Prince George Citizen Thursday, March 19, 2026

THURSDAY,

Voyageur Drive to keep people out of the evacuation area caused by a natural gas leak Saturday, March 14. The leak, which was traced to a residence, forced the evacuation of area residents and the closure of businesses.

Neighbourhood evacuated afer gas leak

COLIN SLARK

Citizen Staff

FortisBC has completed emergency repairs to a leaking underground natural gas line that caused part of the Heritage neighbourhood to be evacuated the previous weekend, the company said in a Monday, March 16 email. In the email, the company said it received a call regarding a strong gas odour on Tabor Boulevard around

2:45 p.m. on Saturday, March 14 and dispatched a crew.

Once arrived, the source of the leak was determined to be underground.

Repairs to the leak were completed around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 15.

After those repairs were complete, FortisBC staff “reactivated the impacted portion of the system, they restored service by visiting each affected home or business to turn gas back on at the meter and relighting all affected

appliances,” the utility reported.

A spokesperson for the company said they did not have additional details to provide when asked about the cause of the leak.

On March 14, a Citizen reporter arrived at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Tabor Boulevard around 5:15 p.m. to see RCMP officers directing residents away from the area.

Both the McDonald’s restaurant and Shell gas station at the intersection had

been closed, and the station had a sign taped to the door saying “closed due to emergency.”

Around that same time, an emergency alert was sent to cell phones in the area.

“Evacuate immediately if you are in the following area: North of Fifth Avenue to Zion Lutheran Church and East of Tabor Boulevard west of Voyager Drive,” the alert said.

Neighbours taken to local church to wait out crisis

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

“A gas leak in the area poses a threat to human life. Evacuate immediately to the Zion Lutheran Christian Church located at 180 Tabor Boulevard.”

When The Citizen arrived at the church around 5:52 p.m., the city’s manager of emergency programs, Tanya Spooner, and other members of her department were on site helping evacuees as they arrived.

One of the evacuees, Brenda Yip, said she found out about the gas leak when a neighbour knocked on her door. She got dressed, put some essentials into her backpack and got a ride to the church with the neighbour.

She said she had since found out that her home was no longer in the evacuation area and just needed to find a way home.

Sunday Okafor said he bought some groceries after work and was heading home when he saw a police vehicle blocking the road near the Shell station at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Tabor Boulevard.

“When I tried to take another route, I noticed that the road was blocked to the point where they had to direct me to come to the church,” Okafor said. “When I came into the church, the police officer asked me where is my

house. So I told him and (he said) my house is affected.”

He said he was hopeful he could go home soon and rest after his workday.

Around 6:27 p.m., Spooner told The Citizen that the leak had been contained and Fortis crews were venting the area. At that point, the evacuation area had been shrunk to Carrier Place, the end of Explorer Crescent and the span of Carrier Avenue between those two streets.

A media release from the City of Prince George from around that same time confirmed that Prince George Fire Rescue, the RCMP and FortisBC were

working together to address what was believed to be an underground gas leak and that power had been shut off to the area to prevent any gas from being accidentally ignited.

Just before 9 p.m., the city put out another releasing saying that evacuees would be allowed to return home when power was restored, which was expected to take place within 30 minutes.

However, residents of units 101 to 109 at 448 Tabor Blvd. were found emergency accommodations for that night by the city as heat couldn’t be restored

to their building.

The next day, on March 15, the city announced that the leak no longer posed a danger to residents and that 448 Tabor Blvd. residents could return home to collect belongings though heat had yet to be restored.

The city also provided some extra details about its response. It said Prince George Fire Rescue had received a call regarding a gas odour on Carrier Place around 2:11 p.m. and took readings indicating a strong presence of natural gas when they arrived.

When the Fortis crews arrived about half an hour later, they confirmed those readings, which led to the area being evacuated.

In the March 15 release, Prince George Fire Rescue Chief Bryan Burleigh praised residents for quickly evacuating after getting alerted to the situation.

“We know these alerts can create fear and confusion, and situations like this can evolve rapidly. Safety is always our No. 1 priority, which is why it was necessary to evacuate the area,” Burleigh said.

“Yesterday also showcased top-level teamwork from our fire department and emergency management teams, as well as the RCMP, Fortis BC, and BC Hydro. Everyone acted with the utmost professionalism and urgency in responding to this situation.”

Hospital district board 2026 budget up for fnal approval

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

Members of the Fraser-Fort George Regional Hospital District board will be asked to grant final approval at a Thursday, March 19 meeting to a 2026 operating budget that will see almost $24 million be collected from residents. The regional hospital district shares boundaries and residents with the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George, collecting taxes separately and contributing to the capital costs of medical projects within its borders.

In 2025, the hospital district collected

around $23.4 million in taxes from its residents. For 2026, the tax requisition is going up by 2.45 per cent to $23,978,965.

This year’s operating budget is proposed to include:

• $33,240 in debt payments

• $347,835 in administrative expenses

• $13,785 in remuneration for directors

• $35,000 in consulting costs

• $36,322,240 in funding providing to Northern Health

There are a couple of reasons that the funding being provided to Northern Health is larger than the amount of tax

revenue coming in this year.

The first is that $10,698,240 in spending on projects is being carried over from previous years.

The second is that almost $17 million in spending is for early work for the University Hospital of Northern British Columbia acute care tower project, which was also approved in previous fiscal years.

Other funding going to Northern Health includes $1,136,000 in minor equipment grants, $100,000 for building integrity projects and $7.5 million for contributions to purchases of equipment and on major projects.

A report from district staff noted that as of Dec. 31, 2025 there was around $87.3 million in the hospital district’s capital reserve fund.

Also being discussed will be potential capital contributions to several Northern Health purchases, including an elevator upgrade, hematology lab renovations, histology lab ventilation upgrades, the purchase of a computed tomography (CT) scanner and electrical room upgrades planned for UHNBC.

The meeting is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. in the boardroom of the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George’s office building at 155 George St.

CITIZEN PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

Residents take an opportunity to relax at Zion Lutheran Church after being evacuated due to a natural gas leak Saturday, March 14.

Highway 97 closed north and south afer fatal crashes

MATTHEW HILLIER AND COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

Two separate fatal multi-vehicle collisions forced the closure of Highway 97 to the north and to the south of Prince George on Monday, March 16, causing major disruptions and leaving the highway shut down in both directions for hours.

DriveBC first reported in the early afternoon that Highway 97 had been closed north of the City of Prince George due to a multi-vehicle crash blocking all lanes.

The closure stretched approximately 3.9 kilometres, from the northern end of Old Summit Lake Road to Wright Creek Road near Salmon Valley.

At the time, officials said the situation was still being assessed and no estimated reopening time had been determined. No detour was available.

Later in the afternoon, another

Police and emergency services work at the scene of a collision on Highway 97 north of Prince George on Monday, March 16. It was one of two fatal road-closing crashes that afternoon, with another on Highway 97 south of the city.

collision was reported farther south on Highway 97 north of Hixon. According to DriveBC, that closure extended about 4.7 kilometres between Colebank Road East and Widdis Road, also shutting down the highway in both directions with no detour in place.

RCMP Staff Sgt. Kris Clark told The

Citizen that he had limited details but confirmed both crashes were serious multi-vehicle collisions with emergency crews on scene.

By 4 p.m., Clark confirmed that both incidents were fatal and warned the highway would likely remain closed for a significant amount of time.

Police and other first responders remained at both scenes Monday afternoon, and motorists were advised to avoid travelling in the area as Highway 97 remained closed in both directions at both locations.

Both locations were fully reopened by the morning of Tuesday, March 17.

Milobar says he’s party’s best chance at winning electon

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

Conservative Party of British Columbia members are looking for a leader who can not just win the ongoing leadership race but be taken seriously enough to win a general election, one of the candidates said during a campaign stop in Prince George on Monday, March 16.

As of that date, Kamloops Centre Conservative MLA Peter Milobar was the only sitting MLA still in the race to succeed John Rustad as leader of the provincial Tories.

Langley-Abbotsford Conservative MLA Harman Bhangu dropped out earlier that same day to endorse former BC United executive Caroline Elliott and Abbotsford South Conservative MLA Bruce Banman dropped out the previous day to endorse entrepreneur Yuri Fulmer.

Locally, Prince George-Mackenzie Conservative MLA Kiel Giddens has endorsed Milobar’s candidacy.

Milobar, a former mayor of Kamloops who crossed the floor from BC United to the Conservatives ahead of the 2024 provincial election, touted the results of a Mainstreet Research poll during a sit-down interview with The Citizen. That poll included several questions, included prospective voters’ intensions in the next provincial election depending on whether Milobar, Elliott, Iain Black or, Kerry-Lynne Findlay wins the Tory leadership race or if current interim leader Trevor Halford were to continue to lead the party.

Using those results, Mainstreet extrapolated likely seat results in the next provincial election. Of the five, only Milobar was projected to secure a majority for the Conservatives.

However, three leadership candidates — Fulmer, businessman Warren Hamm and former grocery executive Darrell Jones — were not included in the poll. Milobar acknowledged the poll was for the public and not party members, who are the ones he’ll have to convince before he’d have the chance to contest a general election.

“But certainly, in a race where the No. 1 thing people are asking is ‘how do we form a government? How do we actually beat the NDP?’ I think that shows a strong indication that people are liking what they’re hearing out of my campaign,” he said.

An issue coming up repeatedly in the leadership race is whether the candidates are true conservatives as some candidates, like Milobar, were once a part of the BC Liberals or BC United party.

If someone wants safer streets, better access to health care, a stronger economy and have a desire to rally with like-minded people to present a right-ofcentre alternative to the NDP, Milobar said he doesn’t really care how they vote federally.

He pointed to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith as an example. She frequently criticized the federal government, but she’s also been willing to pursue Alberta’s best interests by working with Prime Minister Mark Carney to explore a new pipeline carrying petroleum to the BC coast.

Milobar said he’s in favour of any pipeline proposals, adding that he regularly spoke in support of the expansion to the Trans Mountain Pipeline when he was mayor of Kamloops, even as Lower Mainland mayors opposed it.

also looking to diversify beyond the U.S. market. He criticized Eby for appointing Ravi Parmer as minister of forests and not someone with more familiarity with the industry.

Like many of his fellow candidates, Milobar said he wants to see the repealing of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous People (DRIPA) being enshrined into BC law.

“We’re seeing nations take each other to court over DRIPA now on various projects around the province because one or the other doesn’t feel the other should be advancing the project or weren’t asked about their opinion,” Milobar said.

“It’s creating uncertainty and indecision in the investment climate. It’s creating uncertainty around timelines.”

Premier David Eby’s stated desire for additional refineries in Canada rather than pipelines, he said, is a case of double-speak.

Eby has said he doesn’t support a BC-Alberta pipeline because it doesn’t have a proponent, business case, plan or route. Milobar said a refinery would both need to be fed by a pipeline and doesn’t have a proponent, location, business plan or anything else figured out.

On electricity generation, Milobar said BC needs to consider other means of electrical generation, especially gas-fired plants in remote areas. Small nuclear reactors are worth discussing as well, he added.

Some BC municipalities like Vancouver have banned new homes from being heated by natural gas. Milobar said this puts undue strain on BC’s electrical grid and he would seek to remove municipalities’ ability to put such bans into place.

Regarding natural resources, Milobar said uncertainly in the system needs to be addressed. He said timelines set out by the government are constantly shifting, which leads to delays in securing investments and issuing permits.

The forestry industry, Milobar said, needs to make sure its fibre is being used for its highest and best uses while

If the legislation is repealed, Milobar said, Indigenous nations will still maintain their constitutional right to be consulted on projects that could affect them.

On health care, Milobar said the province needs to recognize that smaller cities like Prince George, Kamloops and rural municipalities have a different set of challenges and can’t be subject to one-size-fits-all solutions.

He said the government is failing to maintain health standards, like when emergency rooms shut down when a nurse or a doctor calls in sick.

Lots of young people, he said, leave BC to get medical training in other jurisdictions. He called for the creation of a program that would help these students more easily have their credentials verified when returning from elsewhere.

This could include creating a list of pre-accredited institutions the government has verified is teaching their students to acceptable standards.

Milobar also said the government could send more resources for institutions like the University of Northern British Columbia or the College of New Caledonia to train more students at once, adding he believed the government hadn’t done enough on this front during its nine years in power.

CITIZEN PHOTO BY COLIN SLARK

Kamloops Centre Conservative MLA and Conservative Party of BC leadership candidate Peter Milobar sits down for an interview at the offices of The Citizen on Monday, March 16.

Mayor ends public safety commitee for this term

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

There are still seven months to go until BC’s local elections this fall, but Mayor Simon Yu is planning on making the next meeting of Prince George’s Standing Committee on Public Safety its last on Tuesday, March 17.

Attached to the meeting agenda is a report from Yu, which said “with significant work undertaken and recommendations made to council, it is now appropriate to continue working to address public safety issues through forums separate from the committee structure.”

“As such, I am formally concluding the committee’s business effective at the end of the March 17, 2026, committee meeting,” Yu wrote.

Included with Yu’s report is an 18-page document summarizing the work undertaken by the committee since it first met in May 2024 and what projects still need to be wrapped up.

Also scheduled for this final committee meeting is a presentation from the BC First Nation Justice Council discussing the progress made by the Indigenous diversion centre opened in Prince

George last year.

Committee member Miranda Seymour, a councillor for Lheidli T’enneh First Nation, will present alongside Erin Patterson as representatives of the justice council.

Rounding out the agenda is a presentation from Downtown Prince George executive director Chrisie Berry and Prince George Chamber of Commerce executive director Neil Godbout — The Citizen’s former managing editor.

They’re scheduled to discuss the results of recent local and provincial polling as well as early results of the security camera pilot project funded by the city and jointly administered by the two organizations.

Presentation slides mention that the cameras have documented 113 incidents which have resulted in 35 calls to the RCMP, five calls to Prince George Fire Rescue and 14 calls jointly attended by both police and firefighters. However, no time frame is mentioned.

Tuesday’s meeting was held at noon in the second-floor boardroom at Prince George City Hall, after this edition of The Citizen went to press.

Visit www.pgcitizen.ca for coverage of the meeting.

New leader to be chosen May 30

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

For mental health and addictions, Milobar said the province needs more involuntary care facilities but also more voluntary care so when someone has a moment of clarity about wanting to get treated, they don’t have to go on a waiting list.

He criticized the current government for not having BC Housing run abstinence-only facilities, which he said can lead to residents being influenced to use drugs again.

He alleged “every BC Housing larger building has at least one person that’s dealing” drugs. Asked what the source

of that information was, he said it was anecdotal.

“It is possibly an exaggeration to say every single one? Possibly, but I would be shocked if it’s not,” Milobar said.

For leadership candidates to make the final ballot, they are required to submit a $40,000 compliance deposit to the party by April 1 and another $60,000 compliance deposit by April 18.

The online voting period for party members will be open from May 9 to May 30.

In order to vote in the leadership race, individuals must be an active member of the party by Saturday, April 18, 2026.

$10,000

Black brings Conservatve leadership campaign to PG

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

A former provincial cabinet minister vying to be the next leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia wrapped up a campaign trip to the north in Prince George on Friday, March 13.

Sitting down with The Citizen ahead of an event at the Prince George Curling Club, Iain Black touted his past high-level experience in the provincial government as something helping him stand out from the rest of the nine-person field.

The other competitors have held plenty of other political positions, but Black led three different ministries in the BC Liberal government of Gordon Campbell between 2005 and 2011.

He also unsuccessfully ran in a Lower Mainland seat for the federal Conservatives last year.

Despite having been a BC Liberal, Black was adamant he is a conservative at heart, albeit one that doesn’t believe in the purity tests being thrown around during this leadership race.

At their core, Black said conservatives typically agree on a list of simple things: as small a government as possible providing essential services like health care and education, as low taxes as possible and getting rid of regulations.

He said it’s not the government’s business to tell someone how to pray, unless they’re encroaching on someone else’s rights. He also said it’s not the government’s business to care about who someone loves.

BC, he said, needs to rethink its handling of natural resources and finances. A forecasted $13.3-billion deficit wouldn’t be so concerning if the economy was on fire and tax revenues were being generated, he said, but that’s not the case.

During his visit to the north, he said it’s clear people feel neglected in part because they believe the current government doesn’t understand what to do with oil, gas, forestry or mining.

The NDP, he said, are ideologically against pipelines, which means Canada will continue selling petroleum

resources below market value to the Americans rather than exploring opportunities in other markets.

He said that’s one of the reasons Prime Minister Mark Carney signed an agreement to pursue the development of a pipeline to the BC coast with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith involving BC Premier David Eby.

Whether it’s that pipeline or another, he said he’d like to see another line carrying petroleum to the BC coast. He said he’d also like to see “six or seven” more liquefied natural gas pipelines.

Black said with BC sitting on one of the richest stockpiles of gas resources in the world, it needs the political will to do something with them.

Another thing he said he’d like to see is the use of LNG for power generation instead of selling the gas to Washington and Oregon and then having companies sell power back to BC made with that gas.

He said LNG generation is flexible as facilities can be built where the need for the power is greatest, which could in turn power other projects like mining operations.

On forestry, he said the current government has taken the four-to-sixmonth permitting time of eight years ago and turned it into a 24-to-36-month waiting period. He attributed that partly to overregulation and partly due to the province enshrining the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous

was implemented, the province found ways to partner with First Nations on projects like the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, the Site C dam construction, Coastal GasLink and LNG Canada.

If BC could manage those projects before without DRIPA, it can do it again.

The task of rebuilding those relationships, Black said, shouldn’t be handled by a rookie premier but one with experience at the cabinet table and with the Treasury Board.

He said he had heard similar concerns in both Fort St. John and Prince George on health care, especially seniors’ care.

Peoples (DRIPA) into law.

While BC can’t control U.S. President Donald Trump or the tariffs his government is implementing, Black said it can adjust regulations to fit the current situation.

He called the implementation of DRIPA “fundamentally dishonest” and mismanaged to the point where the provincial courts aren’t sure whether Indigenous rights and titles supersede private property rights.

Last year, the BC Supreme Court ruled the Cowichan Tribes hold Aboriginal title to lands on the Fraser River they used to occupy in what is now Richmond before they were displaced.

Property owners in the area are concerned about what the decision means for their property rights, though a joint statement issued in early March by both the province and the Cowichan Nation said the Nation is not seeking to invalidate private ownership.

Negotiations in the wake of the court decision are ongoing.

Black said DRIPA and any supporting legislation must be repealed. He acknowledged this would likely have a negative impact on the government’s relationships with First Nations as they will feel they’ve lost something they had a rightful claim to.

However, he said under current circumstances no foreign investor will want to come to BC and before DRIPA

The government, he said, needs to review both its recruitment strategies and what it can do to make regions like the north an attractive place to live in whether it’s pursuing foreign doctors, making sure foreign doctors can use their credentials, making sure doctors’ families are taken care of during the recruitment process or implementing tax incentives.

To improve mental health treatment in BC, he said he would redevelop the former Riverview Hospital in Coquitlam and make it the centre of a hub-andspoke system treating mental health, addiction recovery and brain injury across the province.

This, he said, would involve the construction of treatment facilities in communities like Prince George.

However, he said it’s not just a matter of putting more beds into service but implementing more policing resources to go after drug dealers and improve street safety.

“We cannot let people continue to live on the streets the way they do,” Black said.

“It’s a sign of a civil society how you treat those who are the most vulnerable and we’ve come to a place where we’re comfortable stepping over people who are passed out on the sidewalk.

“That didn’t happen when I was a kid … when you see people doubled over from fentanyl, either standing on the sidewalk or at a doorway, they should be removed from the street. That is an involuntary care opportunity as far as I’m concerned.”

CITIZEN PHOTO BY COLIN SLARK

Conservative Party of British Columbia leadership candidate Iain Black (right) shakes hands with an audience member before an event at the Prince George Golf and Curling Club on Friday, March 13.

Jones pitches people-frst approach during city stop

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

A former grocery executive and familiar TV commercial presence swung through Prince George this week, promising a people-first mentality as he vies to be the next leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia.

Darrell Jones, past president of Pattison Food Group and television spokesperson for Save-On-Foods met with various groups on Tuesday, March 10 and Wednesday, March 11, meeting with reporters on Wednesday at the offices of the Prince George Chamber of Commerce accompanied by former Prince George-Mackenzie MLA and BC Liberal cabinet minister Pat Bell.

Jones told reporters that he’s running to be the next leader of the opposition and potentially a future premier because he believes BC’s greatest asset is its people and he worries about quality of life for residents, especially younger generations.

BC, he said, needs a government that focuses on people and their needs rather than ideology and politics. Jones is one of nine candidates running to replace John Rustad, whose term as leader ended last year following the ejection or departure of five MLAs from both the party’s moderate and social conservative ranks.

Asked about the divide within the party, Jones brought up his past as a grocery executive and what he did to make sure the managers at all the company’s locations were on the same page.

“If you’re going to be the leader of the Conservative Party, you need to build a real strong relationship with each and every one of the constituents that you have today and you need to take some of the ones that decided to leave and you want to figure out if they want to come back and be part of your coalition,” he said.

Northern BC, he said, is where the bulk of the province’s economic production is centred — especially in Prince George and Fort St. John. He said he would talk with companies in north-central BC and see what they

need to be successful. Jones pledged to reduce bureaucracy and red tape to spur economic activity and allow BC to reduce fuel taxes and provincial income tax.

“That’s way too wild,” he said of BC’s current tax landscape.

“British Columbia shouldn’t be paying for that because we have enough resources in our province that we don’t need that, but you have to be prepared to do the things it takes to maximize our rare minerals, to maximize the ability for our great lumber industry to be able to produce lumber — not necessarily sell it somewhere, but to take it to almost the point that’s it’s finished and completed and sell it like that.”

On energy, Jones said he’s in favour of another liquified natural gas (LNG) pipeline to the BC coast as well as an Alberta-BC oil pipeline and that they need to happen “as quickly as possible.”

Beyond just the construction of the pipelines, he said that BC needs to be best friends with its neighbours in Alberta to work together and maximize economic opportunities.

To meet BC’s future electricity needs, Jones said he was in favour of both LNGand nuclear-derived power, especially LNG as it is safe and BC can access a large amount.

Though Prince George has seen supportive housing facilities spring up in recent years, less movement has been seen on creating treatment facilities for people suffering from substance use and mental health issues.

While Premier David Eby announced an involuntary treatment facility for Prince George last September, his government has yet to announce its

location or set an opening date.

“We shouldn’t be giving people homes unless they’re mentally and physically capable of being there, of getting a job,” Jones said. “I mean giving homes to somebody that’s got all kinds of mental problems and drug addiction, is that a real solution? I don’t think it is.”

another part of the mental health puzzle is to give people hope by improving the provincial economy.

If places like Prince George are delivering everything asked of them economically, Jones said the province needs to make sure that doctors are paid enough to want to work there. Another piece of the puzzle, he said, is to reduce what he sees as unnecessary bureaucracy in the medical system.

He said he would be in favour of providing more resources so that medical programs at the University of Northern British Columbia and College of New Caledonia can teach more students.

For those who primarily know him as a television spokesperson, he said that during his career he worked up from an entry-level employee to eventually running the company.

BC Conservative leadership candidate Darrell Jones talks about his campaign at Northern Lights Estate Winery on Tuesday, March 10.

City’s public safety commitee stll has work to do

KENNEDY GORDON Citizen Managing Editor

Public safety is more of a priority than ever for people living in Prince George. So that makes this a strange time to shut down one of the few forums designed to bring those concerns directly to city hall.

Yet that’s exactly what Mayor Simon Yu plans to do. He announced last week that Tuesday, March 17’s meeting was to be the final gathering of the city’s Standing Committee on Public Safety, arguing that after nearly two years of work it is “appropriate” to continue addressing safety issues outside the committee structure.

He has the authority to do so, as one of the mayor’s responsibilities is the formation and dissolution of committees. But leadership is not only about authority — it is also about judgment. And right now, this looks like a case of not reading a pretty big room.

Crime, arson, homelessness and addiction remain persistent issues facing the community. We see the effects daily: drug raids, fires, social disorder and a frustrated business community. If anything, the recent report examining the city’s Safe Streets Bylaw shows just how complicated and unsettled the situation remains.

After reviewing thousands of pages of documents, University of Toronto researcher Joe Hermer concluded there are “numerous troubling aspects” in both the bylaw and its enforcement.

The report found that in roughly 74 per cent of cases involving a person, bylaw officers responded by forcing someone to “move on” — despite the fact that the bylaw does not grant that authority. It also raises concerns that such practices may increase overdose risks by pushing vulnerable people out of sight and potentially into more dangerous situations.

Those findings alone demonstrate that public safety policy in Prince George is pretty far from OK.

That’s why a forum like the Standing Committee on Public Safety matters.

The committee has served as a crucial bridge between city council and the people directly affected by disorder and instability. Residents, businesses, Indigenous leaders, police and social service providers have been able to bring concerns forward in a public setting where council members can then listen, question and respond.

Consider the experience of Millar Addition residents who spent years grappling with the challenges

associated with having Moccasin Flats right below their homes. The committee created a place where their concerns could be aired constructively — not just vented on social media or shouted at council meetings.

It was at a meeting of the committee that Daryl Leiski, the owner of CrossRoads, shared his frustration over the loss of his business and the need for change before he rebuilds. His statement was later referenced by Premier David Eby in his decision to provide new involuntary care facilities, including one in Prince George.

The committee also brought together key organizations. Presentations from groups like the BC First Nations Justice Council, for example, have helped inform council about initiatives such as the Indigenous diversion centre opened in the city last year.

Other meetings have connected business leaders, law enforcement and community groups in ways that might not otherwise happen.

The committee has provided

something Prince George desperately needs: structured, transparent conversations about complex problems.

Yu now argues the committee’s members can do “more, better and more effective work outside of the meeting room.” That is a bold claim — and perhaps it will prove true.

But we have every right to ask what exactly that means.

What replaces the committee? How will the public hear discussions that previously happened in an open forum? Where will residents and business owners bring their concerns? And how will council demonstrate progress on the many issues the committee was still examining?

So far, those answers remain vague. With seven months to go before this fall’s elections, the mayor may believe the committee has simply run its course. But for many taxpayers, it feels less like a natural conclusion and more like the door closing on an important line of communication.

If the mayor believes there is a better approach, he has to explain it more clearly and, most importanty, begin demonstrating results immediately.

Better still, he could reconsider. Unlike a select committee which has a time limited duration, a standing committee is supposed to be more permanent.

Public safety is still one of the defining issues in Prince George. Ending one of the city’s most visible forums for tackling it sends the wrong signal.

We acknowledge the fnancial support of the government of Canada.

Nous reconnaissons l’appui fnancier du gouvernement du Canada.

Kennedy Gordon Managing Editor

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CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

RCMP Emergency Response Team officers handle a situation at the corner of Pierreroy Road and Sinclair Road on Thursday, Feb. 12.

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OPINION

AI’s frst mission: Suck up all our province’s electricity

Back Story

The Artificial Intelligence (AI) behemoth is a vampire in more ways than one.

It sucks energy, it sucks water, and it sucks our brains and intellectual property. But just like any respectable vampire, AI can’t suck our blood unless we invite it to do so.

That’s why at last week’s city council meeting, a company that wants to bring a new AI facility in Prince George, called CedarCore, sought our city’s support.

Our city council, wisely, given the questions at hand, decided to think on it a bit more.

It’s too bad we didn’t have the chance to think on the AI facility we already have.

You may recall we have a cryptocurrency mining operation down by the river across from the pulp mill and below the jail, formerly called Iris. This 50-megawatt facility is now called Iren and is in the process of transitioning its servers to be 100 per cent in service of AI.

This energy hog was snuck in before BC Hydro put the brakes on new crypto currency facilities in December of 2022. And by energy hog, hold onto your hats. If one megawatt of capacity can power 1200 Canadian homes, that little facility down by the river could consume as much power as 60,000 Canadian homes, nearly double the homes that Prince George has.

At the time, BC Hydro figured crypto mining was eating up around 273 megawatts of BC Hydro capacity.

To put that in perspective, the average generating capacity Site C can achieve year-round is less than 600 megawatts (it can produce its full capacity of 1,230 megawatts only when the rivers are raging).

This means we spent $16 billion on a dam to increase our power production, only to see crypto mining hoover up nearly half of that new power production. The rest will likely be consumed by AI, if we let it.

We only have so much power to go around. BC has been a net importer of power in seven of the last 15 years. And I’d argue it’s important that we evaluate new demands on our power supply according not to the average cost of existing electricity, but to the marginal cost of additional electricity production.

When you look at it this way, these new facilities start to look pretty uneconomical.

If Iren here in Prince George consumes 8.3 per cent of the new Site C power generation, that means we spent $1.3 billion dollars of taxpayer money (or 8.3 per cent of the $16 billion price tag) to build the power generation capacity to run a facility that probably employs a couple dozen people.

Talk about inefficient use of public resources!

Like I said when I criticized the now abandoned Fortescue hydrogen project,

these facilities have a business case if they pay the true marginal cost of the additional electrical production needed to power them.

Back when Site C was supposed to cost us $7.9 billion, the power coming online was going to cost us 8.3 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh). Now that we know the dam costs us north of $16 billion, that cost per kilowatt hour of the new power could cost as much as 15 cents, depending on the discount rate and the final bill.

Whatever it is, the 6.75 cents per KWh we currently charge industry is likely half the true cost of new power production.

If new power production requires significant subsidy, then any new industrial burden on our system should be judged by its broader value to society.

And if they can’t afford the actual cost of new electricity, these AI CEOs have no right to complain about BC Hydro limiting their access to power we have spent billions subsidizing.

This isn’t even getting into the issue of water consumption. Iren apparently doesn’t use water, but there’s

no guarantee new facilities won’t. And don’t forget that noise.

What exactly is all this for?

Few people thought we’d need this technology even a few years ago but there are admittedly some cool things it can do.

I heard our local RCMP leadership down at city hall say how AI will help them analyze hours of surveillance and bodycam footage to fight crime. AI could also help scientists and academics analyze data in ways we previously couldn’t imagine.

But on the other hand, what’s the point of using AI to analyze surveillance videos if crown counsel won’t follow up on the charges? What if governments and policy makers ignore the new science that AI helps generate?

Artificial intelligence has value only insofar as we have the institutional integrity to use it properly. And that’s a big question mark.

The majority of the power we are subsidizing for AI capacity will likely be frittered away in worthless pop culture internet searches of questionable accuracy, bad AI art or videos, and more bots online pushing political agendas sowing confusion as to what is real and what is not.

Is that worth the cost of subsidizing billions of dollars worth of new power generating capacity we need to run this stuff? What about the dystopian disruption this technology promises to burden our society with?

I’m afraid most of us are so committed to the endless advancement of technology we won’t stop supporting it even as our reality increasingly resembles films like Robocop and The Terminator.

The only thing standing in its way, it seems, is the lack of a business case and the limitations imposed by that thing we have all but forgotten about: nature.

Let’s just hope city council takes these concerns seriously before they invite that vampire inside.

James Steidle is a Prince George writer.

COLUMBIA PICTURES PHOTO

The Terminator film franchise is focused on a future when artificial intelligence has overrun humanity. What was once far-fetched science fiction is now closer to reality, James Steidle writes today.

JAMES STEIDLE

OPINION

City of Prince George council supports saving Squamishto-100 Mile House rail line

Thanks for the write-up! With one shortline already doing due diligence, this project has the potential to become reality. If successful, it will grow our economy by significantly reducing freight costs in our region.

Shortline rail would also offer the opportunity for passenger service between PG and Vancouver, which would serve another need.

BTW, our data shows that the BCR line was profitable, even in a smaller economy.

So I am optimistic.

Trudy Klassen

City of Prince George council supports saving Squamishto-100 Mile House rail line

I would be very interested to see that data. If the line was profitable, I don’t see why CN would want to drop it, nor why any other operator wouldn’t want to snap it up.

I don’t think it would reduce transportation costs from PG at all. You’d have to lease track time from CN from PG to 100 Mile (or have them haul it), then have your own locomotives, train crews, mechanics, engineering crews, track maintenance equipment (or contractors), management and admin support. And all for what customers exactly?

I really do appreciate the optimism, but railways are a beast to understand.

J Jonah Jameson

Local hockey referee is Sport BC’s of cial of the year

She is a great lady. While she still played hockey, she donated time to younger ladies’ hockey, and my girls fell in love with the game. The Barlow family have donated tons of time to minor hockey. Prince George is lucky to have them.

On behalf of myself and my daughters, I’d like to thank coach Mark and Gracie for everything they’ve done for minor hockey.

Jason Bourdon

Editorial: Shutdowns hit harder when closure allowance kicks in

Revising the closure allowance is a step in the right direction to reduce the flow of resource community wealth to larger centres in the South and East of Northern BC.

But that draining of resource wealth has been systemic since the W.A.C. Bennett Dam was built.

That resource wealth drainage has also been exacerbated by the drainage of high-paid resource workers having to pay huge federal and provincial payroll taxes that, in large part, have gone to larger communities in the South of BC and to the East, to the rest of Canada. How the damage of draining Northern wealth and taxes can be repaired is beyond me.

Northern BC does not have the demographic population to get the attention that it deserves from Victoria or Ottawa. waymar101@telus.net

Safe Streets Bylaw critiqued by University of Toronto sociology department chair

The downtown decline can become permanent if nothing changes. Cities that turned it around (Calgary, parts of Edmonton, even New York decades ago) did three things at the same time:

1. Strong enforcement of public order

2. Large investments in treatment and housing

3. Heavy investment in making downtown attractive again

If you only do one of those three, nothing changes.

TheNineSixThree

Prince George city council looking to continue discussions over AI data centre

I wonder if the AI facility will be located beside the $5.6 billion West Coast Olefins plant in the BCR, or the $billion hydrogen plant on 97 south, or the billion-dollar hemp facility at the old experimental farm, etc., etc.

The AI company is a startup with a website announcing its hopes to have two data centres, the main one here and one in the Southern Interior. Hope doesn’t pay the bills!

The moral of the story is don’t fall for the half-baked plans of people with big ideas but little or no money. The city should not spend a single penny on this until it sees the colour of enough money to move the project to completion.

Bobs your uncle

Prince George city council looking to continue discussions over AI data centre

I have reservations concerning such a company in our city. Yes, it would hopefully create employment, perhaps help industry bases to expand, and perhaps bring economic stability to the region, and AI is the next step. But at what cost? This is what plagues me.

I am not prepared to sacrifice the ecosystem of our rivers to satisfy the cooling system that would be required. I am not sure how the tremendous increase in power sources needed will affect the city. What are the overall side effects?

A letter will go out for further discussions by the city and First Nations. There are too many questions left unanswered. Hopefully, all the stakeholders involved will take a step back, put aside all the glitter and promises, and examine what is at stake.

Once this switch is turned on, there’s no going back. Ask the hard questions. CedarCore has made no proposals, nor a business plan, nor a complete understanding of the product. For now, it just wants our vital resources for itself.

milton mahoney

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Safe Streets bylaw critqued by sociology professor

The U of T department chair has published a study on how the city has tackled crime

CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen Staff

The Prince George Safe Streets Bylaw Enforcement Report was launched in Prince George at Uda Dune Baiyoh (House of Ancestors Conference Centre) on Thursday, March 12, with the report’s author, Joseph Hermer, chair of the sociology department at the University of Toronto Scarborough, presenting his findings in the report he entitled The Complaint is the Crime.

This is one of the largest Canadian studies on bylaw policing and is critical to Prince George’s ongoing discussions about public safety and human rights.

“Today I’m launching a report on four years’ work and it’s really an update on two reports that were issued just after the Safe Streets Bylaw was enacted,” Hermer said.

“Those two reports indicated that the bylaw was used in quite a terrible way in terms of how it was treating unhoused people and this report is really from a much longer period of time — 44 months — takes a much longer view just to see what’s changed and what’s stayed the same.”

Hermer first became aware of Prince George’s Safe Streets Bylaw when the BC Assembly of First Nations contacted him at his Toronto office, as it is an area of expertise he works in. He explained his interest in what’s happening in a city far from his home.

“They asked me to look it over and give them my opinion of what the bylaw was like — was it discriminatory, was it prejudicial and so on — and I thought it was a terrible bylaw,” Hermer said.

“I thought it was poorly drafted and I thought it was very severe. They asked me if I would appear at the third reading of the bylaw to express those views and I did and I became really interested in Prince George because the nature of its

population and its vulnerability and I thought it was a really interesting case study.”

Hermer said there have been many municipalities that have enacted similar bylaws but not quite like this.

“Prince George seemed to be a particularly severe example in relation to the vulnerable and at-risk population,” Hermer said during an exclusive interview ahead of the presentation.

The Safe Streets Bylaw was enacted on Aug. 31, 2021, which came with considerable controversy that drew national media attention, Hermer said to start his presentation.

Eight months after the bylaw was enacted there were two reports issued, one by Hermer and one by the BC Assembly of First Nations, because about 80 per cent of the people affected were Indigenous, Hermer said.

“The results in both those reports painted a very bleak picture,” Hermer said.

“Bylaw officers almost without exception moved people on and put them out of public space. There was a widespread way that bylaw officers took and destroyed unhoused people’s belongings and shelters in an indiscriminate way and then there was really very little link in the bylaw officers’ activities to outreach work or frontline support.”

bylaw officer and I think there is some confusion in terms of the public not having an accurate idea — and I know it’s difficult taking complaints and public expectations and translating the bylaw into practical action but none the less there is some confusion for the public in terms of what the bylaw is about and what its limits and capabilities are and that goes back to how the complaints are handled. I am hoping this provides a platform for some conversation.”

Several city staff and council members attended the presentation.

“The City of Prince George appreciates the time and effort that has gone into the analysis of the Safe Streets Bylaw by associate Prof. Joe Hermer,” said a statement from the City of Prince George in an email.

Hermer concluded his report by saying that the bylaw caused more harm than good.

“It’s not just the fact that it is legally dubious, it’s the potential harm that is being caused,” Hermer said.

“My recommendation is that bylaw officers consult with the health authority’s public health officer. I just want to conclude on a larger point. Even before the bylaw was enacted the mayor talked about the bylaw and said it was an educational tool. It’s not law enforcement, it’s about education.

It’s about making things clearer. I know that conversation has continued and that the city really presents it about really being about education. This isn’t enforcement and I have to say it’s disingenuous. I don’t know what type of education the city is talking about and this is going back five years now.

It’s just not really clear. If anything, the evidence shows the bylaw is confusing things and making things less clear to people on the street and maybe subject to complaints who are confused on how to avoid confrontation with a

“Elected members and staff attended the panel session and listened to the summary and questions with interest. We agree with a lot of the sentiment around the need for ongoing collaboration and problem solving into these complex issues. We will continue to work with our service agencies and those with lived experience to help determine how to drive solutions. The City strives to balance a responsive complaints system with the rights and dignity of our vulnerable citizens. The Safe Streets Bylaw was last updated in 2022 and no fines have been issued under this bylaw. This feedback will be taken into consideration along with the changes in the provincial landscape around encampments, open drug use, and social disorder by staff for daily operations.”

After the presentation there was a panel discussion with members of the community who are invested in the safety of those most vulnerable in the community who all agreed there needs to be more done to help them and the Safe Streets Bylaw needs to be adjusted to meet the needs of all members of the community.

For the full The Complaint is the Crime report visit www.homelesshub.ca/ resource/the-complaint-is-the-crime48-months-of-safe-streets-bylaw-use-inprince-george-bc

Hermer

CITIZEN PHOTO BY MATTHEW HILLIER

Members of the North District Emergency Response Team leave the scene following the search of a home on Quince Street on Thursday, March 12.

Indigenous justce forum calls for acton beyond dialogue

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

The BC First Nation Justice Council Forum (BCFNJC) has found its way to Prince George for the first time.

The forum, hosted at the Coast Hotel on Tuesday, March 10 and Wednesday, March 11, included about 140 people in attendance to share knowledge from Indigenous elders and leadership, community partners, justice partners, social workers, participants in the Indigenous Diversion Centre in Prince George and service providers to help move forward on the BC First Nations Justice Strategy.

Grand Chief Steven Point, a member of the BCFNJC council, described the importance of hearing from Northern Indigenous leadership in the opening presentation on Tuesday.

“I know that so many Indigenous activities around politics and law often are centred in the south, often are centred in Vancouver,” he said. “It doesn’t afford the opportunity for people in the north to come and listen here and understand. We need to come out to the communities, come out to the people where they are, and hear from them, to hear from the leadership.”

Point added that although these conferences are important, more is needed to continue to move forward with justice reconciliation in BC.

“We become a culture of conference-goers,” said Point. “We think by coming to a hotel and staying in a room and listening to speakers that ‘I’ve done my job. I’ve done what I’m supposed to do.’ In fact, that’s only the beginning. It’s only the start. We have to get beyond getting to these conferences and talking to one another, hearing the same stories over and over again. We have to get beyond the dialogue and get into action.

“There are three ways of creating our future. One is by thinking of what you want to do, and that’s what we’re doing here — dialogue. The second is by talking about the thing. I encourage you to participate during the next two days. Don’t sit on your thoughts. Don’t leave this room without expressing what’s on your mind. Don’t leave your

unanswered questions on the table. The next way, and the third way, according to Alex Robinson, to create your future is to get off your fat behind and walk in the direction of what you’ve got to do. Do something about it.”

Discussions included the influence and over-representation of Indigenous peoples in the justice system, the history of Indigenous-led justice before the colonial period and how this form of justice changed during its early interactions with the British justice system.

Miranda Seymour, diversion legal and policy advisor for the BCFNJC, spoke to The Citizen about why the forum is important in bringing awareness to unique issues faced by Indigenous communities.

“Justice issues impact Indigenous people all over the province, all across the country,” said Seymour. “But particularly in the north, services can be underserved, as we know, versus our southern counterparts. We do have a jail here, Prince George Regional Correctional Centre, which often has primarily Indigenous people in the centre. We have a homeless population here in Prince George that has high Indigenous numbers. This conference, this forum to the north to Prince George, is just shining a light on how these issues take place in the north as well.”

Seymour also agreed with Point’s comments that more action is needed to provide better support and justice for Indigenous people in the north.

“One local example here is the Indigenous Diversion Centre that was recently opened here on Lheidli T’enneh,” said

Seymour. “The grand opening was Oct. 14. We are working to divert Indigenous people away from the criminal justice system. One way that we’re taking what we’re learning and hearing from the community here at this conference to a local context is continuing to work together to support our people with accessing supports and services as they’re coming out of correctional centres or when they’re being diverted away pre-charge, and helping them access culture and ceremony to help them.”

She offered some practical examples of diversion that fall within the calls for action at the conference.

“We have the BC First Nations Justice Strategy with 25 strategies, and strategy No. 1 as the council member this morning spoke about, is the presumption of diversion,” said Seymour. “That involves embedding diversion in every point of interaction that an Indigenous person may have with the justice system. So this is reconciliation in action in the real world of addressing the over-incarceration of our people with the supports they need so they’re not continuing that cycle of being arrested, going to court, going to jail and repeating. I think this is one way that government and mainstream society is acknowledging that Indigenous people are over-represented in the criminal justice system, as well as in the child welfare system, and looking at creative ways to get them out of that system.”

Another panel held on the first day was titled Smart on Crime is not Soft on Crime: Solutions for Policing and featured Prince George RCMP Supt. Darin

Rappel, Ken Floyd, district commander for RCMP North Division, and Anna Tonasket, president of the Indigenous Justice Association.

The panel discussed what RCMP officers have learned during their time in Indigenous communities and how to bridge the gap between the traditional justice system and Indigenous justice.

Floyd said during the panel that often the topic of restorative justice is difficult to discuss because of the notion sometimes held by the RCMP that the current justice system knows what’s best when it comes to Indigenous justice.

“There isn’t a blanket approach to being able to look at this,” said Floyd. “I was nervous coming here today — not to be here, but nervous because one of the things I’ve heard since I walked in the door was a reluctance to change. And I think what makes me nervous is we can talk about these things, but do we ever really initiate a new change? That makes me nervous because we can talk about it all afternoon and we can talk about it next year and the year after, but if we’re not willing to really get to the discussion points and the nuances of what we need to change, and have the courage to change that — whether it’s the RCMP, whether it’s the justice system at large, or whether it’s the communities — we need to accept that change.”

At the closing of the panel, Rappel added that the success of the Indigenous Diversion Centre (IDC) is an amazing starting point.

“I think once you have those initial successes, you can’t take your foot off the gas,” said Rappel. “There’s far too much more work to be done. We’re learning that as we’re forging our way through with the IDC. We do have quarterly meetings. I know the employees in my detachment are in constant communication with the staff in the IDC. I can go on with training and a bunch of other things about ways to improve the system and some of the things that we do locally here as a group to continue to motivate all of our teams to do this good work. But building a local solution for local concerns is key.”

BCFNJC PHOTO

RCMP North District Commander Ken Floyd (left), Anna Tonasket, president of the Indigenous Justice Association, and Prince George RCMP Supt. Darin Rappel speak during a panel at the BC First Nations Justice Council on Tuesday, March 10 at the Coast Hotel.

Man threatened to bear-spray fast-food restaurant

BOB MACKIN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Two years of probation were ordered for a 29-year-old man who pleaded guilty March 4 to assault and breaching court orders.

In Prince George Provincial Court, Judge Charles Hutchinson heard that Prince George RCMP officers were called to a McDonald’s restaurant at 3:20 a.m. on July 3, 2025 after Brandon Michael Pierre arrived and demanded a

woman leave with him or he would bear spray the restaurant.

He led the woman out of the restaurant and left in his vehicle.

Police searched for the woman to ensure she was safe, and found her the same day at the Salvation Army. She provided a statement, corroborating the report from the witness. She also said Pierre threatened to punch her in the head.

She said she remained with him until he grabbed her purse and demanded

she leave the Salvation Army with him. She stayed and called police.

Crown prosecutor Astitwa Thapa said that Pierre was already put on probation for a year on April 10, 2025 for breach of undertaking by Judge Judith Doulis and ordered to have no contact with the woman. Hence the charges for failing to comply with a release order.

Pierre’s defence lawyer David Jenkins Jr. said his Indigenous client was previously employed as a heavy equipment operator in the logging industry for

Plea bargain for Surrey man who gave the

Court heard the rsttime offender wants a career in security

BOB MACKIN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A $500 fine, payable by the end of April, and one year on probation were ordered for a 28-year-old Surrey man who made a plea bargain after being accused of fleeing from Prince George RCMP officers almost two years ago.

On March 19, 2024, two street crew officers conducting surveillance around Spruce Street and 17th Avenue noticed a parked white 2023 BMW X5.

They observed driver Jaspreet Toor conduct a short-duration meeting with another person who came to the car window.

“Mr. Toor drove slowly past the officers, raised his middle finger at them and accelerated out of the area,” Crown prosecutor Katie Diehl told Judge

eight years, but has been unemployed over the past year. He has struggled with drug addiction, but has since attended residential treatment.

The guilty plea and remorse were mitigating factors.

Hutchinson agreed with the joint sentencing proposal and levied a $100 victim surcharge , payable by March 3, 2027.

The Crown stayed nine other charges against Pierre, including unlawful confinement and theft under $5,000.

fnger

Charles Hutchinson.

Police followed Toor for a short distance and unsuccessfully tried to conduct a traffic stop.

He was eventually T-boned by another vehicle. While officers chose not to pursue him, they eventually found him at a residence where he was known to frequent.

Diehl said Toor’s “deliberate and

intentional act” resulted in highly dangerous driving.

Toor was originally charged criminally with dangerous operation of a conveyance and flight from police, but pleaded guilty to wilfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer and the Motor Vehicle Act offence of driving without due care and attention.

Court heard that Toor has completed

to police

basic security training at the Justice Institute of BC and is interested in pursuing a career in security.

Diehl said Toor is a first-time criminal offender, but has 35 entries and three prior suspensions on his driving record, though mostly from a decade ago.

“I think it speaks for itself, just purely by the length of it,” Diehl said.”

Hutchinson opted for a conditional discharge rather than the suspended sentence Diehl sought.

Should he successfully complete the probation, his record will not include a conviction.

“The momentary nature of the circumstance, combined with the lack of a criminal history and Mr. Toor’s expression of remorse, convince me that a conditional discharge is appropriate in the circumstance,” Hutchinson said. “Although — to say it as clearly as possible for Mr. Toor — this is as close to the line of having a suspended sentence as I think you could get and not end up with a suspended sentence.”

Accused pleads guilty to utering threats, drug trafcking and more

Guilty pleas in Prince George Provincial Court on March 13 by a man who was charged after incidents in September 2024 and December 2025.

Chase Joseph Riley Cardinal, 33, appeared before Judge Charles Hutchinson and pleaded guilty to trafficking in a controlled substance, causing a disturbance, uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm and breaching probation twice.

The drug charge, prosecuted federally, stemmed from an offence on Sept. 13, 2024 in Prince George. The remaining charges are under provincial jurisdiction and those crimes happened Dec. 14, 2025.

Defence lawyer Matthew James said

he expected the Crown to propose a oneand-a-half year sentence, so he asked Hutchinson to order a Gladue letter in addition to a pre-sentencing report.

A Gladue letter analyzes the impact of an offender’s Indigenous heritage and suffering.

FILE PHOTO

Prince George RCMP pursued a BMW after seeing its driver make an obscene gesture at them.

BOB MACKIN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Accused pled guilty to murders, now wants to back out

BOB MACKIN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A 46-year-old man lost a bid to withdraw guilty pleas made almost a year ago to the second-degree murder of his wife and 18-year-old son in Tsay Keh Dene.

Justice Simon Coval rejected Orlan Marcel Dennis’s application on March 9 in BC Supreme Court in Prince George.

Dennis had claimed he did not understand the pleas meant a minimum 10 years before parole eligibility, maintaining that a verbal disability made it difficult to process communications.

Coval said Dennis acknowledged that his prior lawyer, Gloria Ng, repeatedly advised him of the minimum eligibility.

But, Coval said, Dennis claimed that had he understood, “he would not have pled guilty, but instead relied on the defensive intoxication to try to avoid the specific intent required for murder.”

Coval said Ng’s affidavit indicated

Dennis understood that 10 years was the mandatory minimum waiting period and she advised him the benefit of certainty. She also advised him that,

Delay in long-term ofender case for airport carjacker

of BC website said he is suspended, but it does not mention the reason or length of suspension.

without the plea deal, he could be jailed for 15 years before he could apply.

Dennis was formally charged on April 12, 2024 with two counts of

second-degree murder, for the homicides of Darlene and Dorian Dennis, three days after RCMP officers were called to a home after a report of shots fired and injuries.

When officers arrived, gun-toting Orlan Dennis ran to another house. The North District Emergency Response Team arrived and negotiations failed. At 5:40 a.m. on April 10, 2024, Orlan Dennis was forced out by a chemical irritant and shot. He was treated in Prince George for non-life-threatening injuries.

Orlan Dennis pleaded guilty on April 15, 2025, admitting the facts of the case. He also told the court that no one had pressured or forced him to make the plea, because it was voluntary.

“When Mr. Dennis made his guilty pleas, he understood that the effect of his plea would be a minimum of 10 years before he could be eligible for parole,” Coval said. “This guilty plea was, therefore, not uninformed.”

Dennis’s next court date is March 30.

BOB MACKIN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The BC Supreme Court case of the Prince George Airport carjacker has been delayed again.

Crown prosecutor Rodney Withall told Justice Bruce Elwood on March 9 that Tanner Jordan Meier, 31, and his defence lawyer were both unavailable to attend the scheduling hearing.

“(Lawyer Kenneth Thomson) has been suspended for some time and is unable to appear on this matter, and I understand Mr. Meier is refusing to come out of his cell,” Withall said. Thomson’s listing in the Law Society

During a Feb. 9 appearance, Meier told Justice Matthew Kirchner that Thomson would “be back in a month” from the suspension.

Elwood agreed to Withall’s request to adjourn the case to March 23.

Meier pleaded guilty Oct. 27, 2025 to charges of robbery, dangerous driving causing bodily harm and assault related to the Aug. 24, 2024 theft of a car at YXS.

Withall had previously told the court that he is applying to have Meier assessed to determine whether he could be deemed a long-term offender. If a judge approves the long-term offender application, the court would order a minimum two-year jail sentence and an order that Meier be under longterm supervision not exceeding 10 years.

FILE PHOTO

A man who pleaded guilty two years ago to killing his wife and son tried to withdraw those pleas in Prince George court, but was unsuccessful.

More than eight months in jail for hardware store atack

BOB MACKIN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A man who attempted to rob a Quesnel building supplies store and struck an employee on the head with a hatchet was sentenced in Provincial Court to another 255 days in jail and 18 months of probation.

In a Feb. 24 verdict, Judge Judith Doulis set a 30-month jail sentence for David George Wesley, but reduced it by 645 days credit for time served since his arrest.

Wesley pleaded guilty on Oct. 1, 2025 to attempted robbery and aggravated assault at the Eagle Home Building Centre store on Nov. 10, 2024.

The Crown wanted almost three years in jail and the defence sought time served and probation. Doulis rejected a time served or house arrest sentence, because of the risk to public safety, since Wesley has yet to begin rehabilitation.

“Instead of seizing the opportunity to practice sobriety, David Wesley continues to source out and use intoxicants in prison,” Doulis said. “It does not appear that David Wesley participated in any programs while incarcerated which

may assist him in living a pro-social life in the community.”

Wesley, another man and a woman entered the store in late afternoon on the day of the incident. He went to the axes and hatchets section and then the tools section.

After an employee approached him to offer assistance, Wesley removed two boxes of tools and a hatchet, passed the sales counter, grabbed his backpack and walked to the front door.

When he opened the door, the employee put his hand on Wesley’s shoulder. But Wesley turned around and hit the man on the head with the hatchet. Another store employee intervened, but a struggle ensued.

The two workers told Wesley to let

go of the hatchet and leave. He let go, but suddenly pulled a knife out of his kangaroo pocket and stabbed the first worker in the arm.

Wesley left the store without his backpack and the workers called the RCMP.

Officers arrested him the next morning at the Seasons House Shelter where he had checked-in, without identification, as “James Jack.”

The injured worker was hospitalized and missed three to four days of work.

Court heard that Wesley, a member of the Witset Band, grew up in and out of government foster care, suffered mental illness and addictions in his teens and became a drifter as an adult.

“David Wesley’s life has been plagued by instability, mental illness, substance

use and violence,” Doulis said.

He was convicted of crimes in Kamloops, Hazelton, Terrace, Prince George, Smithers, Penticton and Quesnel, and his record includes uttering threats, assault, assault with a weapon, assaulting a peace officer, mischief, possessing a weapon, possessing a stolen credit card, theft and breaching court orders.

At his Feb. 5 sentencing, Wesley did express some remorse, but Doulis did not find it significantly mitigating.

“Robbery and aggravated assault are no less serious or dangerous because David Wesley committed the offences for reasons that attract empathy or mitigate his personal culpability,” Doulis said.

“Hence, I cannot permit David Wesley’s personal circumstances to detract from the fundamental objective of sentencing, which is to impose a sentence that is proportionate to the gravity of the offence and the degree of responsibility of the offender.”

Under Wesley’s probation, he must not go to the store or contact or communicate with any of the workers. Doulis said he must not possess any weapons, but attend any program directed by his probation officer.

McBride man sentenced for exploitng teen in his care

BOB MACKIN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Four-and-a-half years in jail for a 53-year-old man who sexually exploited a teenage girl in his care.

That was the sentence Judge David Simpkin announced March 9 in Prince George Provincial Court.

Simpkin said mitigating factors weighed against a longer sentence. In October, the man pleaded guilty to touching a young person for a sexual purpose and sexual interference of a person under 16. He had also been charged with sexual assault and assault by choking.

The names and identifying details of the guilty man and the victim are covered under a publication ban.

During a November hearing, Crown prosecutor Kristina King asked Simpkin for an eight-year sentence. Defence lawyer Wade Jenson proposed two years less a day plus probation.

Simpkin said the victim trusted the offender and he breached that trust “in the most egregious way.”

“She was taken advantage of and sexually abused by the man who was supposed to take care of her, I find that to be significantly aggravating,” Simpkin said. “I found that the sexual abuse extended over a period of months, included penetrative, unprotected sex.”

The man worked on a farm in a Robson Valley community but also had a residence in Alberta and met the girl through a religious organization. The offences occurred between July 1, 2022

and June 19, 2023 in BC and June 1, 2023 and May 31, 2024 in Alberta.

During the latter period, the man took the victim to his house and they had sexual intercourse while his wife was out of town.

Simpkin said there were clear elements of planning and grooming involved in the perpetrator’s behaviour and he exposed the girl to the risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

Simpkin said the sentence must denounce his inexcusable conduct, but must not forget the goal of rehabilitation.

Simpkin banned the man from possessing firearms for 10 years after his prison sentence, he is not allowed for 10 years to attend a public place where

those under 16 are likely to be present, such as a park or swimming pool and must provide a DNA sample.

He will also be listed for 20 years on the national sex offender registry.

In November, the man said he deeply regretted the betrayal to his own family and the selfishness he displayed in “compromising the innocence of someone.”

“My actions deviate significantly from the beautiful example of how Jesus instructs us to live,” he said.

A pre-sentencing report said he has undergone counselling but is considered a low-to-moderate risk to reoffend. The report also said that he had been sexually abused as a child by a family member and that he had a moderate cognitive deficit.

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO

Quesnel’s courts are located in the town’s provincial building.

More jail tme for 27th and 28th burglary convictons

Man broke into local store, provincial of ce

BOB MACKIN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A 33-year-old man who broke into a Prince George fashion and furniture boutique and a government office last summer will spend another seven months in jail.

On March 9, Provincial Court Judge David Simpkin agreed with a prosecutor and sentenced Allan Douglas Nigh to 18 months in jail for the Aug. 11, 2025 break and enter charges.

With 211 days in jail since his arrest, Nigh qualified for 317 days credit under the time-and-a-half rule, leaving 223 days to serve.

Simpkin said Nigh broke into the Homework store and a few hours later Service Canada on Aug. 11, 2025, resulting in his 27th and 28th break and enter convictions.

He said mitigating factors include the guilty plea, which means the proprietor of Homework will not have to take time away from his business to testify in court. Same with employees of Service Canada.

“(Nigh) does have mental health issues, and given his mental health concerns, it is the mitigating factor and the factor that the court had to consider in sentencing,” Simpkin said.

Crown prosecutor Astitwa Thapa earlier told Simpkin that the 18-month sentence is not just appropriate, but necessary in the steps toward restoring safety and order to downtown Prince George.

“Businesses in downtown Prince George are absolutely furious and outraged by the relentless wave of break and enters and vandalism that’s plaguing the community,” Thapa said. “They deserve to feel safe and secure in their own neighbourhoods.”

Prince George judge hands out driving bans, fnes

BOB MACKIN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A Provincial Court judge banned a 38-year-old man from driving for a year and ordered him to pay a $500 fine for driving while prohibited.

Robert Donald Davis pleaded guilty March 10 for the Feb. 23, 2025 incident.

A Prince George RCMP officer spotted Davis driving a red Chevrolet pickup around businesses in the area of Second Avenue downtown around 11:10 p.m. When pulled over, Davis provided his name to the officer, who confirmed he was prohibited from driving at the time.

Judge David Simpkin also ordered Davis to pay a $75 victim surcharge

within the next year.

During the same session, Simpkin sentenced Patricia Anne Taylor, 47, to a one-year driving prohibition, $500 fine and $75 victim surcharge.

Taylor has until Sept. 10 to pay the fine and surcharge after she pleaded guilty to driving without a licence.

On March 30, 2025, she failed to produce a driver’s licence to a police officer who pulled her over.

Taylor had originally been charged with driving while prohibited, but pleaded guilty to the lesser and included charge.

“You’ve got some kind of lead foot,” Simpkin said to Taylor. “When you get your licence back, you’ve got to be careful.”

Council looking to contnue talks over AI data centre

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

Mayor Simon Yu will send a letter of support for continuing discussions over a proposed AI technology campus and data centre in the Prince George region after getting approval from city council at its Monday, March 9 meeting.

Attached to the meeting agenda was a letter from a company named CedarCore AI. The letter was not signed by a person but was attributed to the company itself.

An internet search for the company yielded few results except for the original Citizen article previewing the council discussion and the council agenda.

A BC Government corporate registry listing noted that the company was officially incorporated on Jan. 6 of this year. It said the company is proposing to build a technology and education campus in the Prince George region, which

would include an AI data centre.

Referencing previous meetings with the city, the company said it wanted Prince George to provide a letter of support that it could use in its application for power use from BC Hydro for the facility.

Included with the letter were other letters signed by Chief Harley Chingee

of the McLeod Lake Indian Band and CEO Evan Salter of Tano T’enneh Enterprises, the business arm of Lheidli T’enneh First Nation.

While those letters didn’t signal outright support for the project, they expressed a willingness to continue discussions to see if it was the right fit for their communities.

The company also included a sample letter of support that it suggested the mayor could sign his name onto.

During the March 9 council meeting, Mayor Simon Yu said there wasn’t enough information for the city to support or oppose the project, but he was in favour of continuing discussion of it and supporting the First Nations’ interest.

Coun. Kyle Sampson moved for a letter of support to be written by Yu and city staff with the aim of continuing discussions on the project. The motion was approved unanimously.

Vote summary

Motion: Council directs Mayor Simon Yu and city staff to write a letter expressing support for discussions to continue regarding a proposed technology campus and AI data centre in the Prince George region.

Result: Approved unanimously.

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY COLIN SLARK

Mayor Simon Yu, pictured here during budget talks at city hall on Wednesday, Jan. 28, says there’s isn’t enough information for council to support or oppose a proposed AI project. Council agreed to continue talks with the company.

Builder claims regional district owes almost $100,000

Additional costs built up while repairing the Ness Lake’s re hall roof, lawsuit claims

BOB MACKIN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A Prince George construction company accuses the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George of breach of contract and unjust enrichment over repairs to the fire hall roof at the Ness Lake Volunteer Fire Department.

In a March 10-filed BC Supreme Court

statement of civil claim, Steelgrid Construction Corp. said it was paid $146,305 under the contract, but the regional district owes more than $97,000 for the cost of change orders and interest.

The regional district contacted Steelgrid in February 2024 about repairing the roof. Steelgrid provided a proposal in August of that year and the parties reached an agreement six weeks later.

The company set up a site office, mobilized materials and equipment and began work on Nov. 8, 2024. The claim said it kept the regional district abreast of issues affecting the cost and schedule.

Blackwater Gold producton slowed by equipment failure

CITIZEN STAFF

Artemis Gold Inc. says an equipment failure has forced an unplanned shutdown of milling operations at its Blackwater Mine, a disruption expected to reduce the company’s gold production for the first quarter of 2026. The company reported in a media release Thursday, March 12 that a ball mill gearbox failed on Wednesday, March 11, halting mill operations at the mine. Artemis Gold said it has a spare gearbox available and expects repairs and a restart of the mill to take between eight and 10 days, meaning it should happen late this week or early next.

Blackwater Mine, located roughly 160 kilometres southwest of Prince George and 450 kilometres northeast of

“Much of the additional work, such as weather and operational and safety issues were contemplated in the terms of the contract,” Steelgrid claimed. “The defendant led the plaintiff to believe these costs would be covered. Cost of additional snow removal as a result of an unusual snow year was the predominant cost.”

Vancouver, is the company’s flagship operation. The project achieved its first gold and silver pour in January 2025 and officially entered commercial production on May 1, 2025.

While milling operations remain paused, the company said mining activities at the site are continuing as normal. Artemis Gold plans to use the downtime to perform maintenance work that had originally been scheduled for early in the second quarter.

Because of the outage, the company expects first-quarter production to come in lower than previously forecast.

However, Artemis Gold said it is not revising its full-year production guidance, which remains at 265,000 to 290,000 ounces of gold, while it evaluates options to recover the lost output later in the year.

The project was completed on Feb. 21, 2025, but change orders totalled $95,050.05 for snow clearing, roof trim supply issues, start date delays, border paperwork delays and site conditions. Undisclosed septic systems on the north and south sides of the fire hall required rental and installation of scaffolding instead of lift equipment.

“On March 7, 2025, and again on March 12, 2025, (the regional district) requested additional information from Steelgrid with respect to their review of the change order. Steelgrid promptly provided the requested information,” said the lawsuit, filed by Kelowna lawyer Brian Coen. “Despite this, (the regional district) continued to refuse to pay.”

To fund the project, Steelgrid used a line of credit that resulted in another $5,505.46 in interest and fees by Feb. 23, 2026.

None of the allegations has been proven in court. The regional district has yet to respond legally.

Twinberry land rezoned for new modular home park

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

Almost a year after it was last discussed and almost three years since it was initially rejected, Prince George city council gave final rezoning approval that will allow for the development of a modular home park in the Hart at its Monday, March 9 meeting.

In April 2023, council rejected the proposed rezoning of 9153 Twinberry Dr. Westcan Property Ltd. was looking to rezone 11 hectares of the 52.4-hectare property to facilitate a modular home park with up to 220 mobile homes.

At the March 10, 2025 council meeting, Westcan submitted a revised application to rezone 10.6 hectares of the same property from a combination of RS2: Single Residential, RM1: Multiple Residential, RM3: Multiple Residential and AG: Greenbelt to RM9: Manufactured Home Park.

While staff recommended that the rezoning go ahead, it also recommended that fourth and final reading of the rezoning bylaw not be approved until improvements were made to water and sewer service capacity were made

in the neighbourhood.

Those improvements included replacing and relocating a sewer lift station, installing a second sanitary sewer service and installing two larger watermains in the area.

Also proposed were the establishment of two restrictive covenants, one limiting the density of mobile homes on the site to 15 units per hectare and a second restricting the total number of potential homes on the site to 160 as well as allowing the installation of modular homes but not mobile homes.

In 2025, the first three readings of the rezoning bylaw passed by a margin of 7-2, with Mayor Simon Yu and Coun. Brian Skakun voting in opposition.

Fourth and final rezoning on Monday, March 9 was successful.

Vote summary

Motion: Council approves the rezoning of 9153 Twinberry Dr. to facilitate a modular home park.

• In favour: Ramsay, Polillo, Scott, Klassen, Bennett and Sampson.

• Against: Yu and Skakun.

Result: Approved 6 to 2, with Coun. Garth Frizzell absent.

ARTEMIS GOLD PHOTO

This aerial shot shows the site of Blackwater Gold mine, 160 km southwest of Prince George.

Bachelor of Educaton program comes to Nass Valley

UNBC and the Wilp Wilxo’oskwhl Nisga’a are partnering on it

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

The University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) and the Wilp Wilxo’oskwhl Nisga’a Institute (WWNI) are partnering to bring a one-time UNBC Bachelor of Education (BEd) Elementary Years program to Gitwinksihlkw, BC.

The UNBC BEd — Nisga’a Cohort Program is set to begin later this year and will offer 10 to 15 local teacher candidates a chance to complete their degrees in their own communities and strengthen the long-term capacity of regional schools.

The program was developed in collaboration with the Nisga’a School District

ongoing teacher shortages felt by rural and Indigenous Northern communities.

“Communities in the North have been clear about the need for more local educators. This community-based offering of WWNI-UNBC’s Bachelor of Education program in Gitwinksihlkw reflects our government’s commitment to expand opportunities across BC where people need them most,” said Jessie Sunner, minister of post-secondary education and future skills, in a press release.

“This initiative provides northern BC students the opportunity to study and teach in their home communities.”

The program itself will run for 20 months from September 2026 to April 2028, primarily in person at the WWNI campus in Gitwinksihlkw, with further theory courses offered online.

Practicum placements will be within the Nass Valley and the surrounding region, in partnership with SD92.

After the program has run its course,

The Wilp Wilxo’oskwhl

of Education degree and will be recommended to the BC Teacher Regulation Branch for certification.

“Launching the Bachelor of Education, Nisga’a Cohort reflects UNBC’s commitment to delivering high-quality, culturally relevant education in and for the North,” says UNBC interim president and vice-chancellor Bill Owen in

a press release. “By partnering with WWNI and offering this program in the Nass Valley, the program is supporting future teachers who understand the language, culture and lived realities of the communities where they will serve.”

WWNI has also been working with a group of prospective students who have been completing the academic prerequisites required for admission.

“The Bachelor of Education program will provide the certification that complements my many years of experience in the education system and prepares me to teach within my Nation, strengthening cultural identity and supporting future leaders,” says WWNI student Dionne Morven in a press release.

“Teaching BC curriculum content while integrating Nisga’a language and culture involves aligning provincial learning standards with culturally grounded knowledge and practices to create meaningful, culturally relevant learning experiences.”

Kwadacha man with BB gun given tme served, two years probaton

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A man who pleaded guilty March 11 to using an imitation firearm in the commission of an offence and uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm in Kwadacha was given time served and

Daniel James Massettoe, 42, was sentenced in Prince George Provincial Court after spending time in jail since

Judge Charles Hutchinson agreed to the joint Crown and defence proposal after hearing that Massettoe threatened to shoot a BB gun at two people on July 10, 2025 and fired a shot near

Crown prosecutor Katie Diehl said Massettoe has “an incredibly serious record for violence,” including previous convictions for assault causing bodily

harm, uttering threats, firearms and arson.

Diehl said she met with officials of the Kwadacha Nation, which resolved to temporarily ban Massettoe from the community, which is 570 kilometres north of Prince George and also known as Fort Ware.

Diehl said that she was told when Massettoe returns to the community “there is a brief honeymoon period of good behaviour and then he reverts back to violence and destruction.”

Defence lawyer Paul Blessin said his client has undergone programs in Prince George Regional Correctional Centre to address addiction and wishes to continue counselling in the community.

“Although he’s happy to be getting out of custody now, it has not been a time that has been wasted while he’s been there,” Blessin said.

Nisga’a Institute campus is located in in Gitwinksihlkw, BC.

Unions not happy with Fort St. James campus closure

College of New Caledonia plans to continue programs in the community

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

Two local unions that have been impacted by the recently announced closure of the College of New Caledonia (CNC) campus in Fort St. James have released statements expressing their disappointment.

With the closure taking effect on April 1, the college has said it will maintain a presence in the community.

However, in a joint press release, Leanne Yearley, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 4951, and Marta Tejero, president of the Faculty Association of CNC, express concern over the closure and remain

Valemount

doubtful of the ability of the college to keep that commitment.

“Although the college claims that it will maintain a presence in the community, it is difficult to see how this commitment can be upheld when doors are closed and employees have been laid off,” the statement reads. “The college’s decision to close the Fort St. James campus is directly at odds with its mission to serve the communities of our region.”

The statement goes on to add that representatives of the unions believe Fort St. James is doing fine.

“The community is thriving, and the new Nats’oojeh Hospital and Health Centre opened last year,” the statement reads.

“Now, more than ever, the community needs CNC to support regional learners and the wider community. Students and families need access to education and opportunities for skilled work in their communities, and employers and

mayor appointed chair of Columbia Basin Trust board

ABIGAIL POPPLE Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Valemount Mayor Owen Torgerson has been elected chair of the Columbia Basin Trust’s board of directors, the non-profit has announced.

The board governs the organization and its assets to ensure the trust remains sustainable and accountable to the communities it serves throughout the Columbia Basin.

Torgerson has served on the board since 2019, and was elected vice-chair in January 2024.

This appointment marks the first time an elected official from Valemount has served as the chair of a provincial corporation, he told The Goat.

industry need institutions to provide responsive programming that trains learners in the North for jobs in the North.”

Both CUPE Local 4951 and the CNC Faculty Association go on to add that their members wish to underscore their disappointment at the decision and their frustration at the chronic underfunding of colleges throughout the province that they believe has led to the shuttering of the campus.

In addition, they add that beyond notification of the closure they have not

received any engagement from CNC.

“The college has yet to meaningfully engage with affected unions or communities beyond providing notice of the closure or basic statutory requirements,” the statement reads. “Nearly every member of our campus community has been impacted by the series of cuts, cancellations and layoffs in some way, but more than this, we know how deeply these changes impact the students we serve.”

They add that they will continue to work with the college community collaboratively to meet the needs of students and to strengthen the region in the long term.

“Members of both unions will continue to provide the education, services and operations that our campus community relies on every day,” the statement reads. “We will continue to advocate for the funding and leadership our college needs to be sustainable for years to come.”

Valemount Mayor Owen Torgerson is the first elected official from Valemount to chair a provincial organization.

“It’s an absolute privilege to be in a leadership role for an organization that’s there to serve the residents of the Basin and to support the ideas and the efforts of those that call the Basin home,” Torgerson said.

Torgerson’s term as chair ends Dec. 31. This story originally appeared in The Rocky Mountain Goat. SUBMITTED

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO

The College of New Caledonia (Prince George campus shown here) is closing its satellite location in Fort St. James.

What’s happening in PG

Coldsnap Presents Moneka Arabic Jazz on Saturday, March 21 at 7:30 p.m. at Knox Performance Centre, 1448 Fifth Ave. Led by Iraqi-born artist Moneka, presents a unique and captivating fusion of melodies from Iraq with African grooves and rhythms, blended with the diverse musical influences of Toronto. For details and tickets visit https://coldsnapfestival.tickit.ca/ events/29597-coldsnap-presents-moneka-arabic-jazz

Make a Leather Billfold goes Saturday, March 21 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Topaz Bead Gallery, 1666 Ogilvie St. Three different styles to choose from. Learn to cut your pattern and sew the seams. Personalize with stamps. Cost is $55. To register visit www.topazbeadsandstudio.shopsettings.com/ billfoldclass

The Narcans present 28 Days Later that goes Saturday, March 21 at 7 p.m. at Omineca Arts Centre, 369 Victoria St. Celebrate March with The Narcans as this will be the last show until May 2026 as April is all about writing new material and getting ready to record. Special guests are 28 Days Later, @Anomalist, a heavy metal band that rocks the stage, and closing will be gritty punk band straight from Quesnel @Outright Lies. Tickets are on sale at Blacksheep Gifts at Pine Centre Mall for $20.

War on the Catwalk goes Saturday, March 21 at 8 p.m. at the Prince George Civic Centre. Murray & Peter Present this event hosted by drag superstar Alyssa Edwards. See your favourite drag queens performing live on stage, including Jewels Sparkles, Lexi, Lydia B. Kollins, Bosco, Suzie Toot and Daya Betty. All ages welcome. For all the details visit www.ticketsnorth.ca/event/ war-on-the-catwalk

PG Italian Club presents A Special Dinner La Festa de San Giuseppe goes Saturday, March 28 at 6 p.m. at 1209 Fifth Avenue. Featured on the menu is ravioli in white sauce, pork Involtini in tomato sauce, green beans, salad, buns, coffee, tea and cream puffs. Non-members $40, members $30, children 6-10

$20, children five and under $10 each. Email pgitalianclub1@gmail.com to purchase tickets by Monday, March 23.

Movie Night featuring Best Little Whorehouse in Texas goes Wednesday, March 25 at 7 p.m. at Deadfall Brewing, 1733 Nicholson St. South. Come for the Dolly and Burt classic musical. Popcorn is free with a pint.

Miracle Theatre Presents The Garage Sale goes March 26 to to April 19, at ArtSpace, above Books & Co., 1685 Third Ave. Tuesday through Saturday the play goes at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday matinees are at 2 p.m. This comedy is by David King, a BC playwright, about Phil who is holding

a garage sale as his first step in his Secret Plan to escape the rat race but he didn’t even tell his family about his plan to move to the desert. And if that’s not enough, Phil gets the wackiest of shoppers. And then the neighbourhood grump starts to stock his best customer. Tickets are $40 at Books & Co. or order by phone and pick up at door before the performance.

Teen Art Showcase goes from April 1 to May 1 at the Bob Harkins branch of the Prince George Public Library. Awards reception is set for Saturday, May 2. Teens between 13 and 18 are welcome to display their work. All mediums are accepted and will be on display

in the main stairwell from April 1 to May 1. Submissions can be dropped off at the library from Friday, March 27 and Monday, March 30.

BC Old Time Fiddlers’ Dance goes Friday, March 27 at 7 p.m. at the Knox Performance Centre, 1448 Fifth Avenue downstairs. The dance is the start of the Fiddlers’ Spring Jamboree. Live music by members of the local Fiddlers’ group and Jamboree instructors. Old-time couple dances and some called group dances. Tickets at the door are $10 for adults, children under 18 are free if they bring their parents, includes ice cream bar. Everyone is welcome.

Madbomb, Hot Boii Summer and Space Race goes Friday, March 27 at 8 p.m. doors open at 7 at Omineca Arts Centre, 369 Victoria St. Madbomb, Hot Boii Summer, and debut of Space Race. Madbomb offers a powerful revival of emo and post-hardcore reminiscent of the mid-2000s. Hot Boii Summer bring pop-punk hooks seeing guests two-stepping and singing along. Space Race is the metal space opera featuring all original, thematic, heavy metal journey across the stars, telling a tale of adventuring against the odds. $20 at the door.

Ravenstrail Weaving with 7sliaa goes Friday, March 27 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Two Rivers Gallery, 725 Civic Plaza. Ravenstail Weaving is a traditional form of gravity weaving done by the Haidas and Tlingit along the coast. This finger weaving art form has had a comeback since the 80s when it was revitalized by many Indigenous artists to make their regalia such as Headdresses, Dancing aprons, Blankets, Wrist bands and Leggings. This class will be on a simple inclusive item, the earrings. With simple geometric patterns to choose from and a wide range of colors from traditional 100% wool sourced from around the world. Simple homemade loom will be provided for students to take home. Cost is $100. Pre-register online at www.tworiversgallery.ca/programs/ weaving-with-7sliaa CONTINUED

THE ROCK ORCHESTRA/FACEBOOK PHOTO

The Rock Orchestra by Candlelight brings a classically fuelled take on rock and metal anthems to the CN Centre on March 31.

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

BC Old Time Fiddlers’ Concert goes Saturday, March 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the Knox Performance Centre, 1448 Fifth Ave. This concert features high-energy, foot stomping music to lift your spirits. Adam Johnson, Clint Pelletier, Anita Mamela and Hunter Grosse-Pearen will perform, with opening act by the local Old Time Fiddlers. Everyone is welcome to attend. Tickets are $30 each and $10 for those 12 and under available at Books & Co, 1685 Third Avenue or at the door or online at www.bcfiddlers. com/prince-george

BC Old Time Fiddlers’ Jamboree Weekend Workshops go Saturday, March 28 and Sunday, March 29. Guitar instruction by Clint Pelletier and three levels of fiddle taught by Anita Mamela, Adam Johnson and Hunter GrossePearen. Registration includes small group lessons Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., as well as Friday Night Dance, Saturday night concert ticket, snacks and lunches. A fun time to get together with other musicians to learn new techniques. Cost is $200, with Early-Bird Rate of $175 by March 21. To register visit www.bcfiddlers.com/ prince-george. For more information email pgfiddlers@gmail.com or call 250 565-1025.

The Diva Show 2 – Even More Divas! goes Saturday, March 28 at 6 p.m. at the Prince George Golf & Curling Club, 2601 Recplace Dr. Marilyn, Britney and Gaga are back with new friends, Madonna, Sabrina and Tina, all legendary divas. Incredible impersonators, fabulous costumes and amazing live vocals are what the Legends, Live! tribute show is all about. Seating starts at 6pm show starts at 7pm. Tickets are $30 at www. eventbrite.ca/thedivashow2

Prince George Senior Activity Centre is hosting a Garage Sale that goes Saturday, March 28 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 425 Brunswick St. Books, craft supplies, housewares, chairs a ping pong table, a pool table and so much more. All proceeds go towards operations cost

for the centre.

Rock Orchestra by Candlelight goes Tuesday, March 31 at 8 p.m. at CN Centre. After entertaining 700,000 guests across the UK, USA and Europe, The Rock Orchestra by Candlelight is kicking off the first expansive tour of Canada. Prepare for a spellbinding 90-minute spectacle that infuses iconic rock and metal anthems with a hauntingly beautiful energy. In ethereal candlelit settings, this band of 14 classical musicians unleash effortlessly enchanting melodies alongside powerful walls of distortion. The Rock Orchestra is a rotating collective of classical musicians, featuring some of the world’s greatest instrumentalists and vocalists. For more information and tickets visit www.ticketsnorth.ca/event/ the-rock-orchestra-by-candlelight Spring into Easter goes Friday, April 3 to Sunday April 5 at the Northern Lights Winery, 745 Pulpmill Road. Each ticketed guest gets a Passport to Fun with riddles, games, a hidden egg-treasure hunt and more on the to-do list. Complete your passport to get an Easter treat from the Wine Shop and enter your name for a chance to win some Egg-cellent prizes. Activities include paper mache Easter egg crafting station and an Easter themed selfie booth. This is a fully outdoor event rain or shine. For all the details and tickets visit www.northernlightswinery.ca/ spring-into-easter-tickets

Headbangers Ball goes Saturday, April 4 at 7 p.m. at Omineca Arts Centre, 369 Victoria St. This is an all-ages event showcasing local talent including new band Blood to Ash and Lowr-Lich of Willow River. Headliner is from McBride, Overspray. $20 at the door.

Hunniford Gardens Carrot Patch goes Saturday, April 4 from 10 a.m. to 3 pm. at 8845 Aquarius Road. This is the fourth annual kids Easter event. Festivities include face painting, a petting zoo, a visit from the Easter bunny, an Easter-themed plant craft, and an decorated photo op for families to enjoy.

Baller Food will be on site with drinks and food available to purchase. For all the details and tickets for time slots visit www.hunniford-gardens.shoplightspeed.com/carrot-patch Craft & Chat at the main branch of the Prince George Public Library goes every Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. in the magazine corner, second floor, where fibre artists are invited to bring their latest projects to share, vent frustrations, brag about successes, get and give help and join in lively discussions. Snacks provided. This event is in partnership with Great Northwest Fibre Fest. Myeloma Support Group goes every third Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. at Commonwealth Financial, 575 Victoria St. Everyone is welcome who has been diagnosed, those who are caregivers, family members and friends. Wheelchair accessible parking at the back of the building. For more information call

Viv Lougheed at 250-981-2618. 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. 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.

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

TOYS • COMICS • GAMES

Volunteers keeping this popular rural road accessible

Now the neighbours who maintain Takla Forest Road need the community’s help

Something that people who use the area where North Nechako Road becomes Takla Forest Road for recreation, hunting or fishing may not realize is that the area has been privately maintained by a local group of residents for more than four decades.

With the road being outside the limits of the city, logging companies, the regional district, or local First Nations are not responsible for its maintenance, leaving it in the hands of those who live there.

The road itself leads to a few private properties and reserve land, but provides many in Prince George with access to areas for hunting, hiking, snowmobiling, ATVing and more.

With the two essential machines used to maintain the road in need of significant repair, area residents are turning to their neighbours for help.

Jennifer Annaïs Pighin, a local artist and teacher, has in the past helped with the maintenance of the road but has since launched a GoFundMe to provide funding for fuel and repairs for the equipment.

She noted that care for the road is primarily handled by two to three residents.

“I was born and raised out in the North Nechako area, just adjacent to Lheidli T’enneh reserve land, when my parents moved out there over 40 years ago,” said Pighin. “The road was an active logging road. It was at times maintained by Canfor. When logging out there ended one of the property owners continued to maintain the road for access. The folks who used to run the Bluegrass Festival out there had the equipment to maintain the road.

“After they no longer were able to maintain the road, I believe they may

the years,” said Pighin, “Folks getting lost or stuck and, needing medical assistance or the other pieces like fires, right? There’s bad access if there’s, for instance, a forest fire and even for RCMP that come out there, and conservation officers, who access that road as well.”

To help support those who have been maintaining the road, Pighin started a GoFundMe approximately a year ago, which has received $245 of its $10K goal.

She told The Citizen that she started the GoFundMe to help those in the area and bring awareness to those who may not realize the road is privately maintained.

“Well, to be honest, there’s some personal interest as I use that road to access the area where I’m planning on moving out to in the future,” said Pighin. “I know that the other folks who have been maintaining it are not tech savvy and have been seeking support but don’t know how to do that. know them all personally, and I know how much work has been going on and how important it is for them to have that support — living on pensions and not asking anything for it for personal gain, other than continuing to make sure that the area is open for access.

Girl Guide Cookies are for sale again in Prince George

CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen Staff

It’s time for Girl Guide Cookies to find their way into your lunch box, onto your priority snack list, included in snuggle downtime with a good book and any other way you enjoy the classic cookies.

The cookies will be available over the next month, said Amber Storey, Harmony District commissioner, who has been in guiding for almost 40 years.

“I’ve been an ember, guide, pathfinder, ranger and then have been volunteering since was in college, unit leader for 20 years and as I’m starting to look at my retirement I’m taking on more admin roles and currently the commissioner for Harmony District,” Storey said.

And the reason she has volunteered most of her life with Girl Guides?

“I have always said if can give back a glimmer of what I got as a girl then I have succeeded,” Storey said.

“It’s an amazing program and it just empowers girls to be confident.”

Guides, she added.

Throughout the next month Girl Guides will be selling the classic cookies at Saveon Foods at Spruceland, College Heights and the Hart and at the Real Canadian Superstore.

“And there’s going to be an actual physical drive thru at College Heights Secondary in April so that people can just drive thru and pick them up and of course, there will be a couple of units still doing door-to-door sales,” Storey said.

“I still come out because the visibility doing the door-to-door visits is so important.”

To make sales even easier — because people don’t carry cash nowadays — the Prince George units have the Square app so that people can use their bank cards to purchase their cookies.

unit. Harmony District has 14 units in it and there are two districts in Prince George including Chilco.

There are about 400 youth members in Prince George, Storey added.

has always been important to the organization.

“I even have the original recipe that includes cardamom — they used to hand-make the cookies,” Storey said.

Remember, spring and fall are the seasons for the classic cookie sales and the chocolatey mint respectively. But Storey said there are still some mint cookies floating around so if that’s your preference you might find them around town, too.

have passed, and a subsequent neighbour took over that responsibility and purchased the equipment from the original owners and has continued to maintain that road, along with the assistance of the other property owners. So that’s probably the last 20 years at least, maybe more. It’s been a communal effort.”

The area maintained by the residents stretches nearly 14 kilometres, beginning at the western end of North Nechako Road and extending to the end of McPhee Road near Ness Lake Road.

It’s worth noting, however, that due to the difficulty of maintaining such a large stretch, only the first four to five kilometres of Takla Forest Road are regularly maintained year-round, as often the remaining road can be impassable in winter or even in fairer weather due to issues with mud or bridge disrepair.

However, the residents still help maintain the remaining nine kilometres in more agreeable conditions or when requested by local residents for issues like emergency clearing or maintenance as needed.

Residents said they spend an estimated $5,000 a year on maintaining the road, split between fuel, mechanical servicing and replacement parts for aging equipment.

The primary responsibilities for those maintaining the road stretch from clearing it of snow, mudslides and fallen trees to filling cracks and much more.

Another primary concern for residents is emergency access for RCMP, fire trucks and ambulances as Pighin explains.

“The big thing around safety is keeping in mind how many people’s lives have been saved out there over

“It’s nice to have. That area is highly valuable to our community wellness for the folks that we know live out there or even drive out there from other areas in town to walk their dogs or to go for walks along the river. Thinking about families and youth who’ve been using that for a long time and maybe aren’t even aware of that, I think that was another motivation — to raise awareness that the road is not a city road, that it’s not maintained by the regional district or by any companies. It’s all individuals.”

She added that their work on the road goes beyond maintenance and that residents do continued repairs and help stuck drivers when needed.

“In the spring or when there’s heavy rainfall and they fill in the cracks that develop in the road from runoff,” said Pighin.

Girl Guides provide girls age 5 to 17 with the opportunity to try new experiences, challenge themselves and build their confidence, all within a safe environment.

Volunteers help deliver a unique program that encourages girls to build life skills in outdoor adventure, financial literacy, mental health, advocacy and more, the website states.

Girl Guides are divided first by nation, then province, then area, district and

Upcoming Girl guide events include the Rally in the North that will take place in Mackenzie and see more than 100 people attend from 100 Mile House and the entire northern part of the province.

“That’s a day for all the members of all levels to get together for some activities,” Storey said.

“Then shortly after that we will be having what’s called Fun & Friendship in Quesnel and that’s for the adults.”

The Girl Guide cookie fundraiser

“The cookie fundraiser is our number one source of revenue, other than registration, and that supports the camps, the crafts, the different things the youth may be doing like right now we have a couple of units who are engaged in the popsicle bridge building event taking place at the Pine Centre Mall on April 11. So it provides members of the Girl Guides the opportunity to try new things, whether it be curling or engineering or cross country skiing.”

The opportunities are plentiful for Girl

Storey would like to put out the call for volunteers to help out.

It’s such a popular organization there’s a waitlist to join the Girl Guides in Prince George, she added.

“So if anyone is interested in volunteering there is an application online and it will get filtered down to me,” Storey said.

To see where you can find cookies visit the cookie finder at www.girlguides.ca and to volunteer visit www. girlguides.ca/web/GGC/Volunteers/

Neighbours spend about $5K a year on old logging road

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

“Then just dealing with the ongoing development of potholes and fallen trees along the road when there are large windstorms. They also help people when they get stuck. Every time somebody gets stuck out there, whether it’s in the winter or whatnot, they’re always there to kind of help.

Calling in a tow truck way out in the middle of nowhere, where nobody has an address — that’s the hard part.”

She added that, in addition to providing outdoor recreation for those in the area, it also provides access for local First Nations to use for harvesting and ceremonial purposes.

“I think we live in a beautiful area and a place where access to that area

is really important for community members, for their mental and physical health and wellness,” said Pighin. “As well as for emergency services to the residents that live out there. It’s great recreation and one of the hidden gems of the area. Different times of year, access to the river can be challenging, and then also the folks that utilize the reserve lines up there for harvesting, for ceremony, for hunting, for fishing — all of those things. I grew up out there fishing on the Nechako River with our local elders and that’s huge, and that’s a huge part of the culture that think needs to continue and be revitalized.” If you are interested, you can donate by searching for “North Nechako Dirt Road Maintenance Fund” at www. gofundme.com.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Girl Guide volunteers Amber Storey, left, and her sister, Amanda Tarry, are letting everyone know that the Girl Guide Cookie sales are commencing and will continue for the next month in Prince George.

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

JENNIFER ANNAÏS PIGHIN PHOTO

Residents who live by this road are responsible for snow clearing and maintenance during the winter.

COMMUNITY

PG BIG Clean Teams are cleaning up their community

They’re helping make sure downtown and the Gateway always look their best

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

For more than a decade, the Prince George Brain Injured Group (PG BIG) has been helping clean up downtown and the Gateway area with two clean teams made up of people with brain injuries or neurological issues, or who are in a vulnerable situation.

This allows them to give back to the community, earn money, learn valuable social and life skills, and have structured, valuable support.

PG BIG has been operating two clean teams, one that covers downtown, established in 2009 and partnered with the Downtown Business Improvement Association, and one that covers the Gateway community, established in 2015 and partnered with the Gateway Business Improvement Area Society.

The two clean teams focus on litter removal, needle disposal and general beautification in these two areas.

With frequent conversations around downtown revitalization and community safety, the teams are making a difference with simple and noticeable improvements to the city.

Kaydee Roberts, the employment facilitator at PG BIG, has been working with the downtown clean team for the last two years and said that since partnering with the Downtown Business Improvement Association they have given more opportunities to those with disabilities and those who have issues finding employment.

Roberts volunteers with members of the downtown clean team and she has personally seen the impact this program has had on those who are working.

“I would say like No. 1 benefit, especially for the members, is it gives them like a sense of purpose, something to look forward to, a reason to get up in

the morning,” Roberts said. “Because brain injury can definitely shake up your whole life and can make it difficult to find normal full-time employment. The clean team gives them the opportunity to have some part-time employment. Whatever they’re struggling with that day, like if they need some adjustments to their schedule or to what they’re doing out there, we can do that very easily.”

As well, she has seen the impact her

McCrea spoke to The Citizen on both the program itself and the funding that the program receives.

“All of those individuals work varying hours, depending obviously on the employment needs of the program, but also their capacity and capability,” McCrea said. “It’s a very specific and individualized program. Our employment program, in general, is mostly funded through the Reaching Home Partnership. That’s Reaching Home Canada’s homeless strategy. It’s federal funding. And it’s specifically for people who are marginalized, vulnerable, disabled, homeless or at risk of homelessness. This gives them the ability to get support to be able to achieve different levels of security, whether it be financial stability, housing, employment, mental health and wellness and things like that. So our employment program is the only one in the province that specializes in brain injury.”

McCrea added that she believes the program is invaluable and helps provide members with the skills to go on to meaningfully contribute to the community.

“Looking at this, this provides some of our most at-risk, marginalized and vulnerable community members an opportunity to help be able to work on skills, brain injury, but also community integration and looking at life again after brain injury,” McCrea said.

In addition, McCrea is proud of the program as she has seen members go on to get other jobs or positions in the community that benefit both them and the City of Prince George.

clean team has had and has had some interesting messages of thanks.

“It’s also good for the community,” Roberts said. “The downtown is definitely cleaner than it would be if we didn’t have them. It can get pretty yucky out there. Even the people that are actually on the street right now, a lot of them actually thank the clean team workers as they’re going by.”

PG BIG executive director Sarah

“I can say with confidence that every member of our clean team has had substantial progress and success and changes in their lives because of being on these teams,” McCrea said. “Going through something as life-changing as a brain injury and also experiencing other capacity and capability barriers to be able to find purpose, value to give back to their community and to work on skills and healing and rehabilitation after their injury and come out the way that these community members do is truly amazing.”

PRINCE GEORGE BRAIN INJURED GROUP PHOTOS

Michael Hernaczky (above), a member of the Gateway Clean Team, tackles the mess in that area while Darryl Kiseyinewakup (below) works on the cleanup as a member of the Downtown Clean Team.

PG Humane Society ready re-open afer outbreaks

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

The Prince George Humane Society has been hit hard by two cases of parvo virus and panleukopenia at its Lansdowne and First Avenue locations, respectively.

Staff at the humane society have been working tirelessly to mitigate the effects and care for the animals at both locations, which were expected to open again this week.

The first case of panleukopenia was detected in several kittens, who have since been quarantined and subsequently put into foster care, where they are receiving treatment.

Symptoms of panleukopenia include depression, anorexia, high fever, vomiting, diarrhea and consequent severe dehydration, and can be potentially fatal.

This was followed by one adult dog and two puppies catching parvovirus at the Lansdowne location shortly after the shelter was recovering from a previous outbreak.

Executive director Angela McLaren told The Citizen the shelters are both recovering from the outbreaks.

“The ones that are the most sick are the kittens, but we’ve managed to get them out into foster care,” she said. “The status right now is we’re just monitoring the adults to make sure that none of them show any symptoms.

Staff at the humane society have been working hard to provide foster homes and give medicine and care to the animals, and their hard work is beginning to pay off.

McLaren said the First Avenue location was expected to open Tuesday, March 17, with the Lansdowne location expected to reopen two weeks after the initial parvo outbreak, although cats are currently available for adoption there.

The First Avenue shelter was still closed as of the time this issue of The Citizen went to press.

Meanwhile, the society is reminding residents that its community thrift store is not a dumping ground.

In a Facebook post, the society thanked the community for its support but said staff recently arrived to find “a truckload of items” dropped off outside its thrift store despite the store not accepting donations due to a backlog of items.

“Unfortunately, much of what was left behind was garbage that now has to be disposed of,” the post said.

The organization said incidents like this create extra costs.

“When this happens, it costs the Humane Society money to haul those items away. Those are funds that should be going directly toward animal care, food, veterinary support, and shelter operations,” the post said.

The society is asking residents to respect posted donation hours and to consider other types of donations.

“Monetary donations have always been obviously one of the biggest things that we’re seeing from the community, but we also go through a lot of blankets and those types of things during a disease outbreak,” McLaren said. “It’s one of those things we can’t wash and sanitize; we unfortunately have to throw that away. People have been really generous in donating linens.

“We’ve also got an Amazon wish list, so we’ve also had people send us some of the enrichment toys for the dogs, because there are some of the toys that we cannot sanitize and we have to destroy, and people have been getting enrichment toys and those kinds of things for the dogs.”

Due to the nature of panleukopenia, all items such as toys and scratching posts have to be destroyed before healthy cats are reintroduced. There fore, the humane society is also request ing donations of cat toys, scratching posts or other cat enrichment items.

To donate to the humane society in Prince George, visit www.pghumaneso ciety.ca/donate

COMMUNITY

Heartbreak drives dedicated mom to do what she does

CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen Staff

Registered nurse Michelle Miller lost her son Tanner to toxic drug poisoning in 2019.

He was poisoned by a lethal dose of fentanyl he didn’t know was in his drug of choice.

He was 25 years old.

Miller is a mom first and foremost, with five children and three grandchildren. She is a retired nurse and she’s a dedicated advocate for the community.

As a reporter, I am at events that are sometimes hard to attend.

There is sadness, heartbreak, pain and, at times, raw and unfiltered anguish on most every face when I cover an event that involves substance use, homelessness, the toxic drug crisis, recovery centres and support groups for people who know what they have will ultimately kill them. After I attend these events and meetings, I go back to the office and write about it to tell our readers what’s going on in our community. And just getting a glimpse into all these issues stays with me. There’s a weight to it I choose to embrace because sometimes, as a human, you just gotta feel it.

And then there’s Michelle Miller. She was there for all those things and will continue to be. She’s not just getting a glimpse of it, she chooses to live in it every day as she continues her outreach.

“So I do a lot of things in our community,” Miller said.

“I just try to navigate through life with the loss of my son and the grief of my kids as we struggle through everyday life. I guess you could say I am overactive in our community. I was born and raised in Prince George and became a nurse and I just retired in September and I’m happy about that because that means I am able to do more of my advocacy. Since my son passed away from drug poisoning from fentanyl, I revolve my advocacy around him because I want to be his voice.”

Miller is a member of Broken Hearts of Fentanyl and Moms Stop the Harm.

“We advocate for people who used substances and died from substances,” Miller explained.

“It’s really important to me to be involved with these peer-led groups.”

As an advocate in the community, Miller was invited to sit on Foundry’s family advisory committee to help other parents learn to talk to their kids so what happened to her son doesn’t happen to their kid, she explained.

“I think it’s important because I think there are gaps to be bridged with our youth,” Miller said.

She has attended homeless marches and rallies, has presented workshops and led roundtable sessions to bring awareness to the ongoing toxic drug crisis, with the highlight being a hard-hitting show-and-tell demonstrating the chances for someone using street drugs of being poisoned by a lethal dose of fentanyl that you wouldn’t even know is in your drug of choice.

“I have been in meetings with the YMCA BC Next Steps staff who work with youth ages 16 to 30 who are facing challenges in finding employment, returning to work or school,” Miller said. “In the near future I will be volunteering with these ladies.”

Miller has raised the issue of fentanyl poisoning with the Public Safety Committee.

“In January I presented a slideshow on fentanyl to the committee, asking city councillors to advocate for our families whose kids received a lethal dose of poisonous substances.”

Miller continues to lobby for change that will see the BC Coroner’s Office alter the form filled out when people die from a lethal dose of poisoned substances. Miller wants the cause of death changed to reflect the truth.

“I want that checkmark in the box beside ‘accidental’ moved to the box beside ‘homicide,’” Miller said. “Because

someone put that lethal dose of fentanyl into the substance user’s drug of choice and killed them. There should be some repercussions for ending someone’s life.”

Miller likes to use this comparison to drive home her point.

“If I handed you a glass of wine and I had put cyanide in it and charged you $5 for that and I walked away and started handing out more poisoned wine to other people and people were dying from it — would that not be considered poisoning? Would that not be considered homicide?” Miller questioned.

Miller said she is lobbying city council to provide the RCMP with an FTIR machine (Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry) that can identify drug content within a substance.

“That way the RCMP can criminally investigate all substance-related deaths,” Miller said.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

Michelle Miller of Moms Stop The Harm speaks at a protest rally held in front of the courthouse on Oct. 12, 2024 in opposition of Premier David Eby’s plans to expand involuntary care for people with brain injuries, mental illnesses and severe addictions.

Michelle Miller volunteers to save others from toxic drugs

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

She knows that Tanner’s case is now considered a cold case and asked an RCMP representative about the process. Miller was told that RCMP have to wait for the coroner’s report for cause of death and if a lethal dose of toxic drug is reported it’s too late, she explained.

“Council is passing along the request for the FTIR machine to the intergovernmental affairs committee,” Miller said. She will be sure to follow up to see what has been decided, she added.

“And Corrinne Woods and I from Moms Stop the Harm co-facilitate with Northern Health nurses to provide Naloxone training once a month at both branches of the library. I think it is really important for people to carry Naloxone. I carry it with me. In August three of us moms were at City Hall after an event and after everyone was gone a man overdosed and we actually saved his life. We had the nasal Naloxone and he popped up within a minute. So it’s really important to carry it with you.”

At the Nechako Youth Treatment Centre, Miller was invited to speak to those detoxing to share her and Tanner’s story.

“It was really special because after I told our story the kids were asked what they took away from it and one boy sat there and said ‘love’ and I think that’s what saves people — love,” Miller said.

She was recently voted in as chairperson of the board for Positive Living North, which runs the Firepit to aid those on the downtown streets of Prince George. She has been involved with Positive Living North (PLN) for the last five years.

“The folks at PLN are amazing — the staff and volunteers work so hard to provide safety to people, feeding them and meeting their needs,” Miller said. She is also a legal observer who oversees decampment activities in Prince George.

“When there’s a decampment we go and observe, taking pictures, taking detailed notes including dates and times, just in case it ever has to go to

court,” Miller said. “That way we have written notes.”

Miller is involved with the Community Action Team for Soonats’ ooneh that is hosting International Overdose Poisoning Awareness Day on Tuesday, April 14, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event is to acknowledge 10 Years of the Toxic Drug Crisis and will take place at the intersection of Highway 16 & 97, near Mr. PG, where people are asked to join in the demonstration in memoriam and advocacy for those who have lost their lives.

“We’re going to all be wearing purple and we’ll have a banner acknowledging the 18,239 people who died from toxic drug poisoning in BC in the last 10 years,” Miller said.

“And I think there were 586 in Prince George who died during that time. There were 66 who died in Prince George last year and that’s heartbreaking — just awful.”

Miller acknowledged that the number is down from the 144 who lost their lives in Prince George in 2024.

“But that’s still 66 grieving families left behind,” Miller is quick to put it into perspective.

“Every April 14 I do some sort of activism.”

So last year Miller helped organize Prescription Take Back Day where 11.5 pounds of prescription medication was cleaned out of medicine cabinets to eliminate the threat to families.

And her most favourite thing to do?

The Dragonfly Collective.

“Every second Sunday there’s a group of us that go out at around 7 o’clock and we hand out hot food and drinks, clothing and provide support to those who have very little, who are in pain, cold, sleepy and very hungry,” Miller said.

The group of seven served about 120 people last week and that’s pretty typical. Miller said they get donations and distribute warm clothing along with the food.

“And they are always really grateful and they’re always smiling and there’s always thank yous. Connection is always key. I am very grateful and honoured and proud of all the things we

do in our community and that’s me in a nutshell.”

Over the years, Miller has learned to live with the tragic and sudden loss of her son.

“Every evening I make a plan for the next day for what I am going to do to make a difference in our community and that’s what keeps me going,” Miller said.

If you would like to donate to the Dragonfly Collective you can email Miller at michellemiller65@gmail.com.

A note

Miller wrote me a note that offers some insight into the depth of her grief and with her permission I share it here.

“The evening the police came to my door and told me my son had died from an overdose I shattered to the ground in a million pieces.

“During the fog of the next weeks I opened my front door one day and there was my son, Tanner, sitting on my front step in a brown box delivered by our mail lady.

“I picked him up and put him on a shelf in my living room and there he sat for three and a half years.

“No funeral, no celebration of life as the Covic pandemic started. I mourned silently as I sat and looked at the box every day.

“I was afraid of it.

“Late one night after everyone was sleeping for some reason I picked that box up and brought it into the kitchen. I sat on the floor and unwrapped the box carefully. I laid on the floor sobbing loudly holding my son’s ashes, begging God for forgiveness.

“I realized at that moment my life had changed forever.

“Forever broken.

“So this is me every day gluing one piece of me back together. I know I will never be whole again, very jagged, very sharp and forever in pain. That is why I am so involved in our community — so no other parent has to live this reality.”

The Prince George Citzen right to your inbox.

Throwback Thursday: Week of March 19

March 14, 1997: Pinewood Elementary School student Amanda Day, 12, demonstrates the strength of a truss bridge in her Evolution of Bridges project during the John McInnisPGASS zone science fair at the Van Bien training centre. Winners of the event advanced to the Central Interior Science Fair. CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

March 19, 2015: Surprise! Jakob Doerksen, 10, and Tyler Perry, 11, of the Scotiabank Spruceland atom Tier 1 hockey team took a close look at the Stanley Cup after !nding it waiting for them in their Kin 2 dressing room. Lord Stanley’s cup was on a short tour of Northern BC. CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

March 19, 1965: Laverne Rauser modelled the ‘uniform’ she planned to wear as a member of the Prince George Nurses Bed-Pan Brigade during a March of Dimes broomball fundraiser. The nurses were set to play the Prince George Teachers. Other teams were made up of RCMP of!cers, !re!ghters, Citizen staff and seniors. CITIZEN FILE PHOTO

March 17, 1983: Wendy Richards, 8 (foreground) checked out the newborn chicks during the Malaspina Elementary School science fair. The chick project was hatched by Erica O’Byrne and Edith Van Egdon, both in Grade 7, with the plan to have them hatch on the day of the fair — which worked. CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY RIC ERNST

Mini Med School for teens is coming to Prince George

CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen Staff

For the first time BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute is offering Northern BC students in Grades 10 to 12 a glimpse into Mini Med School.

During this youth outreach program, set to take place on May 8 in Prince George, 70 students, already registered, will have a chance to do some hands-on activities and also listen to Dr. Quynh Doan, who specializes in pediatric emergency medicine.

She’ll talk about the fast-paced, highstakes field where compassion, quick thinking, and science come together.

Doan said there are students from 13 schools attending the event from as far away as Williams Lake and Smithers.

“Mini Med School has been going on for over 10 years now,” Doan said.

“It started in Vancouver and students were invited to come to the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute where they heard presentations and did hands-on activities with graduate students and they heard from scientists and clinicians about child-health professions. It was such a popular program, we thought it was important to make sure kids from across the province have access to it so we took it on the road a few years ago.”

Last year Mini Med School went to the Yukon and in previous years Williams Lake and Kamloops.

“During Mini Med School we’ll have presentations from physicians and healthcare providers and scientists,” Doan said.

“There will be small-group activities where the students get to find out what research is about and they get to chat with different grad students and get a sense of what science is. The whole point is to help the children see themselves in the future doing something in the health sciences professions and

making it accessible and possible and exciting and compelling.”

Along with the Mini Med School day-long event the team coming to Prince George will visit seven elementary schools as part of their Mini Med Schools Explorers program, Doan said.

“The team will talk to students in Grades 1 to 7,” Doan said.

“We will bring science to their level, really meeting them where they’re at, learning about what they are interested in, trying to get them excited about science really early and get them prepared to join our ranks,” Doan said.

Doan will talk about her career path and what it’s like to diagnose and treat pediatric emergency patients during a shift at the hospital and how research is seamlessly woven into real-time care at BC Children’s Hospital.

Students will hear from BC Children’s Hospital researchers and health professionals, including Cristian Massaro, master’s student, who is translating

complex research on food, lifestyle and health into practical insights that promote positive change; Cynthia Li, master’s student, who is studying how brain injuries can change the development of preterm babies; Dana Lao, master’s student, who is investigating how regulatory T cells could help fight diseases; Ailish Babicki-Moore, master’s student, who is blending her love of food with her passion for health to inspire others; and Anguli Bharmota, master’s student, who is exploring how the outdoors supports the mental health of children going through cancer.

Also part of the team coming to Prince George is Dr. Ines Caldeira Bras, postdoctoral fellow, who is turning complex brain research into insights everyone can understand; Dr. Claire Seaton, researcher and pediatrician, who is dedicated to improving the diagnosis and care of respiratory condition in children; Rosalyn Carr, PhD candidate, who is creating digital tools

to help kids and families understand research; and Pariya Yousefi, research assistant, who is exploring how genetics can help improve care for children with rare diseases.

Students will participate in hands-on activities covering various health science topics and get some insight into careers in research and health care and get a chance to connect with likeminded students in the North.

Mini Med School takes place at the Ramada in downtown Prince George from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and students will enjoy snacks and lunches provided to them at no cost.

There will also be a chance for students to win door prizes, trivia prizes, and BC Children’s Hospital gear.

BC Children’s Hospital Mini Med School also has the option to attend virtually and if in-person is the preference there’s a waitlist to register at www.bcchr.ca/news-events/ minimedschoolpg/

BC CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE PHOTO

The Mini Med School program for Northern BC Grade 10 to 12 students will be held on May 8 at the Ramada in downtown Prince George.

Doan

Preceptor Award goes to diettan Courtenay Hopson

FURQANA KHAN Northern Health

The Student Practice Education team is proud to celebrate Courtenay Hopson, one of Northern Health’s newest recipients of the Preceptor Award. The award, launched in 2025, recognizes exceptional clinicians across the organization who take on the dual responsibility of providing high-quality patient care while mentoring the next generation of health professionals.

Each year, students from programs at Stenberg College, College of New Caledonia, University of Northern British Columbia, University of British Columbia, and other institutions nominate preceptors who made a meaningful difference in their clinical education. This year, more than 55 students shared heartfelt nominations for 86 nominees, demonstrating the deep impact Northern Health preceptors have across the province.

A career rooted in learning Courtenay completed her dietetics education through the UBC Dietetics program, which at the time included four years of coursework and a 10-month internship with a BC health authority. She completed her internship with Northern Health in 2009, with rotations in Prince George, Fort St. John, Quesnel and Prince Rupert — experiences that shaped her early understanding of Northern practice.

Only one week after finishing her internship, Courtenay began her career with Northern Health. After three years as a frontline dietitian at the University Hospital of Northern BC (UHNBC), she stepped into the Lead Clinical Dietitian role, which later became permanent. Today, she continues to provide acute care coverage while also overseeing a team of talented dietitians at UHNBC, its clinics and several long-term care sites.

Mauricio Plata, Manager, Complex Chronic Disease, praises Courtenay’s leadership and the impact she has had on the team:

“Her mentorship goes far beyond clinical guidance — it has shaped not

only our professional growth but also our belonging and sense of purpose as a team. Courtenay gives her time, her compassion and her heart, even helping new team members feel at home in our community by taking them around town on weekends and making sure they never feel alone. Her kindness, generosity and unwavering commitment to others exemplify the very best of who we are and who we aspire to be.”

Why precepting matters

Courtenay’s passion for teaching stems from her own positive internship experience. She remembers entering her internship nervous and unsure but says her preceptors gave her confidence and set her up for success.

“I always hoped I could have that kind of positive impact on a student,” she shared. “It can be life-changing to have a preceptor believe in you during such a stressful time.”

As a preceptor, she has also seen the power of representation. A student once told her it was inspiring to see someone who identified as introverted succeed in a leadership role — proof that there’s space in health care for every personality and learning style.

the health-care system not only by training future clinicians but by inspiring them to consider a Northern practice and helping them feel confident as they begin their careers.

A second student who nominated Courtenay said:

“Courtenay has been very supportive since day one of my placement. She created a welcoming space and provided a lot of opportunities for me to learn. For example, she connected me with multiple colleagues who work in different areas to facilitate my understanding of how leadership can play roles in various positions and provided a lot of resources to support my project during the placement.”

Inspired by people

The student who nominated Courtenay shared the following:

“Courtenay did an amazing job precepting me and my placement partner. She always patiently answered all our questions and arranged meetings with leaders and different departments so we could really understand the role of dietitians in leadership and how different teams collaborate. Outside work, she helped us connect with others and explore Northern BC by organizing hiking trips, pilates classes and the memorable Centennial Loop walk, which made us feel like part of the team. Her support in both our learning and well-being was exceptional and made our placement truly enriching.”

The impact of preceptors in the North Courtenay strongly believes that Northern placements offer unique and meaningful learning opportunities. She credits NH with giving her a rich internship experience and continues encouraging post-secondary institutions to send their students North.

“NH offers such incredible learning opportunities,” she said. “Students often leave surprised by how valuable and enjoyable their time here is.”

Preceptors like Courtenay support

For Courtenay, the most rewarding part of her work is the people she collaborates with every day. Her team, colleagues and peers keep her energized. She finds purpose in supporting patients in vulnerable moments, especially in critical care areas like the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), where nutritional support can literally save lives.

Outside of work, she maintains balance through knitting, reading, running, baking, skiing, skating and spending time with her niece and nephew.

Advice for new preceptors

Courtenay encourages new or prospective preceptors to reflect on the best mentors they had in their own training.

“Think about what you appreciated from your best preceptors and try some of those strategies. Be open to feedback. And don’t be too hard on yourself,” she encouraged.

Both students and preceptors, she notes, often feel self-conscious at first. Confidence grows on both sides.

The most rewarding moments for her? Hearing that a student felt safe, welcomed and supported.

“It can be a lot of work,” she said, “but it’s incredibly inspiring to watch students learn and grow into full members of the profession. It’s worth it.”

NORTHERN HEALTH PHOTO

Courtenay Hopson, lead clinical dietitian at Northern Health, is the 2026 Preceptor Award recipient.

Local Sports Prince George Kodiaks facing uncertain future

League suspension possible without proof the team is being coached and managed properly

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

Amid the turmoil of dismissing head coach and director of football operations Jamie Boreham and the resignation of three executive members of its board, the Prince George Kodiaks junior football team has issued a statement that attempts to outline its restructuring plans moving forward.

On March 6, three Kodiaks executive members — team president Craig Briere, vice-president Ken Newell and treasurer Chipman Purdey — resigned for reasons that were not publicly released.

Boreham, the Canadian Junior Football League coach of the year in 2025, was relieved of his duties in late February, months after leading the Kodiaks into the playoffs for the first time in their four-year history in the BC Football Conference.

“We recognize this process has raised many questions,” said interim general manager Ryan Bellamy, in a team release issued Sunday, March 15.

“As we navigate our way forward, the incoming leadership aims to provide transparency with our communication. We appreciate the patience shown by our athletes, coaches, families, fans and the broader community during this time.”

In the release, Bellamy acknowledged that fans have questions.

“There was stuff that probably should have been handled in previous releases in steps along the way to kind of let the community know what’s going on,” he stated. “Silence isn’t a solution.”

The circumstances that led to Boreham’s sudden dismissal have not been publicly disclosed.

Bellamy said the decision to dismiss Boreham was based on the team’s financial situation and was not due to negligence or any gross misconduct.

According to the team release: “The decision to begin restructuring was not taken lightly. The board considered a range of factors related to the long-term health and direction of the program, including responsibilities that extended beyond on-field results in the Canadian Junior Football League. These considerations included the broader scope of the director of football operations role and the long-term future of football initiatives connected to the Kodiaks’ organization.

“As the process unfolded and feedback was received from key partners, it became clear that change was necessary. Members of the previous executive and several board members subsequently chose to step aside, allowing for new leadership to guide the organization forward with a renewed

vision aligned with the broader Kodiaks community.”

The club will hold its annual general meeting on Wednesday, March 25 at 6 p.m., at 556 North Nechako Rd.

The meeting, which will be open to the public, will allow players, parents, fans, sponsors, members and community partners who pay a $10 registration fee to become voting members “to participate in shaping the next chapter of Kodiaks football.”

Membership forms are available by request at pgkodiaksfootball@gmail. com.

The future of the team hinges on what transpires at that meeting.

BCFC president Tyler McLaren said the league needs the reassurance the Kodiaks organization is in good hands with a capable coaching/management

team in place by the end of the month. Failing that, McLaren said the league would be forced to suspend the franchise.

“Because of the timing and how things happened, that has been discussed if 2026 is going to be possible,” said McLaren. “We have expressed our concerns because of the timing of everything. There’s a lot of do before a season gets underway. If we can’t get everybody in place that we feel is appropriate we’ll definitely have to look at it. That being said, it’s not something that we want to go down that road, but our board of directors has a responsibility to assure that all our teams have people capable at the wheel to guide our teams.”

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

Kodiaks running back Xander Shane keeps a tight grip on the ball as he’s driven out of bounds under the watchful eye of head coach Jamie Boreham in a July 2024 game at Masich Place Stadium. Boreham was fired by the team in early March.

Coach’s departure could mean the team loses recruits

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

McLaren said the Kodiaks will have to show they have the necessary structure in place by the end of this month, with CJFL and BCFC meetings scheduled for early April.

“We can’t go into a season not knowing our teams are stable that are going to be able to fulfill their obligations as members of our organization,” he said.

This is not the first time the Kodiaks have had to tackle finding a replacement coach in the off-season. It was a surprise to everyone when Keon Raymond left the team after their startup season in 2022, but McLaren says the current situation facing the Kodiaks, just four months before the new season, is more dire.

“Most of our teams go through coaching changes, it happens when a coach moves on or a team moves on and that happens all the time, but with this situation obviously the timing is a challenge, most of the time you see these changes happen in November or December,” said McLaren.

“It’s hard because it’s the peak of recruiting season and before you know it spring camps will be here, so it’s a timing issue that definitely doesn’t help in that regard. There’s always that initial time when everybody hits the panic button when you lose a good coach or a good coach leaves and it can definitely jar an organization but it’s nothing that all teams haven’t gone through. It’s just this year, the timing is a challenge for the Kodiaks and this is the first real time they’ve really gone through it.”

McLaren said finding a replacement coach for the Kodiaks is more complicated due to the fact the team has programs outside of the junior team that were Boreham’s responsibility. No other BCFC head coach has that in his job description.

“The hope is the organization can right itself and get some new people in place and then be able to play in 2026,” said McLaren. “We’ve had situations where teams have had to hit the reset button and have a year to kind of regroup and look to come back the

following season, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves at this point to have to worry about that. Nobody wants to go down that route.”

News of Boreham’s dismissal prompted an outcry of angry posts on social media protesting the board’s decision. An online petition to retain him as the Kodiaks coach has gathered more than a thousand signatures.

Bellamy says there is a possibility the Kodiaks could retain Boreham, if that’s what the new board decides, and he would welcome having him return to the fold, knowing the positive results he’s brought to the organization.

“The reality of this time is we have to give clarity to the league and the Plan A that everybody would want and everybody’s voiced they want it and that’s Jamie back,” said Bellamy. “That obviously is the Plan A the new board would have to explore. We also have to be looking at a Plan B if there’s not an ability to reach an agreement with Jamie with everything that’s happened. There’s more than one pathway being mapped forward right now.”

Boreham was hired by the Kodiaks in December 2022 after three seasons as head coach of the Okanagan Sun (201921). The 48-year-old played 12 seasons in the CFL as a punter/placekicker for the Toronto Argonauts, Hamilton TigerCats and Saskatchewan Roughriders. He led the Kodiaks to a 5-4-1 record in his third season with the team and in three seasons at the helm he compiled a 10-19-1 record. The team lost its firstever playoff game in the BCFC semifinal round to the Westshore Rebels.

“We appreciate Jamie’s dedication to the athletes, the community, the development of the program, and we recognize the professionalism he demonstrated throughout this transition,” said Bellamy.

As the most remote franchise in the conference the Kodiaks are highly dependent on recruiting players from outside northern BC. Unlike most BCFC teams, which have dozens of high school teams in the region from which to recruit junior players, Prince George has just three local high school teams.

A core of about 30 Kodiaks players who live in the city year-round have been working with Boreham and the other coaches in indoor workouts at the Northern Sport Centre fieldhouse at UNBC.

At least 50 players were expected to return from last year’s team and Bellamy conducted a virtual meeting on Sunday with those players to explain the team’s current situation.

The Kodiaks are in danger of losing players who choose to accept offers to join other junior teams or will go to a university team in U SPORTS rather than fulfill their junior team commitment to play in Prince George.

“To this point we’ve lost some recruits,” said Bellamy. “But we haven’t lost anybody off the current roster last year with the exception of Carson Briere, who has gone to St. FX.

“The next few weeks will be telling in what guys decide to do in that aspect.”

In addition to his duties with the Kodiaks, Boreham also organized the NFL minor flag football program

that involved teams in Prince George, Smithers, Quesnel and Vanderhoof. He also oversaw the Kodiaks high school program in Prince George for players from three Prince George schools unable to field a team in the BC High School Football Association.

In August 2025, the Kodiaks and the College of New Caledonia announced a new partnership to offer tuition support for Kodiaks players to pursue their goals in post-secondary education, which would also provide practical learning experiences, including kinesiology placements. CNC has been working with Kodiaks to create joint recruitment campaigns and build community ties, using the tuition offer to help convince players aged 17-22 to come to Prince George to play for the team.

The club is currently seeking financial sponsorship, in-kind donations of services to assist with operational costs and billet housing for the players.

According to McLaren, attendance for Kodiaks home games was either first or second in the seven-team BCFC, with crowd counts that hovered around 2,000 for all five games at Masich Place Stadium last season.

He acknowledges the Kodiaks face the highest travel costs in the league because of their geographic location but is confident the not-for-profit organization can overcome that barrier with the support of the community.

“I know there’s an AGM coming up soon and that’s going to tell a lot,” said McLaren. “I know there’s a lot of people that are passionate and that are making sure they get support and are bringing in new people and new blood to push the program forward because it’s obviously been a successful franchise off the field.

“From the league’s perspective, we’ve seen the value of football in the North and what it provides players and it’s been a market that’s been great to see over the years since we’ve been there. We know there’s people that care and it’s a passionate sports market and we hope there’s people that will step up and get involved and be part of this and take it to the next level.”

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO BY CHUCK NISBETT

Prince George Kodiaks defenseman Dominic Bryce launches himself at Westshore Rebels running back Elliott Dawood during the Kodiaks’ season home opener at Masich Place Stadium Saturday, July 19, 2025.

Boxers lace up their gloves for elite Team BC camp

INNER CITY BOXING CLUB

Later this month, Thunder Innis, Josh Greenwood and Koehen McLeod will set their sights on claiming the most significant titles of their boxing careers. In preparation, they headed to Vancouver this past weekend for an elite-level tuneup.

The three members of Inner City Boxing PG attended a Team BC training camp at Monarc Boxing and Fitness. Along with training sessions, they were in the ring for sparring on Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.

Innis and Greenwood are new members of Team BC, and the practice bouts will help get them ready for the Boxing Canada national championships. For McLeod, this weekend’s work will sharpen him up for the Canada Cup tournament. Nationals and the Canada Cup are running side-by-side, March 18-22 in Calgary.

“It’s a quick weekend but it will be very valuable,” Inner City and Team BC coach Kenny Lally said before attending the training camp.

“Mentally, it’s huge, knowing that they’re ready. We can train non-stop here but to go to a training camp with the highest-level fighters in our province and train with them and spar with them and come out of that, there are only benefits. Three days of high-level sparring, Thunder and Josh are going

to be 100 per cent ready for their first nationals.”

At nationals, the 17-year-old Innis will fight in the U19 80-kilogram class. The 19-year-old Greenwood, meanwhile, will compete in the U23 category at 70kg.

For the Canada Cup, the 16-year-old McLeod will throw punches in the U19 division at 60kg.

At this weekend’s camp in Vancouver, there’s a good chance Innis could end up toe-to-toe with Porter Hansen,

a 17-year-old from Nelson who is the current national champion at 75kg. Innis and Hansen had an epic battle in mid-February in Cochrane, Alta., and, that night, the more experienced Hansen picked up a split decision. With that result, Innis saw his previously unblemished record drop to 8-1.

Innis said he’s hoping for some more ringtime with Hansen at the camp.

“Since that fight, I’ve improved so much in my technique, in my IQ, in my

movement — I’ve improved all around and I’m really excited to test my skills against Porter again,” Innis said.

Innis said he treats sparring just like the real thing — no holding back.

“Every time I’m in that ring, I’m always looking to get the better of my opponent, no matter who it is,” he said.

At the camp, Inner City’s Jag Seehra was set to join Lally as a Team BC coach. Both men worked with Team BC fighters last month in Cochrane, and they’re looking forward to spending more time in provincial colours this weekend.

“It’s an honour, and it’s a testament to the work we’ve been putting in the last two years,” Seehra said in reference to reviving the Inner City club after it had been shut down for several years.

“We’re going back to where we kind of left off as Team BC athletes — back on the team, and helping out this new batch of fighters.”

Audrey Edmunds, a 13-year-old Inner City fighter, also travelled to Vancouver for the training camp in hopes of finding a sparring partner or two.

“It’s very, very hard for a girl, 13 years old, to find somebody her weight and her age,” Seehra said. “She understands. We’ve told her many times that this is the way it is for girls, especially that young. She never lets it get to her. She comes to the gym, she’s always positive, puts the work in, gets her technique better and learns something new every day. She’s staying ready.”

Jared Young, Team Canada eliminated in tough loss

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

Canada’s rally against the United States fell two runs short in a 5-3 elimination loss Friday night in Houston, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying.

They gave the Americans all they could handle in their World Baseball Classic quarterfinal playoff and Prince George native Jared Young played his part as pinch-hitter, leading off the bottom of the ninth inning with a quality

at-bat against reliever Mason Miller and his triple-digit fastballs.

Facing throws in the 101-103 miles per hour range from the San Diego Padres’ fireballer, Young fell behind in the count 0-2 but stayed alive with a foul ball before showing incredible discipline to lay off three consecutive Miller pitches and work a full count.

The payoff pitch was inside and out of the strike zone and Young checked his swing but the umpire called it a strike to send the 30-year-old New York Mets

infielder/outfielder back to the dugout.

Miller then struck out Edouard Julien and Otto Lopez to end the game. Despite the loss, it was Canada’s most successful WBC showing. The Canadians won the A Pool with a 3-1 record, and for the first time ever they advanced beyond pool play and had home advantage in the game against the U.S.

“I’ll be reflecting on this for probably a couple of months,” said Canada’s manager Ernie Whitt.

“You gather your thoughts and what if and what if and what if, but if you continue to do that, you’ll drive yourself crazy.

“I thought we represented the country well and I don’t think we have anything to hang our heads about. I told the boys to walk proudly.”

The U.S. team was set to take on the winner of the Italy-vs-Venezuela semifinal in a game in Miami on Tuesday, March 17 after this issue of The Citizen went to press.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

From left, Inner City Boxing PG coach Jag Seehra, boxers Thunder Innis, Josh Greenwood, Koehen McLeod and Audrey Edmumds, and coach Kenny Lally, headed to Vancouver last weekend for a training camp.

PG Cougars head into fnal regular-season weekend

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

For a defenceman in any hockey league, scoring 20 goals or more in one season is a true measuring stick that shows you’re something special.

At the NHL level, Ray Bourque and Denis Potvin did it nine times. It happened for Paul Coffey eight times and Al MacInnis, Phil Housley and Bobby Orr each had seven 20-goal seasons.

But junior hockey careers are short and there’s not a lot of time for blueliners to make it to that milestone like Carson Carels did Saturday night playing for the Prince George Cougars.

The 17-year-old from Cypress River, Man., shredded the Wenatchee Wild for a goal and three assists in a 5-0 victory — the fifth straight win for the Cougars with playoffs just around the corner.

“It feels really good, I got a few pats on the back on the bench for sure,” said Carels, about his goal.

“I came into the season talking about it with Jim (associate coach Playfair) and he didn’t know if we were going to hit 20 (goals) or 50 (points) or anything like that. We just wanted to keep evolving as a defenceman and playing that way. I’m really happy with how it’s turned out, I play with a lot of special players that can get me the puck.”

It was also a memorable night for Ukrainian import Alexander Levshyn, who earned his first career WHL shutout. He stopped 25 shots and saved his best in the final minute when he was forced to come up with three rapid-fire saves.

“When you get a shutout obviously you play so well defensively and I think we really played a great full 60 and everyone was going,” said Carels. “Whether it was the first line or the fourth, everyone was creating offence and playing hard defence. We just played a great team game tonight and I’m really proud of this group.

“We just really know how to play defence. We’re starting to play playoff hockey. It was just a great weekend.”

The Cougars scored four times in the second period to take control.

Wild forward Levi Benson loses his edge as he tries to sweep the puck around Cougars defenseman Corbin Vaughan at CN Centre Saturday, March 14.

After being held to just one goal Friday in a 1-0 victory over the Wild, they unleashed their pent-up frustration in a huge way in the rematch in front of CN Centre crowd of 5,116.

The Cougars were already working with 1-0 lead courtesy of a power-play goal from Kooper Gizowski, operating in his office in the right circle. He onetimed a cross-ice pass from Carels into the net behind goalie Cal Conway, just 2:46 into the game.

The Cats started the second period on the power play and the second unit was on with just three seconds left in the penalty when Bauer Dumanski blasted a low shot from the right side that went in off Conway’s skate blade for a 2-0 lead. Carels drew the primary assist on that one.

The Wild responded right away with a couple of dangerous-looking shots that were stopped by Alexander Levshyn, making his first start since Feb. 25. He laid prone on the ice to get his chest in the way of a stuff attempt from Mason Kraft, trying to finish off a goalmouth feed, then took one squarely off the mask on a shot from Darian Rolsing.

The Cougars made it a 3-0 count, 5:38 into the second. Townes Kozicky centred the puck into the slot that ticked

Carels and he’s now just one shy of the club record for defenceman set by Hudson Thornton in 2022-23 and repeated in 2023-24. Thornton also owns the Cougar record for most goals from a d-man with 23, set in 2023.

The Cougars outshot the Wild 35-27.

The Wild brought goalie Mark Djomo in for the third period and he stopped all 12 shots he faced. Levshyn was also perfect in the final frame, blocking all 11 shots.

“It’s a great feeling to get a shutout, a little bit late in the season but still thanks so much to my teammates for helping me in this game,” said the 19-year-old Levshyn.

high off a Wild stick but Dmitri Yakutsenak was able to bat it out of the air for his 25th of the season.

The Cats were on their third power play of the game when it appeared Terik Parsacak scored on a backhander in the blue paint while falling with two Wild checkers in close proximity. But the goal was disallowed due to incidental contact with the goalie Conway.

Prince George continued to pour on the offensive pressure and Carels was rewarded with his 20th goal. As he so often does, he joined the rush and took a pass in deep from Kayden Lemire, then waited while Conway slid along the ice, going to his backhand to tuck it into the open side.

The Cougars were killing their first penalty of the game in the final minute of the period when Carels intercepted the puck just shy of his own blueline and stickhandled to get into free ice long enough to fire off a perfect pass to a streaking Parascak breaking in behind the defence on the right wing. The Washington Capitals’ first-rounder scored shorthanded with a backhander through the goalie’s legs for his 32nd goal, tied with Gizowski for the team lead.

That assist was the 73rd point for

It was parents/billets weekend for the Cougars and Levshyn’s mom and dad were back home in Ukraine but he had the support of Oleksii and Liliia Miroshnyk and their three daughters who are from his hometown, Kharkiv. They all attended the game and watched him play for the first time.

Levshyn came within 71 seconds of shutting out the Everett Silvertips Dec. 19 in Everett. But the Silvertips scored two goals in that last minute or so of regulation to tie it and won 3-2 in overtime.

Dating back to their 3-0 win in Wenatchee on Nov. 28 the Cougars did not allow the Wild to score in a threegame stretch and only gave up one in the four-game season series in a 2-1 win Nov. 8 in Wenatchee.

“Shout out to our goaltenders, they’ve been really good the last two games and we’ve been figuring out how to play a full 60 so it was good, said Cougars 20-year-old winger Dawson Seitz, acquired Jan. 8 in a trade from Wenatchee. “(Levshyn) is such an enthusiastic goaltender and he just works his ass off every single play so you can always trust he’s going to give his all.”

The Cougars played their final home game Tuesday night when they faced the Kamloops Blazers after this issue of The Citizen went to press. They’ll finish off the regular season Friday and Saturday in Victoria. The playoffs start Friday, March 27. CITIZEN

Local hockey referee is Sport BC’s ofcial of the year

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

Sport BC has named Grace Barlow, a prominent local referee, as the Official of the Year at the 58th Annual Sport BC Athlete of the Year awards, held on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Vancouver.

Barlow, who also works as a local dentist, began her officiating career in 2017 with the Prince George Minor Hockey Association but her career quickly expanded.

Her career as an official has brought her jobs at the BC Elite Hockey League, the Professional Women’s Hockey League, the Pacific Coast Junior Hockey League, and the U SPORTS women’s national championship, among many others.

Her career has also allowed her to travel all over Canada, the states and the world, with her work bringing her to Mexico, Latvia, Scotland and she will be heading to Budapest for the IIHF Women’s 1A World Championship, from April 12-18, 2026.

“It’s been a long journey of getting yelled at quite a bit by hockey players… As a dentist and as a hockey referee, I’m not very well liked, unfortunately,” she said.

Barlow told The Citizen that she was incredibly surprised that she won the award.

“We got the finalist nominations early in January, and it was a complete shock,” said Barlow. “I had no idea that I was even being nominated by BC Hockey. Then we got to go down there last week, and they brought us all together at the Fairmont for the Sport BC Gala. We were all there, and when my name was said as the winner, and I was completely in shock.”

Barlow was up against intense competition, which included World Softball Association umpire Laura McMillan of Coquitlam and FIFA referee Stefan Taneka-Freundt of Surrey.

However, Barlow, despite winning the award, said that all three finalists deserved to win

“The other finalists are such fantastic officials … I was amongst a great

company,” said Barlow. “I was really shocked and honoured and humbled to win the award. I think all of us deserve to win that award. I don’t think that it was necessarily anything that I did differently. I think it was really just a toss-up between all three of us, and all three of us are very deserving.”

Barlow was nominated by Sean Raphael, the vice-president of programs and referee-in-chief of BC Hockey.

Barlow also said that being a referee is a difficult job and is often both physically and emotionally demanding.

“It is a very challenging career. Not only do we get the bad press sometimes, but we also have to be at a level of athletic performance and physical performance to match the players, said Barlow. “We also have to have a level of rule knowledge and a level of understanding of the game, the game temperature, game management, and have some hockey IQ to kind of put it all together. It’s definitely a challenging endeavour.”

Despite these challenges, there’s nothing that Barlow would rather do and she remains very dedicated to her roles as an official.

“Getting to meet the number of people I get to meet and I get to travel all over the world as an official as well,” said Barlow. “I’m very lucky to get that opportunity, but definitely the people that I get to meet and the sheer amount of experience that I get from this life experience, communication experience, teamwork experience is all part of officiating…I don’t do it for the fame or the fortune. It’s just for those everyday experiences that I got to have with my friends in officiating and getting to give back to the game.”

She also put out a call for locals looking to officiate and give back to the Prince George hockey community.

“If you are a hockey fan and you know how to skate, try it out,” said Barlow. “Come work with Prince George Minor Hockey Association. We’re always looking for new officials, referees and volunteers. If you have been so compelled to be called towards us too, come on down and help us out.”

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Grace Barlow, a Prince George referee, was named Official of the Year at the BC Athlete of the Year awards.

Spruce Kings back from Powell River, Port Alberni trip

The Alumni Weekend game is this Saturday afternoon at Kopar

KYLE ANDERSON

Prince George Spruce kings

It didn’t matter to the Powell River Kings that their Thursday, March 12 opponents, the Prince George Spruce Kings, came to Vancouver Island boasting a whopping 20 more wins than Powell River this season.

You’ve got to bring it every night to win in the BC Hockey League and Powell River, the worst team in the Coastal West Division, took it to the Spruce Kings, beating the Coastal East-leading Spruce Kings 5-2.

Kamil Chemrouk led the way offensively, scoring two goals to lead the other Kings of the BCHL to their 11th victory in 48 games.

Devin Peck stopped 29 of 31 shots for his sixth win in 14 games since joining Powell River in January from the Flin Flon Bombers of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

Colin Reay blocked 29 of 33 shots he faced guarding the goal for the Spruce Kings (30-15-3-0), whose six-game point streak ended.

Powell River (11-33-3-1) opened the scoring 16:48 in. Josh Wiebe got the puck in the slot and lifted a shot in over the glove of goalie Reay.

Ryan Wachtel evened the count with his 21st of the season, 2:19 into the second period, when he got free with the puck in front of the net after linemate Ben Vreugdenhil forced a turnover along the left wing boards.

But back-to-back goals in the second period from Chemrouk, his 13th and 14th of 2025-26, put Powell River back in the driver’s seat.

The hometown Kings added to the total midway through the third period, a power-play goal from Michael Azzorone. Powell River went 1-for-5 on the power play, while Prince George finished 0-for-3.

Vreugdenhil pulled PG to within two goals on a 5-on-4 advantage with Reay

on the bench when he won the face-off and deflected in a point-shot wrister from defenceman Ozbej Rep, but that’s as close as it got. Jeremiah Mundy added an empty-netter with 29 seconds left.

The Spruce Kings bounced back the next night.

They scored three times in the opening period and eight times overall in an 8-1 victory over the Powell River Kings Friday in Powell River.

Marcus Lougheed got the Spruce Kings on the board at 8:27 of the first period as Wachtel tapped the puck to

side of the goal on the power play.

In the third, Carter Hesselgrave scored his 22nd, also on the power play, to make it 7-1.

After Carson Lynch took a match penalty with just over two minutes left, Arnason scored his second of the night to make it 8-1, as the power play finished 3-for-7 on the night.

The Spruce Kings, who lost 5-2 in Powell River on Thursday, improved to 31-15-3-0 and maintained an eight-point gap over the second-place Chilliwack Chiefs, 3-2 winners Friday in Surrey.

Prince George headed to Port Alberni Saturday for a 7 p.m. game against the Alberni Valley Bulldogs.

The Alberni Valley Bulldogs scored three times in the second period and defeated the Spruce Kings 4-2 Saturday night at the Alberni Valley Multiplex in Port Alberni.

Arnason opened the scoring for the Spruce Kings at 5:35 of the first period, making a move in tight on a 3-on-2 to make it 1-0.

The Bulldogs tied it up before the end of the period at 18:24 as Ryan Small finished off a cross-crease pass.

Alberni Valley started strong in the second with two goals in the first 2:43, as Eduard Mishikov scored top shelf before Jackson Lackas finished off a Brendan DeFeo pass to make it 3-1.

Lackas got his second of the night at 14:02 of the second from DeFeo and Kye Benoche, this time on the power play.

loose ice for Lougheed off an outlet pass from Trent LeDrew.

Prince George made it 2-0 when River Arnason beat Peck five-hole, before Mathis Laplante made it 3-0 from Arnason at 18:12.

The Powell River Kings crept back within two at 8:30 of the second, but PG responded with three of their own to lead 6-1 after 40 minutes.

First, it was Wachtel who poked a loose puck up and over Peck to make it 4-1, before Tai Ushio scored a pair — first off a giveaway by Powell River, then on a great deflection on a pass from the

Lougheed brought the Spruce Kings within a pair, scoring his 20th of the season, but Prince George could not solve Derik Brouillard in the third and they dropped the finale of their threegame road trip.

The Spruce Kings return home to take on the Coquitlam Express on Saturday, March 21 (6 p.m.) and Sunday, March 22 (3 p.m.) as the battle for the Coastal East Division crown remains up for grabs.

They’ll be back at Kopar Memorial Arena on Saturday, March 21 to face the Express on alumni weekend.

Spruce Kings alumni will split into two teams to play each other just before the Coquitlam game at 3 p.m. on the 21st.

PRINCE GEORGE SPRUCE KINGS/FACEBOOK PHOTO

The Prince George Spruce Kings’ River Arnason hits the ice against the Port Alberni Bulldogs on Saturday, March 14. Arnason opened the scoring for the Spruce Kings in the first period.

Heading to Ecuador for Pan-Am judo championships

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

Olivia Wisniowski has had a trip to Ecuador pencilled in on her calendar since the start of the year.

Now she can use that pen to make that mark permanent.

The 17-year-old Northern Capital Judo Club member booked her ticket in the U18 Pan American Championships in won gold in the female U18 advanced +70-kilogram class this past weekend (March 14-15) at the Edmonton International Judo Championships.

The Pan American tournament happens April 28-30 in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Wisniowski also crowned the +78 kg senior female advanced champion in Edmonton.

Two other Northern Capital judoka

Olivia Wisniowski (second from right) and other members of the Northern Capital Judo Club gather with the medals they won at the Edmonton International Judo Championships on March 14-15.

reached the top of the medal podium in Edmonton. Simon Wisniowski (Olivia’s father) won the M4-M7 veteran men’s minus-90 kg class, while Mike

Champagne (competing for the first time in 18 years) won gold in the M3 veteran men’s minus-100kg class.

Other Northern Capital results were:

Silver

• Nathan Wheele (U16M Novice -55kg)

• Paul Bryant (M4-M5 Veteran Men +100kg)

Bronze

• Kiya Wisniowski (U16F Advanced -63kg)

• Eric Willms (M3 Veteran Men +100kg)

• Jason Zazelenchuk (M4-M5 Veteran Men +100kg)

4th Place

• Ronal Beauchesne (M4-M5 Veteran Men +100kg)

• Ne Waza competition

• Ivan Pilcik - 1W 2L

• Trevor Wheele 0-2 in M4 Veteran Men -81kg

Cariboo Cougars, Northern Capitals out of playofs

CITIZEN STAFF

The Cariboo Cougars U18s had their BC Elite Hockey League season come to an end Saturday, March 14 in Kelowna in a 3-2 loss to the defending-champion Okanagan Rockets in Game 2 of a beatof-three semifinal series.

Charles Ouillette, Von Lakova and Pierce Johnstone all scored in the first period for the Rockets.

Blake Lambe, in the first period, and Nicholas Gordon, 40 seconds into the third, were the Cougar goalscorers. Ivan Andersen took over from Oscar Hicik in net for the Cougars to start the second period and stopped all 16 shots he faced.

Okanagan opened the series Friday, March 13 with a 4-2 victory. Easton Goulet and Riley Lettington scored in that one for the Cougars.

The Rockets, who defeated Cariboo in a three-game final at Kin 1, will host the Thompson Blazers in the championship series starting Friday, Marc 20 in Kelowna.

The Blazers swept the Vancouver

Northeast Chiefs 2-0 in the other semifinal series played in Burnaby, winning 7-5 Friday, March 14 and 6-5 on Saturday, March 15.

Meanwhile, the triple-A female division semifinal series the top-ranked Greater Vancouver Comets swept the Prince George-based Northern Capitals in two straight games.

They edged the Caps 2-1 Friday in Delta on a pair of goals from Samantha Woo. Paige Umbach replied for the Capitals.

Saturday in Coquitlam, the Comets won 4-1.

Khya Swanson was the goalscorer for the Caps.

Taylor Rutter made 30 saves in the Capitals’ nets.

The Comets now advance to the best-of-three league championship series that starts Friday, March 20 in Coquitlam against the Thompson-Okanagan Lakers.

The Lakers swept the Fraser Valley Rush in the semifinal round in Langley, winning 3-2 Friday, March 13 and 4-3 on Saturday, March 14.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

The Northern Capitals female triple-A hockey season ended Saturday, March 14, 2026 in Coquitlam in the BCEHL semifinal round with a 4-1 loss to the Greater Vancouver Comets.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

The Cariboo U18 Cougars lost their BCEHL semifinal series with a 3-2 loss to the Okanagan Rockets on Saturday, March 14.

SPORTS

Area teams compete in Langley basketball tournament

ROIS CHAND

Special to The Citizen

LANGLEY — The quest for the championships at the 50th Junior All-Native Tournament (JANT) is underway.

JANT 2026 action tipped off in Langley as 112 teams took to the court for the first time on Monday, March 16. Teams from six different age groups participated in action on opening day across Langley Events Centre, R.E. Mountain Secondary, Walnut Grove Secondary, Langley Secondary, HD Stafford Middle School, Peter Ewart Middle School and Yorkson Creek Middle School.

Sixteen teams that played on Monday from the under-17 girls and under-17 boys categories advanced to Tuesday’s games, while losing teams advanced to the second-chance elimination bracket as part of the under-17 double knockout format. Under-13 teams are still in round-robin play.

Tuesday’s games were played after this edition of The Citizen went to press.

Two teams from the Prince George area are taking part: U17 girls: Tseshaht Lightning (U17 girls) and United Warriors (U10 co-ed).

The 16 under-17 boys teams advancing: Naani (Wapuk), Gitga’at Seawolves, Mowachaht Bucks, Gitxaała Warriors, xá’isla Braves (Haisla), Gingolx Sons, Nunanta (Nuxalk Nation), Tl’kemchEEn Warriors (Nlaka’pamux Nation, Lytton, BC), Gitmidiik Lightning (New Aiyansh), Kispo Magic (Gitxsan Nation), Kitselas Hornets, NCN tatuus (Port Alberni), Gitxsan Grizzlies, Rainmakers (Kitasoo Xaixais Nation), Saints (Skidegate) and Gitmidiik Storm (Gitlaxt’aamix).

The 16 under-17 girls teams advancing: Kitselas Keepers, Nootka Rebels (Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation), Tseshaht Lightning, Tl’kemchEEn Lytton Strong, Timberwolves (Greenville), Daughters of Old Massett (Haida Nation), Jr. Lady Warriors (Gitxaala Nation), Jr. Asakv Girls, Ahousaht Storm, Haisla Jr. Girls, Gitsegukla Predators, Gitmidiik Thunder, At’maakw (Nuxalk Nation), Star Gazers (Lil’wat) and Maaqtusiis Lady Suns.

Under-10 co-ed teams play at Yorkson

Creek Middle School.

Action continues on Tuesday, March 16, in venues across Langley, leading up to championship Friday.

Games from March 16-19 are free of charge to fans of all ages, thanks to the generous support of JANT 2026 sponsors.

Tickets for the championship games are $10 and free of charge for fans 12 and under and 65 and over.

Tickets for JANT 2026 are available at showpass.com.

Daily schedules, scores and tournament updates can be found at www. JANT.ca or by following the official tournament social media accounts on Instagram and Facebook. Games can be streamed live for free on CFNR at www. cfnrfm.ca/jant.

U17 boys final scores

• Gitmidiik Lightning def. Ahousaht Eagles 67-53

• Kitselas Hornets def. Hiiyitliik 46-31

• Nunanta def. Gitxsan Grizzlies 96-53

• Kitasoo Xai’xais Rainmakers def. Cariboo Wolves

• Ts’ap def. Laxgalts’ap Noosik 57-38

• Strike Force def. Snaw-Naw-As Sawbills 75-48

• Gingolx Sons def. Kispo Magic 98-26

• Gitmidiik Storm def. Nak’azdli Trees 78-48

• Witset Wesiy def. Naani 63-55

• VanCity Warriors def. Old Massett Raiders 74-71

• Ahousaht Islanders def. Gitxsab Torchmen 89-67

• Tl’kemchEEn Warriors def. NCN tatuus 84-38

• Terrace Kings def. Mowachaht Bucks 89-20

• Xaisla Braves def. Skidegate Saints 55-39

• Syilx Basketball def. Gitxaala Warriors 110-21

• Gitxsan Grizzlies def. Cariboo Wolves 62-34

• Kispo Magic def. Hiiyitliik 80-48

• Gingolx Sons def. Ahousaht

Basketball teams from across British Columbia are competing in Langley this week during the 50th Junior All-Native Tournament.

Islanders 113-37

• Nunanta def. Gitmidiik Storm 73-49

• Tl’kemchEEn Warriors def. Kitselas Hornets 112-18

• NCN tatuus def. Gitmidiik Lightnings 79-73

• Snaw-Naw-As Sawbills def. Kwadacha 57-5

• Laxgalts’ap Noosik def. Lil’wat Nation 92-30

• Skidegate Saints def. Nak’azdli Trees 74-30

• xá’isla Braves def. Kiasoo Xai’xais Rainmakers 83-63

• Surrey Suns def. Gitga’at Seawolves 85-55

• Gitxsan Torchmen def. North Shore Wolves 105-16

• Old Massett Raiders def. Heiltsuk Nation 82-40

U17 girls final scores

• Skeena Sisters def. Haida Gwaii K’uljaads 67-31

• Gitwaaltk def. VanCity Reign 56-45

• Tla-o-qui-aht West Coast def. Gitxsan Junior Mystics 61-41

• Gingolx Storm def. Syilx Basketball 85-40

• Maaqtusiis Lady Suns def. Tseshaht Lightning 69-20

• At’maakw def. Timberwolves 114-13

• Gitmidiik Thunder def. Ahousaht Storm 95-14

• Star Gazers def. Gitxaala Warriors 54-18

• Gitwaaltk def. Haisla Jr. Girls 70-19

• Skeena Sisters def. Jr. ásákv Girls 83-31

• Maaqtusiis Lady Suns def. Gitsegukla Predators 60-13

• Syilx Basketball def. Daughters of Old Massett 49-41

• Gitxsan Junior Mystics def. Tl’kemchEEn Lytton Strong 81-25

• Gitmidiik Thunder def. Nootka Rebels 91-8

• Timberwolves def. Kitselas Keepers 55-20

U13 boys gold final scores

• Nusqlst def. North Shore Wolves 47-38

• Vancity Seawolves def. Gaw Tlagée Jr. Raiders 38-37

• Coastal Pride def. Guardians 45-33

• Sons of Gingolx def. Nusqlst 52-38

• Vancity Seawolves def. xá’isla 43-41

• Gaw Tlagée Jr. Raiders def. Syilx Basketball 44-32

• Coastal Pride def. North Shore Wolves 55-24

• Sons of Gingolx def. Guardians 53-32

U13 boys silver final scores

• Úpnit Warriors def. Noosik 44-43

• Junior tatuus def. Nu Nan7nita 2 75-30

• Winá def. YFN Ravens 35-26

• Jr. Lizards def. Tla-o-qui-aht Wolfpack 50-33

• Skidegate Saints def. Lil’wat Cowboys 36-29

• Tl’kemchEEn Warriors def. Nu Nan7nita 1 79-47

• Tlaga Gaw Tlass Raiders def. Gitmidiik Warriors 58-45

GARETH BENJAMIN PHOTO

Life Events

James Albert Prazma

May 21, 1925 - December 26, 2025

Jim passed away peacefully on December 26, 2025.

Predeceased by parents Frank and Rose, two brothers and two sisters.

Survived by two brothers, nieces and nephews.

Jim farmed in Sask, and moved to Prince George in 1953 e wor ed at a as on iver d untl his retrement im lived at ateway Assisted iving, and was involved in many actvites e celebrated his 100th birthday at Gateway surrounded by family, friends and residents. In Jim’s own words ”Ya I Know”. The family would like to thank everyone who supported him.

Bruce Woyciehouski

April 6, 1953 - March 3, 2026

Predeceased by his wife June Woyciehouski

Bruce spent a number of years at Northwood Pulp and Paper in recaust and material handling. A recaust operator, taxi driver, town van driver and retred in November 27, 2008

Bruce is survived by his children; Pamela, Donna, and Paul, his grandchildren; Hannah, Sylvie, Evan, Abby, Clarity, Asa, and Emma, his great grandchild Sterret, his brother; Dennis and sister; Vera

Bruce will be sadly missed by all his relatves and the many many friends he had made. Bruce was known as a man with a big heart.

Leona Lindstrom (née Mattenley)

April 6, 1939 - ebruary 19, 2026

n memory o eona indstrom nee Matenley who passed away February 19, 2026

Born in Surrey BC untl she moved to rince eorge to work at Eaton’s where she met her future husband at his relatves house where she was boarding She loved gardening, ower arranging and resh caught trout

She will be missed by her husband o 63 years, onald indstrom aughters ic y yle ilt en and athy Ellis randson amie athleen ilt en, granddaughter essica ilt en and grandsons ac son homas ilt en, brother eorge oy Matenley, sister in law ee Matenley and many nieces nephews

redeceased by her ather and mother Earl Alice Matenley, brother Bill illiam Matenley, son in law ayne Ellis and ather and mother in law alph Margaret indstrom

A EACE

November 21, 1942 – March 7, 2026

A service to honor Carl’s life will be held at the Prince George Funeral Service on Saturday, March 21st, at 2:00 p.m.

Family and friends are invited to gather for re reshments a erward at the Elder Cit en s ecreaton Associaton

Following the service, Carl will be cremated in Quesnel, on Monday morning, March 23rd. Full obituary available online at www.pgfs.ca

Wilma Janet Carson (née Horn), born January 23, 1941, passed peacefully the morning of March 1, 2026 with her three children by her side. Wilma’s early years were spent in the home of her parents, William and Marion in Motherwell, Scotland. At age 11, she met Murray, the man with whom she would spend her life. Wilma completed her full six years at Dalziel High School before moving on to the College of Commerce in Glasgow.

Wilma and Murray were married on October 31st, 1960 in Bellingham, Washington. Murray’s career with the Royal Bank took them across the country but retrement brought them to the Sunshine Coast with ilma becoming actve in the arts and culture scene, and volunteering at the local thri store n 2013, ilma and Murray completed their nal move together bac to Prince George.

Wilma is survived by her husband of 65 years, Murray children iona, ilma Cam , and an Cora grandchildren Jennifer (Bryce), Heather, and Colin (Kailey); and great-grandchildren, Cynthia, Ashlyn, Theo and Luca.

The family would like to extend our thanks to rs Chang and Enos, and the sta at the Prince George Hospice.

No service to ollow at ilma s re uest n lieu o owers, please consider a donaton in ilma s name to the Prince George Hospice Society.

Wilma Janet Carson (née Horn)

Carl Pitchko

Classifeds

LEGAL NOTICE

To anyone related to DOW, CLARA LILY about the trailer MHR#035649, Serial#8298, 1973, HOMCO, AMBASSADOR, located at #76 - 5130 North Nechako Rd, Prince George, B.C., Mirae Investment Ltd. ,the owner of Caledonia MH Park, 251-3381 Cambie St., Vancouver, B.C. V5Z 4R3 (604-248-7505), will dispose of the abovementoned trailer unless the person being notfed takes possession of the property and establishes a right of possession of it within 30 days from the date the notce is served on that person.

for a

CONSULTANT

Houston, Telkwa and Smithers Full time Temporary Position Compensation: $38.50 – $46.85 Start date: April 13th, 2026 to May 31st, 2027 For full job description visit https://nwcdc.ca/news/#careers or to apply email Kerri Bassett, Executive Director at hr@nwcdc.ca

*When you make a meringue, be sure to spread it all the way to the crust on all sides. If you do, it won’t shrink.

* “Newspaper bags are handy hand covers in many situations. Keep them close if you are painting, doing a DIY art project, working in the shop with sticky or greasy materials or baking and working with dough. If you are interrupted, simply slip a bag over your hands to answer the phone or door, etc. It’s much quicker than washing and drying your hands, and you can go right back to it

•

•

By JoAnn Derson

once you have dealt with the interruption.” -- W.A. in Oregon

* “To clean burned-on bits from your cast iron skillet, scrub with a plastic scrubbie and salt as an abrasive. Dry immediately and rub with oil to keep moist.” -- R.T. in Ohio

* Metal shower hooks can be used in the sewing basket to hold safety pins. They can be used in a jewelry box to corral costume rings as well.

*After your dishwasher has run its course, open up the door and let the dishes air-dry. On cold days, there’s the added bonus of humidifying the house with the steam that escapes.

*On March 30, 1858, Philadelphia inventor Hymen Lipman received a patent for the first pencil with an attached eraser. Years later, however, the U.S. Supreme Court erased the patent, ruling that his combination of two existing devices made Lipman’s invention unworthy of a patent.

• On Nov. 11, 1831, Nat Turner, an American slave and educated minister who believed that he’d been chosen by God to lead his people into freedom, was hanged in Jerusalem, Virginia, for leading a revolt with 75 followers through Southampton County, killing about 60 white people.

* On March 31, 1995, pop star Selena Quintanilla Perez was shot to death

• On Nov. 12, 1969, investigative journalist Seymour Hersh revealed the extent of the U.S. Army’s charges against 1st Lt. William L. Calley at My Lai, Vietnam, in a cable picked up by more than 30 newspapers, saying that “The Army says he [Calley] deliberately murdered at least 109 Vietnamese civilians during a searchand-destroy mission in March 1968, in a Viet Cong stronghold known as ‘Pinkville.’”

ARIES (March 21 to April 19) This week ofers new opportunites for adventurous Sheep, both personally and professionally. Single Sheep could fnd romance with a TAURUS or SCORPIO.

in a Corpus Christi, Texas, motel by the president of her fan club, Yolanda Saldivar, who then engaged the police in a nine-hour standoff in the motel’s parking lot until her arrest. She was tried and convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.

* On April 1, 1970, President Richard Nixon, who was known to enjoy the occasional cigar himself, signed legislation officially banning cigarette ads on television and radio. The last such TV ad aired during “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” on Jan. 1, 1971.

* On April 2, 1917, President Woodrow

Wilson asked Congress to send U.S. troops into battle against Germany in World War I. In his address to Congress that day, he called it “a fearful thing to lead this great peaceful people into war.” Four days later, Congress obliged.

* On April 3, 1876, following a public fistfight the previous day between policeman Wyatt Earp (who won) and William Smith, a candidate for Wichita, Kansas, county sheriff, Earp was fined $30 and fired from his position.

* On April 4, 2007, syndicated talk radio host Don Imus incited a nationwide storm of criticism after making racially disparaging remarks

CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Watch your tendency to be overcautous in your personal relatonships. Give people a chance to show who they are -- not who you assume them to be.

about the Rutgers University women’s basketball team, insulting their appearance, tattoos and, most infamously, dubbing them “nappyheaded hos.” He apologized on his show two days later but lost his job and a number of sponsors, though he was ultimately able to save his career.

* On April 5, 1945, U.S. Pvt. 1st Class Sadao S. Munemori destroyed two German machine gun nests and fell on a live hand grenade to save his comrades. He became the first Japanese American awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, posthumously.

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Stck with your plans despite some recent disappointments. Persistence will pay of. Meanwhile, a family member’s health takes a happy turn for the beter.

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) A sensitve situaton needs careful handling. Show more patence than you usually do. This will allow everyone tme for some really hard thinking.

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Your big break is about to happen in the workplace. Expect to hear more about it within a few days. Meanwhile, enjoy some much-needed fun tme.

• On Nov. 13, 1979, Philadelphia 76ers center Darryl Dawkins leaped over Kansas City Kings forward Bill Robinzine for a memorable slam dunk that shattered the fiberglass backboard. His equally memorable comment on the move, which was not his last and the sound of which spectators likened to a bomb going off: “It wasn’t really a safe thing to do, but it was a Darryl Dawkins thing to do.”

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Your past tendency for breaking promises could be catching up with you. You need to reassure a certain someone in your life that, this tme, you’ll keep your word. Good luck!

• On Nov. 14, 1882, outlaw Frank “Buckskin” Leslie shot and killed Billy “The Kid” Claiborne, who had publicly challenged him, in Tombstone, Arizona.

• On Nov. 15, 1984, Baby Fae, a month old infant who received the world’s first baboon heart transplant, died at California’s Loma Linda University 20 days after the operation. Three other people had received animal heart transplants, but none survived longer than a few days.

• On Nov. 16, 2001, British author J.K. Rowling’s most famous and beloved creation, the bespectacled boy wizard Harry Potter (played by Daniel Radcliffe in his first major role), made his silver-screen debut in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” which went on to become one of the highestgrossing movies in history.

• On Nov. 17, 1903, the Russian 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.

LEO (July 23 to August 22) Aspects favor closer atenton to family maters, especially where it concerns older relatves who might need special care. A co-worker has informaton that can help.

VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) A workplace change causes a temporary delay in your plans. Contnue working on your project so that you’ll be ready when it’s tme to start up again.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Your gif for seeing through to the heart of a mater (or the heart of a person) impresses someone who is in a positon to make you a very interestng ofer.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Your colleagues believe in your leadership abilites because you believe in yourself. Your strength inspires others to follow your example.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) You are determined to take charge of a difcult situaton and turn it around. Good for you! Accept muchneeded help and advice from a LIBRA.

PISCES (February 19 to March 20) You are able to help people by sensing their deepest pain, but be careful not to let your own emotons get injured. Try to maintain a safe balance.

Homes & Living

Four things to test for when buying a home

(NC) Moving into your new home is an exciting and sometimes overwhelming time. Between all the organizing and settling in, safety tests are probably the last thing on your mind. But there are still important things to check. Here are a few simple but important issues to look for:

Insulation and airflow.

More than 10 per cent of the energy used in Canada every year goes to heating our homes, and poor insulation can waste a lot of it.

One way to check airflow is with a blower door test. A membrane goes over an external doorway with a powerful fan built in. It depressurizes the home by drawing air out quickly, and infrared cameras can show where air is being drawn in from outside to fill the lowpressure interior.

Radon gas.

Every home in Canada has some level

of radon. It’s an invisible radioactive gas that makes its way into homes from the ground through cracks and gaps in the foundation.

Exposure increases the risk of lung cancer considerably, so it’s important to test for it. Radon levels go up and down, but you can estimate your annual exposure by using a simple test kit for three months.

If your levels are high, a professional can reduce them by up to 90 per cent for less than the cost of replacing your furnace or air conditioner.

Moisture and mould

High moisture levels can damage the home and lead to mould growth. Mould may cause a number of health issues such as wheezing, shortness of breath and the worsening of asthma symptoms. Health Canada doesn’t recommend testing the air itself for mould, but reducing moisture levels can be an effective

prevention. Pay special attention to the kitchen, bathroom and basement, where moisture can be greater. Using dehumidifiers or ventilation can help you keep the humidity level between 30 and 50 per cent.

Plumbing.

Faults in your plumbing can worsen existing moisture issues and damage drywall, bricks and foundation materials. Look for signs of current or past leaks— discolouration on ceilings or walls, as well as spots where the paint seems to bulge or sag.

It’s also important to verify your pipes’ material: some homes still have lead fixtures connecting them to the municipal service lines. Consider testing your service line connections early and replacing them if necessary.

Not every safety risk in the home is obvious. Some, like radon, are literally invisible, and the only way to know

is to test. You can learn more about getting started with a do-it-yourself test kit or electronic monitor at takeactiononradon.ca.

www.newscanada.com

Have you tested your home for radon gas?

(NC) Whether you own your home or rent it, the safety of your living space is essential. One challenge is that not every risk to your home is obvious. Some you may not be aware of, and others, such as radon gas, are invisible. If you haven’t tested your home’s radon levels yet, here’s why you should:

How does radon get into your home? Radon gas is produced from uranium decaying underground. The air pressure inside your home is usually lower than the surrounding soil, which draws air and other gasses, including radon, up and into the home.

All homes in Canada have radon, but levels vary from one house to another—the only way to know your home’s level is to test. Why is radon gas dangerous? The danger comes when it’s allowed to build up high levels indoors. Exposure to high levels of radon increases the risk of lung cancer significantly. In fact, it’s the number

one cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers in Canada. It’s also on the rise: over the last decade, household radon levels across the country have been increasing, possibly due to better sealing for home energy efficiency. Recent data shows high levels in one in five Canadian homes.

What can homeowners do? Testing for radon is easy: you just need a do-it-yourself test kit or an electronic radon monitor. Your home’s levels rise and fall over time, so doing a long-term test over three months will let you estimate your annual exposure. Here are some tips for optimal testing:

· Put the device on the lowest lived-in level of the home, such as a finished basement, family room or playroom.

· Use a flat surface, or hang it on the wall or from the ceiling, keeping it between half a metre and two metres off the floor.

· Avoid installing it near windows, vents, doors and exterior walls. Don’t put the device in kitchens, laundry rooms, closets or unfinished basements.

· Leave the device alone for at least three months—set a reminder to check it at that time, so you don’t forget.

If the testing shows a high level of radon it can be fixed. A certified professional can install a radon reduction system in just one to two days.

The system works by giving radon gas an easier path to escape outdoors. It costs less to install than replacing a furnace or air conditioner and can reduce radon levels in your home by up to 90 per cent.

The danger of radon is real, but by testing for it and taking action to reduce the level in your home, protecting yourself is easier than you might think. Learn more at takeactiononradon.ca.

www.newscanada.com