Prince George Citizen, Thursday January 1, 2026

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Is it worth it to drive an EV in the North? ... Page 36

FIRE AFTER FIRE DOMINATED CITIZEN NEWS HEADLINES IN 2025

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

The Nechako Bottle Depot building on First Avenue was fully engulfed in flames as PG Fire Rescue crews worked to contain the blaze and save adjoining buildings and trains in the CN Yard behind it on Sunday, Sept. 15. It was the second major fire that month. The depot eventually reopened in a new location on Gunn Road.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

NEWS

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

Millions of dollars in damage from 2025’s many fires The Citizen takes a look back at what kept local fire crews busy last year MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

With millions in damages and several high-profile fires, Prince George Fire Rescue Chief Bryan Burleigh’s first year on the job was a “baptism of fire.” From small house fires to major incidents that destroyed businesses, fires were the talk of Prince George in 2025. One blaze left dozens of people displaced as the Boardwalk Apartments went up in flames. While nobody was hurt, residents are still waiting for answers on when, or if, their homes will be rebuilt. Another served as the flashpoint for a province-spanning discussion about downtown safety after arson charges were laid in connection with the destruction of CrossRoads Brewing and Distillery in September. Its owners wrote a letter to the city making it clear that CrossRoads would not rebuild downtown given the current state of things there; that message made it all the way to Premier David Eby, who cited it when announcing the return of involuntary care facilities to BC. In a year-end conversation with The Citizen, Burleigh noted that while call volume is incrementally increasing, the anxiety in the community often stems from these high-profile incidents. “The number of calls ebbs and flows and when we look at our actual numbers, they’re pretty consistent with what we’ve had in the years past,” said Burleigh, who was named chief in May to replace Cliff Warner. “The important part is to ensure that we complete the process with a thorough investigation and conclude the findings and report from there from a data-driven perspective rather than just speculation and rumours.” With a total of 55 structure fires reported by the BC Office of the Fire Commissioner in the city and

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

Firefighters stayed low under a large plume of smoke being pushed out of Crossroads Brewing and Distillery as they fought the fire on Friday, Sept. 5 at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and George Street.

surrounding area — an estimated $17,459,520 total in damages and a total of two fatalities and three people hurt — it is no wonder that many remain concerned about the safety of their homes. This is in comparison to data gathered from 2024, which listed only $3,910,402 in damages despite a total of 97 structure fires in PG and the surrounding area. In total, counting all forms of fires, including structure fires, the Prince George area saw 157 fires as compared to 253 in 2025. Burleigh, who has been in the service for 23 years, expressed pride in his team. “I can’t speak highly enough of the people we have here. The greatest asset any organization truly has is the people within it.” He also reminded residents to prioritize fire safety in the new year. “Everybody should practice their plan and make sure they have working smoke alarms in their homes and occupancies.” According to the data in 2025, the most-reported cause of these fires was matches or lighters when not used in conjunction with smoking, with 59 total fires started by this method. A total of 49 of these fires have causes that have yet to be determined. However, it is worth noting that the

data for 2025 only accounts for incidents that occurred up to Oct. 31 and may be incomplete due to delays in data collection and incident details. Thanks to the constant efforts of Prince George firefighters throughout the year, the majority of these fires were contained to the structures or areas of origin, and injuries or fatalities to occupants and fire crews remained minimal. Today, taking a look back at 2025, The Citizen is offering a recap of the structure and residential fires covered by The Citizen that were noticeable in the community, with information gathered from the City of Prince George, Prince George Fire Rescue, local RCMP and The Citizen’s archives. The many fires in and around temporary structures at the Lower Patricia Boulevard Encampment are not included. 5100 block of North Nechako Road: The first fire of the year occurred on Monday, Jan. 13, on North Nechako Road. Prince George Fire Rescue crews from four halls responded at 10:45 a.m. and found a moderate amount of smoke coming from a mobile home. They extinguished the fire quickly. One occupant suffered minor injuries and was treated by firefighters on scene. Damage was estimated at $75,000.

Fourth Avenue and Dominion Street: The fire at the former location of City Second Hand store was hard to miss, spewing black clouds of smoke from downtown Prince George. The building was being used to store furniture. The blaze began shortly after 2 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 16. The city closed surrounding roads with five trucks and about 25 firefighters on scene, along with bylaw and RCMP. Employees and residents of nearby buildings were evacuated. There was minor smoke and water damage to the adjacent Croft Hotel. Firefighters worked through the night to ensure there were no flare-ups. There were no injuries. Then-Chief Warner commented on the effort to fight the blaze. “Our crews encountered an extreme fire load inside that restricted their ability to get into the scene of the fire,” said Warner. “This resulted in the fire expanding quickly. We had to pull out and do a defensive attack. Once it was through the roof, the contents heated up and fully ignited and it really shifted our focus to protecting the Croft and the rest of the block. Our crews did an amazing job of keeping and limiting the fire to just the building of origin.” CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

NEWS

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

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Two deaths, three injuries from fires over course of year CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE The city noted that despite a lengthy investigation, the cause has been deemed undetermined due to the extensive damage. The property is now used as an improvised parking lot for businesses along Fourth Avenue. 1000 block of Parsnip Crescent: Police and fire crews were called to a home at approximately 1:40 a.m. on March 4 to reports of a structure fire, which destroyed the home’s garage and vehicles parked outside. First-arriving crews found heavy smoke and flame coming from the roof and eaves on all four sides. Crews from three halls responded and prevented the blaze from spreading to nearby homes. All residents were successfully evacuated. RCMP considered the fire suspicious and put out a call for video surveillance. Damage is estimated at $450,000.

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CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

Fire consumed the back of Spotlight Uniforms and Linens on the Hart Highway

2100 block of Oak Street: Crews from two firehalls responded to a reported structure fire at approximately 6:45 a.m. on March 21. On scene, firefighters found a temporary carport and fence on fire. Crews were able to extinguish the blaze, keeping it confined to the carport

and fence. There were no injuries. Damage was estimated at $10,000. 1500 block of Victoria Street: Prince George Fire Rescue services responded to a fire on Victoria Street on March 22. Crews arrived quickly and acted decisively to contain the fire, preventing

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further structural involvement. The fire was successfully doused and damage was limited to approximately $10,000. No injuries were reported. 3900 block of Weisbrod Road: Crews from four halls responded to a fire on Weisbrod Road after receiving the call at approximately 9 p.m. on March 24. Upon arrival, they found a mobile home with moderate smoke coming from the structure. Firefighters utilized an offensive attack to quickly extinguish the fire. Damage is estimated at $15,000 and no injuries were reported. 6000 block of Fairmont Crescent: Crews responded to a residential structure fire on April 5 on Fairmount Crescent in College Heights. Three halls responded to the call at 2 a.m. and found fire coming from the front door. Crews quickly extinguished the blaze with an estimated damage of $300,000. There were no injuries. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

NEWS

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

Flames claimed several major city businesses and buildings CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE 6145 Gauthier Rd.: Crews from three halls received reports of a residential fire at approximately 9:50 a.m. on April 14. Fire rescue found smoke coming from the roof and fire inside the front door. Crews contained the fire to the kitchen area. Unfortunately, this fire resulted in the loss of three family pets. The estimated loss is approximately $80,000. 4000 block of Robson Avenue: Fire crews responded to a call of a house fire at 2:20 p.m. on May 5. The first arriving crew found heavy smoke and fire in the kitchen area, which was quickly extinguished. Occupants and pets were able to evacuate safely. Damages are estimated at $75,000. 1800 block of Croft Road: Crews from three halls responded to calls of a garage fire at around 3 a.m. on May 7. First arriving crews found the garage completely involved with flames. Firefighters utilized a fast attack and quickly knocked down the fire. Damages are estimated at $50,000. Norwood Street: Nineteen firefighters from four halls responded to a residential fire in the Lombardy Mobile Home Park at 6:30 p.m. on May 8. The home was on fire when crews arrived; however, their quick work prevented the fire from spreading to adjacent units. Damages were estimated at $25,000. 300 block Killoren Crescent: One of the largest fires of the year was at the Killoren Crescent Boardwalk Apartments and resulted in 24 out of the 57 units having fire, smoke or water damage. The southernmost side of the building was a loss. A total of 19 firefighters from four halls responded at 5:40 a.m. on May 22 and assisted with resident evacuation. The fire burned for four hours. “A portion of the building is a complete loss,” said Burleigh. “On arrival, crews found fire, smoke and flames coming from the roof. Our priority was evacuation and accountability of the people who were residing here.” The blaze resulted in three residents sustaining minor injuries and 60

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO

Prince George Fire Rescue crews battled a blaze at a Killoran Crescent apartment building on Thursday, May 22.

residents being displaced. A GoFundMe page raised approximately $6,000 for those affected. The building is currently set to be rebuilt. 8200 block of Malaspina Avenue: Crews from three halls responded on May 26 at approximately 3 p.m. Firefighters found light smoke exiting the basement door and a fast attack quickly knocked the fire down. Damage was estimated at $75,000. 1200 block of Cuddie Crescent: A fourplex on Cuddie Crescent was the scene of two suspicious fires less than a week apart. The first occurred at 2 a.m. on June 5. The second occurred on June 11 at approximately 2:40 a.m. and resulted in the complete loss of the building. The fire displaced nine residents. RCMP began an investigation into the suspicious incidents. Total estimated damage was valued at $350,000. 200 block of Quinn Street: Fire rescue responded on June 17 at approximately 4:30 p.m. Upon arrival, crews found smoke and flames coming from a second-story deck and exterior siding. Crews contained the fire to the exterior. Damage is estimated at $40,000. 1000 block of Pacific Street: Firefighters from four halls responded to a fire on the roof of a commercial building

at approximately 5:40 a.m. on July 13. They found rooftop and HVAC machinery surrounded by fire. A coordinated attack using powered ventilation and elevated master streams quickly knocked down the fire. Detection systems allowed a timely evacuation. Damage loss is estimated at $250,000. 1500 block of the Hart Highway: Crews from four halls responded to a fire at a weigh scale. RCMP later confirmed they viewed the fire as suspicious, noting it mirrored a blaze at the Red Rock weigh scale on Dec. 24, 2024. “Police believe that this incident is related to another suspicious fire investigation that occurred on Dec. 24, 2024,” said Const. Jenna Moore. “There was orange spray-painted graffiti located on a sea-can nearby that is similar to what was seen in December. The graffiti reads ‘good job McCreadie.’” The incident sparked concern from the BCGEU. “Our union has been raising the alarm about the dangers CVSE officers face on the job,” said BCGEU president Paul Finch. Damage was estimated at $75,000. 100 block of Ontario Street: Ontario Street was the scene of a commercial fire at about noon on Tuesday, July 22. Functioning fire systems and sprinklers

helped suppress the fire. Three building occupants were medically evaluated, but there were no serious injuries. Damage is estimated at $60,000. 1400 block of Strathcona Avenue: Two people were found dead and two others were injured following a fire at a duplex on Friday, July 25. Crews responded shortly after 2 p.m. and found flames visible from all sides of the building. RCMP concluded the fire was not suspicious. Damage was estimated at $265,000. 1100 block of 20th Avenue: Crews from two halls responded to a garage fire on Aug. 4 at approximately 11:30 p.m. The garage was fully engulfed in flames upon their arrival. The dollar loss is estimated at $50,000. 3900 block of Kenworth Road: Crews from four halls were on scene for more than 12 hours at Spotless Uniform and Linen on Aug. 5. Extinguishing the blaze required a ladder truck and extensive effort to remove hazardous cleaning chemicals. “It was the quick action, the preparedness due to training, the professionalism, and just the teamwork,” said Burleigh. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

NEWS

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

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Bottle depot, downtown restaurant among structures lost CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

THEN AND NOW

The fire caused a total loss of the structure. Tammy Holmgren, general manager, said the company will continue to serve customers from other locations. The fire caused approximately $1.9 million in damage. 2000 block of Gunn Road: Crews from four halls attended a residential structure fire at approximately 2 a.m. on Aug. 14. Unfortunately, the structure was deemed a loss. Damage was estimated at $160,000. 100 block of Ruggles Street: Firefighters responded to an RV on fire at approximately 5 p.m. on Aug. 21. Crews found the RV engulfed in flames and prevented damage to nearby buildings. The loss is estimated at $15,000. 508 George St.: Crews from four halls responded to a fire at CrossRoads Brewing and Distillery on Sept. 5 at 2:49 a.m. Crews battled the blaze through the next day and prevented it from spreading to adjacent buildings. The blaze resulted in a total loss of the building and approximately $1.8 million in damages. Nearly 50 employees lost their jobs. Richard Alex Gordon Titchener was arrested and charged with arson. His case is currently moving through the courts. 1922 First Avenue: Nineteen firefighters from four halls responded to a large commercial fire at the Nechako Bottle Depot at 5 a.m. on Sept. 28. Residents reported hearing explosions. Burleigh noted that cooler temperatures and rain helped firefighting efforts. “In this case, we actually used an

Turn to pages 24-25 for more photos of major fires and how the sites look today

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CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY MATTHEW HILLIER

Fire personnel and Chief Bryan Burleigh discussed the situation in the aftermath of a house fire on Eighth Avenue on Tuesday, Nov. 18.

excavator to assist with those firefighting efforts based on the heavy timber,” said Burleigh. The fire resulted in a complete loss. Co-owner Darcy Buryn thanked the community for its support. The Nechako Bottle Depot reopened at a new location on Gunn Road later that year. 2200 block of Oak Street: Seven firefighters responded to a shed fire at approximately 12:45 a.m. on Oct. 8. A 6x8 shed was fully engulfed, and the fire impacted a wooden fence and a mature fir tree. Damage estimate is unknown. 160 Ontario St.: Fifteen firefighters responded to a fire on the third floor of a BC Housing facility just after midnight on Wednesday, Oct. 29. Thirteen occupants were displaced due to smoke and water damage. BC Housing stated it was working with Connective Support Society to secure temporary accommodations. Damages are estimated at $50,000. 7700 block of Eastview Street: Fifteen firefighters responded to a fire on Nov.

4 at approximately 8:50 a.m. Crews used an aggressive interior attack to knock down the fire in a bedroom. All occupants were out of the home upon arrival. Total damage is estimated at $150,000. 5700 block of Oxford Drive: Crews from two halls responded to an outbuilding fire on Nov. 4, just before 8:30 a.m. They found a detached shop with heavy smoke and quickly extinguished the fire. Damage was estimated at $50,000. 1600 block of Eighth Avenue: Firefighters from three halls responded to a residential fire at approximately 6 a.m. on Nov. 16. Crews found extensive fire in a single-story structure. Damage was estimated at $250,000. The same block was later host to evacuations after a bomb was found and safely detonated by an Explosive Disposal Unit. 2100 block of Eighth Avenue: A second fire on 8th Ave. occurred on Nov. 18 at 1:30 a.m. The house was unoccupied at the time. RCMP investigated to determine if criminality was involved.

Damage is estimated at $300,000. 8000 block of the Hart Highway: Firefighters responded to the Wildwood Mobile Home Park on Dec. 1. The fire resulted in a total loss of the mobile home. Damages are estimated at $100,000. 1700 block of Ninth Avenue: Crews responded to a single-family dwelling on Dec. 3 at approximately 9 a.m. and found heavy flames issuing from the back. The building was unoccupied. Damage is estimated at $200,000. 1500 block of Queensway: A single apartment on the 11th floor of a condominium tower was the scene of a fire on Dec. 4. Residents were evacuated and 18 people registered for emergency support services. Cody Allen Stovin, 41, was arrested on scene for firearm-related offences. “We subsequently entered into an arson investigation,” said Cpl. Lorne Smith. 6000 block of Simon Fraser Avenue: The last residential fire of the year occurred at approximately 4 p.m. on Dec. 8. The structure was a complete loss and two pets were killed. A GoFundMe has been launched to support the residents. Damage is estimated at $120,000.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

NEWS

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

Councillors look to revive seniors’ centre funding plan Council voted against supporting clubs, called for meeting about it instead COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

After Prince George city council decided against providing local seniors’ centres with the remainder of its 2025 contingency funds at its Dec. 15 meeting, a pair of councillors are considering bringing the idea back up for discussion as one of their new year’s resolutions. Meanwhile, Mayor Simon Yu is asking for private donations, which led to Treasure Cove Casino offering $2,500 for each of the city’s five seniors’ clubs. Councillors Brian Skakun and Trudy Klassen announced on Facebook on Thursday, Dec. 18 that they’re considering bringing forward a motion in the new year that would evenly split council’s 2026 contingency budget of $50,000 between the city’s five seniors’ centres. “Councillor Klassen and myself want to put a motion on the floor early January to donate our entire council contingency of $50,000 to the five seniors’ centers in town,” Skakun wrote on his political Facebook page. “It will help them and prevent the use of funds for other purposes closer to the election next year.” On Dec. 15, Mayor Simon Yu initially proposed providing the $17,691 left in council contingency funds to the Prince George and District Senior Activity Centre Society before changing his mind and asking for council to approve splitting it evenly to all five of the city’s seniors’ centres. That motion was defeated after Yu, Skakun and Klassen were outvoted by the other six councillors. The defeat spurred many of the seniors sitting in the audience to storm angrily out of council chambers. Among the other councillors’ concerns over the motion was creating a precedent of funding non-profits through contingency funds instead of the city’s formal grant processes and providing a short-term solution instead

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY COLIN SLARK

Two city councillors have proposed that the city put the entire $50,000 council contingency fund for 2026 toward local seniors centres.

of a long-term plan addressing the centres’ needs. Coun. Kyle Sampson proposed spending up to $5,000 to host a meeting between city representatives and the five seniors’ centres to discuss their long-term needs, a motion that was approved unanimously. Reached by phone on Monday, Dec. 22, Klassen said she and Skakun were likely to provide notice of their motion at the first council meeting of 2026 on Jan. 12. However, she cautioned that the idea might be withdrawn if it looks like the idea is getting too political or if it looks like her colleagues show firm opposition in the leadup. Klassen said that in an election year, there might be the temptation to use council’s contingency funds to benefit themselves rather than in the community’s best interests. “If we could get it out of the way at the beginning of the year and offer council an opportunity to reconsider the vote in a different way, then I think that would be a win for the community, it would be a win for the seniors and then council doesn’t need to consider political implications of entertaining contingency requests for the rest of the year,” she said. She acknowledged that given the prior rejection of funding seniors’

centres and the anger from those centres’ members, it’s possible that her and Skakun’s idea could possibility politicize the matter further, though that isn’t their intention. Also, she acknowledged there are potential issues with allocating all of the contingency funds at once, preventing council from funding items that come up as the year progresses. However, she said, in politics you make decisions with the information you have on hand at the time and those come with risks. The councillor pointed out that while council contingency funds are intended to be for one-time expenses, there are items like funding for International Women’s Day events that have consistently been approved every year since she was elected. Beyond the one-time funding, Klassen said council should look at a more permanent funding model, maybe something through the Prince George Community Foundation. In a separate interview, Skakun said local seniors’ centres have a lot of financial challenges to deal with including dwindling membership and high snow removal costs. Like Klassen, he said that their motion would clear out the contingency fund and eliminate the politics of spending that money in the lead up to the

October election. Asked if he was worried that the motion would be seen as an attempt to ingratiate themselves himself and Klassen with local seniors, he said while they have good support from them, the biggest thing is that the centres need the funding. “We’ve had so many seniors reach out to us and say ‘we disagree with your (council’s) vote, we need help,’” he said. “They built the community, I think we owe it to them whether or not you see it as being political or not. I think this is the absolute right move to do.” Skakun disagreed with the idea that providing short-term funding puts the city on a slippery slope, saying that the contingency funds are to be spent as council sees fit. In conjunction with the funding, he said he’d like to see the Standing Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs include advocacy for long-term seniors’ support into its work plan. At this point, he said he and Klassen intend to give notice of their motion on Jan. 12 and have it discussed during budget talks scheduled for the last week of January. As for the motion approving up to $5,000 for a meeting with seniors’ groups, Skakun said he regrets supporting it as council already knows what their challenges are and they could have just distributed that money to help them address those challenges. He said that over the Christmas break, he would visit the seniors’ organizations to talk to them about some of these issues. Mayor Simon Yu told The Citizen that he supports the intent of Klassen and Skakun’s motion. However, given that council still has to discuss during budget deliberations how much in contingency funds they’ll receive in 2026 and some councillors may prefer to stick to established procedures on funding charitable organization and non-profits, he said he wasn’t sure it would work. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

NEWS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

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Treasure Cove donates to clubs after mayor puts out call CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE Should the effort to take the money out of contingency fail, Yu said he would propose the funding come from another source as an enhancement item in the 2026 budget. Before it comes up for discussion, he said all of council should take the time to visit local seniors’ organizations and learn about their role and importance in the community, which he has already done. Like Klassen, he suggested that a charitable foundation should be set up to financially support seniors’ centres in Prince George. “Right now, this moment, I’m calling some of my business friends and trying to gather some private donations so I can at least get each centre some funds before Christmas,” Yu said “I think I have approximately $10,000 committed.” In a Christmas Eve phone interview, the mayor said that on Tuesday, Dec. 23, Treasure Cove reached out to him to arrange the distribution of $2,500 cheques to each of the centres. Curtney Benitez, the casino’s marketing manager, said she was directed by owner John Major to work with the mayor to help deliver the cheques. She said the two of them dropped off the donations for the Elder Citizens Recreation Association, the Prince George and District Senior Activity Centre and the North Central Seniors Association on Dec. 23. A drop-off of a cheque for the Hart Pioneer Centre was scheduled for Monday, Dec. 29 and a date is still being arranged to meet up with someone from the Spruce Capital Senior’s Recreation Centre. “It felt like I was Mrs. Claus,” Benitez said. “I feel like they were absolutely (going to) put it into good purpose for both seniors’ activities and operational costs.” Coun. Kyle Sampson also announced on Facebook that he would donate $500 to each of the clubs. “We need to understand their pressures and work with them to build real supports and solutions, not a quick

small cash political bandaid,” he wrote. “That is why we are having a meeting (one meeting, not endless) with them to figure out how to better address their challenges. “And because I know their needs are urgent, I am personally donating $2,500 to the five seniors groups ($500/ ea) to help bridge this gap while the city builds sustainable support going forward through a proper process.” The mayor also said that he would continue to look for more private donations. Lorraine Prouse, president of the Hart Pioneer Centre, said she had been disappointed to see the votes against Yu’s motion at the Dec. 22 meeting “because, after all, someday they will be a senior.” She said she was excited to see Klassen and Skakun’s proposal making the rounds. “I’m sure that every seniors’ centre will put it to good use,” Prouse said. “I’m sure they’re not going to flaunt it away at whatever.” To raise $10,000 on their own, Prouse said, the centre would have to serve a lot of meals. While they apply for grants to run their Meals on Wheels program, that doesn’t mean they are successful. Unlike the other seniors’ centres, the Hart Pioneer Centre owns the property its sits on. While that means it doesn’t have to pay rent, Prouse said they do have to pay for maintenance, utilities, insurance, snow clearing and more. Insuring their building each year, she said, costs around $8,000 and so $10,000 would cover that plus extra. On the proposal for the meeting between seniors’ centres and the city, Prouse said she doesn’t know why they would spend $5,000 on it because they’ll offer the use of the Pioneer Centre for free. She said she is working with the leaders of the other seniors’ centres to set up a rally outside of Prince George City Hall at 4:30 p.m. before the Jan. 12 council meeting. Anyone willing to support their cause is welcome to join, Prouse said, especially as some seniors won’t be able to attend due to the winter cold. She also encouraged

people to send letters to council for consideration at the Jan. 12 meeting. “Seniors’ centres are important because for some seniors, they have no relatives here,” Prouse said. “They’re lonely and this is a place that they can come and visit, chit chat, help out, volunteer … it gets them out, it keeps them active and it certainly keeps their mind going.” Bud Burbee, president of the Prince George and District Senior Activity Centre Society (PGDSACS), told The Citizen that he wanted to emphasize that his society hadn’t specifically asked for the $17,691 originally proposed by the mayor. He said this year was the third in a row where the society has gone to city hall to request financial support, not getting anything in 2023 or 2024. “We went and met with Mayor Yu and (Coun.) Susan Scott and asked if they were able to help us,” Burbee said. “I’ll give credit to Mayor Yu for saying ‘yes, I think we’ll do something’ and then he sourced how much was left in the slush fund.” When the other centres started to express concern that they had been left out and Yu pivoted to distributing the money equally, Burbee said he didn’t have a problem with that. A contribution of $10,000 from Skakun and Klassen’s proposal, he said, would be a “significant amount of money” for his organization. “We would appreciate the city doing something for us, very much so,” Burbee said. “It’s a message to all of us about the importance that the senior activity centres have from council.” He said their current financial situation isn’t as dire as it might have sounded at the Dec. 15 council meeting, but the centre struggles to pay its bills without going into debt. They only charge $30 a year for memberships, he said, because many of their members can’t afford to pay more. Those members come in to participate in events like line dancing and floor curling or even just get a cup of coffee — which Burbee claims is the cheapest in town — or a bite to eat.

Bills they have include natural gas, electricity, garbage collection and salaries for one full-time worker and three part-time workers. Coun. Tim Bennett said at the Dec. 15 council meeting that as the building at 425 Brunswick St. is owned by the city, the city takes care of maintenance, snow clearing and other tasks. “Well, he needs to do some homework, because, yes, it’s a city building for which we pay a lease,” Burbee said. “They do maintenance for which they charge us $1,100 plus GST a year and he didn’t know that.” He said in West Kelowna, there’s a seniors’ centre that pays just a dollar per year for their city lease in exchange for utilities, janitorial work and other maintenance. He said in West Kelowna, there’s a seniors’ centre that pays just a dollar per year for their city lease in exchange for utilities, janitorial work and other maintenance. “Now there’s a city that cares about seniors,” Burbee said. “Our city charges us. We have to pay them a lease and then we have to pay them to do maintenance and then we go and ask for a little bit of money to get through to the end of the year and it’s voted down. “I’m angry, you know? Our generation, my generation built Prince George. We were the ones through the ‘60s and ‘80s and ‘90s who built it up. Now we’re in a situation where we need a little bit of money to provide activities for the seniors for physical, mental and social reasons and it’s turned down.” Despite the motion being defeated, Burbee said, he thought the situation did a favour to local seniors’ centres by raising public awareness of the challenges they’re facing. Burbee said that while they’d be happy to receive a share of the money from Skakun and Klassen’s motion, he got the feeling that it represents council trying to make up for their past mistake. “They turned it down this year and so they’re putting it in next year, for which we’re grateful,’ he said. “But it’s neither what we asked for or what we wanted.”

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

OPINION

Councillors are asking you to buy their plane tickets KENNEDY GORDON Citizen Managing Editor

Some city councillors are once again flirting with a familiar temptation: spend more money on themselves while insisting it’s all in the name of “advocacy.” Council’s decision to take up a 2026 budget discussion about increasing the travel budget for members of the Standing Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs should raise eyebrows. Not because advocacy is unimportant, but because this particular request is unnecessary and poorly justified. The request originated with the committee chair Garth Frizzell and was supported by committee members Kyle Sampson and Susan Scott. At their last meeting, council voted 5-4 to refer a discussion to the 2026 budget deliberations. The motion proposes $16,000 from the economic development advocacy budget be used to fund delegations to Victoria and Ottawa by the Standing Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs. Voting in favour of moving the discussion forward were councillors Garth Frizzell, Kyle Sampson, Susan Scott, Ron Polillo, and Cori Ramsay. Opposing the motion were Mayor Simon Yu along with councillors Brian Skakun, Tim Bennett and Trudy Klassen. The proposal would see the four councillors from the committee split $16,000 to fund additional trips to Victoria and Ottawa. That works out

This Citizen editorial cartoon was created by a human artist using digital illustration and artificial intelligence art tools.

to $4,000 per councillor on top of the annual travel and expense budget they already receive — a budget that was already increased to $10,000 from $8,000, after council shifted money from economic development during the last budget cycle. That’s a total of $14,000 in travel for a select few veteran councillors, using money originally intended for economic

development. Let’s call it what it is: a sneaky increase in councillor expense allowances, justified by lofty language about lobbying senior governments. Notably, Frizzell, Scott, Sampson and Skakun are the four members of the Standing Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs who would split the proposed $16,000 if the funding is

ultimately approved. Three of those four committee members — Frizzell, Scott and Sampson — voted in favour of advancing the discussion, while Skakun voted against it. What makes this particularly hard to swallow is that these trips would take place without the mayor. That matters. SEE ‘THERE’S’ ON NEXT PAGE

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PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

OPINION

THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

LETTERS tothe EDITOR City councillors tend to run on ambition, not altruism

You can tell a lot about people by the scale of power they pursue. In Prince George, those who end up on council — or orbiting it — are rarely the ambitious heroes of legend. They are people who want authority small enough to control but visible enough to be noticed. Municipal politics attracts those with unresolved ambition: people who once imagined themselves doing something larger, more consequential, but learned, quietly, over years, that the world wouldn’t give them that version of themselves. So they recalibrate. They find a smaller stage where the ceiling is low, the audience close and the applause predictable if they perform the script correctly. Watch them in meetings: rigid backs, fixed expressions, a cadence of certainty masking the instability underneath. These are not people comfortable in themselves. They are people terrified of disappearing. Public service

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO

People should run for council to serve their communities, a reader write today. However, he points out, that’s clearly not always the case.

becomes self-preservation. The performative neutrality, the strained authority, the compulsion to absorb public hostility without reaction — these are coping strategies, not leadership traits.

They endure outrage not because they are strong, but because it confirms they matter to someone. The city’s problems — crime, decay, snow, stagnation — are far bigger than their capacity to solve them. They

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know this. They debate anyway. These motions, consultations, “robust discussions” are rituals designed to maintain the illusion of importance. Prince George would continue with or without them. They would not continue without Prince George. This is true anywhere power is parceled: councils, legislatures, parliaments, boardrooms. Institutions depend on the myth of indispensability. When someone exposes the petty narcissism, the small anxieties, the hollow performances beneath the robes and suits, the illusion shatters. Power is rarely about influence; it is about acknowledgement. Those who chase it often do not seek to change the world but to be seen, to prove they exist, to carve a space where their presence matters. The forensic reality is neither heroic nor villainous, just human in the bleakest sense. They did not choose power. They chose not to be insignificant. And cities, provinces, nations, indifferent as weather, let them believe that’s the same thing. Derek Carlson Prince George

There’s no good reason to spend more money on travel CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE In almost every other city, serious advocacy at the provincial or federal level is led by the mayor, often accompanied by staff and, occasionally, council members. The mayor is the city’s chief elected representative and the one with the mandate to speak for council as a whole. Four councillors showing up on their own to meet cabinet ministers — assuming those meetings even happen — would have no authority to make commitments or decisions. At best, they could repeat briefing notes already available by email or Zoom. At worst, they would simply be

tourists with talking points. Besides, recent history extinguishes the argument that these junkets are where real progress is made. When the owners of CrossRoads Brewing and Distillery wrote directly to the premier about their decision that they wouldn’t rebuild and reopen downtown after a fire, action followed. That letter — not a delegation, not a flight to Victoria, not a carefully staged photo op — is what got attention from the province. It’s a good reminder that influence comes from compelling issues and public pressure, not from those who can afford the airfare. Supporters of the request argue that previous delegations to Victoria

produced results. Perhaps. But correlation is not causation, and there’s little concrete evidence that spending more on travel will magically produce better outcomes — especially when those trips exclude the mayor. Money spent on junkets is money not spent elsewhere. It’s money that won’t go toward improving services, repairing buildings, or addressing the city’s failing infrastructure. It’s also money that could remain available for genuine economic development opportunities, should the mayor or council actually bring forward a clear, accountable plan for using it. If councillors believe strongly in the value of these trips, they already have a way to prove it: use the travel budgets

they’ve been given. Spend wisely. Prioritize. Show residents that you can live within your limits, just like the people whose vote they’re chasing are being asked to do every day. Instead, council is being asked to normalize the idea that when a budget feels tight, the solution is simply to move money around until councillors get what they want. That’s not advocacy. That’s entitlement. Prince George doesn’t need to be sending four members of one committee on expensive trips to Ottawa and Victoria, especially without the mayor. What it does need is fiscal discipline, transparency, and a reminder that public money is not a perk — it’s a responsibility.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

OPINION Editorial: Reimbursing councillors for public criticism is a ridiculous idea Great post. We rely on and need editorials like this. Scrutiny of all levels of government is needed more than ever. The vast majority of us cannot attend council meetings, where policies are proposed and implemented and how “our” tax monies will be spent. Journalists provide the eyes and ears, observing for the rest of us. In a world where AI is rapidly taking over the information universe, reliable and verifiable human observation is needed more than ever. Wayne Allen, Jan. 30

Aquatic Centre to close for two years of renovations in January This is devastating and embarrassing for the city. Why we didn’t shut down the aquatic centre for shorter durations during months where its use is low to avoid this longterm closure is mind-boggling. Technically, I’m sure 95 per cent of programming will continue, but the leisure pool barely has swimming lanes, they are very short, and daily lap swimmers not associated with the swimming club will most certainly be left out to dry. It’s also one of the few affordable places in town to get indoor exercise when winter rears its head. But it’s also classic Prince George — why am I still surprised that city management has no clue what its citizens actually want? rideyourbike, Nov. 27

A look back at your online comments on our stories from 2025 Salveo Clinic to close permanently due to doctor shortage in Prince George

Editorial: One year later, The Prince George Citizen is also looking to the future I am excited that you are looking into the future. I love the fact that the paper is locally owned and community focused.

How very sad. One walk-in clinic for a town this size is inadequate. Even if you have a family physician, depending on how they run their practice, you can wait two to three weeks to get an appointment. Long gone are the days when you used to call your doctor’s office and say you think you have an ear or sinus infection and the receptionist would say, “Pop in and someone will have a look at you between patients.” So between those who have physicians who refuse to see you for an urgent matter and tell you to go to the walk-in clinic, and those who have no physician at all, we have quite a situation with the medical system. When you have the whole obstetrics team quit and walk off the job at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops last month and then the whole psychiatric team quit and walk off the job at Vernon General Hospital two weeks ago, you have a serious health-care issue. The minister of health needs to step up and start investigating what is going on. R. Nich, Dec. 11

It is really bothersome to hear the naysayers and their negativity. The reality is, when I moved here for the start of my career 34 years ago, I never thought I would be here this long. That perspective lasted about a year, and this town, its people and its leaders have made it clear to me that I will most likely have to check out one of the cemetery plots, as I will probably spend my entire life here. Brent Gierz, Feb. 8

What’s next for Lower Patricia and the Little Prince? “Tim Bennett said there might need to be a conversation about the future of the park and whether the train, which represents the area’s colonial past, still has a place on the city’s road to reconciliation.” Such divisive words, Tim. Why so? The little steam train is open to all, regardless of one’s ethnicity. It’s a piece of history that helped open up our country and build infrastructure for the benefit of all, and should be cherished and cared for. Ed Denicola, Aug. 14

Three City of Prince George loans worth $11.3M to go to alternative approval process The alternative approval process should be eliminated, as it violates the basics of secret ballot in that electors must identify themselves in order to register opposition, unlike proving identity to get a secret ballot for a referendum. I suggest all voters with concerns about this system look carefully into which councillors approve the use of this sneaky system of getting financing and then remove those individuals from consideration next election. This system, by the very nature of how it operates, identifies voters and how they voted, which is in direct conflict with the democratic process of one person, one vote, by secret ballot. I ask the mayor and council how they can, in good conscience, go along with this sneaky, underhanded method of funding mismanagement. Most of the items mentioned should be budgeted for in yearby-year funding and be paid for from accrued reserves. That our council cannot plan ahead and uses this system tells me they are unfit for re-election. Shame on you. Renoguy24, Feb. 27

THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

OPINION City of Prince George’s 2024 surplus more than twice as big as predicted One question on the general infrastructure reinvestment fund. Will it be used exclusively for existing infrastructure? The city couldn’t do a bit of sleight of hand and use that money to build a reserve fund and say combine it with the Fortis deal money and then announce that a performing arts centre will be built without having taxpayer input through a referendum or an AAP? One has to look no further than the building assessment that the city pays a consultant $100K to do and then promptly ignores to see how far behind they are in keeping buildings to an acceptable standard. Some of that money should be used now to repair some of the most serious items from the assessment report. To use the roof collapse analogy, it is far cheaper to replace the shingles before the roof leaks and rots the trusses. Bobs your uncle, May 22

Committee members wary of discussing grant funding in front of Citizen reporter It is important that any public office keep everything transparent and above board, so having members of the public and media there keeps the process fair. This is especially true when discussing anything around money, whether it be collecting, spending or increasing or decreasing fees and so on, because we have the legal right to know how public officials are spending or collecting these monies. If you feel uncomfortable with having media there, then it sends a message that you don’t want things known. Dearth, May 29

Wildlife protections make erosion repairs to Prince George river trail difficult

Sad news! Our community has lost more than a business in this fire. CrossRoads was a place for jobs, good times, and connection. Its owners brought so much life to downtown PG with the brewery and fest. Whatever comes next, I hope they know how grateful we are for all they gave to this city.

These trails should be expanded, and Tourism PG is missing a huge opportunity. Why not, while expanding the trail system, have a small electric train similar to what is in Fort George Park? Have it run to Wilkins Park in Miworth every sunny day. It would be packed with people using the park and floating our beautiful Nechako River. Maybe have it start at Paddlewheel Park. Kamloops has made their river a tourist attraction. Look what we’ve done.

S Goods, Sept. 5

Jason Bourdon, Sept. 11

CrossRoads Brewing & Distillery goes up in flames

‘I will not rebuild in this climate at all,’ says CrossRoads owner Finally, someone is saying the uncomfortable part out loud — downtown PG is not a place to do business. Pastry Chef couldn’t sell, EDI moved, Fortis moved, Achillion and now CrossRoads razed, no plans to rebuild. Harvey’s Muffler and A&W closed down, even 7-Eleven pulled up stakes. Countless stories of attempted arsons, thefts, threats, open drug use, open bathroom use. Council’s solution? Another committee to take concerns to the province, which doesn’t give a tinkers damn about any community past Hope. The mayor is too busy trying to prove he’s not a terrible engineer, while councillors cosplay as law enforcement officers and throw parties with 40-plus-year-old bands, hoping we won’t notice our taxes and utility bills increase annually with service levels declining, the commercial tax base eroding and our kids looking to leave because they can’t afford a house. When will the tax base in PG finally say “enough” and demand that these recidivists and our “leaders” are held accountable? Robert Barwise, Oct. 30

Share your views on our stories at pgcitizen.ca

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Editorial: Let’s bring better election energy to the Prince George’s next municipal vote Please forgive me for being a cynic, but I think that the average person wants the city to spend more and tax less. This creates a dichotomy that cannot be addressed by efficiencies. Beyond this, the average voter doesn’t care. I also suggest that some vote for someone because they recognize the name and because of the character, or lack thereof. If you don’t know anything about a particular candidate, then you shouldn’t vote for them. In addition, just because you have a maximum of eight votes doesn’t mean that you should choose eight. If you are only informed about four of them, then vote for those four only. I also suggest that there should be a vetting process applied to anyone wanting to run for public office. Oldfatguy, July 3

Nak’azdli elder Pierreroy to receive honorary UNBC degree What an incredible life and story behind it! Such a strong woman and supported by family extremely proud of their culture and history. That is a unique life story about personal success and perseverance in the face of challenges that we nonindigenous never have to face. Very well done and absolutely deserved. Congratulations! Bgeez, May 22

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

NEWS

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

School catchment areas could see changes in 2026

In 2023-24, 17 kindergarten students were directed to Heather Park Elementary from Springwood. The next year, 11 returned to Springwood with the remaining six staying in place. Assistant Supt. Kap Manhas told the committee that all of those families were given the option to return to Springwood. Enrolment at Springwood is projected to remain stable over the next decade, with an estimated 263 students in 2035.

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

School District 57 officials have recommended that the French immersion kindergarten cap at École College Heights remain in place and a limit of 40 kindergarten students be implemented at Heritage Elementary. A report written by district staff for the Wednesday, Dec. 10 meeting of the board’s committee of the whole, listed current enrolment and catchment area-related challenges. As of Sept. 1, 2025, these elementary schools restricted enrolment to students within their catchments areas: Beaverly, École College Heights (English program only), Malaspina, Southridge, Vanway, Harwin, Ron Brent, Edgewood, Heritage, Glenview, Hart Highlands, Springwood and Peden Hill. The only high school to restrict enrolment to its catchment area was College Heights Secondary. Three schools had restrictions on kindergarten enrolment. Polaris Montessori had a limit of 40 students, École Lac des Bois had a limit of 60 students and École College Heights limited its French immersion enrolment to 20 students. Secretary-treasurer Lynda Minnabarriet told trustees during the meeting that in reviewing information and making suggestions, district staff were looking to reduce the reliance on portable classrooms when possible as they feel it is better to have all school staff and students be in the same building. Here’s a summary of the discussion over the capacity and enrolment at several Prince George schools.

École College Heights Elementary

At the board’s last meeting of 2025 in November, trustees received a letter from École College Heights teachers asking to increase the French kindergarten enrolment limit from 20 to 30 students, allowing for both a kindergarten class and a kindergarten/Grade 1 split to run concurrently. “Our school has experienced a decline in overall enrolment and expanding French Immersion at the

Duchess Park Secondary CITIZEN FILE PHOTO

School District 57’s new logo appears on the side of the administration building at 2100 Ferry Ave. in Prince George, BC on Tuesday, Nov. 18.

kindergarten level would help address this challenge,” the teachers’ letter stated. “Increasing the number of spots will attract new families to our school and strengthen the long-term sustainability of our French Immersion program. “While we had previously anticipated growth in our English program, this increase has not materialized. English enrollment has remained stagnant, and in some cases, has even declined. “By increasing the number of Kindergarten French Immersion students, we can ensure that our school remains vibrant and responsive to the needs and interests of our community.” The teachers added that in previous years, a lack of French-qualified teachers limited the immersion program’s ability to expand, but they no longer believe that is a concern. However, in district staff’s report, it was recommended that the French immersion kindergarten cap remain at 20, citing “the ongoing teacher recruitment challenge.” Also cited were open spaces at École Lac des Bois, which has just 364 students compared to its operating capacity of 523, which staff said meant it was available for potential French kindergarten expansions. However, during her presentation, Minnabarriet said all French staffing positions are filled this year, which she said was encouraging for the future. That’s a change from recruitment

challenges in recent years, which has made the district hesitant to encourage expansion. District recommended that a meeting be set up with College Heights staff to explain the decision. Another document presented at the meeting showed enrolment projections for 2030 and 2035. Currently, College Heights is at 91.2 per cent of its operating capacity. By 2030, it’s expected to fall to 79.1 per cent of its operating capacity. It’s then expected to climb back up slightly to 82.7 per cent by 2035. Of the other College Heights-area schools, Beaverly (101.5 per cent), Southridge (106.8 per cent), Vanway (112 per cent) and College Heights Secondary (114.8 per cent) were all shown to be currently over capacity. By 2030, all schools are expected to have enrolment drop except for Southridge, which is expected to be at 114.9 per cent capacity. The only other school expected to be above capacity in that area in 2030 is College Heights Secondary at 107.5 per cent of capacity.

Springwood Elementary

The school has an operating capacity of 205 students but had 271 students enrolled as of Sept. 1. Two portable classrooms are set up to handle the overflow. The report projects enrolment to remain stable and no changes to the catchment boundaries were recommended at this time.

Duchess Park slightly exceeds its operating capacity of 900 with 927 students enrolled as of this September. At one point, enrolment was projected to increase beyond 1,200, but several actions were taken between 2017 and 2024 to prevent that number from being reached. “The physical space and student programming is appropriate for the existing and projected enrolment,” the report said. “There are no recommendations for catchment changes at Duchess Park Secondary for the 2026/27 school year.” By 2035, Duchess Park is projected to drop to 834, representing 92.7 per cent of its operating capacity.

D.P. Todd Secondary

The district’s figures show D.P. Todd exceeding its 800-student operating capacity by just one. However, that capacity includes the use of six portables. Three of those portables were installed in 2019 and the other three in 2020. Beginning in the 2027-28 school year, the district projects a slow decline in enrolment and no changes were recommended for the current catchment area. By 2035, enrolment at D.P. Todd is currently projected to fall to 661 students.

Heritage Elementary

Of the schools mentioned in district staff’s report, Heritage Elementary’s enrolment was the most above its operating limit. SEE ‘SOME’ ON NEXT PAGE

NEWS

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

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Some school portables are aging and due for replacement CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE As of September, it had a capacity of 322 students but had 397 enrolled. However, that represents a drop from the 431 students at Heritage during the 2024-25 school year. There are three portables on-site, with two of them being used as classrooms. All three need to be replaced for September 2026, having first been purchased in 1990 and 1991. To address the aging portables currently in place as well as the excess enrolment, staff suggested three possible options: • Relocate classrooms currently into portables and re-purpose a prep room inside the main building as a classroom, which could be disruptive to staff and students. • Replace portables at a cost of $275,000 each. With projected decline in enrolment going

NEWS NOTES Job’s Daughters collecting Christmas trees Jan. 3 and 4

The Job’s Daughters of Prince George will hold a Christmas tree recycling drive on Friday, Jan. 3 and Saturday, Jan. 4. The annual event will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days in the parking lot of the CNC Brink Trade and Tech Centre, near 18th Avenue and Central Street. Volunteers will collect natural Christmas trees and chip them into mulch, which will be used in compost projects throughout the city. Donations will be accepted. Organizers remind residents to remove all decorations, including tinsel, ornaments and lights, before dropping off their trees. The event is supported by Tersus Contracting, PG Rentals and the College of New Caledonia. More information about Job’s Daughters is available at www.bcjobsdaughters.org.

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO

School District 57 reports that D.P. Todd Secondary School has exceeded its 800-student operating capacity, but by only one student.

forward, excess portables could be sold off or moved as they become no longer needed at Heritage. • Cap kindergarten registrations to reduce future need for portables, with excess students being redirected to Foothills Elementary. Director of facility services Brett Apolczer said in BC, portables have

BC Transit makes changes to some city routes

Route 5 Victoria will now run on Sundays, BC Transit and the City of Prince George have announced. The change, effective Jan. 4, reflects an increase in demand and is one of the changes happening at the same time. Route 5 runs from downtown to Pine Centre Mall and connects UHNBC, the CN Centre and Duchess Park Secondary School. As part of this service expansion, there will also be more frequent weekend trips on the following routes: Route 15 UNBC/Downtown, Route 88 Westgate and Route 89 Hart The service expansions are made possible through increased funding from local governments and provinces, BC Transit states. School trips on routes 12, 15, 55, 96 and 97 will also be reinstated in the new year as students head back to school. For more information, visit www. bctransit.com/prince-george/

a life expectancy of 25 to 30 years. If the board chooses to purchase new ones, he said they would be similar to the ones purchased for Southridge, Springwood and DP Todd about five years ago. The above replacement cost for the portables, Apolczer said, does not include the cost of disposing the existing portables. That cost is currently

estimated at around $35,000 to $50,000 to dispose of all three. District staff recommended that kindergarten enrolment be capped at 40 starting in the 2026-27 school year and that two portables be purchased from the district’s local capital funds. Also recommended was a meeting with Heritage staff and the school’s parental advisory council to discuss the proposed cap. By 2035, enrolment at Heritage is projected to fall to 306 students. Over the next decade, Supt. Jameel Aziz told trustees, the district is expecting to lose about 100 students a year. Those losses won’t be spread evenly across the whole district, so he said they will need to keep an eye on the trends and make adjustments. No decisions were made at the committee meeting and the recommendations were forwarded to the board of education’s Jan. 13 meeting for approval.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

NEWS

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

Family demands BC road safety, insurance reforms The Peebles say the system failed them after their son died on a northern highway BOB MACKIN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Peter Peebles vows to never drive in British Columbia again. “It’s too dangerous,” Peebles said in an interview with The Citizen. The Sherwood Park, Alta., power engineer was raised in Prince George, studied at BCIT in Burnaby and worked in Kamloops. He settled near Edmonton in 2009 and met his wife, Erika, a human resources manager, in 2011. “I grew up driving those mountains,” he said. “I played minor hockey my whole life in Prince George, I grew up driving down those highways for hockey games, right between Fort St. John to Kamloops. My father worked for the department of highways his whole career. Driving those highways was a part of our lives.” Four years ago, Peter, 50, and Erika, 44, learned the hard way that they could no longer rely on BC roads to be safe or insurance to support them in a time of need. At Christmastime 2021, Peter installed a set of new winter tires on his four-door 2015 Dodge Ram pickup truck just in time to take Erika and their son and daughter on a road trip to spend the holiday with extended family in Prince George. He said he was not in a hurry and continues to regret not stopping for a midday meal in McBride — all because of what happened on the snowy Highway 16 near Crescent Spur, 45 kilometres west of McBride. Around 2 p.m. on Dec. 21, 2021, according to a witness, an eastbound Dart Transport Volvo semi-truck, driven by Manpreet Dhaliwal, passed another eastbound vehicle over a double solid yellow line on the two-lane highway. The truck accelerated in the westbound lane; Dhaliwal lost control. The truck and its empty trailer jackknifed across the highway. Peter said he was driving westbound

PEEBLES FAMILY PHOTO

Nate Peebles died in a collision after a transport truck jackknifed on Highway 16 near Crescent Spur on Dec. 21, 2021.

to the summit of a hill and suddenly discovered the truck and trailer barrelling toward his Dodge Ram, across the entire highway. He remembers Erika yelling for him to “hit the ditch” before the head-on collision. Nate, who was looking forward to Christmas in a few days and his fifth birthday the next month, was in the back seat behind the driver’s seat. He suffered a serious head injury and was airlifted to Edmonton but succumbed the next day. Peter was hospitalized for six weeks with leg fractures, a crushed foot and facial injuries and required three surgeries. Since then, the family has struggled. Peter and Erika say the system failed

their family and they want change for the sake of other families.

Change needed

As they recovered, the Peebles reached out to politicians and bureaucrats on both sides of the border to urge stronger licensing of truck drivers and companies, better law enforcement and highway maintenance. The most that BC has done since then, Peter said, is crack down on commercial truck drivers who collide with overpasses. “It’s so far out of whack in British Columbia,” he said. “So, damaging infrastructure, compared to citizens,” Erika said. BC’s Ministry of Transportation and

Transit told The Citizen it regularly monitors and assesses highways for improvements and routinely reviews highways after fatal or serious incidents to ensure they meet safety and functionality standards. “The review conducted following this incident did not identify any changes required as a result of this incident,” said a statement provided to the Citizen. Peter found out, through the Alberta Public Carrier Profile, that Dart Transport vehicles had been involved in three other injury-causing crashes earlier in 2021. He wonders why authorities don’t have zero tolerance, almost eight years since 16 people died when another Alberta company’s truck was driven through a stop sign in Saskatchewan and plowed into the Humboldt Broncos’ hockey team bus. The BC ministry said it has been improving compliance and enforcement since October 2021, when Mandatory Entry Level Training became a prerequisite for a Class 1 driver’s licence. Other mandatory measures include electronic logging devices in commercial vehicles (since August 2023), speed limiters (April 2024) and in-cab devices to warn if a dump box is raised (June 2024). Peebles said it took almost a year-anda-half for Alberta’s minister of transportation to respond. In September, Devin Dreeshen said in an email that Alberta has “strengthened its commercial driver training system to improve competency and oversight.” Dreeshen emphasized the April replacement of Alberta’s Mandatory Entry Level Training curriculum with the new, four-tier Class 1 Learning Pathway. Dreeshen’s letter also said Alberta pulled eight commercial carriers from continued operations in 2024 and issued 184 penalties after 470 audits and 149 investigations.

No accountability

Peter Peebles said he is most shocked by the lack of accountability through BC’s auto insurance and justice systems. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

NEWS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

Without a criminal conviction, victims can’t sue drivers CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

In May 2021, the NDP government switched to no-fault insurance, a system that ICBC branded “Enhanced Care.” Premier David Eby was the attorney general who wanted to make insurance more affordable, ease the burden on courts and improve ICBC’s bottom line. He famously called the Crown monopoly on basic auto insurance a “dumpster fire.” But under the new system, unless the driver who is liable for causing an injury or fatality on BC roads is convicted of a criminal violation, victims cannot sue for compensation. Peebles said the RCMP did not conduct a forensic investigation, so Crown prosecutors opted to charge Manpreet Dhaliwal under the Motor Vehicle Act for driving without due care and attention, rather than the Criminal Code charge of dangerous driving causing death — which carries a maximum life sentence. Dhaliwal was found guilty. Last July, Provincial Court Judge Michael Brecknell sentenced him to 60 days in jail, a $1,480 fine and $30,000 in restitution. “Nothing in this decision will return a young child to his family,” Brecknell said in his sentencing reasons. “Nothing in this decision will properly address the enduring grief the family has and will continue to experience. Nothing in this decision will alleviate the guilt felt by the person whose actions bring him before the court for sentencing. The purpose of this decision is to impose a just and appropriate sentence.” Brecknell left it to the superintendent of motor vehicles to decide the fate of Dhaliwal’s licence. The restitution order is a fraction of the $218,551.44 the Peebles asked the court for replacement of the pickup truck, compensation for medical costs, loss of work and opportunity, and costs of Nate’s funeral. Dhaliwal appeared for his sentencing hearing by web conference from India. The court was told he was there to care for his mother, ill with sepsis. The Prince George court registry

SUBMITTED PHOTO

The driver of this transport truck, which was involved in a fatal crash on Highway 16 in 2021 was found guilty under the Motor Vehicle Act.

says Dhaliwal’s arrest warrant remains outstanding and no fine has been paid. Peter and Erika have not seen a penny yet in restitution and they wonder if they ever will. Dhaliwal’s lawyer is Brij Mohan in Edmonton. Sukh Kalkat, the lawyer who represented Dhaliwal at the July 14 sentencing, told Brecknell that his client had been “psychologically destroyed.” Asked by The Citizen about Dhaliwal’s status, Kalkat said by email that “we can provide no updates about this case or any other comments.” Peebles said he was surprised the judge ordered both jail time and restitution, but as long as Dhaliwal does not spend time in jail or make the ordered payments, there will be no accountability. “I had no idea how accommodating we were to accused individuals,” Peter said. “That’s very upsetting.” Peter is also alarmed that the Alberta government is poised to follow BC’s lead and adopt no-fault insurance by 2027. In a statement to The Citizen, BC’s Ministry of the Attorney General said the “Enhanced Care model is designed to provide people with benefits to support their recovery after a crash, ensuring help reaches them faster rather than getting caught up in lengthy legal processes.” That includes medical rehabilitation, income replacement and, in the event

of a fatality, grief counselling, funeral expenses and death benefits. There is a glimmer of hope for reform for people like the Peebles. The NDP amendments to the Insurance (Vehicle) Act that enabled no-fault insurance require a special, all-party committee

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of MLAs to be struck by May 1, 2026, in order to conduct a comprehensive and independent review. The special committee will have a year to hear witnesses and report back to the legislature with recommendations. “This process ensures ongoing assessment of compensation, long-term care, and supports for people injured in crashes, including survivors,” the ministry said. For the time being, Peter and Erika Peebles say they will do their best to make it a happy Christmas for their younger children. “Christmas will never be the same for anyone. Christmas isn’t Christmas. Christmas is the anniversary of losing our son,” Peter said. Added Erika: “The only thing that’s kind of carrying us through is just trying to find that purpose and do something that it does honour our son and try and make it better for our children and for other children.”

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

NEWS

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

Grandfather guilty of six years of sexual interference BOB MACKIN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A BC Supreme Court judge in Prince George found a senior citizen guilty Dec. 19 of sexual interference against his granddaughter. The case was adjourned to Jan. 5 to schedule a date for sentencing. Jail time for touching a child under 16 years of age for a sexual purpose ranges from a minimum one year to a maximum of 14 years. A publication ban protects the identities of the complainant, witnesses and guilty man. After the trial, which began Dec. 9, Justice Andrew Majawa found the Crown had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt. “There was no issue with respect to the identity of the accused,” Majawa said. “All these incidents occurred while the complainant was under the age of 16, and the accused knew that. There is no doubt that these incidents occurred in Prince George during the time set out in the indictment. There is no doubt that all this touching was for a sexual purpose.” The single charge covered a period of nearly six years, from Jan. 1, 2016 to Nov. 6, 2021, when the victim was

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO

A senior citizen has been found guilty of touching his granddaughter for a sexual purpose. He will be sentenced in July.

between the ages of six and 11. The girl testified that her grandfather coerced her into performing sex acts on him in family-style change rooms at public swimming pools and in the hot tub and computer room at his residence. She also described ways that he acted in a harassing manner. “The sexual abuse perpetrated by an individual in this position must have had a profoundly disturbing effect on the complainant’s psyche,” Majawa remarked. “She testified that, despite what had happened, she did not initially want to get her grandfather into trouble and that she wanted to continue to see her grandparents.” Majawa said the victim provided compelling evidence, but sometimes described “brain fog” and provided new

details in court that she did not mention during interviews with police officers. She sometimes had difficulty recalling details about dates, times and frequency of the incidents, but Majawa said the courts have decided there is a lower threshold for measuring credibility of a child witness because of how a child’s memory works and how a child is affected by trauma. “Particularly in circumstances with a person who is alleged to have perpetrated the sexual touching was the complainant’s grandfather, a person who occupied a position of trust and, while she was living with him, a position of authority,” Majawa said. In one incident, the girl testified that her grandfather wore blue Toronto Maple Leafs sweatpants while he exposed his penis to her in front of the computer.

She also told the court that he said he could not wait until she had breasts while they were watched animated pornography on his computer that depicted an adult woman with large breasts. “(She) testified that whenever she would eat food shaped like a penis, such as sausages, pepperoni, hot dogs or popsicles, the accused would smirk or wiggle his eyebrows at her, like it was some sort of weird inside joke. She testified that she now avoids eating these types of foods because it feels weird.” The grandfather pleaded not guilty and testified in his own defence. He did make some concessions, “arguably, not in his interest,” the judge said, such as watching pornography on his computer. However, Majawa called his testimony “little more than a bare denial.” For instance, he testified that his computer contained screen saver images depicting naked or scantily clad women, but they would only appear when he activated them. Majawa did not believe him. “It is difficult to understand how the complainant would know that the accused watched pornography in the manner he did, unless she was exposed to it by him,” Majawa said.

Sexual assault conviction overturned, new trial ordered BOB MACKIN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A man found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in 2019 near Moberly Lake will get a new trial, after the B.C. Court of Appeal overturned his conviction on Dec. 22. William Frederic Townsend, who was convicted in 2023 in BC Supreme Court, argued that the judge erred in assessing the complainant’s evidence and misapprehending his evidence, particularly the way he behaved after the alleged offence. Townsend also said the judge disregarded a flaw in the complainant’s

evidence in her description of the sexual interaction. According to the judgment, written by Justice Heather MacNaughton, the complainant had known Townsend since she was 10, but they were never friends. The woman and a close friend went to a Chetwynd pub on July 19, 2019 and joined Townsend and his friend at a spot at Moberly Lake were they drank some more. Townsend invited the group to his home, where they sang karaoke and played a drinking game. The complainant’s friend went to a cousin’s house across the street and the complainant fell asleep. Townsend

checked on the woman to ensure she had not thrown up and got into bed with her. Townsend testified at the trial that he did not initiate physical contact and said he was not interested in the woman. But the woman accused him of sexually assaulting her. She testified that she kneeled or kicked Townsend in the upper leg or groin area to make him stop. Townsend claims he woke up with severe groin pain and the woman was gone. When he went outside, he did not see her, but began to have a panic attack and punched the house.

MacNaughton’s decision, concurred by Justices Margot Fleming and Karen Horsman, said the trial judge erred by relying on Townsend’s post-offence conduct to infer guilt. “Mr. Townsend being distraught and punching the house was no more capable of supporting the inference of guilt than the evidence of Mr. Townsend being upset due to being hit in the groin; his Xbox being stolen; seeing his house in a mess; and seeing [the complainant’s] car there, but she was gone,” said the appeal judgment. “This is especially so in light of his uncontradicted evidence that he had a history of anxiety.”

NEWS

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

Tsay Keh Dene wants provincial policy struck down BOB MACKIN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A Prince George-headquartered First Nation calls an NDP government policy on tribal successorship unconstitutional and against the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples’ Act. In a Dec. 12-registered BC Supreme Court lawsuit, Tsay Keh Dene Chief Johnny Pierre, on behalf of all band members, said that the province did not consult with Tsay Keh Dene before accepting Kwadacha Nation as a modern day successor to the rights and title of the Sekani Nation. Pierre’s lawsuit, filed in Vancouver, said the policy allows First Nations to “strategically shift their identity” without notice to First Nations whose claimed territories overlap. Specifically, the province allegedly accepted a new claim by the Kwadacha Nation to “90

per cent of what was previously Tsay Keh Dene territory free of territorial claims by Kwadacha.” That has had detrimental impacts, according to Pierre. Pierre accuses the province of failing to engage with the Tsay Keh Dene until Oct. 15 when it advised Tsay Keh Dene that it “believes Kwadacha includes Kaska and Sekani descendants due to the understanding that some Sekani likely intermarried with Kaska people after 1890.” When the band sought clarification, the province told Tsay Keh Dene about the policy on Nov. 20 and said it is not aware of any case law that precludes the policy. But, Pierre’s lawsuit claims the province has kept details secret. “Other than identifying intermarriage as a relevant factor in the October 15, 2025 communication, the nature and extent of the connections that will

trigger provincial acceptance of new territorial claims under the policy, and what is required in order to establish these connections, have not been communicated by the province,” the lawsuit said Pierre’s claim said the policy damages reconciliation and encourages conflict between First Nations because it breaches the aboriginal rights section of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the province’s United Nations-inspired reconciliation law. The policy could result in claims from numerous First Nations to the same historic group and territory on the basis of diverse ancestral connections. According to the claim, the policy allows Kwadacha to hunt and harvest without permission in area claimed by Tsay Keh Dene and the province is negotiating with Kwadacha on an atmospheric benefits agreement about areas

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to be set aside for the sale of carbon credits to companies. The conflict is rooted in a merger dating back to 1959. That is when the Fort Grahame and Fort Ware bands amalgamated to become the Finlay River Band. The 1968-built W.A.C. Bennett Dam led to the Williston Lake Reservoir, forcing most Finlay River Band members to move to Ingenika. In 1971, part of the Finlay River band split to become the Kwadacha band. The remainder of the Finlay River band became Ingenika, which changed its name to Tsay Keh Dene in 1992. In 2023, Pierre said, Tsay Keh Dene became aware that Kwadacha was asserting rights within its claimed territory. None of the allegations has been tested in court and the province has yet to file a reply.

Campground vs. regional district can go to trial: tribunal The owner is accused of violating land-use laws at Summit Lake BOB MACKIN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A BC Court of Appeal tribunal dismissed appeals on Dec. 10 of a lower court ruling that said the treaty rights of a McLeod Lake Indian Band member who runs a commercial campground are a triable issue. In a long-running dispute, Regional District of Fraser-Fort George accused Bernard Dale Chingee of violating provincial and municipal land-use laws by the north shore of Summit Lake., about 50 kilometres north of Prince George. In his defence, Chingee argued he received the property fee simple as a treaty entitlement and the laws infringed on his Aboriginal treaty rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The chambers judge, Justice Michael

GOOGLE STREET VIEW IMAGE

The turnoff to a Summit Lake campground is seen in this 2012 image. The property has been the focus of a dispute between its operator and the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George for years.

Tammen, dismissed the regional district’s application for a summary judgment in September 2024. The regional district and province appealed, claiming Tammen erred

because they argued Chingee’s rights defence should not apply. “The prior litigation did not definitively foreclose the possibility that the land might retain treaty right status,

which continues to be a triable issue,” said the decision, written by Justice Paul Riley. Justices Peter Edelmann and Andrew Mayer also agreed that Tammen correctly applied the law. “Mr. Chingee was not seeking to relitigate an issue that arose in and was resolved by the prior proceedings. Given this, there was no reviewable error in his conclusion that the treaty rights defence was not an abuse of process or collateral attack.” In November 2018, The Citizen reported that, in 1999, band members voted 96 per cent for adhesion to the 1899 Treaty No. 8. The band received a federal/provincial settlement of 20,000 hectares of land and $35 million in cash. Chingee, however, was among two dozen of the 420 band members that chose to receive 160 acres of Crown land in severalty. That reduced reserve lands by 128 acres for each band member under the alternate arrangement.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

BUSINESS

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

Businesses estimate $4.5 million in losses due to crime Survey paints picture of what 2025 was like in the downtown CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen Staff

Businesses in the downtown core reported more than $4.5 million of losses this year due to crime and street disorder in a survey put together by Downtown Prince George and the Prince George Chamber of Commerce. A copy of the report on the results provided to The Citizen said that the survey asked respondents in the downtown commercial zone about the challenges, safety concerns and barriers affecting both business owners and property managers. In total, 55 businesses filled out the survey, which circulated in September and October and asked respondents how things had gone in the previous 12 months. Their concerns included frequent break-ins, theft, property damage, graffiti, arson, staff feeling unsafe, verbal abuse, threats, open drug use, discarded needles, human waste near business entrances, frustration over limited enforcement of bylaw and lack of support from the city, declining foot traffic due to customers avoiding downtown, financial strain from property damage, rising costs and an ongoing fear of fires like the one that destroyed CrossRoads Brewing and Distillery back in September. Common expenses incurred by businesses include repairs due to property damage, graffiti removal, private security and clean-up of both human waste and needles. While total reported losses by businesses was said to be above $4.5 million, the highest single loss was said to be $2 million due to fire and explosions — the CrossRoads fire. On top of concerns, businesses were also asked to list what they think would help their situation. They called for better accountability for repeat offenders, more

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY COLIN SLARK

Downtown Prince George executive director Chrisie Berry (centre) talked to colleagues and Conservative MLAs about issues faced by downtown businesses during a tour on Thursday, Sept. 4.

police, bylaw and security patrols — especially after hours — consistent enforcement of drug use, loitering and vandalism laws, regular removal of encampments, garbage, needles and debris, the relocation of social services away from the downtown core, long-term housing, mental health and addiction supports, a balance between compassion and safety when tacking street disorder and crime, more communication and better transparency from city hall and better security infrastructure in the city. The report emphasized that “businesses want action, not more studies” and that “there’s a shared sense that time is running out to save downtown.” Summarizing the survey’s findings, the report presented this overarching message: “We’re not just frustrated — we’re scared, tired, and losing hope. City council must treat downtown safety and revitalization as an emergency. Without meaningful, immediate change, businesses will leave — and the heart of Prince George will go with them.” In a Wednesday, Dec. 24 phone interview, Downtown Prince George executive director Chrisie Berry said that the survey was already circulating before they co-hosted the Safe Streets Rally with the chamber of commerce at the CN Centre on Oct. 16.

She said that since she is new to her role and the organization, the survey was circulated to give her a better idea of the issues facing downtown businesses and help her advocate for members. Berry took over from the retiring Colleen Van Mook in May. The day before the interview, DPG announced that its long-awaited security camera pilot project was scheduled to go live later that week with an initial 10 cameras. Before they can be switched on, Berry said they need to undergo a final 24-hour battery of tests, have protocols set up and have the RCMP be informed. She said she hoped that the project would help contribute to the desire for better security infrastructure expressed in the survey. At meetings of city council and the Standing Committee on Public Safety in 2025, there have been numerous discussions over increasing the overnight security presence in downtown Prince George, whether it’s a tax-funded private security patrol or overnight bylaw officer shifts. After two years of advocacy on downtown patrols, Berry said DPG “would love” for council to discussion funding them during its January budget talks for 2026. DPG, she said, would also like to

see expanded funding for the security camera project. At the provincial and federal levels, she said they’d like to see improvements to bail reform and resources for Crown prosecutors. After the rally, she said there was a bief trail for partial overnight bylaw officer shifts as well as an increased police presence in the downtown core. “We heard (about) significantly less issues with fires, issues with broken windows because the presence was there,” Berry said. “So, if bylaw feels like the best solution, then let’s go with bylaw. If it’s security, let’s go with security. We’re just looking for something that’s going to help give our business owners that peace of mind while they’re trying to sleep.” She said the recent announcement of a new eight-officer organized crime police unit based in Prince George and serving Northern BC was an encouraging sign, but they’d like to see more targeted supports as well. Though it wasn’t included in the report, Berry said one of the survey respondents was someone who used to have a downtown business. “Their feedback is so valuable, because they said that due to crime — they had a fire in their business — they have never been able to reopen,” she said.

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

BUSINESS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

Perfume overpowers Shoppers customer: Complaint BOB MACKIN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

FORT ST. JOHN, BC — Customers are challenging a Fort St. John pharmacy for forcing them through its perfume section, with the smells causing problems for those with sensitivities. Greg Edwards and his wife have supported the local Shoppers Drug Mart in downtown Fort St. John for years. “I like the fact that they’re open late,” said Edwards, a former heavy-duty mechanic for three decades. “I do like the fact that they’re able to carry a lot of medications.” One in particular, rituximab, is exclusively shipped to the pharmacy for Edwards from Vancouver. Edwards suffers from antisynthetase syndrome. The rare autoimmune disease affects his immune system, causing inflammation throughout his body, including his muscles, joints and lungs. Edwards takes three different

ED HITCHINS, LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER PHOTO

A customer has raised health concerns about the design of the Shoppers Drug Mart in Fort St. John.

medications to alleviate his symptoms, going to Shoppers Drug Mart for prescription refills. However, he has problems walking through the entrance of the pharmacy, where colognes and perfume scents are prominent in the store’s cosmetics section. He describes going through the entrance as “breathing acid.” He has even gone so far as to walk in through the exit doors to avoid taking the scent

Court orders CN to compensate company over grain elevator BOB MACKIN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A Federal Court judge awarded a company that owned a Dawson Creek grain elevator $21.6 million in lost profit in a Nov. 25 decision. Louis Dreyfus Company Canada ULC (LDC) sued Canadian National Railway Co. for failure to meet service obligations under the Canada Transportation Act. The Canadian Transportation Agency decided in October 2014 that CN failed to meet the obligations owed to LDC, which owned and operated 10 Western Canada grain elevators, during the 20132014 crop year. That left the Federal Court to decide what, if any, damages resulted. LDC claimed $21.64 million in lost profit, USD$3.72 million and $335,978.90 for vessel demurrage and $3.5 million

for harm to its reputation. According to Transport Canada, demurrage fees are amounts that a shipper pays a carrier for the detention of a ship, freight car, or other cargo conveyance during loading or unloading beyond the scheduled time of departure. In his decision, Justice Alan Diner said he heard testimony from seven witnesses and two experts and submissions from both parties. He awarded the full amount for lost profit, but only US$1.86 million and $167,893.0 for vessel demurrage. Diner said the agency dismissed LDC’s complaint about CN service failures at Dawson Creek, due to the size of the crop, CN’s efforts to find additional railcars, significant increase in LDC railcar orders, harsh winter weather, CN railcar allocation policy and lack of lead time for CN to meet increased demands.

of the fragrances full on. “It is called interstitial lung disease,” said Edwards. “My lung capacity initially dropped to less than about 50 per cent. Now I’m just about 70 per cent with the drugs they’ve been able to treat me with. “When you go in the doors, they want you to go through there first and then into the store. I can’t do that. In my mind, it’s Shoppers Drug Mart, not Shoppers perfume centre.”

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Edwards said the shop’s layout once had glass sections in the entrance, masking some of the smell, but those have since been replaced due to renovations at the store. While Edwards has gone through the exit doors to avoid the scents, he said several employees have told him he isn’t allowed to do that. ºEdwards claims he has brought his condition directly to the attention of store management several times, to no avail. Shoppers Drug Mart did not respond when contacted by Energeticcity.ca. Undeterred, Edwards took his frustration to social media, where a post asked for advice on how to switch pharmacy orders to different businesses in the area. For now, Edwards says he will search for another pharmacy in town to get his prescriptions. This article originally appeared at Energeticcity.ca.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

REGIONAL

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

McLeod Lake teacher honoured with national award CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen Staff

Letitia Woytkiw, an educator from the McLeod Lake Indian Band, was recently honoured with the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence in Early Childhood Education (achievement) for her work with preschool-aged children in her community. Woytkiw is one of only two BC educators who received this honour. Fifteen were awarded in Canada. There were two other categories, with 35 awards given in Teaching Excellence and 17 in Teaching Excellence in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). “Letitia is not just an educator she is a cultural ambassador, a role model and a leader who nurtures our youngest community members with unwavering care and compassion,” Harley Chingee said. “Her approach goes far beyond conventional teaching as she weaves Indigenous traditions, language and values into her classroom. Her tireless efforts have revitalized the importance of early learning in our community.” Woytkiw emphasizes educating the children within an Indigenous context, he added. She combines knowledge, language and cultural traditions with modern early learning practices to create a program that prepares children academically while fostering a deep connection to their heritage.

Through Woytkiw’s leadership, the daycare has become a model of cultural celebration, showing how early childhood education can inspire children, families and the entire community, Chingee added. “This profession chose me,” Woytkiw said about how she got started working with children. “I didn’t look for it. How it started was I needed a job to get back into the workforce after I had my children, which was really difficult. At that time when you had to work all your earnings were going to childcare so it wasn’t worth it for me to go back to work.” The opportunity came up for Woytkiw to care for another family’s children as the mom returned to work and, because she was subsidized, the financial burden would not fall on the woman like it would have for Woytkiw. Her childminding duties grew from there, she said. That was about 30 years ago. “It just kind of fell on my lap,” Woytkiw laughed. In her current position, Woytkiw is guided by an esteemed Elder of her community who is teaching her the Tse’khene language of her people. “I am so excited that I have the opportunity to build up that relationship with the Elder because that Elder is the matriarch of this community so I want to keep establishing that relationship and I keep telling her how valuable that is,” Woytkiw said. “The little children that I am working

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Letitia Woytkiw, an educator from the McLeod Lake Indian Band, was recently honoured with the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence in Early Childhood Education.

with right now are the perfect age where they’re just little sponges so whatever you give them for words they just repeat and they retain those words and this is the time to teach this. I think it has instilled a fire and a spark and I can see it going forward and I get excited because I see it. I see it.” One of Woytkiw’s favourite moments of the summer was the preschool graduation held in August. “It was the first one I’ve ever done and it was held at the Annual General Assembly in McLeod Lake,” Woytkiw said. “That’s where all the band members come from all over and gather together and I thought this was a great opportunity to showcase the preschoolers

because it’s been a while since that happened.” As part of the showcase, Woytkiw asked the Elder to say the word identifying each of five animals illustrated on placards and the colour of each animal. “So the Elder was teaching the children and in turn the children taught their people at the assembly, completing a cycle of teaching and learning,” Woytkiw explained. “And this needs to keep going. This is going to open doors. This will be exciting and this will be a moment these little ones will never forget because we included the whole community.” When Woytkiw was told she had received the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence as an early childhood educator, she was shocked because she had no idea there was such a thing. “Just to be nominated was a huge honour and I didn’t expect to win,” Woytkiw said. “I was over the moon when I heard that I had won. I had to go back to it over and over again because I couldn’t believe it. It just didn’t even feel real. This is just mind boggling. It is such an honour. I am very proud of all that I have accomplished and I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for all the challenges that came my way throughout my life. I learned from those experiences and I am glad they were hard because if not for those challenges I would not be the person I am now and I wouldn’t be doing what I am doing today.”

Family feud over Fort St. John farm winds up in court BOB MACKIN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A BC Supreme Court judge settled a family feud over a Fort St. John farm in favour of the company founded by the original owners. Cameo Farms Ltd. sued Janet Kelly Baldwin, one of the children of the late Doris and Jerry Baldwin, and Paul Williams, who have occupied the property

since Doris Baldwin’s 2015 death. In April 2016, Cameo transferred Doris Baldwin’s shares to Laurie Jean Baptist, her daughter and the executor and trustee of the will made in 2008 after separation from Jerry Baldwin. Cameo originally filed the notice of claim in 2018 and an application for a summary trial in 2024. The case was finally heard last August. In a Dec. 9 ruling, Justice Dennis Hori

agreed that Cameo owns the farm, the defendants Baldwin and Williams must vacate the property within 30 days and, if they fail to remove personal property, Cameo may dispose of it. The defendants are also liable for any costs of enforcing the order. Hori found Cameo is both the legal and beneficial owner and there was no evidence the defendants had interest in the property or a valid lease.

“An injunction restraining the defendants from remaining in possession of the property is not necessary,” Hori wrote. “The order requiring the defendants to deliver possession of the property to Cameo is sufficient.” Doris and Jerry Baldwin bought the property in 1977 and transferred it to Cameo 10 years later. Doris Baldwin became the sole shareholder in 1992.

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

REGIONAL

THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

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Church goes up in flames Burns Lake Fire Rescue firefighters battle a blaze at Island Gospel Church early Saturday, Dec. 20. The fire was reported just after 5 a.m. While the church was destroyed, firefighters were able to save the church’s auditorium. The Island Gospel Fellowship worships at the church, located on Highway 35. The cause of the fire is under investigation. There were no injuries. BURNS LAKE FIRE RESCUE PHOTO

Fire destroys animal hospital outbuilding ANDIE MOLLINS

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

WILLIAMS LAKE — The Williams Lake Fire Department (WLFD) responded to a structure fire behind the Williams Lake Veterinary Hospital at about 2 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 22. WLFD Fire Chief Evan Dean said an outbuilding was completely destroyed by the fire, and two mobile homes nearby sustained repairable damage. “Once it was confirmed that all occupants had safely evacuated without injury, initial crews focused on exposure protection to prevent further spread,” Dean said. A total of 21 firefighters and two large apparatus responded to the fire for about two hours, followed by an hour of cleanup. In a nearby townhouse, Avtar Singh Malhi and his wife were woken up by loud bangs shortly before 2 a.m. He said the flames were concerningly high when

One dead after Willow River structure fire COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

AVTAR SINGH MALHI PHOTO

A fire erupted in the early morning hours of Monday, Dec. 22, destroying an outbuilding behind the Williams Lake Veterinary Hospital and causing repairable damage to two mobile homes.

they first discovered the fire which they could see from their backyard. They saw sparks flying, called 911 and were told crews were already on their way. “(The) fire was getting close to trailer houses on the right,” Malhi wrote to the Tribune. “But luckily firefighters came in and they controlled it.” Dean said the incident was a good reminder of the importance of having

functional smoke alarms. “The occupants were alerted by their detectors, giving them time to evacuate safely. Please ensure your smoke alarms have fresh batteries and are tested regularly.” At this time, Dean said the cause of the fire is unknown and that anyone with information should contact Williams Lake RCMP.

North District RCMP say a structure fire in Willow River on Sunday, Dec. 21 left one person dead. Cpl. Madonna Saunderson told The Citizen she could confirm the date of the fire and that there was a fatality but she did not have specifics about the victim, timing or other specifics on hand. “I do believe that the fire at this time is not considered suspicious, but that was very early in the beginning of the file, so I don’t know a lot of details.” A call to the Willow River Volunteer Fire Department was not immediately returned. Willow River is located roughly 50 kilometres northeast of Prince George along Highway 16.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

COMMUNITY

What’s happening in PG Shiu Chung Wong Piano Recital goes Sunday, Jan. 4 at 3 p.m. at the Prince George Conservatory of Music, 3555 Fifth Avenue. Wong’s artistry has already earned him major academic and performance distinctions. A native of Hong Kong, Wong completed both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in piano performance at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he was awarded a full scholarship and appointed associate instructor, teaching while pursuing his advanced studies. Performance features Debussy’s Préludes, Book II and Brahms’s Piano Sonata No. 1 in C Major, Op. 1. Admission is by donation to support the Conservatory of Music’s bursary and scholarship fund. Cara Roberts FitLife Basics of Nutrition Seminar goes Sunday, Jan. 4 from 2 to 5:30 p.m. at Mulino Kitchen, 601 Victoria St. Join owner of Active Body Nutrition and health & fitness coach Cara Roberts, for an educational afternoon learning how to get your life and health back on track with the basics of nutrition. Tickets are $150 per person, cash only, at Active Body Nutrition, #150-3040 Recplace Drive. Snowed in Comedy Tour goes Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. at Vanier Hall, 2901 Griffiths Ave. This event features Dan Quinn (Just for Laughs winner and tour founder), Paul Myrehaug (Great Canadian Laugh Off champion), Pete Zedlacher (six-time Canadian Comedian of the Year nominee) and Erica Sigurdson (beloved Debaters regular with over 70 appearances). For more information www.snowedincomedytour.com/show Elevate 2026 goes Saturday, Jan. 10 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Coast Inn of the North, 770 Brunswick St. This event is presented by Repiphany Counselling. Join Registered Professional Counsellor and international speaker Christina Bianchini for a day of inspiration, connection, and insight. Through fun, interactive sessions and guided reflection, you’ll explore how to live with more authenticity, purpose, and fulfillment. Includes a catered lunch and

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

CN Centre manager Glen Mikkelsen dressed in drag during Studio Fair in November to promote the upcoming Golden Girls show on Jan. 17.

morning coffee & tea. Early bird cost is $169 before Dec. 15, regular ticket price is $199. Table of six is $895. For more information and to register visit https:// www.repiphany.com/elevate-2026/ Crones & Examine the Bore goes Saturday, Jan. 10 at 9 p.m. at Legion 43 PG, #101-1116 Sixth Ave. Legendary rock psych-alternative legends Crones joined by alt. indie band Examine the Bore. Time to boogie! Garage party energy coming to the Legion! For 19+. Tickets at the door are $20 or in$15 in advance at madloon.ca SMArt (Saturday Morning Art) Series goes Saturday, Jan,.10 to March 7 at 10 .m. at Two Rivers Gallery. For children five to seven years old to celebrate self expression on the weekend with art class. Learn new ways to make, play and imagine. Painting, sculpture, and many more creative adventures await. Join Facilitator Chad on a time travelling journey of art

through the ages. Learn about the Renaissance, Pop Art and other really fun art movements through different mediums. Cost is $190 for eight sessions. No class on Jan. 31. To register visit tworiversgallery.ca/programs/smart-5-7 Golden Girls, The Laughs Continue presented by Murray & Peter goes Saturday, Jan. 17 at 3 p.m. at CN Centre. The Golden Girls are back in an all-new 18+ only show and giving you a chance to relive the heartfelt hilarity of four ladies who never stopped being your friends. Don’t miss this show that’s played New York, Boston and Chicago - and is now coming to Prince George. For more information and tickets visit www.ticketsnorth.ca/ event/golden-girls-the-laughs-continue/ princegeorge Daytime Clubbing goes Saturday, Jan. 17 from 4 to 9 p.m. at Ignite Nightclub, 1232 Third Ave. Step into

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a time machine of retro beats and feel-good nostalgia during an unforgettable daytime party in Prince George, packed with the biggest 80s & 90s anthems. A friendly, upbeat atmosphere designed for fun. For more information and tickets visit www.fatsoma.com/ daytime-clubbing-prince-george Highbush Caribou and The Goomahs goes Saturday, Jan. 17 at 9 p.m. at Legion 43 PG, 101-1116 Sixth Avenue. Join Northwest coastal spooky surf band Highbush Caribou for a night with local alt. rock outfit The Goomahs. From a dark foggy coastal forest party to the distant New York garage party of the early 2000s, the music will pull you into wildly different landscapes. Tickets are $20 at the door or $15 presale at madloon.ca/tickets Robbie Burns Night goes Saturday, Jan. 24 at 5:39 p.m. at The Coast, 770 Brunswick Ave. Prince George’s annual celebration of Scottish culture is a fundraising dinner for the Prince George Symphony Orchestra. Highland dance, Scottish fiddling, dinner, dancing, auctions, and more! Welcoming performances by PG Old Time Fiddlers and Excalibur Theatre Arts. For more information and tickets visit www.tickets.pgso.com/tickets/ robbie-burns-night-2026 Rachel Therrien’s Latin Jazz Project goes Saturday, Jan. 24 at Knox Performance Centre, 1448 Fifth Ave. Therrien’s Latin Jazz Project is the result of her postgraduate studies at the Instituto Superior de Arte, in Havana, and is also informed by her many musical experiences in Latin America and the Caribbean. With this exceptional ensemble, she offers a festive repertoire featuring original works and Afro-Latin jazz classics. From salsa to danzón and rumba to chachacha, Rachel and her band of virtuosos invite you to groove to the lively rhythms of Cuba, Mexico, Colombia, and Haiti. For more information and tickets visit www.knoxcentre.ca/event/ rachel-therrien CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

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CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE The Offspring: Supercharged Worldwide in 2026 goes Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 7:30 p.m. at CN Centre. Offspring invite you to Come Out and Play. Selling more than 45 million records and winning 16 different awards, The Offspring are one of the best selling and most successful punk rock bands of all time. Special guest Bad Religion will start the evening’s entertainment. For more information and tickets visit www.ticketsnorth.ca/event/ offspring-supercharged-worldwide-2026 Live Pro Wrestling goes Friday, Jan. 30 and Saturday, Jan. 31 from 5:45 to 9:15 p.m. at the Prince George Civic Centre, 808 Canada Games Plaza. Presented by Primetime Entertainment and features many great bouts including Vance Nevada’s last match ever. For tickets and more information visit https://www. ticketseller.ca/live-pro-westling Rural Roots, Coldsnap Music Festival show goes Sunday, Feb. 8 at Knox Performance Centre, 1448 Fifth Ave at 7 p.m. includes performances from Pharis & Jason Romero, Sarah Jane Scouten and The Bentalls. Expect songs that draw on Canadiana and old-time genres, weaving stories of rural life, love and resilience with conviction and delicacy. For more information and tickets visit www.coldsnapfestival.tickit.ca/ ruralroots Iceman Prince George goes Sunday, Feb. 8 at 10 a.m. Experience winter in Prince George during the annual Prince George Iceman. This multi-sport event brings together winter pursuits, showcasing the city’s great recreation facilities. It’s a race for everyone from beginner to elite athletes and offers solo and relay team categories. The event is spectator-friendly, with many opportunities to cheer on participants at the Otway Nordic Centre, the Outdoor Ice Oval and the pool. Ages 16 plus do an 8km ski, 10km run, 5km skate, 5km run and 800m swim. Ages 10-15 do a 4km ski, 5km run, 3 km skate, 5km run and 400m swim.

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY TED CLARKE

Skaters compete in last year’s Iceman Prince George competition, which features skiing, running, skating and swimming. It returns Feb. 8.

Canadian Cancer Society is looking for Wheels of Hope drivers who make a significant impact on the lives of those battling cancer. By providing crucial transportation to treatment appointments volunteers offer not only a ride but also a supportive presence. This role involves flexible scheduling, confirming travel arrangements, ensuring client safety while adhering to CCS policies. CCS will provide training as volunteers join a dedicated team of more than 1600 drivers. Commit to a minimum of half a day to one day per week and be part of a mission to support and uplift those in need. For more information contact Wheels of Hope at 1-800-939-3333 or email volunteer@

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

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diagnosed, those who are caregivers, family members and friends. Wheelchair accessible parking at the back of the building. For more information call Viv Lougheed at 250-981-2618. Parkinson Support Group meetings are the first Saturday of each month at 1 p.m. at the Spruce Capital Seniors Centre, 3701 Rainbow Drive. Meetings are informal and are for sharing information about slowing down the progression of PD. There are guest speakers, special events and biweekly exercise sessions and positive social interaction. Use lower parking lot beside ball diamond to access the seniors centre. Chronic Condition Support Group takes place the first Tuesday of every month from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Nechako Branch of the Prince George Public Library, 6547 John Hart Hwy. This is a community social group where people with any chronic condition can come together to socialize, connect and learn from each other. This is a free drop-in event. Trivia Night at Nancy O’s goes every other Wednesday at 8 p.m., 1261 Third Ave. There are three rounds per game, each round has five themed questions and five music questions. There’s something for everyone. The winning team gets a custom Nancy O’s Trivia trophy and a round of drinks, their photo on the wall that goes into the winners’ book after two weeks. Those caught cheating will be publicly shamed and labelled as cheaters — good wholesome fun. Book a spot by calling ahead at 250-562-8066. Open Mic at Nancy O’s goes every other Wednesday from 8 to 11 p.m. Open mic is hosted by Danny Bell and friends. Come on down and share songs, poetry, dance, stories, and anything else you can think to do on stage. All are welcome. If you’ve got an event coming up email us at news@pgcitizen.ca to offer details including name of the event, the date, time and location, ticket price and where to get them and a little bit about what’s happening, too. LOCF

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Vacant lots in some cases, debris-filled and fenc after flames destroyed the former City Second-Ha Spotless Dry Cleaning in the Hart, CrossRoads Br

CITY SECOND HAND: NOW vs. JAN. 16

BOARDWALK APARTMENTS: NOW vs. MAY 22

SPOTLESS DRY CLEANING: NOW vs. AUG. 5

CITIZEN PHOTOS BY CHUCK NISBETT, MATTHEW HILLIER AND MICHAEL KAST

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ced-off properties in others .... that’s all that’s left and building downtown, the Boardwalk Apartments, rewing and Distillery and the Nechako Bottle Depot

CROSSROADS BREWING AND DISTILLERY: SEPT. 5 vs. NOW

PRINCE GEORGE FIRES IN 2025 PROPERTY TYPE

INCIDENTS

Commercial 6 Houses/Duplexes 13 Apartments 4 Mobile homes 4 Garages/Outbuildings 4 Other (carports, RVs, etc) 5

DAMAGE $4,010,000 $2,580,000 $350,000 $215,000 $160,000 $75,000

NECHAKO BOTTLE DEPOT: SEPT. 19 vs. NOW

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Meet the chefs behind the Meals on Wheels program This small team cooks meals for 80 to 90 people a day, Monday to Friday CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen Staff

With more than 16,000 meals created in the Prince George Council of Seniors Meals on Wheels kitchen last year, it’s been recognized as the biggest program of its kind in British Columbia. There are currently 162 clients accessing the service and only a chef and sous chef making all the meals Monday to Friday. They made a record 106 meals on a Friday right before Christmas — just the two of them. Meals include a protein, a starch and vegetables, and the container is filled to the brim. It comes with a bun and a choice of soup, salad or dessert as well. Feedback from most seniors accessing this Meals on Wheels program says they can get two meals out of the midday feast provided. Mike Maund was hired as the chef about a year ago. “I used to do buffet-style catering so I am familiar with serving up to 200 to 300 people, not a problem, but this right here is a super great job,” Maund said. “It’s so easy for me — I don’t want to jinx it but I’m very experienced at this kind of job and I’m having so much fun it feels like I don’t even work. I come in at 6 a.m. and we’re usually done cooking by 10:30 and then my day is done by noon. Then I can go home, have a nap and then my whole day is ahead of me and it’s just fantastic.” Maund said he was very lucky to get the job. “I got the interview and got the job right away,” Maund said. “I was so pumped. Before this I was kinda hatin’ life, hatin’ my job and now not a single regret — at all.” When Maund started, he was making 50 or 60 meals a day because there were fewer clients signed up. Back then there was a lack of volunteers to deliver the meals to those

CITIZEN PHOTO BY CHRISTINE DALGLEISH

The Prince George Council of Seniors Meals on Wheels program chefs and coordinator are seen here in action recently as they prepared meals for delivery by volunteers to seniors in need. Andrew Agbenin, right, is the Meals on Wheels coordinator, Mike Maund, centre, is the chef and on the left is Zach Kelly, sous chef, hard at work in the kitchen in downtown Prince George.

65-plus who needed the service and the council of seniors had a waiting list of 46 people. When Andrew Agbenin took over the duties of Meals on Wheels coordinator in November 2024, his goal was to eliminate that waiting list and expand the service. A few short months later, Agbenin had achieved his lofty goal of eliminating the wait list and now offers the service in the Prince George bowl, North Nechako area and some parts of College Heights to 162 clients and wants to expand even further in the near future. “I know there is a great need in this community and I want to be able to provide the service to all the seniors who need it,” Agbenin said. On any given day there are requests for between 80 and 90 meals, and on Fridays the demand is greater as people are looking for the meal to carry them through the weekend, Maund said. The menu is on a rotation so people don’t get bored of the meals, he explained.

“On Mondays we do something easy because we don’t have the prep done yet,” Maund said. “And then we work up to the Friday meals — I call them dinners because they’re more hearty and those are the roast beef, the turkey and the seniors love the stews, they love the meatloafs, they love the ham, the cabbage rolls — those are the favourites.” Maund is aware of dietary needs that are met and understands how important it is to maximize the nutritional value of the meals. “We need to be low sodium because these are seniors we’re serving,” he added. Zach Kelly, sous chef, started his job in October. “I was interviewed and got hired the same day,” Kelly said with a smile. “This originally was just a second job for me but I think I’m going to choose this job over my other one because it’s more rewarding. This is the same thing I’ve always done — I like cooking for a living and I feel pretty good about it.” “It’s the whole thing that’s rewarding,”

Maund added. “I think of it like this, we have some 90-year-old clients and in the back of my mind I always think (what if this is the last heap of mashed potatoes they get?). So I load ’em up, because you never know.” Agbenin said he’s got the right staff in place to do this demanding job. “They are punctual, hard-working and they’ve been wonderful,” Agbenin said. The Meals on Wheels program provides a much-needed service that offers affordable, nutritious, hot midday meals delivered to each client’s door. Agbenin has managed to recruit volunteer drivers to deliver all the meals, but there’s always room for more people to help out so the program can continue to grow. For more information about the Meals in Wheels program, to volunteer and to access all the programs offered by the Prince George Council of Seniors, visit www.pgcos.ca/ or visit the Seniors Resource Centre at 1330 Fifth Ave., or call 250-564-5888.

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Rocky Mountain Rangers pay tribute to Tom Newell Bravo Company’s armory mess hall is named for him TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

The Rocky Mountain Rangers kept it a secret from Tom Newell. Right up until the minute he saw the Newell House plaque that gave the mess hall a name at the Bravo Company armory in Prince George, the Rangers’ 77-year-old Newell had no idea the honour was coming his way. “I was flabbergasted, there’s no way on earth I expected that,” said Newell. “Being appointed an honorary is such an honour, if I can play on the word, and it’s overwhelming the soldiers think that much of you, because it’s something that has to be voted on by the membership. “It’s about the closest I’ve come to tears since Nada left,” he said, referring to his wife Nada, who died of cancer on Dec. 31, 2021. The combined-ranks mess hall is where officers and enlisted members of the army reserve infantry unit gather to socialize with food or drink after they’ve gone through their drills and exercises. Newell was presented the plaque at the regiment’s annual Kiska Dinner to commemorate the unit’s original deployment in August 1943 to Kiska, part of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, occupied briefly by Japanese forces during the Second World War. Newell became formally affiliated with the Rangers in Prince George and Kamloops in 2014, when he was appointed honorary lieutenant-colonel, and in 2021 he was promoted to honorary colonel. He enjoys his formal ties to the military and plans to continue in his honorary duties until his term expires in 2028, knowing he serves a unique function where he can apply his skills as a human resources specialist. “My job is to promote and support the regiment and the commanding officer and build awareness of them in the community and support the

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Honorary Col. Tom Newell, right, takes part in the Rocky Mountain Rangers’ 10th anniversary celebration in 2022.

soldiers themselves,” said Newell. “Lots get deployed and my job is to help with morale and promote the unit, and it’s not just B Company. Recruiting is really starting to move. Our intakes are fantastic. The unit is building.” Newell, owner and founder of Kopar Administration, has represented the Rangers well in the community and is popular with the soldiers and officers who stand ready as part of the 39 Canadian Brigade Group to augment Canada’s military in local, national and international deployments. “He’s contributed a great deal of time and energy and provided resources, both monetary and connections, to support the Rangers to have a strong foothold in Prince George and we thank him for all he’s done,” said Rocky Mountain Rangers B Company captain Eric Depenau. “We are recruiting at a very high rate at this time and certainly this is a time of strong growth for the Rangers. Tom has been a great supporter. He’s a great asset and a good friend to the regiment and I’m just really pleased we were able to recognize him.” Newell represents the Rocky Mountain Rangers as a community liaison, helping the unit connect with sponsors for events and form partnerships with city businesses that support the work

SUB MITTED PHOTO

This is the plaque that now hangs at the Newell House mess hall at the Rocky Mountain Rangers Bravo Company Moore’s Meadow amory in Prince George.

they do training soldiers from their armoury base on Dornbierer Avenue overlooking Moores Meadow Nature Park in the former Meadow Elementary School. Newell has a family military background and calls himself an “air force brat.” His dad was in the Royal Canadian Air Force and during the Second World War served with the Canadian army, as did his grandfather in the First World War. Tom spent time as a kid living on a Canadian Forces base in West Germany before the family moved to Victoria. He was a junior officer with the Canadian Scottish army reserves in Nanaimo and Victoria from 1973 to 1978. He studied political science and history at the University of Victoria

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and became a banker working for the Bank of Montreal, which brought him to Merritt, where he was elected as an alderman. He moved to Prince George with his family in 1988, continuing to work as a financial manager with the bank, and in 1997 he started Kopar Administration. Before the Rocky Mountain Rangers were revived in Prince George in 2012, the Canadian Armed Forces had no recruiting station in the area and Newell offered to use his 16 Kopar employment services branch offices in the region to sign up new recruits. He did that without asking for anything in return. Newell sponsored a Ranger trip to Lens, France, in 2019 and brought a group of reserves to visit the First World War battle site at Hill 70, a significant victory for the Canadian army under commander Arthur Currie, and they also toured Vimy Ridge. Sheldon Clare, MLA for Prince George-North Cariboo, was part of that tour and was one of the instigators who pushed for the re-establishment of the Rangers’ Prince George unit in 2012. “Colonel Newell was critical in the unit’s success, maintenance and longevity,” said Clare. “He’s been generous and kind to everyone and (the name dedication) is an accolade that’s well deserved.” Newell is planning another trip to France and Belgium for the regiment, likely in 2027, but it’s a costly venture and he’s formed a Rocky Mountain Rangers Society not-for-profit group that now has Canada Revenue Agency approval to accept donations. “His tireless efforts have helped our soldiers increase their capacity to serve while also ensuring the legacy of the Rocky Mountain Rangers in northern British Columbia remains vibrant,” said RMR commanding officer Torry White. “I look forward to the next few years of his service on behalf of the Canadian Armed Forces knowing his mentorship and guidance has allowed me to be a better leader. We are truly grateful for his exemplary support and naming the mess in his name was but a modest token of our sincere appreciation.”

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Does it really make sense to drive an EV in the North? Owners react to news province is rethinking its rebate program MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

Local electric vehicle (EV) adoption may have just received a major blow due to a recent re-prioritization of goals and rebates from the provincial government. The BC government has announced it will be rolling back its goal of requiring 100 per cent of cars sold to be EVs by 2035 and is rethinking its rebate offers for new EV buyers. The Go Electric rebate program was paused on May 15s, reportedly due to high uptake and a recent government evaluation. Those who applied following the pause in May will receive rebates on a first-come, first-served basis until funding for the program runs out. This program will be permanently paused and will likely be replaced by a new federal program. Currently, the provincial government remains optimistic despite these changes and pushbacks. “BC currently leads Canada in EV targets, and we are proud to be a North American leader in EV adoption, with more than 210,000 zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) on provincial roads,” said Adrian Dix, minister of energy and climate solutions, in a press release. “We have more than 7,000 public charging stations throughout the province and are on track to meet our target of 10,000 by 2030.” According to a BC government press release, the province intends to introduce legislative updates in spring 2026. These updates intend to recalibrate BC’s EV targets and will be informed by the CleanBC review. The release notes that BC is still on track to meet its 2026 zero-emission vehicle goals and that provincial and national goals need to be aligned. “The federal government is reviewing its national EV plans and targets,” the statement reads. “It is BC’s strong

PRINCE GEORGE ELECTRIC VEHICLE SOCIETY PHOTO

Members of the Prince George Electric Vehicle Society gather to share their interest in their vehicles in a file photo.

view that there should not be different targets in BC and Canada. In the current climate, it is vital for BC and Canada to be aligned, and it is BC’s view that there should be one clear, harmonized sales target for the country to provide clarity and accelerate adoption. BC looks forward to the results of the federal review, which will inform provincial policies.” However, those in the North who have taken to EV adoption are excited about the future but recognize the reality of adapting to driving EVs in this region. Doug Beckett, facilitator of the Prince George Electric Vehicle Association, shared his thoughts on the impact of losing some of these provincial incentives. “Personally, I am disappointed that the Canadian and the BC governments are weakening the EV mandates and reducing the incentives and subsidies for the electric transition,” said Beckett. “Especially as explicit plus implicit subsidies to the oil and gas industry — an industry which has been receiving subsidies for its entire 130-year history — amount to around $1,200 each and every year from each Canadian. Any reduction in subsidies should be to those provided to the antiquated and disappearing oil and gas industry.” He added that rebates and cost cuts for the average driver are essential

to the continued adaptation of these products. “In the early stages of technology, your products are more expensive,” said Beckett. “We’ve seen that with the personal computer, with the cell phone. The rebates allowed an expensive product to be more within reach of many consumers. Because of that, it enabled the companies to put the investment into making the products and get themselves established. The rebates, we’ve always expected them to disappear. There has been a transition in making the rebates available to fewer vehicles, more and more to lower-cost, shorter-range vehicles to help low-income people rather than affluent people.” However, Beckett sees adoption in the country as inevitable and thinks that despite these announcements, those who don’t adapt may soon be left behind. “While I am disappointed with some details of the recent changes the BC government is making to the ZEV framework, I am pleased the changes are being done in a way that is meant to maintain EV momentum,” said Beckett. “The biggest problem is that the changes enable the corporations to slow down their efforts in making the electric transition, at a time when the corporations around the world are increasing their efforts to transition

to electric. Any corporation that takes this opportunity that the Canadian and BC governments are providing to slow down on their electric transition is at increased risk of being relegated to being a name in the history books as once having been a big corporation.” Some EV drivers in the North shared Beckett’s views when The Citizen solicited opinions on the Northern BC, Canada EV Group Facebook page. For those in the group, adoption in the North is not only important but viable with a few lifestyle adjustments, and many see the rethinking of rebates as a misstep. • Donald Allen: “I purchased my 2023 Toyota bz4x three years ago from PG Toyota. I live in Granisle, BC, and charge at home. It has been a good experience for the most part, except for travelling in winter, but there are some limitations in the charging network. It has mostly been a non-issue. The mandate removal has certainly affected the value of my EV over the last year. Overall, I would not go back to an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle but would certainly look at other models.” • CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

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Owners weigh in on what it’s like to have an electric vehicle CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE • • Japhy Ryder: “All it takes is for Canada to let the affordable Chinese EVs come in and we’re all good. Personally, I’ll be fine for a while because my EV is only three years old, and by the time I’m ready for another, there should be lots of affordable used EVs on the market.” • Nicola Koper: “In terms of owning an EV in the North, with the distribution of fast chargers having improved significantly in the last couple of years, it’s becoming incredibly easy to drive in all directions across the province and beyond. We kept a “back-up, just in case” gas vehicle when we bought our EV and it’s been totally unnecessary — the EV is so much easier, cheaper and more pleasurable to drive. Looking forward to replacing our gas vehicle with another EV in the future.” • Jeremy Henderson: “I think withdrawing from the mandate is simply cowardice in the face of legacy auto lobbying. I have no regrets having an EV in the North — it performs better than any gas vehicle I’ve ever owned. Canada simply needs to allow Chinese EVs in without tariffs, period. Then the 2035 goal is achievable. With Ford, GM, etc., it is not.” • Todd Windley: “This is very bad news for our children’s world. Climate stability is essential to grow food crops and decrease massive wildfires that destroy forests, industries, jobs and uncut lumber for the housing crisis. So many reasons surrounding our children’s future to scrap CO2-belching ICE vehicles. We have Ford Lightning longrange and Tesla long-range EVs and love skipping gas stations, charging at home, and preheating the interior in one or two minutes with an app without waking up the neighbourhood or burning

REGIONAL DISTRICT OF FRASER-FORT GEORGE PHOTO

Electric vehicle charging stations are located around the Prince George area, including this one in the Robson Valley.

expensive fuel unhealthy for children or anyone.” For Mark Vejvoda, a local EV enthusiast and YouTube content creator with the channel Tesla Backcountry Prince, EV adoption in the North is more complicated. While he is a fervent supporter of EVs, he acknowledges that for full adaptation to occur in this region, rebates won’t cut it — far more hands-on support and funding is needed to include the North in BC’s EV goals. “This cutoff amount for the rebate really only included cars that had the lowest range,” said Vejvoda. “We have much colder temperatures here than the southern part of the province. I did this test a couple of years ago and it was on CBC. I have a YouTube video showing it where I drove from Prince George to McBride in –30 temperatures and documented the whole experience, and long story short is that you lose about 40 per cent range when you get those colder temperatures. “You get a rebate that’s supposed to spur buying EVs, but in Northern BC in the winter, if you need to go out of town and go somewhere, you’re gonna have range anxiety when it’s really cold if you need to get there and back, if the infrastructure is not there. If you don’t have the range in the wintertime, you’re gonna be afraid to use that vehicle.” Vejvoda believes in a “build it and they will come” approach to EV adaptation in Prince George and

beyond — and that the BC government has more work to do in building rural charging networks and allocating funds. “Let’s say 25 per cent of people in Prince George had EVs today,” said Vejvoda. “You’re driving up to Powder King to go skiing. There’s one or two charging stations — if you had, say, 10 people with EVs go skiing on the same day, which isn’t unheard of, that’s not gonna service the needs even today, let alone 2035, where it’s supposed to be 100 per cent. When you talk about money spent, there are EV rebates and there’s the money that goes to charging. There’s a lot of money involved in having this date come to 2035. They would also have to spend a pile of money not just in rebates, but in infrastructure.” Vejvoda is happy to see new EV infrastructure installed in the past few years, including Charge North connecting 2,800 km of rural highways and the completion of BC’s Electric Highway in September. However, he still believes that for adaptation to take place, less money needs to be spent encouraging people to buy and manufacture EVs and more spent on making them viable for drivers across the board. He adds that with an expanding used EV market in recent years, the focus on EV-friendly infrastructure is now more important than ever. “There was virtually almost no used market for EVs,” said Vejvoda. “That’s the first thing I looked at when buying an EV, and there were five used vehicles

in the province and they didn’t meet what I needed, and the price difference between new and used was like $5,000. Well, that’s completely different now. There’s quite a used market out there. A lot of the mass-produced vehicles have a range of, let’s say, 200 to 300 kilometres on a single charge — that’s the lower-end ones. That’s going to be okay if there are five charging stations at the places I need. Then maybe I’ll replace my gas vehicle with a used EV if I know that the charging stations are there, and so you’ll get more adoption not just from the new but from the used market. So infrastructure is extremely important for us.” Members of the Northern BC Canada EV Group Facebook page shared Vejvoda’s concerns about EV infrastructure and also expressed that the former 100 per cent by 2035 goal was unrealistic and that priorities need to be reshaped. • Niklas Duque: “The goal of 100 per cent EV vehicle sales by 2035 was never a realistic goal to start with, in my opinion.” • Doreen Dyson: “I am still driving the pre-owned Nissan Leaf that I purchased six years ago. Clean, quiet and cheap to run. I do not miss standing at the pumps gassing up the Ranger at -26. I am sorry the rebates were withdrawn because I think many more people would buy EVs. One hundred per cent of anything is never a realistic goal, but if even half the cars in PG were electric, we would notice a significant reduction in noise and air pollution with subsequent improved health outcomes. • Diane Jensen: “As someone waiting for the right circumstances to switch to an EV, I hope to see incentives of some kind, but I totally understand that the goal of 100 per cent EV only for new sales was unattainable. It is probably much more reasonable in dense urban areas, but the North is different and often forgotten when laws, guidelines and targets are drafted.”

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PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

Political future in Victoria for recent UNBC graduate Keira Eames lands a prime internship at the BC legislature MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

Keira Emes, a recent UNBC graduate with a degree in political science in the Bachelor of Arts program, will soon be headed to Victoria for a new and prestigious experience. Through her hard work at UNBC, her studies in political science and her role with the university’s Political Science Association, which she helped re-establish, Emes has earned a spot as one of 12 interns in the BC Legislative Internship Program. “I was very excited,” said Emes. “I think I probably cried a little bit. Yeah, I had already wanted it. I worked really hard on my application. For the interview, I actually had to go down to Victoria as well. I put a lot of time, energy into hopefully getting the position. So it felt very nice to hear back that I actually got it. It was very much worth my time.” Emes is originally from Calgary but has relatives in Prince George, whom she frequently visited throughout her life. This made UNBC a natural fit for her post-secondary education, and she is excited to represent the North in her new internship. “I think going to UNBC, I brought in a little bit of the Northern BC perspective,” said Emes. “Which I think that they do look for. I think the rest of the interns that I’m aware of are from the lower portion of BC, and most of them are from UBC, UVic or SFU. I think that they do want to be able to include perspectives from the north. I think that definitely made me stand out.” Drawn into politics through her high school social studies classes, she found the learning environment at UNBC a natural fit and credits one particular course for helping her gain confidence and skills suited to the internship. “I had this one class, ethics and public affairs, with Dr. Michael Murphy, and that was one class where I left every

UNBC PHOTO

Keira Emes, a recent UNBC graduate, is headed to the BC legislature on an exclusive internship.

single week with a group of my peers, and we would sit in the hallway outside the class just continuing the debates that we would have in the class,” said Emes. “It was a very thought-provoking course, and I think that course also really helped me to be able to speak confidently and be prepared. The class was kind of organized in a roundtable way, and every single week we would show up and be ready to debate a whole list of questions with everybody else about all sorts of topics. One that we focused on for a long time was MAID. We would show up to the class and talk with our peers, and everybody showed up very prepared, and I really just loved being able to have those conversations.” She added that the personal touch from professors at UNBC helped shape her experience. “Obviously, you can take political science courses at pretty much any university,” said Emes. “But all of my professors knew me by name. They were rooting for me on a personal and professional educational level. They

wanted to see me do well. Also, my group of peers were incredibly supportive, and we all worked together to help each other do better. That was something that I thought was really valuable in my time there.” Once in Victoria, Emes will be interning in the Attorney General’s office, which was her top choice among possible placements. She is looking forward to learning from mentors and shaping her experience. “It’s very much an internship that you make your own,” said Emes. “I found out my ministry placement is going to be with the attorney general for the first portion of the internship, and I’ll be working there with a mentor. You can make it a little bit whatever you want it to be to best suit the specific education you want to have from the program. I haven’t found out my caucus placement yet. It’s all a very unique experience, I think, depending on which placement you get, who your mentors are and what you want to get out of the program.” Emes will head to Victoria in the new year and, although she is nervous to

begin this new chapter, she is more excited to see what the future holds. “There are definitely nerves, for sure. A lot of it is that it still kind of feels like an unknown,” said Emes. “I haven’t worked in a professional setting in this way before. So there are definitely some nerves, but I do feel confident in myself to be able to handle whatever’s thrown at me. And I’m also just excited — nervous, too.” Following her internship, Emes is considering law school but told The Citizen she is open to change, depending on where the experience takes her. “Definitely considering law school, probably the most after I leave, but I’m also really hoping to let the internship shape my career goals,” said Emes. “I think that for so many new grads, and especially people in political science, there are so many career options and choices that aren’t even known by students or graduates. So I’m excited to have that first-hand experience, work with people in the public service and discover what things I might want to do or the things I maybe don’t want to do.”

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Throwback Thursday: Week of January 1

Jan. 4, 1971: Prince George’s centennial baby, Dennis David Waltamore Pearson, appears unconcerned with his prominent position as the first city baby of 1971. The seven-pound, sevenounce son of Dennis and Barbara Pearson was born at 3:15 a.m. on New Year’s Day. CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY RICK HULL

Jan. 4, 1960: The beaming parents of Prince George’s first baby of 1960 were Mr. and Mrs. John Sabyan. Kelly John Sabyan was born at 1:02 a.m. on New Year’s Day, weighing 10.5 ounces. Back then, newspapers usually didn’t include the first names of women when referring to married couples. CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY HAL VANDERVOORT

Jan. 3, 2006: Kaylee Teresa Elmquist, daughter of proud parents Daynea Denis and Chris Elmquist, was born at noon on New Year’s Day. CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN

Jan. 2, 1987: Kyle Regis Collin, the first baby born in Prince George in 1987, made a surprise early entrance at 3:47 a.m. on New Year’s Day. Parents Claudette and Pierre said he wasn’t due until a few days later. CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY LISA MURDOCH

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HEALTH

THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

Empowering northern health care through simulation SHAR MCCRORY

skills and confidence to respond effectively in critical moments.

In the heart of Northern BC, Northern Health’s Northern Clinical Simulation (NCS) Program is transforming health care education through immersive, hands-on learning experiences. With simulation centres located in Prince George, Fort St. John, Terrace and Quesnel, the program equips health care professionals with the skills and confidence needed to deliver safe, effective care.

Learning objectives

Northern Health

• •

Recognize signs of an overdose Administer naloxone safely and confidently • Perform effective CPR when no pulse is detected This event was more than a training session; it was also a bridge between health care teams and the community. By bringing simulation out of the lab and into a public space, we helped raise awareness, reduce stigma and empower individuals with life-saving knowledge. A huge thank you to the NCS team and the overdose prevention clinic team for their collaboration and commitment. Your participation in the outreach event made a real impact, and we’re proud to have connected with so many passionate participants. Together, we’re building a safer, more informed community.

How did it start?

The program was formed in 2011 to support educational activities using a full range of patient simulators, from infant to adult, that can be applied to many different disciplines and learning environments.

What is clinical simulation?

Clinical simulation uses life-sized, anatomically correct human models to provide realistic training for student nurses, staff nurses, medical students, physicians and other health care professionals. The simulators can be used with real medical equipment, allowing practice with burns, labour and delivery, resuscitation and advanced life support, heart attacks and more. At the core of our training are lifesized, anatomically accurate simulators — mannequins that breathe, speak, bleed and respond to clinical interventions. These advanced tools allow learners to safely practice complex scenarios, all in a controlled environment with zero risk to patients.

What we do

Northern Clinical Simulation supports a wide range of learners, including: • Nurses • Physicians • Paramedics • Medical students • Allied health professionals We offer structured and customized training in:

Collaborations and partnerships

NORTHERN HEALTH PHOTO

A clinical simulation program student learns to administer Naloxone.

• • • • •

Basic and Advanced Life Support (BLS/ACLS) Maternal and neonatal resuscitation Trauma and emergency response Procedural skills training Team communication and leadership

Celebrating and collaborating: Simulation Week

To celebrate Simulation Week, Sept. 19-25, 2025, the NCS Centre team proudly partnered with the Prince George Overdose Prevention Clinic

team for a powerful outreach event focused on overdose awareness and emergency response training. Our teams visited the College of New Caledonia and the Interior Medical Unit, where we engaged with 60 participants, including students, health care staff and community members, through hands-on simulation activities.

What we did

Using high-fidelity simulators and injection pads, we guided participants through realistic overdose scenarios. The goal was to equip them with the

Our work is made possible through strong partnerships with funding organizations and academic institutions that share our vision for excellence in health care education. Did you know that the Northern Clinical Simulation program is a partnership between Northern Health, the University of Northern British Columbia School of Nursing, the College of New Caledonia, Coast Mountain College and the Northern Medical Program? These collaborations allow us to integrate simulation into health care curricula, support clinical placements and co-develop innovative training programs that benefit learners across the region.

Funding partners

We are proud to be supported by organizations such as the Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation and other regional and provincial health education funders. Their generous contributions help us expand access to simulation-based learning and invest in cutting-edge equipment and resources.

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

HEALTH

THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

Here are five tips to help you stay healthy this winter

33

ETHAN READY

Health has mental wellness resources ready to help.

As darkness descends and winter begins to blanket Northern BC, it’s the perfect time to refresh your wellness routine. From Dawson Creek to Haida Gwaii, colder days don’t have to mean slowing down — small steps now can make a big difference for your health all season long. Here are five small ideas that can snowball happiness into your winter.

4. Get winter-ready

Northern Health

Before the deep freeze hits, check your vehicle and home: winter tires, emergency kits, and stocked essentials can prevent stress and keep you safe when snowstorms arrive.

5. Protect against illness

1. Embrace the outdoors

Snow-dusted trails and crisp air make Northern BC magical in early winter. Bundle up and head outside for a walk, ski, or snowshoe. Staying active outdoors boosts energy and mood — even when daylight is short.

2. Enjoy local comfort foods

Winter calls for hearty meals. Farmers’

NORTHERN HEALTH PHOTO

Skiing can be a great way to stay active during the winter months.

markets, grocery stores, and local producers offer root vegetables, grains, and proteins perfect for nourishing soups and stews. Supporting local growers means fresher, nutrient-rich meals for you and your family.

Foundation launches campaign to bring MRI to Dawson Creek ALLIE MACAM Northern Health

The Dawson Creek and District Hospital Foundation is proud to announce the launch of a bold and transformative campaign with a goal of raising three million dollars to bring the first community-driven and publicly funded magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine to the South Peace. The campaign, titled Create a Clear Picture, will support the purchase of a full body MRI to be installed in the new Dawson Creek and District Hospital, which will be open for patients in Spring 2027. This landmark initiative reflects the collective efforts and support of residents, organizations, and government partners. This new MRI service will ensure that residents have access to state-of-the-art, publicly funded medical

imaging locally, therefore reducing wait times, improving health outcomes, and helping patients avoid long and costly trips to access care elsewhere. In addition to improving patient care, the addition of a MRI in the new hospital will play a critical role in attracting and retaining physicians and health care professionals in the South Peace. “Investing in a MRI is vital for our patients,” said Dr. Remi Oyedeji, chief of staff at the Dawson Creek and District Hospital. “It will save lives, alleviate pain and anxiety related to travelling for this modality, and help ensure that health care professionals come and stay in our community.” The new Dawson Creek and District Hospital represents a $590-million investment into health care services in the South Peace and is funded by Northern Health and the Peace River Regional Hospital District.

3. Care for your mental health

Shorter days can feel heavy. Make time for what lifts you — reading by the fire, connecting with friends, or practicing mindfulness. If you need extra support, Northern

Flu season is here. Book your flu shot at a Northern Health clinic or local pharmacy and encourage loved ones to do the same. It’s a simple step that helps protect your community. Healthy habits now set the tone for a strong, safe winter. By staying active, eating well, caring for mental health, and preparing for seasonal changes, Northern BC residents can thrive — even as temperatures drop. Find flu shot info and wellness tips at Northern Health.

The Prince George Citizen

right to your inbox. Scan the QR Code to find out how!

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

Local Sports

Cougars might be playing their best season ever This was supposed to be a rebuilding year, but win after win proves the team has other ideas TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

If there’s one takeaway from the past 12 months the Prince George Cougars hope to bring into the new year, it has to be this: The best is yet to come. The Cougars have surprised many Western Hockey League observers with their rise to the top of the charts in 2025-26 as BC Division leaders, and they appear to be legitimate contenders for the league championship. What’s surprising is they were forced to replace more than half their roster from last season and they haven’t missed a step. For the fourth straight season they’ve got a winning record and are on track for one of their best-ever regular-season finishes. The Cougars went 41-21-4-2 in 202425, finishing fourth in the Western Conference, 12 points better than the fifth-place Portland Winterhawks, their first-round playoff opponents. It went to seven games, but the Winterhawks advanced, beating the Cougars for the fourth time in their last five playoff appearances. The Cougs fell behind 3-1 in the series when they lost 5-4 in Game 4 in Portland on a Diego Buttazzoni goal 17:57 into the second overtime period — the longest game in the Cougars’ 30-year Prince George history. The Cats won the next two games 7-2 and 4-1 but lost Game 7 4-2 in front of a sold-out CN Centre. “That was an unbelievable series, we played probably our best games in Games 6 and 7 and in Game 7 and we lost,” said Mark Lamb, the Cougars head coach and general manager. “We thought we played a real hard series, we just came up short.” They’ll begin 2026 with a New Year’s Day game in Penticton with a team that wins three times more often than it

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

Cougars goalie Alexander Levshyn stops the shot of Winterhawks forward Ryan Miller during the season opening game at CN Centre Friday, Sept. 19.

loses and appears to be arming itself for an extended spring playoff engagement. Lamb saw it right away in training camp and called it the deepest team he’s ever had in seven seasons since he joined the Cougars in July 2019. As much as off-season acquisitions Kooper Gizowski and Brock Souch have helped the Cougars win games, this year’s team was essentially built through smart drafting. “I think everyone thought we were going to take a real step back, but we’ve got the depth from the draft,” said Lamb. “The ’08 draft is one of the best drafts we’ve had. Everyone looks

at Riley Heidt and Koehn Ziemmer and those guys leaving, but we made a couple trades to alleviate the offence and we’ve got some good young defencemen. They’re so young but they’ve held their own.” That class of 2008 includes defencemen Carson Carels, Eli Johnson, Gavin Johnston and Phoenix Cahill, and forwards Townes Kozicky, Kayden Lemire and Jack Finnegan, all of whom are regulars in the lineup. Carels, 17, made Canada’s world junior team in only his second full WHL season. Now considered the Cougars’ best defenceman, Carels is ranked in the top 10 for next

year’s NHL draft and could go in the top five. He’s that good. “All these special players have that, they want to win, they want to get better, they work harder than anybody, he’s dedicated to playing his position — everybody wants points — he knows how to play D, he’s a shutdown guy, and he bought into that at a young age,” said Lamb. “He’s running the best power play in the league and the best penalty kill in the league. That’s it in a nutshell what he is.” CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

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Fans like what they’re seeing as attendance keeps rising CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE Associate coach Jim Playfair, a former NHL defenceman who was head coach of the Calgary Flames in 2006-07, has the Cats’ blueliners under his wing and they are flourishing as a group. Backed by veterans Bauer Dumanski and Corbin Vaughan, the Cougars had allowed just 86 goals in 32 games, second only to Everett as the stingiest team in the WHL. “(Playfair has) played the position, he’s coached the position, it makes a huge difference,” said Lamb, who posted his 200th win with the Cougars Dec. 3 in Kelowna. “There’s lots of guys in the league that are coaching D that aren’t D coaches. The impact is big for our guys. It’s buy-in from these guys. Vaughan had to adjust his game to avoid getting suspended or he wouldn’t be playing, and now he’s not just tough, he’s a good player.” In addition to the prospect draft success stacking the roster, the Cougars also hit on their import draft selections. Defenceman Artemii Anisimov, 18, joined the team last season and has proven his ability to play in any situation. His Russian compatriot, 18-year-old winger Dmitri Yakutsenak, was the Cougars’ top pick in the CHL draft and he’s earned a spot in the top-six forward group. And you can’t say enough about Ukrainian goalie Alexander Levshyn, 19, a first-year WHLer who has fit right in with incumbent Josh Ravensbergen to form what is arguably the league’s best goaltending tandem. With Ravensbergen, the WHL’s goalie of the month in November, away at Canada’s world junior camp, Levshyn nearly single-handedly beat the Everett Silvertips Dec. 19, making 51 saves in what turned out to be a 3-2 overtime loss. Levshyn’s 2.68 goals-against average through eight games was 10th best in the WHL, two spots down from Ravensbergen’s eighth-best 2.50 average. “He’s been ‘wow’ this year, he gets in stages where you’re not going to beat him,” said Lamb, about the six-foot-six

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

Kamloops Blazers forward Jacob Dumansky, left, battles for the puck with Cougars forward Aiden Foster in this Dec. 12 game at CN Centre.

Ravensbergen. “He gets in those zones and he’s unreal.” The Cougars’ special teams have also been spectacular. Through 32 games they scored on 34.4 per cent of their power-play chances, first in the WHL, while their 83.3 per cent penalty killing ranked second. “The power play’s got layers,” said Lamb, who posted his 200th win as the Cougars’ head coach Dec. 3 in Kelowna. “Our second guys we put out there are real good too, and it brings that inner competition.” Terik Parascak, a first-round pick of the Washington Capitals in 2024, has developed his defensive abilities just as you might expect a top NHL prospect would.

He was leading the team in scoring at the time he hurt his shoulder Dec. 7 in Victoria and will be hard-pressed to match his rookie 2023-24 season when he lit it up for 43 goals and 105 points. But his overall game is much better than it was. “He’s always had an elite centreman here, he was either playing with Riley Heidt or Ondrej Becher, but he’s a twoway player now, he kills penalties and blocks shots and he’s improved a lot,” said Lamb. Tampa Bay draft pick Aiden Foster continues to improve as an aggressive winger with good hands around the net who has found a way to rein in his penalty minutes while maintaining his take-no-prisoners style.

Lamb has an uncanny knack of turning other teams’ castaways into significant contributors and he’s done it again this year, acquiring veteran forwards Gizowski and Souch, who rank No. 1 and No. 3 respectively in team scoring. They picked up Gizowski from Lethbridge on the waiver wire and to get Souch the Cougars sent Regina a fifth-round pick. Those two alone scored a combined 24 goals and 80 points in the first 32 games. “Their chemistry fits and they’ve both been excellent,” said Lamb. Attendance at Cougars home games is another bright spot. CN Centre crowds averaged 4,178 in 2024-25, up 659 from the previous season, and through 15 home games this season they’re averaging 4,144, eighth-highest in the WHL. Nineteen of their remaining 33 games from January to March are home games and only three are midweek games, when it’s a tougher sell for fans. Fans like coming to the games and they owe it to the committed ownership group that stuck with it and continued to pour money into the team when the Cougars weren’t doing well on the ice, crowd counts hovered near the bottom of the league and operating the team was a money-losing venture. It’s no longer a hard sell convincing players to come to Prince George. The word is out around the league how well they get treated when they become a Cougar. “Players want to play here now,” said Lamb. “That’s the real nice thing about it. It’s not like it was, always pulling teeth to recruit players. Our owners are unreal, we don’t travel on game days, we run it like an NHL team as much as we can. We eat really good and we treat the players really good and that’s what you get, a good hockey team. “Winning is a byproduct of doing things right and it’s all a process of getting better internally and we’re giving ourselves a chance to win. I think these guys have proved they’re a top team and we deserve everything we can do to make it better.”

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

SPORTS

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

After a tough year, Spruce Kings look ahead to 2026 Playoff near-upset, rival league roster raids were part of 2025’s challenges TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

When the Prince George Spruce Kings look back on 2025 and all the gut-punches they took losing top-notch players to rival leagues, despite the ongoing defections, they head into the new year believing they’re becoming real contenders again for the BC Hockey League crown. Those thoughts were nowhere to be found when this year began. The Spruce Kings were floundering near the bottom of the league to start the year, and the losses that led to the dismissal of head coach Alex Evin a couple of months earlier continued to mount. All that changed in early February, the day Charles-Edward Gravel packed up his goalie pads in Quebec and came west for a change of scenery in Prince George. The 20-year-old QMJHL veteran brought the Spruce Kings instant stability in goal, a crucial asset noticeably lacking. Gravel won 10 of the 15 games he played down the stretch, losing only three in regulation with one overtime loss, while putting up a 1.98 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage. He was only around for 2 1/2 months, but in that time the Mercyhurst University recruit put the fun back in hockey for the Spruce Kings and their fans. “Certainly the confidence the team got with the addition of Charles was the boost the group needed,” said Kings general manager Mike Hawes. “He didn’t win them by himself, but his presence in the net really elevated the confidence of the group and they all started to play better because of it.” It came down to the final weekend and the Spruce Kings needed the stars to align, and that’s exactly what happened. The Chilliwack Chiefs, the top team in the Coastal Conference, could have

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

Spruce Kings right winger Tai Ushio watches the puck as it bounces up over Grizzlies goalie Spencer Michnik at Kopar Memorial Arena Saturday, Dec. 6.

tanked it and lost to Langley in their last game to set up an opening-round playoff series against their next-door neighbours and avoid the seven-hour trip to Prince George. But they played like the first-place team they were and beat the Rivermen, while the Spruce Kings won four of their last five games to nip Langley for the last playoff spot. And who would have thought the Kings would take it to the limit against an offensively potent Chiefs team, an epic seven-game series in which the home team won every game? “I’m very proud of our group, we had guys all season long step up and take bigger responsibilities, bigger roles, some of them a bit earlier than they needed to,” said head coach Brad Tesink on April 15, following his team’s Game 7 loss. “But for us, we’re excited about what the future holds. In the long run we’re better off for this series. It hurts right now, but at the end of the day we have some guys who have been battle-tested and next season they will be able to step into bigger roles and know what to expect come playoff time. Hopefully we

can push forward early in the season to set ourselves up in a better position come playoffs.” A change in the NCAA’s eligibility rule to allow players with major junior experience to qualify for US college scholarships wreaked havoc throughout the BCHL, and in January five of the Spruce Kings’ better players jumped to the QMJHL. That roster uncertainty and fear of being raided continues to plague junior hockey teams. In November, left winger Kazumo Sasaki left the Spruce Kings on the advice of his future college team to join the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms, leaving the Kings with an impossible task trying to replace the BCHL’s leading point-getter. Then in December, the Lethbridge Hurricanes acquired the WHL rights to defenceman Fraser Leonard, leaving a major hole to fill on the blueline. “Right away it had a heavy impact on the league and teams started to have players depart for the CHL, and we knew it was coming, but it’s hard to do anything to prevent that from happening,” said Hawes.

The BCHL had the summer to think up a few countermeasures to improve the quality of the league. Teams are now allowed as many as nine 20-yearolds, and after meeting a quota of 10 Canadian players on each roster there’s no limit on imports. With so many more older players and the additional imports, the speed of the game is noticeably faster and there’s no doubt the overall skill level in the league has improved. “We were under a lot of pressure to adapt to the NCAA rule change, so we made some rule changes that positively affected the quality of play in our league,” said Hawes, chair of the BCHL’s competition committee. “I’ve been in the league 21 years and in my opinion, the league is as skilled and as good as it’s ever been, and that’s what we wanted to achieve. At the end of the day, it’s a business and we need to sell tickets and put bums in the seats, and having a good product on the ice in all of our teams in the league is important.” SEE ‘PLAYERS’ ON NEXT PAGE

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

SPORTS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

Spruce Kings start off new year in Alberta

37

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

Capitals forwards Oscar Aitken-Salmons and Massimo Fazio try to push the puck past Spruce Kings goalie Colin Reay at Kopar Memorial Arena Saturday, Dec. 20.

Players showing something special: Hawes CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE Last year saw another team defection affect the BCHL. The Penticton Vees, a flagship junior franchise and perennial contender, joined the WHL this season, following the lead of the Wenatchee Wild when they became a WHL expansion team in 2024. While that’s helped bring parity for the 20-team BCHL, Hawes says he will miss having the Vees around to set the bar high for everyone else. “It’s very unfortunate that we don’t have Penticton in our league, they were the model franchise and they attracted a lot of good players to our league,” said Hawes. “The league is still incredibly strong without them, but they were a great franchise, not only on the ice but off the ice. They did things the right way.” The Spruce Kings had 12 returning players to start the 2025-26 season who are now reaping the benefits of that seven-game playoff experience. With 21 of 24 players either 19 or 20 years old, this

is the oldest Spruce Kings team in their 30-year BCHL history and they’ve taken advantage of their advanced seasoning to produce a winning team. They took off on a 6-1-1 heater to start December and began the Christmas break just three points out of first place in the Coastal East Division. The Spruce Kings (16-11-10 heading into the Christmas break) haven’t been that close to the high-rent district since 2018-19, the year they won their first Fred Page Cup championship. Tesink has had a full year to instill what he wants from his players and, with help from assistant coaches Brad Tobin and Brandon Manning, goalie coach Kris Joyce, skills coach Sam Muhalla and strength and conditioning coach Chase Astorino, the Kings have climbed into the upper echelon of the BCHL in goals for, goals against and power-play efficiency. Hawes, assistant GM Craig Carter and the Spruce Kings’ scouting staff did their homework and conjured some off-season magic to bring in Tai

Ushio, Marcus Lougheed, Michael Denney, Ben Vreugdenhil, Matic Percic, Spencer Masters, Jackson Froysland and 17-year-old River Arnason, all of whom have added scoring punch to a forward mix that includes incumbents Carter Hesselgrave, Mason Loewen and Ryan Wachtel. On defence, Slovenian import Ozbej Rep has blossomed into an all-star in his first BCHL season, adding depth to a cast that includes returning defencemen Isaac Holt, Trent LeDrew and Evan Bellamy. Colin Reay, 20, is showing his puck-stopping capabilities coming off a season lost to hip surgery, and he and 18-year-old Ryder Green have been interchangeable, forming one of the league’s top goalie tandems. “The team is a hardworking group that plays for each other and I see a lot of similarities between this group and what we had in 2019,” said Hawes. “I told them at the start of the season I see something special and they’re starting to show it now.”

It could have been a shutout statement win for goalie Colin Reay and the Prince George Spruce Kings. Just one little misstep on the power play in the third period was all kept the Kings from blanking the top team in the BC Hockey League It didn’t matter in the end Saturday, Dec. 20t at Kopar Memorial Arena. Not with Reay on top of his game, just what you might expect from a 20-year-old goaltender. They ended their 2025 schedule with a 3-1 victory over the Cowichan Valley Capitals, and a sweet ending it was to kick off the Christmas break. “It was a huge game, obviously we needed the two points going into the break to finish the season series, we needed a win,” said Reay. “We kind of had two unfortunate games against them, one on the Island and one last night, so it was good to get two points. It was a good night, a lot of blocked shots and I have to give credit to my d-men and a few forwards making it easy on me, it was a great game.” The Caps have the league’s best penalty killing stats and they certainly figured out the Kings’ power play. That gives Tesink and his assistants Brad Tobin and Brandon Manning something to focus on when the team gets back on the ice after the break. “We’ll be prepared, there’s always something to work on, there’s always something to get better at,” said Tesink. “So we can take out of this weekend that we can be competitive with any team in our conference and we don’t need our power play to be clicking on all cylinders to win a tight hockey game. The Kings were off until Monday, Dec. 29, when they returned to Prince George to practice on Tuesday, Dec. 30 and Wednesday, Dec. 31. They’ll travel on New Year’s Day to Alberta for games on Friday, Jan. 2 in Spruce Grove and Saturday, Jan. 3 in Blackfalds.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

SPORTS

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

City to host Teck Cup Jan. 10-11 Racers in the 2024 Teck BC Cup event leave the stadium at Otway Nordic Centre. The event returns to Prince George Jan. 10-11. There’s now enough snow now to groom the trails at Caledonia Nordic Ski Club for classic or free technique racing as dozens of skiers come to Prince George. Racing starts with an interval start classic race at 10 a.m., followed on Sunday, Jan. 11 by the mass start freestyle race. Race distances will depend on the age of each skier. Spectators are welcome to watch the races free of charge. The Caledonia clubhouse overlooks the stadium area where much of the action will be focused. CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

Biathlete fires off top 10 relay finish at IBU Cup in Italy

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

Aliah Turner of Caledonia Nordic Ski Club shoots her second standing session in the youth women mass start race at Otway Nordic Centre on Jan. 7, 2025. Turner, 19, helped Canada to a ninth-place finish Sunday, Dec. 21 in the women’s 4 X 6 km relay at the IBU Cup in Martell-Val Martello, Italy. TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

Top 10 in the world? That’s a pretty sweet way to go into the Christmas break for Prince George biathlete Aliah Turner and her women’s relay teammates. In fact, they finished ninth for Canada in the 16-team IBU Junior Cup event Sunday, Dec. 21 in Martell-Val Martello, Italy.

Turner and Calgarians Flora Csonka, Safe Taylor and Nadia Klafki showed deadly accuracy on the shooting range, each getting through their two shooting bouts penalty-free — the only team to clean their targets. In biathlon relays, each skier is allowed three spare rounds. The Canadian team needed just nine spares to get through the range. They finished four minutes 25.5 seconds behind the gold medalists from

Germany. Ukraine and France took respective silver and bronze. Turner, 19, started the week with a 75th-place finish in the individual events and was 49th in the sprint. Her best solo results so far was in Goms, Switzerland, where she ended up 39th in the sprint. Canada’s junior men — Rory Wilson of Calgary, Benjamin Brosseau of Canmore, Alta.,, William Brindle of Bragg Creek, Alta., and Luke Holshof of

Calgary — finished 10th, 1:17.9 behind the pace-setters from France. Czechia won silver and Germany claimed bronze. Holshof, 19, who excelled last January in world championship trials in Prince George at Otway Nordic Centre, finished a career-best fifth in the sprint race on Saturday. The junior racers will be back on the IBU Junior Cup circuit Jan. 14 when racing resumes in Madona, Latvia. Meanwhile, at the IBU Cup mass start 60 event in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, Emily Dickson of Prince George finished 43rd, as the only Canadian qualifier. Dickson shot 17-for-20 and finished 3:38.2 behind gold medalist Voldiya Galmace Paulin of France. In the men’s mass start 60, Zachary Connelly of Chelsea, Que., finished 17th and Matthew Strum of Canmore was 57th. The IBU Cup schedule resumes Jan. 8 in Arber, Germany.

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

SPORTS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

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Prince George Kodiaks became a playoff team in 2025 TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

After three years of tapping dry wells, the Prince George Kodiaks finally punched through the bedrock that separated them from the junior football playoffs. Year 4 of their existence in the BC Football Conference has to be considered a success, if only for the fact the Kodiaks played a post-season game for the first time since they joined the league as an expansion team in 2022. There were plenty of highlights in 2025, and football fans at Masich Place Stadium watched their team blossom in front of their own eyes. No longer the newbies of the league devoid of experience at the junior level, the Kodiaks reaped the rewards of having veterans they’ve been grooming for three years and, for the first time in their brief BCFC existence, they finished with a winning record — 5-4-1 — good enough to lock up third place in the seven-team league. “This was that special group and they believed in the message I was telling them two or three years ago when I recruited them. They bought into the message of what this can be and it helped turn the program around,” said Kodiaks head coach and director of football operations Jamie Boreham, whose success on the field in 2025 earned him the BCFC and Canadian Junior Football League coach-of-the-year awards. “This was the first time in our history we’ve been more loaded with 20- to 22-year-olds, so naturally you’re going to improve. What helped us was the consistency and continuity of our players. We need to establish ourselves as one of the top teams, not just in our league but the country.” That’s not an impossible task, but to get that far will be extremely difficult in Prince George, the most remote franchise in the conference. Unlike most BCFC teams, the city does not have the luxury of having dozens of high school teams from which to draw player talent. “It’s ridiculously hard,” said Boreham. “We don’t have enough football

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

Prince George Kodiaks receiver Marcel Stewart stares into the face of Westshore Rebels defensive back Ben Matai as he closes in on him during the Kodiaks’ season home opener at Masich Place Stadium Saturday, July 19.

in Prince George to turn this around quickly. As small a football community as we are in northern BC, this thing’s turned around real quick, and now it’s our job to keep pushing the envelope of where this place can go.” The Kodiaks needed a small miracle to upset the Westshore Rebels Oct. 11 in the BCFC semifinal in Langford, and that didn’t happen. Prince George lost 45-28 and the Rebels went on to lose the Cullen Cup final 45-26 to the Okanagan Sun. “We didn’t accomplish our goals, but we did some good things and we did accomplish some goals, like the benchmark of making playoffs,” said Boreham. “Now we’ve just got to make that an all-the-time thing. The benchmark of being ranked in the CJFL top 10 in the country, to me, that’s a huge thing. There’s lots to build on and that’s the exciting thing. We’ve come far.” The season started just as it ended, with a loss to Westshore. The Kodiaks took a halftime lead into the locker room at Masich Place Stadium but were

unable to hold it and lost by 20 points. After a win in Kamloops and a 24-point loss to the Okanagan Sun in Kelowna, the Kodiaks took off on a three-game win streak, which came to a humbling end on home turf when the Sun beat them 60-6. They finished their five-game home schedule with a 35-35 tie with the Valley Huskers and a 74-0 walloping of the Kamloops Broncos. The regular season ended with a three-point loss to the Huskers in Chilliwack. The fan experience at Masich continues to be well worth the price of admission, and crowd counts hovered around 2,000 for all five games, which helped cover the bills for the non-profit society that operates the team. The team has a core of about 30 players who live in Prince George year-round, and they’ll be starting their indoor workouts at the Northern Sport Centre fieldhouse in January. Boreham expects at least 50 players back from this year’s team. Of the 13 graduating players and the

handful who move on to university teams or don’t return for other reasons, the toughest guy to replace is quarterback Sawyer Thiessen. He joined the Kodiaks two years ago, after a year of seasoning at the University of Manitoba, and he grew to become the kingpin of the Kodiaks’ playoff push. “You don’t replace a Sawyer, you have to fill that role Sawyer had and we’re going to find the best person possible,” said Boreham. “Having James Constock and Toby Plett here last year and Kellen Lister was here, but none of them had enough game reps for us to say, ‘you’re the guy,’ and that’s OK, because they still might be. They all want to come back and I told them we’ll be looking for an older quarterback to come in, and if one of those young guys beats out the older guy we bring in, cool, then they are the guy.” One hole they won’t have to fill is at middle linebacker. Caden Crow, a BCFC all-star and CJFL all-Canadian, excelled on the defensive side of the field and he has some unfinished business in his plan to take the Kodiaks deep into the playoffs in his last season of junior eligibility. The Kodiaks will need more pop from their running backs to push incumbents Gavin Halvorson and Simon Olaifa and are on the lookout for a game-breaking receiver or two to join returnees Jacob Wong, Andrew Brown, Ben Fehr, Nick Ramirez, Matthew Sturgess, Quinn Neukomm, Noah Lank, Myron Brown, Carson Briere and Kynan Perry. Their offensive line remains intact. The Kodiaks continue to recruit Prince George high school football graduates, a group that includes offensive lineman Connor Sherlock and safety Taeman Piddocke, both College Heights graduates. Also returning to the Kodiaks’ fold in 2026 are PG high school products Jason Kragt, Dillon Piddocke, Conor Johnson, Logan Johnson, Ryder Stoughton, Kaden Szarka, Tyler Rohra, Jason Kragt, Zander Lamarsh, Niko Santos, Dray Barclay and Peyton Briere. Sturgess and linebacker Jaden Craig attend school at UNBC, Crow has lived in the city for two years and Kiandre Williams is also a permanent resident.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

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ACROSS 1 Ship’s sail 4 Some TVs 8 Corned beef recipe 12 Terre Haute sch. 13 Greek vowel 14 Iso15 Flop

17 Pop’s sister 18 Coated with gold 19 Is boastful 20 Forest clearing 22 Satiate 24 Partially mine 25 Screwdriver type 29 -- Lanka

30 Warning 31 Compass dir. 32 Sailing challenge 34 Wound cover 35 Breaks down 36 Piles 37 Pink hue 40 Seniors’ org.

41 Each 42 Unexpected gain 46 Story 47 Shoppe descriptor 48 24 horas 49 Building wings 50 Yale students 51 Conclude

DOWN 1 Skippy rival 2 “This -- stickup!” 3 Sofia’s land 4 Rummage (through) 5 Stallion-to-be 6 -- standstill 7 Plopped down 8 Fireplace part

9 Water color? 10 Crooned 11 Chart toppers 16 Pot covers 19 Cigar remnant 20 “Holy cow!” 21 Entice 22 Secluded spots 23 Cooking fat

25 Move like a butterfly 26 Adventure 27 Now, in a memo 28 Society newbies 30 Missing GI 33 Curtains 34 Lowly worker 36 Devil’s domain 37 Blanchett of “The

Aviator” 38 Milky gem 39 Sandwich bread 40 “The King --” 42 Misery 43 Under the weather 44 Architect Maya 45 Young fellow

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PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

Life Events In Memoriam Jason Ross Middleton

Harvey James Sims

May 15, 1934 – December 22, 2025

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Harvey James Sims, beloved husband, father, brother, and friend. Harvey passed away peacefully on December 22, 2025, at the age of 91. A Memorial Service will be held in Harvey’s honour at Assman’s Funeral Chapel (1908 Queensway) on Friday, January 2, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. To send a personal condolence, please visit www.assmansfuneralchapel.com

Mary Doerksen

October 1, 1938 - December 11, 2025 It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Mary Doerksen who unexpectedly passed away in her sleep on December 11, 2025 at the age of 87. She was born in Aberdeen, Saskatchewan in 1938 and moved to Cheslatta, BC when she was seven years old. She married Abe in 1963 and they celebrated their 60th anniversary in 2023. The newly weds started their life together in Willow River where they lived for over 50 years. She was always very active in church and taught Sunday School in Willow River for over 30 years. She was always lending a hand to family and neighbours and always saying yes. She had a passion for gardening and delighted in enjoying the fresh produce. She is survived by her children Susan (widow), Robert (Loida) and Janet (Fred), 1 brother Jake, 4 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren. Predeceased by her husband Abe, 5 siblings Annie, Helen, Katrina Betty and Abe, 1 son-in-law Bruce, a granddaughter, and several nieces and nephews.

March 6, 1979 - December 29, 2013 Remembering a very special little man much loved and missed. Love Dad, the Turgeon and Niro family, and many friends.

In Loving Memory LOUISE CARRIE MARIE McCONNACHIE, RN and her beloved daughter

CARRIE McCONNACHIE December 23, 1995 Thirty years have passed since Louise and Carrie were taken from us far too soon. Louise, a graduate of the Vancouver General Hospital School of Nursing, was devoted to her children, active in her community, and known for her kindness, strength, and love of family. Carrie was a joyful and talented young girl whose love of dance, music, and animals brightened the lives of all who knew her.

Honouring those who have

touched our lives

They are lovingly remembered by their family, whose lives they continue to touch across generations. From three children to nine grandchildren, and now a first great-grandson born this past August, their legacy of love lives on. Forever in our hearts, Bruce McConnachie and family

Celebrate those special moments email: frontdesk@pgcitizen.ca or call 250.562.2441

View local Obituaries

frontdesk@pgcitizen.ca or call 250.562.2441

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Classifieds

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Booking deadline: Friday noon Approval deadline: Monday at noon

frontdesk@pgcitizen.ca 250.562.2441

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Ross Harris RPF has prepared a renewal of Woodlot Licence Plan (WLP) for Woodlot 238, covering the ten-year period from 2026 to 2036. This WLP is in accordance with the Woodlot Licence Planning and Practice Regulation. The woodlot includes Schedule A and B lands in Red Rock, BC. This WLP is available for public review and comment for 30 days. To be considered, written comments should be received by January 31, 2026. To arrange a viewing of the WLP including maps, please call Ross Harris RPF at (250) 613-3890. Submit written comments to: ross.r@shaw.ca

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

preserved at the Alcor Life Extension Foundation in Scottsdale, Arizona.

* On Jan. 12, 1967, James Bedford became the 11, first1831, American to havean • On Nov. Nat Turner, his remains cryogenically frozen, American slave and educated minister who believed he’d reanimation. been chosen by in the hope ofthat future God his people into freedom, Later,toaslead cryogenic companies closed was in family Jerusalem, Virginia, their hanged doors, his was forced at for revolthis with 75 followers oneleading point toa keep liquid nitrogen through County, chamberSouthampton in self-storage. Todaykilling he is

about 60 white people. • On Nov. 12, 1969, investigative journalist Seymour Hersh revealed the extent of the U.S. Army’s charges against 1st Lt. William L. Calley at My Lai, Vietnam, in a cable picked up by more than sayARIES (March 2130 tonewspapers, April 19) Careful, ing that “Thelet Army he [Calley] Lamb. Don’t yoursays generous nature deliberately at least 109 lead to some murdered serious overspending. Vietnamese civilians during a searchMeanwhile, your social life kicks off and-destroy mission in March 1968, into the week’s end. as in a high Viet gear Congbystronghold known ‘Pinkville.’” TAURUS (April13, 201979, to May 20) A • On Nov. Philadelphia positive attitude helps you weather 76ers center Darryl Dawkins leaped over Kansas Kings forward Billin annoying butCity unavoidable changes Robinzine for afavor memorable slam dunk plans. Aspects new friendships that reinforcement shattered the of fiberglass and existing backboard. His equally memorable comrelationships. ment on the move, which was not his last and the sound of which spectators GEMINI 21 going to June likened to(May a bomb off:20) “It The wasn’t demands on your levels could really a safe thing energy to do, but it was a be much higher thing than to usual Darryl Dawkins do.” as you get back into routines afteroutlaw the holiday. • On Nov. 14, 1882, Frank “Buckskin” Leslie shot andFriends killed BilBe sure to pace yourself. and ly “Thewill Kid” who had pubfamily beClaiborne, happy to help. licly challenged him, in Tombstone, Arizona. • On Nov. 15, 1984, Baby Fae, a month old infant who received the world’s first baboon heart transplant, died at California’s Loma Linda University 20 days after the operation. Three other people had received animal heart transplants, but none survived longer than a few days. • On Nov. 16, 2001, British author J.K. Rowling’s most famous and beloved creation, the bespectacled boy wizard Harry Potter (played by Daniel Radcliffe in his first major role), made his silver-screen debut in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” which went on to become one of the highestgrossing movies in history. • On Nov. 17, 1903, the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party split into two factions: the majority Bolsheviks and minority Mensheviks. The Bolsheviks went on to become the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. © 2024 King Features Synd., Inc.

* On Jan. 13, 1999, basketball superstar Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls announced his retirement from the sport, for the second time, in front of a crowd at Chicago’s United Center, citing a loss of drive necessary to continue playing at such a high level and the desire to spend more time with his family.

Enterprise, caused by an accidentally detonated rocket, destroyed 15 planes, killed 27 people, and injured more than 300 others in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The Enterprise was the first-ever nuclear-powered aircraft carrier when it launched in 1960.

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

and Ira Allen, who would later become known as the “father” of the University of Vermont.

* On Jan. 16, 1997, actor-comedian Bill Cosby’s 27-year-old son Ennis was murdered by Mikhail Markhasev after Ennis had stopped nearby to fix a flat tire along California’s Interstate 405 in Los Angeles. Markhasev was reportedly high on drugs at the time and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

* On Jan. 14, 1969, an explosion aboard the aircraft carrier USS

* On Jan. 15, 1777, a convention of future Vermonters got together in Westminster and announced their independence from the crown of Great Britain and the colony of New York. Their delegates included future Vermont governor Thomas Chittenden

CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Don’t allow a suddenly icy reaction from a friend or family member to continue without learning what caused it -- and what can be done to restore this once warm and caring relationship.

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) A family member’s personal situation is, fortunately, resolved in time for you to get back into your hectic round of holiday preparations. An old friend might bring a new friend into your life.

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) This is a good time to reinforce family ties. Make it a priority to assess and resolve all outstanding problems. Start the new year with a full measure of love.

LEO (July 23 to August 22) A relationship seems to be unraveling, mostly from a lack of attention. It might be a good idea to ease up on whatever else you’re doing so that you can spend more time working to mend it.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Pace yourself in meeting workplace pressures and demands to avoid winding up with a frayed temper and a Scorpian stinger that lashes out at puzzled kith, kin and colleagues.

VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) New facts emerge that not only help explain the recent rift with a trusted colleague but might also provide a chance to wipe the slate clean and make a fresh start in your friendship.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) A financial matter requires close attention. Also, news from a trusted source provides the means to help sort out a long-standing state of confusion and put it into perspective.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Don’t be pressured into a so-called solid-gold investment. Wait until all the holiday distractions are officially over. Then take a harder look at it. You might find that the “gold” is starting to flake off. PISCES (February 19 to March 20) A former friend might be trying to heal the breach between you by using a mutual friend as an intermediary. Best advice: Keep an open mind despite any lingering bad feelings.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

Homes & Living

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Recycling your holiday wrap, boxes and containers The holiday season often brings an abundance of wrapping paper, gift boxes, and packaging, making recycling an important step once the celebrations are over. Taking a few extra moments to sort holiday wrap and boxes properly can significantly reduce waste and keep reusable materials out of landfills. Start with cardboard boxes, which are among the easiest items to recycle. Break down gift and shipping boxes by removing tape, labels, and any plastic inserts. Flattening boxes saves space in recycling bins and makes collection more efficient. If the boxes are clean and sturdy, consider saving a few for future storage or gifting needs before

recycling the rest. Wrapping paper requires a closer look. Plain paper wrap without glitter, metallic finishes, plastic coatings, or foil can usually be recycled. A simple test is to scrunch the paper into a ball—if it stays crumpled, it’s often recyclable. Shiny, laminated, or heavily decorated wrapping paper, however, should go in the trash, as these materials cannot be processed by most recycling facilities. Gift bags may be recyclable if they’re made entirely of paper and the handles are removed, while fabric or plastic-coated bags should be reused or disposed of properly. Tissue paper and bows are best

reused or discarded, as most tissue paper is not recyclable due to its short fibers. Ribbons, tinsel, and plastic decorations should never be placed in recycling bins, as they can tangle machinery at recycling plants. Instead, store them for next year or dispose of them in the garbage if they’re damaged. Recycling holiday wrap and boxes is also a chance to rethink future gift-giving habits. Choosing reusable gift bags, fabric wraps, or recyclable paper helps reduce waste year after year. By recycling thoughtfully and reusing when possible, you can extend the spirit of the season while making a positive impact on the environment.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

Start the New Year with a fresh start. Decluttering and organizing will set the tone for the rest of the year

The start of a new year is the perfect opportunity to reset your living space and create a more organized, peaceful home. After the hustle and excess of the holiday season, decluttering can feel refreshing and empowering, helping you begin the year with clarity and intention. Rather than viewing decluttering as a daunting task, think of it as a gradual process that supports your well-being throughout the months ahead. Begin by setting realistic goals. You don’t need to tackle your entire home in a single weekend. Focus on one room, closet, or category at a time, such as clothing, paperwork, or kitchen items. Breaking the process into smaller steps makes it more manageable and helps maintain motivation. As you sort through

belongings, ask yourself whether each item is useful, meaningful, or brings you joy. If it hasn’t been used in the past year or no longer serves a purpose, it may be time to let it go. Create clear piles for items to keep, donate, recycle, or discard. Donating gently used items not only reduces clutter but also gives them a second life within the community. For items that must be thrown away, take care to recycle whenever possible. Responsible disposal keeps decluttering environmentally friendly while clearing space in your home. Organization plays a key role in preventing clutter from returning. Invest in storage solutions that fit your lifestyle, such as bins, drawer dividers, or shelving. Labeling containers can make it easier to maintain order, especially in shared

spaces. Establish simple routines— like a weekly tidy-up or a monthly review of problem areas—to keep clutter under control throughout the year. Decluttering also has emotional benefits. A tidy environment can reduce stress, improve focus, and make daily routines more efficient. Letting go of unnecessary items can feel freeing, symbolizing a fresh start and a commitment to living with intention. As the new year unfolds, an organized home can support healthier habits, greater productivity, and a sense of calm. By approaching decluttering thoughtfully and consistently, you can transform your space into one that feels lighter, more functional, and ready for the opportunities ahead.

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PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

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Steps for planning your 2026 renovations Planning renovations for 2026 can be an exciting way to update your home, improve functionality, and increase its value. However, successful renovations require careful preparation to ensure the project stays on budget, on schedule, and meets your expectations. Following a structured approach can make the process smoother and more enjoyable. 1. Set Clear Goals Start by defining the purpose of your renovations. Are you updating outdated spaces, increasing storage, improving energy efficiency, or creating a more open layout? Knowing your objectives will help guide design decisions and prioritize areas that need the most attention. 2. Establish a Budget Determine how much you are willing and able to spend. Include a contingency of 10–20% for unexpected costs, which often arise during renovations. Break down the budget by materials, labor, permits,

and design fees to understand where your money will go and identify areas where you can adjust if needed. 3. Research and Gather Inspiration Look for design ideas, materials, and finishes that match your style and goals. Browse home improvement websites, magazines, or social media platforms like Pinterest for inspiration. Create a folder or mood board to visualize your renovation and share your ideas with contractors or designers. 4. Plan the Timeline Consider when the best time to start is, factoring in seasonal availability, contractor schedules, and potential weather delays for exterior projects. Create a realistic timeline for each phase, from demolition and construction to finishing touches. 5. Hire Professionals Depending on the scope, you may need architects, designers, and licensed contractors. Check references, read reviews, and obtain multiple quotes. Hiring

qualified professionals ensures your renovation meets safety standards and delivers quality results. 6. Obtain Permits and Approvals Check with your local municipality for any permits required for structural changes, electrical work, or plumbing. Starting without proper approvals can lead to fines or complications when selling your home. 7. Prepare Your Home Clear spaces, protect furniture, and plan for any temporary relocation if needed. Communicate the schedule and expectations to everyone involved to minimize disruptions. By following these steps—setting goals, budgeting, researching, planning timelines, hiring professionals, obtaining permits, and preparing your home—you can make your 2026 renovations efficient, organized, and satisfying, resulting in a space you’ll enjoy for years to come.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

250-562-6228 Mike Hurrell Realtor® P.R.E.C. Managing Broker 250-981-3100 10 yrs MLS Sales Award Winner 2007, 2009-2022

Matt Petkau Realtor® 250-617-8179

1

PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

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

*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.

Zaviery Dodd Realtor® 250-649-8097

2845 VISTA RIDGE DR.- City Services R3049220 - $159,900

MLS# R3046873

MLS# R3050510

8487 PETER RD. $289,900 MLS# R3046088

#11-5164 HART HWY $299,900

10315 GLENMARY RD $395,000 MLS# R3044388

7788 THOMPSON DR., $580,000 MLS# R3061922

2502 LAURENTIAN PL., $769,900

MLS# R3051667

Amit Luthra Realtor® 250-981-9090

MLS# R3046955

D SOLEC IN D LOT B MIWORTH RD., R3029674 $119,900

Grace Purdey Realtor® 250-612-2238

LOT 2 COLUMBIA RD - 4.15 AC R3029704 - $395,000

MLS# R3053625

4602 GANNET RD $190,000

2440 - 15TH AVE., $224,900

MLS# R3054343

MLS# C8068791

D SOLCT IN O

D SOLCT IN O

824 GILLET ST., $359,900

686 DOUGLAS ST., $360,000

MLS# R3043869

D SOLCT IN O

MLS# R3074495

7346 BEAR RD $389,900 MLS# R3071827

G

P

DIN N E P

9147 NORTH KELLY RD. $499,999

479 DORNBIERER $449,900

MLS# R3061187

MLS# C8073664

MLS# R3041191

Western Properties

Lot 1, $219,900 - 1.2 Acres R2837615 Lot 2, $219,900 - 1.13 Acres R2837574 Lot 3, $219,900 - 1.06 Acres R2837575 Lot 4, $219,900 - 1.06 Acres R2837578 Lot 5, $219,900 - 1.06 Acres R2837583 Lot 6, $219,900 - 1.06 Acres R2837586 Lot 7, $199,900 - 1.06 Acres R2837601 Lot 8, $189,900 $174,900 R2837609 Lot 9, $219,900 - 1.06 Acres R2837613 Lot 10, $219,900 - 1.06 Acres R2837615

SOLD SOLD

SOLD

D SOLEC IN D

42 RESIDENTIAL LOTS STARTING AT $250,000

#115-4393 COWART RD., $620,000

1917 SPRUCE ST., $659,000

18745 TROUT RD., $740,000

MLS# R2985052

MLS# C8073032

MLS# R3062657

393 CARNEY ST., $1,100,000

D SOL V O IN N

ING D N E

7170 GUELPH PL. $449,900

16685 CHIEF LAKE RD $849,900

MLS# R3054738

Linda Stacey Property Manager 250-562-6228

***All Lots fully City Serviced, 0% Financing available O.A.C for Licensed Builders, Cash Discounts available.*** Located on Western Rd.

169 AITKEN CRES $419,000

D SOLCT IN O

Joy Paul Realtor® 778-681-8474

D SOLEC IN D

3900 15MILE RD., $1,407,700

FOR SALE

LOTS START AT $230,000 WITH VIEW AND GREENBELT LOTS AVAILABLE..

PRE-REGISTER AT www.TynerRidgeEstates.ca