said Sundell. “It is about creating a foundation for safety, dignity, belonging, and opportunity. This home was developed with those principles at its center. Innovation, for us, means finding new ways to respond to the real needs of the people and communities we serve.”

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IIO expresses concern over conduct of RCMP officers Agency says Dawson Creek RCMP failed to co-operate with investigation MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

The Independent Office of Investigations (IIO) is raising concerns over the conduct of RCMP officers in Dawson Creek during an investigation following the death of a man after his arrest. A report released by the IIO on Thursday, Oct. 1 said that on the morning of June 20, 2024, a fight broke out between several individuals on 104 Avenue in Dawson Creek. The IIO is BC’s civilian-led police watchdog tasked with investigating incidents involving officers that result in death or serious harm. The report reads that witnesses reported the individuals involved “screaming, fighting and bear spraying each other.” After responding to the 911 call, officers reportedly found weapons including knives, bear spray and a CO2-powered rifle designed to fire crossbow bolts. Following this discovery, the subject of the arrest was allegedly involved in the altercation but is said to have left before police arrived. A passerby then pointed him out to police, with officers confronting him a short distance away. During the course of the individual’s arrest, The IIO said he was pushed to the ground and there was an extended struggle, during which the man allegedly bit three of the officers and one officer punched him multiple times in the face. Once the subject was fully restrained, he became unresponsive and medical assistance was summoned. He was taken to hospital, then airlifted to a hospital in

Edmonton where he died the next day. The subject’s autopsy showed multiple superficial facial injuries as well as a variety of abrasions and bruises on other parts of his body. There was also a shallow laceration on the back of his head with no underlying head injury. The cause of death was reported to be “best attributed to methamphetamine and cocaine toxicity in the context of physical exertion, struggle and restraint in a police encounter.” The IIO stated that this evidence of the investigation: • Statements from 21 civilian witnesses, eight paramedics, two other medical witnesses and eight witness police officers • Police computer-aided dispatch • Police Records Information Management Environment records • Audio recordings of the 911 line and police radio transmissions • Video recordings from civilian cell phones, commercial premises, medical facilities and the RCMP detachment • Forensic scene examination and photographs • Photographs of injuries of four subject officers; • RCMP training and policy records • Medical records and autopsy report The report said although the IIO does not require officers who are subjects of the investigation to provide evidence, in this case, four subject officers declined to give an account. One was then re-designated as a witness officer and was interviewed. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

Seven years behind bars for Quesnel drug dealer Dwayne William Prato admitted his guilt in provincial court BOB MACKIN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A mid-level Quesnel drug trafficker caught with large quantities of drugs — including fentanyl — twice in two months last year was sentenced Tuesday, Sept. 29 in Provincial Court to seven years in jail. Dwayne William Prato, 55, pleaded guilty to possession for the purpose of trafficking, methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl on March 21, 2025. He also pleaded guilty to possessing fentanyl, cocaine and oxycodone for the purpose of trafficking on May 17, 2025. On a third charge, Prato pleaded guilty to driving without a licence. “Fentanyl has taken over the drug

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO

Legal proceedings in Quesnel are held in the community’s provincial government building.

scene, largely, as far as causing hardship and strife within our communities,” said Judge Scott Mulder. “It’s certainly a common occurrence throughout British Columbia, and likely the rest of Canada, to see a number of unhoused people clearly struggling with addiction.”

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On the first charge, Prato crashed his truck and fled the scene, carrying two bags containing 1.3 kilograms of methamphetamine, 158 grams of fentanyl and 283 grams of cocaine. More drugs, score sheets and scales were found in the truck when police searched it. Just 57 days later, a 25-year-old woman went to Prato’s house in the early morning hours and later complained to Quesnel RCMP about Prato. Based on her complaint, the RCMP obtained a search warrant to enter Prato’s residence and found a new inventory of drugs.

Issues addressed with RCMP senior management CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

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They seized 337.72 grams of fentanyl, one kilogram of cocaine and 298 oxycodone tablets. The total combined street value of these drugs, as estimated by a police expert, was between $50,000 and $170,000, depending on the manner in which the drugs were to be packaged, distributed and sold. The woman who made the complaint to police, that led to Prato’s second arrest, died of a fentanyl overdose last Nov. 21. The tragedy prompted her mother to appear before Mulder to deliver a victim impact statement. “The drugs on our streets are unpredictable,” she told Mulder. “They’re unforgiving and deadly, and the damage reaches far beyond the person using them.” The woman said families, like hers, are being destroyed in Quesnel and many other communities. “Parents are burying their children. Children are losing their parents. Brothers and sisters are losing one another. Loved ones and first responders are repeatedly fighting to reverse poisoning, knowing the next dose may be the one that cannot be reversed.”

Chief civilian director of the IIO. Jessica Berglund, said that there were no reasonable grounds to charge any officers and the matter will not be referred to the BC Prosecution Service. However, Berglund noted “concerning and problematic conduct by some RCMP members during the IIO investigation.” She said that investigators encountered several instances

of “failure” by officers to comply with their statutory duty under the Police Act to co-operate fully with the IIO. These include failure to file notes and reports, refusing to meet with IIO investigators as directed, delays in obtaining material evidence from officers and irregularities in the photographic processing of the involved members. Berglund said that these issues have been addressed with RCMP senior management.

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

Judge commends witness for stopping drunk driver BOB MACKIN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A Provincial Court judge in Prince George told a woman who pleaded guilty on Thursday, Oct. 1 to impaired driving that she should be thankful a witness reported her to the RCMP. Police were alerted Oct. 29, 2024 at 11:42 a.m. to an impaired driver outside the Camelot Motel. When officers arrived, Genesse Nicole Van Pelt was in the driver’s seat of a 2017 Kia Sportage that

had collided with a parked 2018 Ford F-150. Van Pelt was arrested and tested 3.75 times above the legal limit for blood alcohol content. Crown prosecutor Astitwa Thapa said Van Pelt and the registered owner of the vehicle, Leeann Joan Bradford, switched seats in an attempt to conceal the driver’s identity. Last October, Bradford pleaded guilty to the lesser and included offence of driving without due care and attention, fined $1,000 and

banned from driving for 90 days under the Motor Vehicle Act. Crown and defence jointly proposed a $1,000 fine and one-year driving prohibition for Van Pelt, a 46-year-old without a criminal record or speeding ticket. Judge David Simpkin said without Van Pelt’s previous clean record, he would have rejected the proposed sentence, due to the collision and Van Pelt’s level of intoxication being “astronomically high.” “You were drunk, you could have

caused all sorts of mayhem on what is Central Street, one of the busiest streets in Prince George,” Simpkin said. “So I think we all owe a debt of gratitude to (the witness) for stepping forward and not letting you drive away. If he was here, I would say thank you on behalf of the court.” Simpkin said Van Pelt is very remorseful, saved three days of court time by avoiding a trial and has taken steps to deal with alcohol abuse by attending peer support and counselling meetings.

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Federal program to kickstart reopening of Mackenzie mill Relief is on the way for hundreds of workers laid off since May 19 TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

After months of uncertainty, the 260 employees who make up the workforce of Mackenzie’s largest employer will soon be going back to work. The Mackenzie sawmill and biomass power plant that’s been in curtailment since May 18 will be restarted thanks to $30 million federal government loan guarantee. An application by Conifex Timber Inc., to the Large Enterprise Tariff Loan (LETL) program filed nearly a year ago has been approved and the company expects to announce a restart date later this year. The loan provides the

Vancouver-based company with enhanced flexibility and liquidity to support its Mackenzie operations to help it ride out the storm of U.S. protectionist trade policies, which slapped 35 per cent combined counterveiling/anti-dumping duties as well as 10 per cent tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber imports. The Mackenzie mill produces spruce-pine-fir lumber and ships 85 per cent of its output to the United States, with 10 per cent of its market in Japan and the rest sold domestically. The site also has a 36-megawatt biomass power plant that adds to the province’s electrical grid. “On behalf of Conifex, we appreciate the financial support provided by the Government of Canada during a period of significant disruption and challenging market conditions for the Canadian forest products sector,” said Conifex CEO/

chair Ken Shields. “Importantly, the financing provides us with an opportunity to focus on the initiatives necessary to reestablish normalized twoshift operations at our Mackenzie sawmill. We remain focused on our employees, our operations in Mackenzie, and the communities and supply chains that depend on them. We believe this loan is an important step that positions Conifex to do that.” The loan will be repaid over a seven-year term at a market-based interest rate. “Mackenzie has been an important natural resource hub for decades, and this financing gives us the confidence to plan a restart and bring people back to work, producing renewable electricity for BC and sustainable lumber for domestic and international markets through an extraordinary period in our

industry,” said Andrew McLellan, Conifex president and chief operating officer. “We deeply value the commitment shown by our employees, contractors, the District of Mackenzie and the First Nations whose territories we operate within. We look forward to continuing to work with the province, as we see this restart as the foundation for a stronger and more sustainable future together.” In March 2025, the government announced the creation of LETL, a $10 billion fund to support Canadian companies affected by actual or potential tariffs and other trade barriers. The loan program originally promised up to 24 months of covering financial liquidity needs but that has since been expanded to 36 months. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

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Mayor says news brings welcome relief for town’s residents CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE “Our government is strengthening the forest sector in the face of U.S. tariffs, helping workers gain new skills and supporting businesses as they modernize and diversify their products,” said François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance and National Revenue. “Today’s support to Conifex continues our government’s steadfast defence of Canada’s forest sector by protecting the livelihoods of those living in Mackenzie, while we position our industry to focus on more reliable markets.” For each of the 260 primary full-time jobs Conifex provides the town of 3,300, 186 kilometres north of Prince George, between three and five additional trickle-down jobs are dependent on mill operations. The federal bailout also provides a reimbursement of $11 million in capital expenditures to upgrade the mill, which will allow Conifex to improve its lumber grades and reduce conversion costs to target a larger slice of the domestic lumber market and increased shipments to Japan. The Mackenzie mill was curtailed May 19 due to a shortage of sawlogs related to the spring breakup period that kept logging roads close. The curtailment was projected to last seven weeks but that was extended as the company pursued its financing options in the struggling forest sector. By the end of October the US Department of Commerce is expected to finalize its seventh administrative review of the softwood anti-dumping and countervailing duties. The post-preliminary analysis released on June 30 proposed an anti-dumping (AD) rate at 10.66 per cent and a 14.52 per cent counter-veiling (CVD) rate, for a combined rate of 25.18 per cent. That’s a 10 per cent reduction from the current combined rate of 35.16

CONIFEX TIMBER INC. PHOTO

Conifex Timber’s biomass power plant in Mackenzie generates 230 GWh annually.

per cent (20.53 AD and 14.63 CVD). In Q2 of 2026, Conifex reported a net loss of $9.5 million ($0.23 per share), on the heels of a Q1 net loss of $9.4 million ($0.23 per share). Conifex holds a timber supply forest licence in the Mackenzie area that allows an allowable annual cut of 501,759 cubic metres and is a 50 per cent owner of a joint-venture licence with an AAC of 237,988 cubic metres. “Lack of fibre is not a challenge in Mackenzie, there’s a surplus of fibre available relative to the sawmill capacity,” said McLellan. Most of the wintertime logging operations for Conifex are concentrated in area south of Mackenzie within a two-hour hauling time. The harvesting area shifts further north along Williston Lake during the warm-weather months, within a four-hour radius of the mill. The Mackenzie sawmill, with its two shifts, has annual lumber capacity to produce about 240 million board feet. The company produced 21.7 million board feet in Q1 of 2026. Shipped by rail, Conifex lumber shipped to the U.S. is sold primarily in Texas, Arizona and Colorado. Conifex Timber purchased the sawmill and related assets from AbitibiBowater in March 2010 and opened the biomass power plant in May 2015 after converting what was a newsprint mill. The biomass plant is capable of producing in excess of 230 gigawatt hours of electricity per year. Under its current electricity purchase

agreement BC Hydro the Crown corporation has agreed to buy 200 GWh of electrical energy annually at a fixed price over a 20-year term ending in 2035. The agreement requires Conifex to meet the mill’s energy requirements over that same 20-year term. The company has maintained its power plant employees during the planned outage and salaried staff have also been kept on in anticipation of the mill restart. The recall and rehiring of laid-off hourly staff will begin as soon as it’s been determined when the restart will occur. “We’ve been encouraged that many of the employees who have lived in the community for a long time are ready and wanting to return to work,” said McLellan. “There’s likely going to be a need to fill some vacancies as we get restarted.

“We’re looking forward to getting on with the restart planning and providing updates in the coming weeks and months. Before the end of the year we’re hoping to define our restart plan.” The Conifex mill site in the Mackenzie Industrial Park dates back to 1972 when it opened as BC forest Products pulp mill/sawmill operation on Williston Lake, which spurred development of the town. Joan Atkinson, who served the past two terms as Mackenzie mayor, said the Conifex restart will provide welcome relief for residents. “It’s extremely good news,” said Atkinson. “That’s our last primary manufacturer in our community and they pay a heavy industry tax so it’s certainly good news they got that money. The town is excited, it’s an early Christmas present.”

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Cindy Hartford named Business Person of the Year She says award reflects hard work as Pacific Western Brewing grows MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

Cindy Hartford, plant manager at Pacific Western Brewing, has walked away with the Prince George Chamber of Commerce’s 2026 Business Person of the Year award. The award was presented Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Prince George Chamber of Commerce’s 41st annual Business Excellence Awards, held at the Prince George Civic Centre. Hartford had some fierce competition for the award, with the other finalists being Vince Prince of the Aboriginal Business Development Centre, Deanna Hodgins of VeltroTec Innovations, Aimee Cassie of the Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation and Scott

FOCAL POINT STUDIOS PHOTO

Cindy Hartford, plant manager at Pacific Western Brewing (left) receives the Business Person of the Year Award from Ashley Bridgewater, community and Indigenous relations liaison at FortisBC, at the Prince George Chamber of Commerce’s 41st Annual Business Excellence Awards on Saturday, Oct. 3.

Broughton of Vitreo Minerals. Hartford said she was humbled and blown away after being announced as the winner. “It’s pretty unbelievable,” she said. “It’s a real honour to be named Business Person of the Year in Prince

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George. I have no words. I don’t know how to explain it because it’s humbling for me.” Winners in other categories included: • Excellence in Customer Service: Birchwood Veterinary Clinic • Excellence in Entertainment and Attractions: Downtown Prince George • Excellence in Environmental Impact: Open Waters Solar • Excellence in Food and Beverage: Northern Lights Winery • Excellence in Not-for-Profit and Community Service: Prince George Humane Society • Excellence in Promotion and Marketing: Monogram Communications • Excellence in Technology and Innovation: Northern IT Solutions Inc. • Lifetime Achievement Award: The Community Arts Council of Prince George and District; and Anne Laughlin and Ted Price of Miracle Theatre The winners were chosen by a panel of nine anonymous judges working independently of one another through an online portal. The judges reviewed more than 200 nominations across 11 categories. Hartford said the award is a reflection of a year of hard work by everyone at Pacific Western Brewing. “It puts a spotlight on the brewery,

the facility, the people and my leadership,” said Hartford. “We’ve been here for 70 years, and when the public goes to purchase our product, they think about helping support our families, the team and the community. That’s what I’m hoping to get out of it.” She added that she hopes her leadership and the work of her team will lead to a prosperous future for the brewery and said she wants to see it celebrate its 100th anniversary someday. “We’re celebrating our 70th year next summer. It’s been here a long time, and to be able to lead this company since 2017 and get to be part of this legacy is amazing. I see my job here as preserving the company and making sure that all the families that work for us, the city, the community and all the contractors that we hire are supported. As part of her role in keeping the brewery going until its 100th anniversary and beyond, Hartford and her team have been focusing on modernizing the brewery and reducing its environmental impact. Also on her list of priorities is expansion into new areas. “That’s just the facility part. Western Canada is waiting for us,” said Hartford. “We’re slowly trickling more into that market; we’re coming out with new products to stay on top of the market and to stay on top of people’s minds. There’s all that happening as well, not just building and modernizing; it’s creating new products.” Neil Godbout, executive director for the Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber holds these events to help celebrate the successes of those in the Prince George business community. “It was a really positive event, and that’s really the whole purpose of the Business Excellence Awards — to just celebrate excellence, to celebrate success and, frankly, to celebrate our community,” he said. “It’s not just a celebration of individual success, it’s a celebration of what we can do together as a community.” Godbout said the chamber is marking its 115th birthday on Oct. 21 and said events like this help tie back to a legacy of those who came before.

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

REGIONAL

Regional District updating official community plan for Robson Valley-Canoe

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

The Regional District of Fraser-FortGeorge is launching a review and hoping to update its Official Community Plan (OCP) for Electoral Area H (Robson Valley-Canoe) Electoral Area H accounts for the communities of Dunster, Dome Creek, Crescent Spur, Tête Jaune Cache and the surrounding rural areas. The current official community plans for Electoral Area H were adopted in 2001 and 2006. However, the Regional District stated it is time that these plans be reviewed and updated. A report received for information at the Thursday, Sept. 24 meeting of the Regional District outlines the funds for the review and update of the Official Community Plans will be funded by the Canada Community Building Funds. The Regional District has also allocated up to a total of $300,000 for the review and update of Electoral Area H OCPs. At a June meeting, the Regional District awarded the contract to conduct the review and update work to Urban Systems Ltd., a Prince George-based interdisciplinary consulting firm. During the Thursday meeting, a presentation on the official community plan update was shown to directors, with the presentation being given by Kali Holahan, a Land Use Planner at Urban Systems. “It is time for an update to reflect and balance the natural environment, population growth, and housing and development needs,” said Holahan. “This review will replace the two existing plans — the Robson Valley Canoe Downstream Official Community Plan and the Robson Valley Canoe Upstream Official Community Plan — with a single updated plan. This includes the replacement of existing

maps with a consolidated set of modern, user-friendly maps for the whole area.” During the presentation, it was noted that the work on the update should take approximately 17-22 months with Holahan mentioning that the update will provide the Regional District with updated priorities and more for the District. “There’s an opportunity now to modernize the policy framework, improve usability and reflect current community priorities, while also creating a clear, well-organized plan that reflects the current and future needs of Electoral Area H,” said Holahan. Community engagement with the plan is also a key aspect of the update, with the engagement planned to be carried out in phases. Phase 1, which is already complete, is the launch of the project. The Regional District is now entering phase 2, which is a technical review and issue identification. Phase 2 of engagement will include a postcard informing property owners of the project, a media release, which has already been put out announcing the project, posters being installed throughout Electoral Area H and digital posters being emailed and a discussion guide and community survey being available to Electoral Area H residents. Phase 3 titled “Community Visioning and Policy Development,” will include a follow-up on the previously mentioned postcard project, a student activity, including a poster and a take-home discussion guide and an activity to get input from youth. Also included in the third phase are interviews with community members, as well as multiple smaller pop-ups. Phase 4 will include a second community event to present key policy directions, land use mapping, and proposed updates.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

COMMUNITY

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

What’s happening in PG Prince George Ghostly Walks go Friday Oct. 9 and Saturday, Oct. 10, Oct. 16 & 17, Oct. 30 at 7 and 8:30 p.m. for an hour-long walk and a Halloween Special that is 90-minutes long that begins Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. Tour guide and host, Ian Gibbs, is the author of five books of ghostly tales and has led Ghostly Walks for more than 15 years. Ian will weave ghost stories and historical facts together to bring the city’s haunted past to life. Discover the spooky secrets and hidden history of Prince George. Get ready to explore the eerie and the unexplained in BC’s Northern Capital. The tour goes ahead no matter the weather so come prepared. For more information and tickets visit www.pgghostlywalks.com/ book-online Broadway and Booze goes Saturday, Oct. 10 from 7 to 10 p.m. at Knox Performance Centre, 1448 Fifth Avenue, and is presented by Nove Voce Choral Society, who are partnering again with the fabulous Tofino Distillery for a night of tasting and great Broadway tunes. Tofino Craft Distilleries will be the featured liquor with six of their award winning spirits, including Espresso Vodka and Rose Hibiscus Gin. Nove Voce will offer entertainment between rounds with great broadway tunes from new and classic shows. This is a 19+ only event. The ticket price includes six half-ounce liquor samples with mix provided. No liquor will be sold separately. For more information and tickets visit www.eventbrite.ca/e/ broadway-and-booze-tickets Primetime Goes Big Time at the CN Centre and goes Friday, October 16 at 6 p.m. Professional wrestling returns to the CN Centre. Wrestling fans of all ages and eras will take in the excitement and energy all night long with what’s sure to be an action-packed match card. Choose a seat on the floor and get closest to the action or choose a general admission seat and sit where you

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

Shadow market vendor Melissa Webstad, of Melissa’s Enchantments, displays her jewelry while enjoying the Alexandrite Cauldron Book Ball held at the Sandman Inn on Oct. 18, 2025. The event returns Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026.

want in the stands. Wrestlers will be on hand selling their merchandise and meeting fans during the show. For more information and tickets visit www.ticketsnorth.ca/event/ primetime-goes-big-time Alexandrite Mountain Fantasy Book Ball goes Saturday, Oct. 17 from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the House of Ancestors Conference Centre and Café, 355 Vancouver St. Join your fellow dark Fae and magic folk for a night writhing in romance, luck and a bit of peril. This year’s fantasy book ball invites you and your brethren for a chance to become the main character in an immersive original story telling. Come dressed as your favorite morally gray character— or as the version of yourself that belongs in its own pitch-black tale. This is a banquet dinner featuring entertainment and a shadow market, silent auction, swag bags, including a dark & moody portrait, book art booth, interactive fantasy-themed classes and activities. This is a 19+ event. For more information and tickets visit www.showpass.

com/alexandrite-mountain-fantasy-book-ball Craft Fair, Bake Sale, Book Sale, Yarn Sale goes Saturday, Oct. 17 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Elder Citizens’ Recreation Association, 1692 Tenth Ave. So basically it’s an everything sale and the association is accepting vendors who would like to claim a table for $25 each. For more information call 250-561-9381. Teen Naloxone Training goes Tuesday, Oct. 20 from 4 to 5 p.m. at the Prince George Public Library downtown branch. Join the harm reduction staff from Northern Health and members of Moms Stop the Harm and learn how to use Naloxone. Gain a life-saving skill and take home a free kit. Please note that the discussion may include sensitive subjects like substance use, poisoning and death. Funeral Pre-planning Session goes Wednesday, Oct. 21 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Elder Citizens Recreation Centre, 1692 Tenth Ave., and is hosted by Dignity Memorial. Topics for

discussion include four simple steps to take to plan ahead thinking about your final arrangements, funeral services and options, legal and practical considerations and an open question and answer period. To register call 250-564-4431 or email James.Johnston@dignitymemorial.com. October Junk Journal Night goes Friday, Oct. 23 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Spruce Capital Seniors, 3701 Rainbow Dr. Presented by Love Starts Today, the theme will be Halloween. Anyone who dresses up or brings an item to display will get a free ticket for the night’s draw. Magazines, ink and stamps, paper punches and pens, pencils, markers and adhesives available for everyone to use. Workshop costs $25 for adults and fee for children ages 6-18 is their age +$2. Children five and under are free to enjoy the evening with their parent or guardian. Prices include a seat, a Junk Journal Page, and your choice of premade themed bag to assist you with your journal. For more information and to reserve your spot email lovestartstoday@gmail.com Discovery Day at UNBC goes Friday, Oct. 23 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Prince George Campus. There will be guided campus tours, interactive learning activities, faculty meet-and-greets, Indigenous spaces and student services. Information on more than 70 degree programs. There will be prizes, snacks, music, and more. Free admission and free parking. Backyard Ultra Lite goes Sunday, Oct. 25 at 9 a.m. at the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club, 8141 Otway Road. This is a fundraiser for the club’s race teams and sees athletes take on two classes recreation in solo and relay teams and Almost an Ultra – last runner standing competition. For more information and to register visit https://zone4.ca/register. asp?id=41936&lan=1&cartlevel=1 CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

COMMUNITY

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE DP Todd Craft Fair goes Saturday, Oct. 24 and Sunday, Oct. 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at DP Todd Secondary School, 4444 Hill Avenue. There are more than 100 vendors featuring their homemade local goods for sale. Get started on holiday shopping early. Halloween at the Prince George Legion goes Friday, Oct. 30 at 8 p.m. featuring the Chevys. This will be a Rockabilly Spooktacular event featuring Dennis Smith, standup bass/vocals; Brad Martin, drums/ vocals; and Tim Yule, guitar/ vocals.Halloween at the Prince George Legion goes Friday, Oct. 30 at 8 p.m. featuring The Chevys. This will be a Rockabilly Spooktacular event featuring Dennis Smith, standup bass/vocals; Brad Martin,

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO

Discovery Day at UNBC goes Friday, Oct. 23 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Prince George campus. Free admission and free parking.

drums/vocals; and Tim Yule, guitar/vocals. Coldsnap presents Blue Moon Marquee on Saturday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. at the Knox Performance Centre,1448 Fifth Ave. Blue Moon Marquee writes and performs original compositions influenced by anything that swings, jumps or grooves. A.W. Cardinal (vocals/ guitar) and Jasmine Colette a.k.a. Badlands Jass (vocals/bass/drums) have played for a vast gamut of crowds at jazz clubs, Lindy Hop dance halls, folk venues, blues haunts, hospitals, prisons, markets, motorcycle joints, dive bars and prestigious festival stages. For more information and tickets visit https://coldsnapfestival.tickit.ca/ events/34912-coldsnap-presentsblue-moon-marquee

NOTICE OF INTENT TO CONSIDER

Proposed Regional Hospital Board Procedure Bylaw No. 391, 2026 In accordance with Section 94 of the Community Charter, notice is hereby given the Fraser-Fort George Regional Hospital District Board intends to consider proposed Regional Hospital Board Procedure Bylaw No. 391, 2026 on October 15, 2026 at 10:30 am at 155 George Street, Prince George. Proposed Bylaw No. 391, 2026 establishes an updated procedural framework that aligns Regional Hospital District governance practices with those of the Regional District Board. The proposed bylaw removes obsolete references, modernizes procedures for Regional Hospital District Board meetings, and preserves the Board's authority and statutory powers under the Hospital District Act.

For more details, visit rdffg.ca/BoardMeetings after October 8 when the proposed bylaw and accompanying report will be posted in the October 15 Fraser-Fort George Regional Hospital District Board Agenda

rdffg.ca | 250-960-4400 | 1-800-667-1959

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

This is Sherri Tibbo’s gazebo in her backyard in the middle of Prince George. It’s a quiet place to relax, reflect and rest. Growing up in a fishing and hunting family, Sherri Tibbo makes use of a variety of materials. Below right is a trellis that entices visitors into the vegetable garden area of her backyard, a sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of living in the City of Prince George. CITIZEN PHOTO BY CHRISTINE DALGLEISH

A haven of natural beauty There’s a quiet little place tucked away in a Prince George backyard

Authorized by Nicole Fraser, fraser4pg@gmail.com

To say Sherri Tibbo is a gardener is an understatement. She has turned her green-thumb efforts into an art form where a cacophony of colour, texture, light and shadow calms the spirit, revives the soul and eases the heart. Rolling down the street trying to find her house didn’t take much effort. You know it when you see it. In the most delightful way, a garden has taken up the space where most people have their front lawns. The lesson started right away. It’s the life lesson of the sustainable garden. “This is a water-wise garden,” Sherri said. “I’ve watered it twice this year.” It started out as a Japanese Zen garden but it’s changed over time, she added. “I am about texture and light and dark, greens with dark colour and I love a lot of contrast,” Sherri explained. “And this is also for pollinators. You can see the bees are all over this stuff. I

refuse to water lawn so I needed it to be something that could sustain itself.” As we make our way along the side of the house that Sherri and her family have lived in for more than 30 years there are specialty built-ins everywhere. “My husband is a builder of all things so anything that has wood, cement or metal – he has made it,” Sherri said about Bob. As we swing into the backyard we quickly come upon a giant flat rock. It does not look like it’s part of the natural landscape for this area because it’s not. The first owner imported in from the end of Fifth Avenue. In the early days of owning the house Sherri thought it was the best part of the yard. Right now I’d say it is dwarfed by the rest of the space’s fabulousness. Sherri leads me away from the expanse of the rock to her woodland faerie deck.

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PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

Almost everything is a found item collected over the years Yes, there is such a thing in her world. Sherri has displayed so many things she has created, collected, thrifted, that speak to her movement through several transitions as she has made her way through the world. “Things that inspire me is what I love to put around me,” Sherri explained. We make our way past her potting bench that is another piece of artwork itself and on to the show stopper Woodland Goddess. I have to take a full minute and a half to take in Her Highness before Sherri starts to speak again. “She is a mannequin made out of metal,” Sherri said. “She’s probably a good eight or nine years old and I just keep refreshing the flowers and keep redoing it.”

We make our way to the left side of the backyard where Sherri keeps a vegetable garden. “This year I’m doing what we call a land rest,” Sherri said. “I try to do that every fourth year for my vegetable gardens and I plant buckwheat and at about this time you dig it into the ground to replenish your soil.” Sherri leaves some of it because she said the bees love it and it’s always nice to support your bee-F-F’s right? See what I did there? BFFs? OK, OK, I’ll move on. Sherri just got home from work before I arrived for our interview so as we go she is grabbing a bucket to water her plants. “You know people always tell me I should put in a drip system but I like to see my plants every day, I can catch

TRUDY KLASSEN For an accountable and honest City Hall

it early if they have bugs and I talk my plants, too,” Sherri said. As she shifts her attention around the garden it’s time to adjust a vine here, pollinate a plant there and lay eyes on the rest of it even for just a moment. “I have many fairy gardens and here is the Unicorner,” Sherri smiles, indicating the space where there are five unicorns I can see. And finally, finally the moment I have been waiting for that I spoke about in Suzie Vogt’s story when I came across her artwork entitled Sherri’s Gazebo. I had to ask for a minute with her image to take in all the details Suzie had put into the piece because it was so detailed. I never imagined it was a place in Prince George and told Suzie at the time that I need to visit there. And here we are. I sat opposite Sherri to see all the gazebo had to offer at the best vantage point and it did not disappoint. There’s a dozen cushions of all shapes, textures and sizes on the giant bed. There’s throws galore. There’s a small table in front of it with a globe on it and candle holders and books and plants, along the back of the couch there’s a shelf that holds more trinkets and vases and a tiny three-drawer jewelry box that you just know keeps treasures in it. And to pull it all together there are swaths of material and scarves draped everywhere. It’s pretty perfect. Almost everything is a found item collected over the years of thrifting, exploring, discovering, many items fitting the old saying, one woman’s trash in another woman’s treasure, and that makes it even better. In my mind’s eye I can see Sherri sitting here with her many friends as eclectic as their surroundings, talking how creatives do about their art, their

lives, their people and I feel so grateful to be here, if only for a little while. We take the time to chat like new friends do. It’s a time of sharing some of Sherri’s family history and me talking about the 26-year mad love I have had for the people of Prince George and the honour I am forever grateful for to be able to tell people’s stories for the newspaper. Sherri talked about how the yard we were sitting in featured a deep mechanic’s pit for oil changes when she first moved in. It was a garbage dump and there was broken glass everywhere. “It took us weeks to clean it up,” Sherri recalled. What a transformation. You’d think I would’ve started with the front porch as it’s the first thing you see but it’s the last place I passed through so I will continue the order in which I moved through Sherri’s space. “The front porch is something I love,” Sherri said. “I decorate it seasonally. So next I decorate for the harvest with pumpkins and fall colours and I will change all the fabrics and the pillows and usually even the flowers and then I will change it closer to Halloween and then Christmas and then Valentine’s Day and then Easter …” Sherri trailed off laughing at that point as she saw I got the message. It’s nice to know these spaces exist here in Prince George where people would rather be outside than in, even in what people consider a winter city. I imagine even on the coldest days Sherri sits on her cozy porch cuddled up in her haven a little ways from the hustle and bustle. I dare say I suspect Sherri is truly of the faerie folk whose heart and soul is filled with wonder for the natural world that surrounds her and I am truly grateful for getting a glimpse.

RE-ELECT FOR JOBS. FOR GROWTH. FOR PG

OCTOBER 17

Authorized by Trudy Klassen

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

COMMUNITY

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

Carrier Sekani mural is an artistic mentorship opportunity Two Indigenous art students were mentored by an art collective MATTHEW HILLER Citizen Staff

A new mural in downtown Prince George has given two Northern Indigenous youth a chance to learn more about Indigenous art and culture through a mentorship program. The mural, commissioned by Carrier Sekani Family Services (CSFS), is entitled Rise Above. It spans more than 70 feet vertically and covers approximately 650 square feet. The mural represents Indigenous artwork in many styles and showcases clan animals such as grouse, beaver, frog and caribou, with blue lines representing the Nechako and Fraser rivers connecting them. The mural was created by the Raven-Tacuara artist collective, which is comprised of Northern BC artists Stephanie Anderson from Wet’suwet’en Nation, Travis Herbert, who is of Cree and Métis ancestry, Facundo Gastiazoro and Amanda Hugon. The design was created by the Raven-Tacuara collective in consultation with a CSFS Youth Advisory Council on the art concepts and cultural direction. It is located at 611 Brunswick Street, a complex that is currently under construction. The building is planned to house 45 units of affordable housing designed to meet the needs of Indigenous community members facing barriers to stable housing. Units for Elders are also planned to be offered as live-in support for younger residents when available. Besides providing more colour to downtown and representing Indigenous art and culture in the community, the mural also provided two youth with a special mentorship

CITIZEN PHOTO BY MATTHEW HILLIER

This mural, entitled Rise Above, is located at 611 Brunswick St., as seen on Monday, Sept. 21, 2026, in Prince George, BC. The mural was commissioned by Carrier Sekani Family Services.

opportunity. Young artists Bea Huscroft from Nadleh Whut’en and Dawn-star Pierre from Lake Babine Nation were given the opportunity to work alongside the Raven-Tacuara collective while the mural was being painted. Both Huscroft and Pierre are lifelong artists in their 20s who were given the opportunity to learn more about mural painting from the collective. Huscroft has won several awards and grants during her early art education. She said she saw the opportunity to apply on Facebook and wanted to improve her skills and learn from people who do it for a living. She said her style consists of stylized drawings of nature, including more abstract art. Pierre has also been drawing since she was five years old. Her style consists of freehand sketches, and she often switches between different styles. She also recently began drawing digitally after working on the mural. Pierre received support from her community to pursue the mentorship opportunity, including her grandfather signing her up and members of her band office driving

her to Prince George, where she stayed at a nearby hotel. “It was actually a great experience to talk to artists that are more experienced and more skilled,” said Pierre. “I couldn’t stop asking them questions. I just kept asking Stephanie, ‘How’d you start this? Or how’d you get into doing murals?’ And she told me she was taking a program in Paris, which is actually pretty nice because I was trying to look for a school to do after graduating to improve art, so I experienced a lot with Stephanie and the other artists.” Huscroft said learning from fulltime artists was inspiring and gave her confidence for her future as an artist. “I found it really inspiring to see people do that as a full-time job. It’s always great to see Indigenous artists make it,” said Huscroft. The two artists were tasked with painting the lower levels of the mural alongside the collective. Huscroft said this helped her gain valuable insight into how largescale murals are completed. “I learned how to do large-scale murals. I was always wondering how they did it,” said Huscroft. “They do it with projections; they design everything and then they put

it on a projector on the building and then they like chalk it out and draw the lines and stuff. It’s pretty cool.” For Pierre, working higher up on the mural made her nervous, but the experience she gained was valuable. “It was really nerve-wracking — stepping on a ladder so high up was something I don’t do. But we got used to it and got comfortable at some point. I got out of my comfort zone and was able to do that,” said Pierre. Beyond gaining practical artistic experience, both mentees shared that they learned more about different styles and Indigenous cultures from the artists’ diverse backgrounds within the collective. “I learned that there’s like a lot to learn about Indigenous art in all the different styles, but I feel like I have to go to school to like learn all of it. I barely scratched the surface level of it,” said Huscroft. Pierre also shared that seeing the different styles of the artists mesh together in the finished mural was a great learning experience. The housing project on Brunswick Street was funded by the province through BC Housing’s Indigenous Housing Fund and by Indigenous Services Canada.

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

COMMUNITY

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

Musical spirits will be high at Knox Performance Centre

NOVE VOCE PHOTO

Nove Voce, the internationally award-winning Prince George choir are presenting their Broadway and Booze event on Saturday, Oct. 10 at Knox Performance Centre. Patrons can sample spirits from BC’s Tofino Distillery while being serenaded by the choir.

Prince George all-female choir offers musical tasting adventure CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen Staff

It’s that time of year when nights get colder, there are more leaves on the ground than in the trees and we all hunker down preparing for winter. Knowing fall is the start of the entertainment season in Prince George, patrons of the arts can enjoy Nove Voce Choral Society’s Broadway and Booze event Saturday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. Nove Voce is an all-female internationally award-winning choir in Prince George, best known for the family-friendly Grinch productions that are affordable for everyone and offers a special treat the community enjoys as part of their annual holiday traditions. This second annual event is a spirit-tasting night featuring six of BC’s own Tofino Craft Distilleries organic products. This

award-winning distillery on Vancouver Island draws inspiration from its surroundings to create a full line up of organic spirits. The spirits offered will include some favourites people enjoyed at last year’s event and some new ones, too. “People will get a half ounce per sample and it’s really good liquor,” Robin Norman, Nove Voce’s choral director, said. “Tofino Distillery has just been amazing. Everything is organic. Everything is hand-crafted in BC and through this whole ‘elbows up’ thing I didn’t realize how many distilleries that we assume are Canadian are not.” Some of them are U.S.-owned companies. “So Tofino Distillery is the real deal,” Norman said. “They are truly Canadian. They make it all here. It’s all-Canadian supplied. They continue to make new products so we’ve got some of the favourites from last year. So the absinthe is back from last year because people really enjoyed that and so if you didn’t come last year there’s absinthe to taste this year

and then we’ve got, possibly my favourite, Beach Fire, which is a cinnamon liqueur. And it’s so good. I put it in eggnog last year with ginger beer and I’ve already ordered two bottles because it sold out last year. So we’ve got a sample of that for everybody.” There’s also Espresso Vodka, which has organic coffee beans grown in Coombs infusing Tofino’s liquor. “I feel so incredibly lucky that Tofino Distillery is willing to sponsor and support this event,” Norman said. All she said to them was that she was doing the event again. “And they said ‘OK, we’ll send you up some stuff’,” Norman said. During the event the format sees people tasting six different spirits with mixers provided. “So we will have ginger beer and tonic and stuff like that to go with the spirits,” Norman said. “We will give people treats and water and as they sip their delicious samples from Tofino Distillery they get a really fun night of Broadway tunes. We’re doing everything like Opening Up from Waitress by Sara Baraeilles, Seasons

of Love from Rent and of course Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Music of the Night, so it’s going to be a great mishmash of things.” One of Norman’s favourite new musicals is Something Rotten which is all about Shakespeare, she added. “And a whole number there is called A Musical,” Norman suddenly broke out into song at that moment to demonstrate the tone and by tone I mean the attitude in which it is sung. “It’s super schticky, super silly and so fun so it’s a real opportunity to sit, sample and enjoy.” The funds raised during the event go towards the non-profit’s presentation of The Grinch during the holidays. Nove Voce Choral Society hasn’t raised their prices for years and it’s important to them to keep the event affordable for everyone who wishes to attend, Norman added. Norman said it was pretty close to selling out last year and encourages everyone to get their tickets fast to avoid disappointment. Tickets are $70.56 all-in for those 19+. Tickets are available at www.eventbrite.com/o/ nove-voce-choral-society

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

COMMUNITY

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

Council of Seniors get a boost for Kindness Nook Seniors need support as grocery item prices continue to rise CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen Staff

As grocery prices continue to climb, many seniors are struggling to make ends meet on their fixed incomes, often forced to make the impossible choice between food and medication. Answering that need is the Prince George Council of Seniors who started a Kindness Nook several years ago for seniors who struggle to afford their essentials. Seniors can enter the Seniors Resource Centre, at 1330 Fifth Ave., and with dignity can access the Kindness Nook located to the left of the reception counter. Expensive items like incontinence products and nutritional drinks are some of the more popular and high-priced items that can be an either/or product for many people. Well aware of the need for donations and knowing that cash is king, the Prince George Golf & Curling Club Ladies group decided once again to donate the funds raised during their recent season-end ladies finale golf scramble tournament and asked participants to donate to a food drive while they were at it to help add to the Kindness Nook coffers. “With this tournament we raise money for a charity,” Shirley Halliday, ladies golf club president for the last five years, said. Halliday said the group is very grateful to all their sponsors who help offset the costs so they can donate to a good cause. Each group of lady golfers are asked to put together a basket of items to be part of a draw. All the ladies purchase tickets for a chance to win the item of their choice of baskets and they usually have about 15 in total and funds

CITIZEN PHOTO BY CHRISTINE DALGLEISH

Malhar Kendurkar, executive director of the Prince George Council of Seniors, right, accepts a donation, including items from a food drive, held by the ladies’ golf group at the Prince George Golf & Curling Club. Shirley Halliday, president of the club is standing beside Kendurkar, along with other members of the executive who were present for the photo.

raised during that event raised $1,645. “And then we had a chipping contest that brought in $125 and a square-draw for a putter that brought in $260,” Halliday said. “We had a 50/50 that brought in $370. We had the $20 entry fees from the golf finale that brought in $1,175 and then we had a putting contest before the tournament that brought in $190. So that’s a total of $3,765. Last year we donated to the Prince George Council of Seniors and we donated just under $3,000 and this year we will donate the $3,765 and we also did a food drive for them.” By the time I met up with ladies’ group at the Prince George Golf & Curling Club on Wednesday, Sept. 23, the executive had made the decision to top up the donation

to an even $4,000 for the donation to the Prince George Council of Seniors. Halliday said the members of the club were well aware that seniors need a hand. “We just feel that seniors are getting a little bit left out here,” Halliday said. “Everything is going up — their food and the cost of living — and they’re finding it hard to make ends meet. So last year the money went to help seniors pay for some of their bills and then we decided to do the same thing this year and decided to do the food drive on top of that.” Halliday said one of the executive members on the board got a list of food the Prince George Council of Seniors was looking for and that’s what people donated.

Malhar Kendurkar, executive director of the Prince George Council of Seniors, was on hand to receive the cheque and the food items and said he was very grateful for the donation. “The Kindness Nook in our Seniors Resource Centre is run entirely on donations,” Kendurkar said. “Donations like these — with all the good stuff we have here — is going to help a lot of seniors. Right now grocery prices are getting more and more expensive and we are seeing more and more seniors in need. Every single day seniors come to our office accessing the Kindness Nook, which is concerning. The good part is that is why we are there — to help seniors — and donations like these are a big help to the Council of Seniors.” Kendurkar said the Kindness Nook has grown exponentially over the last few years as they try to support as many seniors as they can. “There is no funding for the Kindness Nook, so donations like this are really appreciated,” Kendurkar said. In the past, seniors would come in looking for a one-time donation, but now it’s mostly people looking for items to get them through a few days or even a week, Kendurkar explained. “Now we put together bags of groceries to cover breakfast, lunch and dinner and that is exactly what this donation will go towards so we are really grateful for this. It’s just amazing.” If people wish to contribute to the Kindness Nook they can donate non-perishable items like peanut butter and beans to the Prince George Council of Seniors Resource Centre. Kendurkar said a meal replacement supplement like Boost or Ensure is always popular with seniors in need and they can never have enough of that bigticket item.

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

COMMUNITY

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

This might be the only ‘stair pond’ in the world Eighteen fish call this unusual 360-gallon tank home CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen Staff

Did you know there is a stair pond in town? Ever heard of such a thing? Like ever — in the world? Me neither. I know it’s a cliché to say this but it truly is a hidden gem. Tucked away at the end of the Books & Co. building, there is a tree-and-umbrella-covered, grey picket-fenced treasure and – because I kept my trap shut for once — I could hear it before I ever saw it. And, for me, there is nothing more serene, I soon discovered, than the sound of trickling water coming from a 360-gallon tank, which is home to about 18 fish of various shapes and sizes, including common and double-tailed goldfish. “I don’t even know how to talk about it,” Kerry Krishna, the owner, said, who prefers to use his stage name. “This is pond 2.0. The first one that was here was just a tiny little thing and it looked just as charming as this one and I will go out on a limb and say this is pretty charming.” It started with the thought of putting in a garden to take up part of the space on the wide staircase down to the entrance of his place. “And I wondered how that would work,” Kerry said. “So I started thinking about all of it and then wondered how it would be if I put some kind of pond on the staircase and that’s how I started the whole thing and I am the king of winging it and I was winging it for all of it.” The original pond had been leaking quite badly so Kerry decided to build this one in its place. This next version is reinforced with steel banding all around the top, the construction is all two by

CITIZEN PHOTO BY CHRISTINE DALGLEISH

Kerry Krishna sits in his oversized chair, a prime viewing point for his project, Stairpond 695, that sees a goldfish pond built into the staircase leading to his home.

10 treated lumber, with giant eightinch lag bolts, he added. “So this whole thing isn’t coming apart,” Kerry said. There were tons of mistakes made during the first and second build, he admitted. “And they were all expensive,” Kerry laughed. “Everything was just an enormous amount of money and it is what it is now so since this pond went up three years ago the goldfish have over-wintered successfully each year but in May of last year it started leaking. I was so incredibly disappointed that I shut the whole pond down for all of last year so what’s happening right now is about 42 days in with the water back in the pond.” Kerry, who just retired from

AiMHi after 22 years, said a guy came by to see it recently and said it was ‘a really unique hobby’. “And I was kind of offended,” Kerry laughed. “It’s so much more than that – so much more. It’s way more of an obsession. I mean this is seven years in. This is the coolest thing I’ve ever done.” He was quick to mention that he didn’t do it alone. “I had my two best friends helping me with all kinds of design stuff and without them I wouldn’t be here,” Kerry said. Kerry added they would rather remain anonymous so he wouldn’t mention them by name. He is calling his project Stairpond 695. Why 695? “So I go for a walk every night and I go down First Ave for a 3.2

kilometre walk every night and me and my buddy were looking in the big bins by the manufacturing facilities down there and there was a sign there that said 695 so I took it out and it’s in the pond right now.” And, of course, I had to look for it. “You can’t see it but it’s in there,” Kerry assured me. I will take his word for it. Kerry said he’s done some research online for curiosity’s sake. “And I have searched for seven years and there is nothing like this on the entire planet,” Kerry said and again — I believe him. “This is unique to Prince George, and as far as I can see there’s nothing on the planet like it.” To check out his new sites visit Stairpond 695 on Facebook and YouTube.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

COMMUNITY

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

Fraser River Challenge swimmers complete hazardous 30-day trek

DARCY MUENCHRATH PHOTO

Michelle Connolly of Prince George completes one of her hour-long swim segments as part of three-women team of swimmers in the Fraser River Challenge Expedition.

Expedition participants braved whirlpools, rapids, cold water and a busy highway TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

After 30 days of daily plunges into the icy water of the Fraser River for hour-long relay swims dodging the undertows of whirlpools, protruding logs and other unseen physical threats below the surface, three BC women reached the finish line of their epic Fraser River Challenge Expedition. Starting from Moose Lake near Tete Jeune Cache on Aug. 7, Michelle Connolly, Isabelle Côté and Naomi Devine completed their courageous 30-day journey late in afternoon on Sept. 4, arriving to a crowd of several

hundred supporters at Garry Point Park in Richmond, where the Fraser meets the Salish Sea. After the speeches were done and the wet suits were packed away along with their camping gear, Connolly, a 47-year-old Prince George forest disturbance ecologist and the founder of Conservation North, met up with her partner Jeff and they celebrated at his parents’ house in South Vancouver. “I ate a steak and went to bed,” said Connolly. That day brought a huge sense of relief to the three swimmers and also a new understanding of how connected they now are to a BC waterway that touches three-quarters of the province’s human population. “It’s bittersweet, I Ioved being on and in the river and getting the sense of the river as a living being

was something I never appreciated fully before,” said the 47-year-old Connolly. “It also made me appreciate our end of the Fraser River. We ended off going through the Lower Fraser, going through the Fraser Valley, Chilliwack, Abbotsford, Mission and the city, and it is so different — the noise, the floating debris, the industry that’s happening there. “We saw that major contrast. PG is in the Upper Fraser and to me it’s the best part of the entire system in terms of the integrity of the system compared to other parts of the Fraser. You appreciate this region even more than I already did.” Sparsely populated and less industrialized, the Upper Fraser brought out its friendly side and the expedition was greeted by residents who went out of their way to make the swimmers and crew feel welcomed,

putting on barbecues and inviting them to camp on their land. Several First Nations communities put on a show of support with riverside feasts and they joined them in the water with their boats. “We were drummed into the water and out of the water several days and that was a really special experience, and there’s so much wildlife,” Connolly said. One of the highlights was seeing sturgeon jumping clear out of the water in the Fraser Valley. “We saw their bodies so we knew they were sturgeon and the ones we saw were probably four feet long,” said Connolly. “One day I was followed by an armada of harbour seals near the Harrison River area. I didn’t realize they came that far up the Fraser River. We saw so much.” CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

‘Fraser Riverkeeper’ did it solo in 1995 and 2000 CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE Isabelle Côté of Port Moody, 63, and Naomi Devine of Victoria, 47, were the other two relay swimmers. The swimmers each did at least two shifts in the water every day and although there was minimal rain there were some cold and wet days early in the trip that chilled their bones. Côté was one of four Canadian women who rowed for 39 days across the Atlantic from Canary Islands to Antigua a couple years ago and won the World’s Toughest Row competition. As a former competitive swimmer she set the bar for Connolly and Devine. “Isabelle upped the ante for both of us and our endurance and fitness levels definitely improved and we were all on the same level because we all had to do our shifts,” said Connolly. “Isabelle wasn’t used to swimming in a river, she’s used to swimming in lakes and the ocean, so that was new to her. We enjoyed watching her get through some rapids and she was also skilled at going over whirlpools. They’re quite scary sometimes when you see them and I wasn’t keen on going through one, but she had a particular technique where she’s spread her arms and legs out like a starfish and kind of glide over them.” Locals they met along the way told stories of losing loved ones on the river and warned of some of the dangers that lie ahead. “The boat operators could read the water and kept us safe but there were some spots on the river where there were whirlpools and they were not avoidable,” said Connolly. “Naomi likes the chaos, too, and I really like the rapids but Isabelle was definitely the one for the whirlpools we encountered. The boils are the opposite of whirlpools with water coming up. It looks like the river is boiling, so they’re not as bad because they won’t pull you down.”

FRASER RIVERKEEPER PHOTO

Mission accomplished, the three women swimmers in the Fraser River Challenge Expedition reach the shore at Garry Point Park in Steveston, the end point of their 30-day river trip on Sept. 4, 2026.

The three women and the River Tech support crew that followed them on their relay swim aboard three inflatable rafts replicated the solo swim of Fin Donnelly, who completed his Fraser trip in 20 days on his Swim For Life fundraiser in 1995 and 2000. Known as the “Fraser Riverkeeper,” Donnelly has dedicated his life to protecting the Fraser and its tributaries from the threats it faces from declining salmon populations, fires, floods, warming water, and pollution from industrial logging operations, roadbuilding and land development. Donnelly’s knowledge of the river and the hazards it presents gave the crew valuable insight so they could direct the swimmers around the more dangerous sections. Depending on how fast the currents were, the expedition averaged between 45 and 55 kilometres

per day and they reached Prince George on Aug. 17. On their longest day they covered 60 km. The swimmers were forced to pull out of the water at Soda Creek to get around the Pear Lake fire that ravaged 166,000 hectares north of Cache Creek and they re-entered the Fraser at Yale. They plan to return next September to swim the section they were unable to complete. Justin Smith of Coquitlam wore out three pairs of runners completing a solo 1,000 kilometre walk along the highways from Tete Jeune Cache to Steveston. The purpose of the expedition was to promote public awareness, raise money and build political will to protect 30 per cent of the Fraser rivershed by 2030. The Fraser reaches 75 municipalities and 70 First Nations and directly impacts

FRASER RIVERKEEPER PHOTO

From left, Isabelle Côté, Naomi Devine and Michelle Connolly celebrate the end of the Fraser River Challenge Expedition.

three out of four British Columbians, but just 17.6 per cent of the rivershed is protected. Increasing that to 30 per cent would add 7.1 million acres, an area close in size to Vancouver Island. All money raised for the expedition will go to the Indigenous Stewardship Fund to help meet its conservation goals.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

Throwback Thursday: Week of October 8

October 10, 1967: The Prince George Okeefe Mohawks opened the 1967 season against Spokane Jets. The game was held at the Coliseum, now known as the Kopar Memorial Arena. Mohawks’ Dan Wilike and Mike Jenkins try to defend against. Citizen File Photo by Dave Looy.

October 12, 1981: Smoke continued to billow from a house on Highway 97 in the Buckhorn area while a volunteer fireman chopped through the roof. No injuries were reported. Citizen File Photo by Dave Milne.

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October 13, 1961: Viviane Cecile DuFault, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jeremie DuFault of St. Front, Sask. married Sylvester Benedict Prazma, son of Mrs. Rosia Prazma and the late Frank Prazma at Sacred Heart Church in front of their friends and family. Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Sylvester Benedict Prazma on their 65th wedding anniversary. Citizen File Photo by Craftsman Photo.

October 8, 2003: Titled ‘Daydream on Elm Street’ when featured in The Citizen. This beautiful image captured that perfect fall morning we know and love in Prince George. Citizen File Photo by Brent Braaten.

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Young recovering from season-ending injury New York manager Andy Green offers his take on Prince George native’s climb to everyday major leaguer status TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

Jared Young is home in Scottsdale, Ariz., recovering from the most serious injury of his life. It happened in the sixth inning on Thursday, Sept. 17, at Citi Field in New York, where the Mets were playing the Philadelphia Phillies. The 31-year-old New York Mets first baseman and Prince George native was severely concussed when he collided with pitcher Nolan McLean fielding a softly-hit groundball from Phillies hitter Justin Crawford. It was a 50-50 ball and McLean briefly hesitated as Young stretched out holding the bag with his foot while using his right throwing hand to try to retrieve the rolling ball. McLean resumed running and leaped to try to avoid Young but caught the side of his head with the full force of his knee. Young was knocked unconscious and fell face-first to the dirt. The violent collision brought an immediate hush in the crowd and players on both teams showed their concern as medical staff attended to Young. Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez appeared to pray as he kneeled on the field with his teammates behind first base. “It is scary to see one of our brothers, one of the most respected and loved teammates that we have here like that,” Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor said. “And then seeing another great teammate (McLean) saying, ‘Man, this is not good. I hit him with my knee.’ Somebody who played football that

NEW YORK METS PHOTO

Jared Young celebrates his home run in the first inning in a game in New York against the St. Louis Cardinals on June 11, 2026. Young finished the season with nine home runs.

knows hits.“Life is bigger than this game, for sure, and seeing him like that, not reacting and then seeing the trainer holding his neck, it’s a scary moment. You can only think about how quick life can get out of your hands.” Young gave the thumbs-up as he was carted off the field. He was taken to hospital and underwent two CT scans which revealed there was no brain bleeding and had full use of his arms and legs. He was released early that morning, still experiencing severe headaches and short-term memory loss. His wife Julia and her parents were at the game and remained with him. With only a week remaining in the schedule the Mets placed him on the injury list for the rest of the season and he and Julia returned to their home in Arizona. It was the second injury this season for Young, who tore meniscus in his left knee in mid-April and had surgery that kept him out of the lineup for six weeks. He got back into the lineup and thrived, on the field and with his bat, drawing most of the playing time at first base.

“He’s a guy that’s always happy,” Lindor said. “He’s the same person no matter what. He posts up whether he’s playing or not. He’s there. He’s consistent. He’s somebody we all respect and appreciate and have love for him. He’s been a big part of our team this whole year, probably one of the better hitters of our team. Can only imagine what he’s going through right now, his family as well.” Until his latest injury, Young has been one of the bright spots in an otherwise disappointing season for the Mets. Expected to challenge for the National League East title on a team saddled with MLB’s the second-highest payroll, the Mets were besieged with injuries in the first half and dropped out of the playoff race early. That led to the firing of manager Carlos Mendoza on June 26, replaced by interim manager Andy Green, who has since signed a three-year contract to remain as manager. Young comes from a city and a region that’s never before had a professional baseball player, let alone one who’s

making an impact at the major league level, and it’s taken him the better part of a decade to get there. After six seasons in the Chicago Cubs’ organization, the team that drafted him in the 15th round in 2017, Young signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. He split the 2024 season between the Cards’ triple team in Louisville, Ky., and the Doosan Bears in Korea. He then signed with the Mets and played 23 games for New York in 2025, this year earning a spot as one of only 24 Canadians on an opening-day MLB roster. A week for Young got hurt, The Citizen spoke to Green for an extended interview about a player he’s known since 2020, since he was the bench coach in Chicago. Young started his pro career with the Cubs when they drafted him in 2017 in the 15th round from Old Dominion University. “Nothing he’s done has surprised me, I’m one of many who have long believed if you just gave him opportunity he’d do really well with it,” said Green. “From the world’s eyes he’s been a bit of revelation for us, but for those of us who have known him, even coaches and players who were with me in Chicago, they’ve all remarked that they all expected this from Jared. “He has a love for the game, he’s a great teammate and guys love being around him. So it’s fun to see good people succeeding like this.” Early in the season it was a bit of a revolving door at first, after the Mets let Pete Alonso jump to Baltimore. They signed free agent Jorge Polanco from the Seattle Mariners to replace Alonso but that move failed to pan out when Polanco was hobbled by a heel injury. Given the chance to play, Young outperformed Mark Vientos, Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio and won the starting role. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

Prince George athlete has amazing season with Mets

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE Given playing time as an everyday starter, Young firmly established himself this season as a dangerous hitter with long-ball power. In 103 games he hit nine home runs and had 29 of his 82 hits that went for extra bases. He posted a .759 OPS, second on the team only to Juan Soto. “I’m not surprised by it, I’ve known Jared for about five or six years now when I was with him with the Cubs,” said Green. “I think he can flat out hit, I always felt that way about him, our scouts felt that way about him, so it’s unsurprising to see him have this success. I also thought he was one of the best teammates I’ve been around. “Something that jumped off the page for me that I’ve never seen another player do before, in the 2022 season we sent him down from the major leagues with one day left in the minor league season and we told him he could just go home. But he said he’d really like to go drive to Iowa and play if we’d let him and we did. Everybody else would just call it a season right there but he drove to Iowa and hit a walk-off home run to win the game.” During his eight-year stint as a minor league player, a stretch of 712 games, Young hit 98 home runs and batted .274 with an OPS of .811. He also showed his versatility, playing virtually every outfield position and several infield spots. He even pitched an inning in his first year with the Mets. “He’s incredibly resilient, he loves baseball, and I think those two things together gives you a lot of staying power in the game if you’re talented,” said Green. “He didn’t seem to get discouraged from a lot of years when he was performing well enough and likely deserved a real opportunity in the big leagues but circumstances didn’t align to give him a chance. “So it’s fun to see him get the chance that he earned probably four or five years ago and has capitalized on it because a lot of guys end up getting bitter in that sort of circumstance and

NEW YORK METS PHOTO

Jared Young runs the bases in a game against the Washington Nationals on Aug. 16, 2026 at Citi Field in New York.

they’re not ready to perform when it finally does come. He never let that happen and he deserves all the credit for that.” In 2026, Young hit .266, third-best among Mets, and led them with a .303 batting average with runners in scoring position. His .759 OPS was second on the team. Although he totaled just three stolen bases, the six-foot-two, 200-pound Young is considered an above-average base runner. “He does a fine job on the basepaths, he makes good decisions, he’s faster than most people anticipate him being since most first basemen aren’t particularly quick, but he does well and runs the bases with intent,” said Green. Young, who bats left, showed throughout his minor league career his ability to hit left-handed pitchers and this year Green wasn’t afraid to leave him in the game against a southpaw. Facing lefties he hit .228 (13-for-57) with three doubles and had one triple. All hitters have their weaknesses and for Young, especially early on in his pro career, he struggled to hit pitches high in the strike zone. “He spent a lot of time working on it trying to get better at that and then he finally realized he had amazing strengths that he should focus on more than having one weakness and he lives on those strengths really well and just tries to foul off an up pitch now,” said Green. “I think he’s accepted the fact he’s not 100 per cent perfect as a hitter but he’s really good and he’s capable of

covering a lot of the zone, so I think he’s leaned into his strengths a lot more as the years have gone by.” As consistent as Young was at the plate, his defence has also been exceptional. He made just five errors on 559 total chances at first base. Throughout his minor league career he made just 38 errors in 3,130 chances. “He’s always locked in,” said Green. “You never have to worry about him being focused out there and he’s locked into every play and takes a lot of pride in helping out his pitchers and picking balls at first base and picking up the other infielders. He does those things all really well.” Young has a great sense of humour and he’s popular in the clubhouse. “He’s upbeat, he’s got great energy and guys enjoy having him around,” said Green. “He’s the kind of guy that picks up teammates, he’s not finding faults with everybody around him. He’s a guy that I think everybody lights

up when they see him in the room.” New York is the centre of the baseball universe, with the Mets and Yankees to choose from, and an intense media spotlight that never sleeps. Fans can be brutal in their assessment of the players and are not afraid to let them know if they love ‘em or hate ‘em, but Young has developed a thick hide and has gotten used to being under the microscope. “I think if you’re constantly focused on what everybody in the world’s saying about you, you tend to struggle in big markets,” said Green. “If you’re much more driven by just being excellent in everything you do then you’re wired well to succeed in a market like New York. “I think Jared definitely is the latter there. He’s more concerned about being great at what he does and winning with his team than what is being said about him by people in the world.”

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PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

Inner City Boxing fighters earn provincial crowns Prince George athletes excel at BC tournaments INNER CITY BOXING PG

Thunder Innis, provincial champion. Melissa O’Flynn, provincial champion. Josh Greenwood, provincial bronze-medalist. Adam Young and Canaan Woodrow, B.C. Bronze Gloves champions. And Kenny Lally and Jag Seehra, Boxing B.C. coaches of the year. For Inner City Boxing PG, that’s the shining list of accomplishments from one of the most important events on the club’s 2026 competition schedule. It all happened last weekend at the Landing Sports Centre in Chilliwack. “It’s incredible,” Lally said. “We’ve had a hard, hard year but we kept training, kept the spirits up. It’s just the way it goes. You’re not going to win them all but you must be persistent in your pursuit.” At the combined provincial and B.C. Bronze Gloves championships, Inner City boxers punched to eight wins and just one loss. For his provincial title, the 17-year-old Innis scored a unanimous decision against Damian Lepsis of Cranbrook in the 80-kg elite division. Innis stepped into the ring fresh off a week of learning and development at a Boxing Canada camp in Montreal, and was pretty much flawless on his way to the victory. “Thunder put on a hell of a performance,” Lally said. “He absolutely dictated the fight for three rounds, showed why he was selected to go to that national training camp for sure.” Innis already holds several titles in his young career, but this is his first provincial championship. “It was so cool,” he said with a grin. “It was pretty much domination from start to finish.”

SUBMITTED PHOTO

From left, Canaan Woodrow, Melissa O’Flynn, Thunder Innis, Adam Young and Josh Greenwood display their medals from the Boxing BC provincial and BC Bronze Gloves championships, held in Chilliwack, Sept. 25-27, 2026.

After Innis’s provincial gold, O’Flynn followed up with her own. In her title fight, she took on Camille Walker of Kelowna in a rematch from last year. Walker got the decision from the judges in 2025, but O’Flynn was not about to be denied this time around. “She was nailing this girl with her right hand – don’t get me wrong, Melissa was getting hit too, but in the way that amateur boxing is scored, the first thing judges are looking for is quality shots, shots that are landing better, and you could hear the ‘thud’ of Melissa’s right hand,” Lally said. Leading up to the fight, the 31-year-old O’Flynn put in a lot of training time with original Inner City coach Bob Pegues, who now lives in Quebec, but has been on a stopover in Prince George since late August. “We give lots of credit to Bob,” Lally said. “Bob’s been working with Melissa for about a month-and-ahalf now, tightening her technique up, and we had a game plan and she stuck to it.” O’Flynn lives in Quesnel and makes the drive to Prince George

multiple times each week with her two young sons so she can train. “Now she’s a provincial champion and it’s such a great feeling that we were able to help her get that,” Lally said. Also on the provincial card, the 19-year-old Greenwood took bronze in the 70-kg elite category after a win in his first fight and a loss in his second. Greenwood opened with a unanimous decision against Kashtin Charlie of Burns Lake, and that landed him in a semifinal bout against defending B.C. champion Torin Edmonds of Nelson. Greenwood gave Edmonds a battle but didn’t get the result he wanted. “You know your fighter’s ability, for sure, and I knew that we were in tough, but Josh surprised not just me, but everybody, with his performance,” Lally said. “He’s a kid with 15 fights, and he was right there with a provincial champion. It’s experience – Torin’s got different moves, different weapons. He’s had international experience as well, and we are so proud of Josh, our captain. He got a bronze medal for

us.” In the B.C. Bronze Gloves bracket, both the 15-year-old Young (66-70kg junior C) and 18-year-old Woodrow (55-60kg youth) were unstoppable. Young won three fights and Woodrow two on the way to their titles. “We’ve been working with Adam and we believed that he was ready, and holy man was he ever,” Lally said. “He won a split decision in the quarterfinals, won a unanimous decision in the semis and then won another split decision in the final. It was amazing work. He needed to have belief in himself, what he’s actually capable of. And finally he found the belief in that first fight and he just kept going.” Woodrow, meanwhile, was a pure beast in both of his victories. “Canaan just dogged his guy in the final,” Lally said. “It was just relentless pressure. We’re super proud of him.” For Inner City, the whole weekend was capped off by the coaches of the year recognition for Lally and Seehra. “It was an amazing moment for Jag and I,” said Lally, who grew up side-by-side with Seehra during their careers as two of the top amateur boxers in B.C. and Canada. “They’ve never done two people as coach of the year, and that was one of the most emotional parts for me — after all these years, they get that we are together. “At all times, Jag and I are a unit. And we made it very clear when we re-opened Inner City that we didn’t want ‘Kenny’ fighters and ‘Jag’ fighters. We wanted to work with this group collectively, as a team, as a family. To get recognized was a true honour.” Next up for Inner City is the much-anticipated Night of the Wardogs 2, a hometown fight card set for Oct. 17 at the Roll-A-Dome. Tickets are available online through the Inner City Boxing PG website or Facebook page.

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

SPORTS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

Spruce Kings continue their winning ways Kodiaks drop

final game of BCFC season

KYLE ANDERSON Spruce Kings

The Prince George Spruce Kings won their fourth consecutive game Sunday afternoon, defeating the Cowichan Valley Capitals 6-4 at Kopar Memorial Arena. The Kings started hot in the opening period as Ryan Wachtel scored in his sixth straight game to open the scoring at 4:21, with assists from Charlie Spencer and Cooper Faughnan. Faughnan scored a highlight-reel goal at 9:18 on the power play. He toedragged in the middle, kicked the puck to his stick and then beat Evan Maillet to the glove side to make it 2-0. After the media timeout, it was a different Cowichan Valley Capitals team as they scored twice. The first came on the power play from Bryce Bryant, followed just 1:15 later by Ludovik Gauvin, who drove to the net after a Loik Leduc breakaway and put the loose puck home. Prince George capitalized again on the power play 1:26 into the middle stanza, as Dominic Szczygiel put home the rebound in front off a Trent Gates shot from the right side. Faughnan picked up the second assist. The Capitals responded at 4:31 as Andrew Cowgill’s shot went off the shoulder of Kings goalie Ryder Green and popped into the air. It landed behind him and crossed the line to

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

CITIZEN PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

Spruce Kings centre Adam Crosby’s (11) shot beats Capitals goalie Evan Maillet making it 5-4 in the third at Kopar Memorial Arena Saturday, Oct. 4.

make it 3-3. Gauvin scored his second of the night by going to the net again, as Kayden Turner was able to push the puck back to him to give the Capitals the lead. With 1:28 to go in the period, Noah Franzina found Gates, who beat Caps goalie Maillet to tie the game heading into the intermission. In the third, Adam Crosby was rewarded with his first BCHL goal. His initial shot was stopped, but he threw the rebound back on goal, and it bounced off Maillet and in. That would stand as the eventual game-winner.

Nick Bianchi added an empty-netter to finish off the scoring. The Spruce Kings improved to 5-1 and took over top spot in the BCHL Coastal East Division, two points ahead of Chilliwack and Coquitlam. They’ll head to Nisku, Alta., for the BCHL Showcase next weekend. The Kings will face the Trail Smoke Eaters on Sunday, Oct. 11, at 6 p.m. PT, before another matchup with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks on Monday, Oct. 12, at noon PT. Catch the action on FloHockey and www.mixlr.com/sprucekings.

Cougars beat Brandon to snap losing streak TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

After losing three of their first four games to start the season, the Prince George Cougars knew they had to be better at all positions to end their slide. The team reset started with a good week of practice and continued in Friday’s game against the Brandon Wheat Kings. Backed by the sharp netminding of Peyton Shore, who made 23 saves, a

two-goal outing from Aiden Foster, and a team commitment to playing in-yourface defence, the Cougars got what they were after in a 3-1 victory. Shore, an 18-year-old from Winnipeg acquired in a trade from Red Deer just before the season started, was coming off a pair of relief appearances on the road that both ended in losses after allowing five goals in a losing effort in his first start with the Cougars Sept. 19 against Penticton. Shore was at his best eight minutes

into the second period when he was working with a 1-0 lead and Brandon right winger Joby Baumuller broke on 2-on-1 and fired a hard low shot that Shore somehow stopped with his pad. After giving up a few too many chances in the second period and a few puck giveaways in the neutral zone, the Cougars buckled down in the third period and offered very little for the Wheat Kings. A pair of third-period goals sealed their fate.

The Prince George Kodiaks finished off their fifth season in the BC Football Conference with a 41-17 loss in Chilliwack to the Valley Huskers on Saturday, Oct. 3. Grady Andrea and Brady MacDonald each rushed for a pair of touchdowns and quarterback Grayson Cracknel completed 23 of 32 passes for 285 yards and two touchdowns. The win left the Huskers and Kodiaks tied with identical 3-7 records and both teams will miss the playoffs. Valley ended up fifth, one spot ahead of Prince George, based on head-to-head results. The Huskers led 20-0 at halftime and put up three more touchdowns in the third quarter to go ahead 41-9 lead heading into the final 15 minutes. Kodiaks quarterback Toby Plett, the BCFC’s offensive player of the week in Week 10, went 17-for-29 with 193 yards passing and was held without a touchdown with three interceptions. Prince George running back Gavin Halvorson was stopped just shy of the 100-yard mark. He gained 98 yards on eight carries and scored two touchdowns. Nik Ramirez paced the Kodiaks’ air attack with 60 yards in pass receiving on four catches, while Andrew Brown totalled 57 yards on five catches. Brown also was the go-to guy fielding kickoff returns and totaled 152 yards in six returns. Sawyer Sonsteby, with six tackles, and Jaden Craig, with four, were standouts on defence for Prince George. Dillon Piddocke had one interception he ran back two yards. In other BCFC results Saturday, the Langley Rams (9-1) solidified their firstplace standing with a 79-0 hammering of the Kamloops Broncos (0-10) in Langley, while the Westshore Rebels (7-3) defeated the Vancouver Island Raiders 28-21 in Langford.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

ACROSS 1 Use a squeegee 5 ACLU concerns 8 Oodles 12 Valhalla VIP 13 -- Jima 14 Slightly 15 Reveals by accident 17 California valley 18 LAX and JFK

overseer 19 Bad spell 20 Playful sea critter 21 Young bloke 22 Used to be 23 Skewered Thai recipe 26 Beach robes 30 Four Corners st. 31 Gearwheel tooth

32 Barrett or Jaffe 33 Pond floater 35 Unclothed 36 Long lunch? 37 Tier 38 Teapot feature 41 Binge 42 Hiatus 45 Galley gear 46 Legendary gossip

columnist 48 Vicinity 49 Soul, to Sartre 50 Eager 51 Drudge 52 PX patrons 53 Trawler gear

DOWN 1 Wild canine 2 Concept 3 Pocket bread 4 Em halves 5 Ticked off 6 Candy sold in twos 7 Soak (up) 8 Breaking point

9 Final notice 10 Clock reading 11 Swizzle 16 Horse-drawn carriage 20 Klutz 21 Revolving tray 22 Witty one 23 Bando of baseball 24 “Exodus” hero

25 Up to 26 Massachusetts cape 27 Fine, to NASA 28 Compass dir. 29 Blue 31 Taxi 34 Impose 35 Eggy drinks 37 Demolishes

38 Daytime drama 39 Rid of rind 40 Sweet sandwich 41 Rock’s Hendrix 42 Donate 43 Bickering 44 Profs’ degrees 46 Trail the pack 47 “Sheesh!”

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PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

Life Events Matthew Sonny Norberg

January 15, 2005 - September 8, 2026

Peter Dasilva Memoriam It is with profound sadness that the family announce the passing of Matthew Sonny Norberg on September 8, 2026. Matthew (Matty) leaves to mourn his brother Hayden Norberg, mother Anna Fisher, father Aaron Norberg, step-dad Grant Dakus, stepmom Kristi Norberg, and sister Piper Norberg, step siblings Juliya (Josiah) Wickens, Cole (Kayla) Dakus, Troy (Kassie) Dakus, grandparents Bill Fisher and Colleen Fisher, Merja Fisher and Rick Naud, numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews, as well as so many amazing friends who were like family. Matthew is predeceased by his grandfather Wayne Norberg, grandparents Holly and David Kendell and great-grandfather Arnold (Sonny) Norberg. Matty was born in Prince George on January 15, 2005 to Anna Fisher and Aaron Norberg. He graduated from College Heights Secondary School in June 2023. Following high school Matty joined the BC Wildfire Service where he committed himself for three seasons to fighting fires and saving the precious land that he loved so much. Always looking for the next adventure, this summer Matty was working in the Yukon where he was prospecting for gold. While Matty’s life was short, it was well lived. He loved being in nature, fishing, hunting, snowmobiling and snowboarding but most of all breaking out in original dances, making funny faces, and making people laugh. Matty had a wonderful heart and loved his family with every

piece of it. He shared a profound and inseparable bond with his brother Hayden and were each other’s fiercest protectors and truest friends. One of Matty’s early passions was football. He played in the Prince George Minor Football Association from 2014 until high school where he played for the College Heights Cougars. The friendships that he formed with his teammates and coaching staff over the years were more than friendships. The bonds he formed on the gridiron grew into a lifelong brotherhood. He approached those friendships the same way he played the game – with unwavering loyalty and a full heart. Matty will always be remembered for his bright blue eyes, beautiful smile, his wonderful sense of humour, his free and loving spirit, and his love of life. He brought immeasurable joy to all who were blessed to know him, and his memory will forever remain in their hearts. He will be missed beyond words. A celebration of life to honour and celebrate Matthew’s spirit and love will be held on November 1, 2026 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm at the Blackburn Community Hall, 2451 Blackburn Rd. S. My sweet Matty, I will carry you with me everywhere. I’ll see you in every sunset and the brightest star in the sky, I’ll feel you in every warm breeze and in the crisp winter air. Until we’re together again, sweet dreams my angel. I am forever grateful to be your Momma xoxo

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April 24 1962 - October 10 2024 Though two years have gone by and you are no longer physically with us. Decades of memories in love, strength and kindness continue to inspire us every single day. Joyce & family Inurnment - Memorial Park Mausoleum

Origene “Gene” Ouellet April 7, 1931 to Sept 28, 2026 Predeceased by his parents, 7 of his siblings and 1 grandchild. Survived by his children, Luc Ouellet (Karen), Irene Lear (Chris), Jeannine Culham (Duane), Magloire Ouellet (Kim), Ernest Ouellet (Shawn), Leanne Ouellet, Levio Ouellet (Judy) Marc Ouellet (Allison), Remi Ouellet (Tessa), Paul Ouellet (Anna), and Guy Ouellet (Katie), sisters, Solange Ouellet, Lisette Ouellet (Patrick), Violette Ouellet, Jean-Mance Ouellet (Jean), 60 grandchildren and great grandchildren, as well as numerous other relations. He will be sadly missed by his family and friends. A big thank-you to the health care workers at the Prince Rupert Hospital and the Prince George Hospice House. Details of a Celebration of Life to be announced when confirmed by his family.

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PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

LIFE EVENTS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

Julien Côté October 14, 1956 - September 26, 2026 Julien Côté age 69 of Prince George, British Columbia passed away on September 26, 2026 at the Simon Fraser lodge in Prince George. Julien was born in St-Clement Quebec, he will be remembered by two brothers, Daniel and George and five sister, Germaine, Gisèle, Lucille, Denise et Johanne. I want to thank all the staff at the Simon Fraser Lodge for caring for my brother for the last few years and all the doctors and nurses involved at the University Hospital of Northern British Columbia in Prince George. Rest in peace little brother....

Joseph “George” Moyan

August 3, 1950 - September 6, 2026 He was born in Paradise Hill, Saskatchewan on August 3, 1950 and passed away on September 6, 2026 in Prince George, BC. George is survived by his loving wife Brenda Moyan; sons Virgil Moyan and Shawn Fors (Dianna); grandchildren Jocelyn Fors, Lucas Moyan and Logan Moyan; sisters Darlene Swiderski, Marlene Settee (George) Baba and numerous other relatives and friends; too many to mention. Predeceased by his grandfather Jean Baptiste Lagimodiere; grandmother Caroline Lagimodiere; mother Rose Anne Pinkerton; father William Moyan; step father Robert Pinkerton; sisters Josephine Moyan and Agnes Kaska; brothers Lawrence Moyan, John Moyan, Charlie Moyan and Gary Pinkerton; niece Willow Moyan and many nieces; nephews John Moyan Junior(Agnes), Rick Moyan (Lorraine) and cousins. George fought a hard battle with cancer and is now at peace. There will be a Celebration of Life at a later date.

Leila Alina Branisel June 24, 1935- September 18, 2026 It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved mother, Leila Branisel, age 91. She passed away peacefully, surrounded by family and friends, at UHNBC in Prince George, September 18, 2026. Born in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, in 1935, she was the only child of Finnish immigrants. In 1965 she married her husband, John, and they built a life and a loving family in BC. Leila was a woman of sharp intellect and gentle warmth, known for her love of reading, music and animals. Her independent spirit, kindness, and appreciation for life’s daily joys will be deeply missed. Leila is survived by her loving children, Byron and Holly (Doug Hofstede); five grandchildren, Kristyn (Matt Egan), Megan, Jakob (Emily Botham), Ethan, and Finn; her sister-in-law, Sylvia Stark; her nephews, David and John Henry; and Finnish nieces, Leena and Marja. She leaves behind amazing friends and neighbors who brought immense joy, and companionship to her life. She was reunited in peace with those who predeceased her: beloved husband, John; daughter-in-law, Cheryl; parents, Einar and Tekla Arffman; brother-in-law, John; and nieces, Paula and Susan. A celebration of life will be held at Trinity United Church on November 14, 10:00 am.

Honouring

those who have touched our lives email: frontdesk@pgcitizen.ca or call 250.562.2441

David Michael Alexander Bacon BACON, David Michael Alexander, beloved brother, uncle, great-uncle and friend, passed away peacefully on September 9, 2026 in Victoria, BC. David was predeceased by his parents George and Daisy, and by his siblings John, Joan, Tiny, Lilian, Heather and George. He will be greatly missed by sister Jordan (Nick), nephews Bob, Jason (Jennifer), and Jeff (Richenda), nieces Jennifer (David) and Kristal (Daron), and greatnieces and great-nephews. Dave was a self-reliant spirit with great compassion toward others; he was always involved with unhoused people, wherever he lived, and often informally visited with them, bringing breakfast and coffee. Dave loved his independence, sports, music and, above all, his family and friends, and offered friendship, enthusiasm and companionship. Thanks to First Memorial and thanks especially to the doctors and staff of the Campbell River Hospital and the Royal Jubilee Hospital for their care of Dave. A private memorial will be held at a later date.

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PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

* On Oct. 19, 1216, England’s King John• (younger to American Richard On Sept. 7,brother 1776, the thesubmersible Lionhearted) dysentery craft died Turtleofattempted to at Newark Castle a civil war attach a time bombduring to the hull of Britwith barons andHowe’s was succeeded ishhis Admiral Richard flagship, by Eagle, his 9-year-old son, Henrymarking III, just in New York Harbor, over week later. The boy was theafirst use of a submarine in warfare. crowned with a simple golden band • On Sept. 8, 1664, Dutch Governor Peter Stuyvesant surrendered New Amsterdam, the capital of New Netherland, to an English naval squadron under Colonel Richard Nicolls. Stuyvesant hoped to resist the English but wasn’t a popular ruler, and his ARIES (March 21 totheir April 19) AnNew subjects refused support. upcoming trip could some to Amsterdam’s namecreate was changed problems with your schedule, unless you New York in honor of the Duke of tie up as many loose ends as possible York, who organized its capture. before you head out the door. Ask a • On 9, 1939, friend or Sept. colleague tomoviegoers help you. at the Fox Theater in Riverside, California, were treated unexpected TAURUS (Aprilto20anto May 20) screenBeing eager start a new project is fine. ingto of Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone with However, moving the Wind,” shownahead by the without theater manknowing willfeature actually beproducexpected ager aswhat a second while of you couldO. cause a problem er David Selznick observeddown their the line.reactions Ask some fromquestions. the back of the theater. The movie was released a few months GEMINI later. (May 21 to June 20) Getting through some recent challenges in good Sept.give 10, 1960, Don-of shape• On might you aHurricane false sense na struck the Florida Keys guard. as a Categosecurity. Don’t relax your You ry to 4 storm. The devastating hurricane need be prepared for what else could ultimately killed more than 350 people happen. along its full path, including more than 150 in Puerto Rico and the mainland United States, and the name “Donna” was later retired. • On Sept. 11, 1971, teen idol Donny Osmond earned his first solo No. 1 hit with “Go Away Little Girl.” For years afterward, the singer admitted he would “apologize for my career, for all of the cheesy music I was a part of,” but eventually came to terms with it and said to himself that the music “was great for what it was, people loved it, it was incredibly successful — why should I feel bad?” • On Sept. 12, 1952, residents of Flatwoods, West Virginia, while investigating a possible UFO crash, encountered a creature they described as 10 feet tall with glowing eyes and claw-like hands. Skeptics, however, dismissed their “monster” as likely an owl. • On Sept. 13, 2007, the United Nations adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which defined the rights of Indigenous peoples to their respective ways of life and prohibited discrimination against

belonging to his mother because the royal crown had been lost. * On Oct. 20, 1910, the corkcentered baseball, invented and patented by Benjamin F. Shibe, executive director and part owner of the Philadelphia Athletics, made its debut in the World Series between the Athletics and the Chicago Cubs. * On Oct. 21, 1867, the Medicine Lodge Treaty was signed. Consisting of three treaties following talks attended by more than 5,000 prominent chiefs and warriors near Medicine Lodge, Kansas, its aim was

to bring peace by relocating Native Americans to reservations in Indian Territory. * On Oct. 22, 2018, actress Selma Blair revealed that she’d been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. In her book “Mean Baby: A Memoir of Growing Up,” Blair recounted how the announcement by doctors, after years of incorrectly attributed symptoms, “felt like giving birth” and gave her an overwhelming sense of relief. * On Oct. 23, 1947, Gerty and Carl Cori became the first spouses to win a joint Nobel Prize in Physiology

or Medicine, for their discovery of how the body breaks down, builds up and stores glycogen as an energy source. * On Oct. 24, 1901, her 63rd birthday, widowed American schoolteacher Annie Edson Taylor became the first person to survive a plunge over Niagara Falls in a barrel, accompanied by her lucky heartshaped pillow. Sadly, while she wrote a memoir and briefly earned money talking about her experience, she ended up dying penniless and in poor health at age 82.

CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Caution is still advised, even though you think you’re as prepared as you need to be. Keep in mind that change is in your aspect, and you should expect the unexpected.

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Getting good legal advice on what your rights actually are is the first step toward resolving a pesky problem so that it doesn’t reemerge at a later date. Good luck!

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Change is an important factor in your aspect this week and could affect something that you might have thought was immune to any sort of adjustment or “alteration.”

LEO (July 23 to August 22) The Lion’s gift of persuasion helps you get your points across, even to some of your most-negative naysayers in the workplace. Meanwhile, an old friend might seek you out for some advice.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Longtime relationships work well this week, whether they’re personal or professional. It’s also a good time to invite new friends and colleagues into your life.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Being asked to share someone’s deeply personal confidence might be flattering, but accepting could be unwise. Decline gracefully but firmly.

VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Being sure of your convictions is fine, but leave some room for dissenting opinions. You might learn something that could help you avoid a possible problem later on.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) This is a good week to conduct research and uncover compelling facts that can back you up on your new venture when you most need it.

PISCES (February 19 to March 20) As wise as you are, you could still be misled by someone who seems to be sincere but might not be. Take more time to assess the situation before making any commitments.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

Homes & Living 44

Preparing Your House for Winter As the days grow shorter and temperatures begin to drop, it is time to prepare your home for the challenges of winter. Cold temperatures, snow, ice and strong winds can put extra stress on a house, while a little preparation can help prevent costly repairs and keep your home comfortable and energy efficient throughout the season. Start with the heating system Your heating system is one of the most important parts of your home during winter. Before the first major cold snap, have your furnace or heating system inspected and serviced if necessary. A professional inspection can identify problems before they become an emergency. Replace or clean furnace filters according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. A dirty filter can restrict airflow and make the system work harder. If you use a fireplace or wood stove, have the chimney inspected

and cleaned when needed. Creosote buildup can increase the risk of a chimney fire. Make sure heating vents and radiators are not blocked by furniture, curtains or other objects. Test your thermostat and consider upgrading to a programmable or smart thermostat if your current model is outdated. Check doors and windows Drafts around doors and windows can allow warm air to escape and cold air to enter. Walk around your home and check for noticeable drafts, particularly around window frames, exterior doors and other openings. Replace worn weatherstripping and damaged caulking. Check the condition of window seals and make repairs where necessary. If you have older windows, interior insulating film or thermal curtains can provide an additional barrier against cold temperatures.

Don’t forget the garage door. A poorly sealed garage can allow cold air into an attached garage and affect temperatures inside the home. Protect your plumbing Frozen pipes can cause significant water damage, so plumbing should be part of every winter preparation checklist. Insulate exposed water pipes in unheated areas such as garages, crawl spaces and basements. Disconnect and drain outdoor hoses before freezing weather arrives. Shut off outdoor water connections where appropriate and make sure exterior faucets are protected. If you plan to be away from home during the winter, take precautions to prevent pipes from freezing. Keep the heat on and consider asking someone to check the property regularly. Know where your main water shut-off valve is located so you can act quickly if a pipe does burst.

Clean the gutters and downspouts Fall leaves and other debris can accumulate in gutters, preventing water from draining properly. Before winter weather arrives, clean gutters and make sure downspouts are securely attached and directing water away from the foundation. Clogged gutters can contribute to ice buildup and water entering areas where it does not belong. Check that downspouts extend far enough away from the house to prevent water from collecting near the foundation. While you are outside, inspect the roof for damaged, loose or missing shingles. Look for signs of deterioration around vents, chimneys and flashing. If you notice a problem, arrange for repairs before heavy snow arrives.

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

Continued from previous page Prepare for snow and ice Make sure you have the equipment needed to deal with winter weather before you need it. Check your snow shovel, roof rake, ice scraper and other snow-removal equipment. If you use a snowblower, test it, inspect the belts and controls, and make sure it is ready to operate. Keep walkways, stairs and entrances clear of clutter so they can be safely cleared of snow and ice. Consider installing non-slip mats at entrances and make sure outdoor lighting is working properly. Shorter days mean people are more likely to be walking around the property in darkness. Use ice-melting products carefully and according to their instructions. Some products can damage concrete, plants or other surfaces. Inspect the exterior Walk around your home and look for potential problems before winter arrives. Check siding, trim, exterior doors and other areas for damage. Repair cracks or openings that could allow moisture or cold air to enter. Trim branches that are dead, damaged or hanging over the house, where appropriate. Heavy snow and ice can add

considerable weight to branches, increasing the possibility that they could break and damage a roof, vehicle or power line. Secure outdoor furniture and other lightweight items. Store seasonal equipment that could be damaged by snow and freezing temperatures. Check safety equipment Winter is an important time to make sure smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working properly. Test every detector and replace batteries when needed. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for replacing older units. Because homes are often closed up more tightly during cold weather, proper ventilation and carbon monoxide protection are particularly important when using fuelburning appliances. Keep a fire extinguisher in an accessible location and make sure everyone in the household knows where it is. Review your family’s emergency plan and make sure important phone numbers are readily available. Improve energy efficiency Winter preparation is also an opportunity to make your home more energy efficient. Check your attic insulation and look for areas where additional insulation may be needed. Seal gaps around pipes, vents

and other openings where warm air could escape. Close curtains or blinds at night to help retain heat, while opening them during sunny winter days can allow natural sunlight to warm rooms. Ceiling fans can also be useful: when operated in reverse at a low speed, they can help circulate warm air that has risen toward the ceiling. Be ready for winter emergencies Even a well-prepared home can experience a power outage, extreme storm or other emergency. Keep flashlights, batteries, blankets, bottled water and basic emergency supplies somewhere easy to reach. If you rely on a sump pump, consider having a backup power source available. Make sure your vehicle is also prepared for winter, particularly if it is needed for work or emergencies. Preparing your house for winter does not have to be overwhelming. By working through the home one area at a time, you can identify problems early and make necessary repairs before severe weather arrives. A few hours of preparation now can help protect your property, reduce energy waste and make the winter months safer and more comfortable for everyone in your household.

Property & Strata Management

Aspire Realty

1625 – 4th Ave Prince George • 9-5 Monday to Friday

Call to obtain an application and book and appointment to view. 250-596-8150 ext.0

rlpaspirepropertymanagement.ca or email rlpaspireapply@gmail.com for more info Utilities Included

1800 Upland St. $1,600 2 BED – 1BATH $1,300 1 BED – 1BATH $2,300 3 BED – 2.5 BATH $3,600 4 BED – 3.5 BATH

3965 2nd Ave Unit B $1300/m 2 BED - 1 BATH 5 - 2212 Redwood unit B $1200 plus BC Hydro 2 BED – 1 BATH 4127 Nordic Dr $1750 plus utilities - pet friendly

Each office individually owned and operated

111- 2938 Hopkins $1,915.00 plus BC hydro 2 BED – 2 BATH

227 Gillett $1200 2 bed - 1 bath

1661 4th Ave $ 2600.00 utlites incl. w/garage 4 BED - 1 BATH

206 -2478 Upland St. $1200 1 Bed - 1 Bath

224 - 3033 Ospika Blvd $1650 plus hydro 2 BED – 2 BATH

701 Ahbau St (½ Duplex) $1800 Plus utilities 2beds - 1 bath

105- 506 Gillett St Unit 105 $2100 with GARAGE 2 BED - 2.5 BATH

7009 Irene Road (Ground Level) $1300 Unit A 1 Bed - 1Bath

107 – 2938 Hopkins $1915 plus BC Hydro 2 BED – 2 BATH

7452 Irene Road $2400 3 Beds - 2 Baths

1317 Porter Unit A $1800 3 Beds - 1.5 Baths

102-4144 15th $1100 plus Hydro 1 Bed - 1 Bath

We have office’s covering areas in Quesnel, Terrace, Burns Lake, Valemount, McBride, Chetwynd and Dawson Creek

*No extra costs, No upfront fees - Full Service MLS Listing at just 1.95% of sale price if Buyer unrepresented OR represented by Listing Realtor Subject to Minimum of $6,495 OR 2.95% if buyer represented by another Realtor subject to minimum of $7,495.

Grace Purdey Realtor® 250-612-2238

Amit Luthra Realtor® 250-981-9090

MLS# R3161131

MLS# R3151740

G NDIN

D SOL UST G U IN A

7729 EMERALD DR. $139,900

D SOL MBER E T P IN SE

106-3777 MASSEY DR., $179,900

#206-2217 REGENTS CRES., $209,900

2263 NORWOOD ST. $199,900

2066 ROSS CRES., $260,000

MLS# R3160774

MLS# R3169645

MLS# R3170321

MLS# R3136908

MLS# R3137994

2944 MEYER RD. $309,900

838 DOUGLAS ST., $339,900

MLS# R3156720

MLS# R3120837

1753 KENWOOD ST., $419,900 MLS# R3170753

2864 CALHOUN CRES., $624,900 MLS# R3160279

2697 ABBOTT CRES., $455,900 MLS# R3116319

7843 ROCHESTER CRES., $364,900 MLS# R3163777

MLS# R3164576

MLS# R3147042

FOR SALE

D SOL UST G U IN A 2328-2330 OAK ST., $389,900

MLS# R3138548

204-467 TABOR BLVD $459,900

5559 HEYER RD., $529,900

MLS# R3167231

MLS# R3123294

38 RESIDENTIAL LOTS STARTING AT $250,000 $200,000

D SOL T GUS U A N

288 S NICHOLSON ST., $399,900

PRE-REGISTER AT www.TynerRidgeEstates.ca

MLS# R3165851

1716 SHADY VALLEY RD., $584,900 MLS# R3138631

SOLD SOLD

MLS# R3149547

9122 REYNOLDS RD., $649,900 MLS# R3164410

7491 SOUTHRIDGE AVE $659,000 MLS# R3128318

2870 GREENFOREST CRES. $680,000 MLS# R3157274

SOLD

SOLD SOLD

SOLD

SOLD SOLD SOLD

1684 10TH AVE., $649,900

SOLD SOLD

SOLD

MLS# R3145052

Linda Stacey Property Manager 250-562-6228

Joy Paul Realtor® 778-681-8474

SOLD

Zaviery Dodd Realtor® 250-649-8097

SOLD

Matt Petkau Realtor® 250-617-8179

SOLD

Mike Hurrell Realtor® P.R.E.C. Managing Broker 250-981-3100 10 yrs MLS Sales Award Winner 2007, 2009-2022

out .95% FULL SERVICE MLS LISTING* Check full listing SERVICE information FREE FULL AT A at MARKET FAIR PRICE MaxSave.ca EVALUATION

SOLD

250-562-6228

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

SOLD

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

SOLD

LOTS START AT $230,000 WITH VIEW AND GREENBELT LOTS AVAILABLE.. AVAILABLE. LOTS FOR SALE 2746 PINE ST., $39,900 - MLS R3140749 LOT 2 COLUMBIA RD - 4.15 AC $379,900 - MLS R3152769 LOT 28 5314 HEADLANDS HTS., $339,900 - MLS R3119081

4605 GANNETT RD $759,000

7614 ST. ANDREW CRT,. $799,900

6281 N. NECHAKO RD. $849,900

5101 HEADLAND HGTS $889,900

7756 N. NECHAKO RD. $899,900

Lot 6, WESTERN PROPERTIES $219,900 - MLS R2837586 Lot 9, WESTERN PROPERTIES $219,900 - MLSR2837613

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

BID NOW!

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

NEXT WEAVER AUCTION:

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

THURSday, OCTOBER 22

2 of 3 — 2025 John Deere 624 P-Tier Wheel Loaders

WeaverAuctions.com

Assets located at the Weaver Auction Site in Rycroft, AB & Prince George, BC.

2022 John Deere 872GP AWD Motor Grader

2016 Cat 140M AWD Motor Grader

2011 John Deere 772G Motor Grader

Have questions? Speak with one of our Representatives today!

2 — 2023 Kenworth T880 T/A Sleeper Truck Tractors

LORNE: (250) 219-0871 EVAN: (250) 219-4539

JOEL: (780) 864-5722 GENE: (250) 719-5579

ARTURS: (250) 219-8705 JARED: (250) 613-7624

2020 Kenworth T800 Tri/A Sleeper Truck Tractor

2016 Kenworth W900 Tri/A Sleeper Truck Tractor

2011 Kenworth T800 T/A Sleeper Truck Tractor

1998 Cat D8R Crawler Dozer

2009 JOHN 7430 2018 CatDEERE D6T LGP PREMIUM CrawlerMFWD Dozer TRACTOR (GPS)

2013 John Deere 850K LGP Crawler Dozer

2012 John Deere 850J LGP Crawler Dozer

2006 Cat D6R XW Series III Crawler Dozer

2014 Kenworth T800 Tri/A Hydraulic Tilt Deck Truck with

2007 Kenworth T800 Tri/A Texas Bed Winch Tractor

2005 Peterbilt 378 T/A Grain Truck

1995 Kenworth T800B T/A Dump Truck

2006 Kenworth W900 T/A Sleeper Tractor

2 — 2004 Volvo A30D Articulated Dump Trucks

1994 Cat 938F Rough Terrain Forklift

2002 Trackless MT5T Side Arm Flail Mower

2006 Komatsu PC270LC-7L Hydraulic Excavator

2014 Cat 324E Hydraulic Excavator

2014 Tremcar Insulated Aluminum Super B Tank Trailer

2015 & 2014 Doepker T/A Side Dump Trailers

2005 T/A Grain Pup Trailer

1 of 2 — 2009 Renn SL1700 17 Ft. Tridem Dump Pup Trailers

2021 Doepker TRI/A Log Trailer

2013 Massey Ferguson 4610 4WD Tractor

2006 McCormick MTX 150 4WD Tractor

1973 John Deere 4430 2WD Tractor

Dika WR7102 5 Wheel Root Rake

Ditch Witch 6510 4WD Gas Trencher w/ Backhoe & Backfill

1995 Aspen FG50-3 Tri/A Folding Neck Lowboy Trailer

2009 Trailtech CT220TT T/A Gooseneck Trailer

2011 Stellar 24 Wheel Double Drop Removable Neck Lowboy

2002 Scona T/A Jeep with 2007 Scona Tridem Single Drop

Multi-Door 40 Ft. Shipping Container

Hagglund BV206 Personnel Tracked Carrier

2024 GMC Sierra 2500 HD Crew Cab Pickup

2019 Ford Transit 350HD Cargo Van

2018 Chevrolet Suburban 4 Door Sports Utility Vehicle

2018 GMC Terrain SLE 4 Door Sports Utility Vehicle

2007 Black Tie ELTIA 20 Ft. T/A Luxury Mobile Restroom Trailer Mens Washroom, Womens Washroom, A/C, Hot Water Heater, Poly Water Tank

2019 Polaris Ranger XP 1000 Side By Side

2011 Yamaha XVS950A Motorcycle

2006 Kubota F2880 Ride On Lawn Mower

5 47

EXPERIENCE TO LEAD. A PLAN TO ACT.

A CITY HALL THAT ANSWERS TO YOU

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

THURSDAY, October 8, 2026

paid advertisement

MAYOR

LEADERSHIP THAT LISTENS. ACTION THAT FOLLOWS.

www.royformayor.ca

Compassion and public safety must go hand in hand.

ON OCTOBER 17, VOTE ROY STEWART FOR MAYOR. Authorized by Eric Evans, Financial Agent, (250) 961-8469

ROY STEWART FOR

I know one Mayor cannot solve every challenge alone. I can bring people together, ask hard questions and keep council focused on results.

ROY STEWART FOR MAYOR

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

00200

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

58307

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

2 48

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