AHN FEB 9 2017

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9 2017 VOL. 74, NO. 6

SERVING FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES

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SPORTS B1

COMMUNITY B9

MIGHTY MOOSE

MATT PREPROST PHOTO

Taylor Coun. Betty Ponto: “We want to keep that clinic open. By the same token, we can’t just say carte blanche, at all costs.�

Taylor to fund doctor coverage

When You Are Out in the Field, Time IS Money.

Interim step as district works to keep clinic open

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ALEISHA HENDRY PHOTO

Local artist Michelle Pringle poses with her driftwood moose sculpture at the opening of the My Canada exhibition at Peace Gallery North on Feb. 3. Turn to B5 for the full story on Pringle’s creation and the exhibit.

The District of Taylor will spend $1,200 a day to ensure doctor coverage for one week in March. But the future of the district’s only medical clinic still remains to be seen. Officials and councillors are rushing to save the clinic from a full closure after Livecare gave notice it will end its operations at the clinic March 31, and that it can’t afford to send a doctor north next month for on-site visits. On Monday evening, Taylor councillors voted unanimously to pay the $1,200 daily rate for Dr. Pam Kryskow to attend the clinic for five days in March. “It’s important to keep that going,� said Coun. Brent Taillefer. The measure is an interim step as district staff continue to push for meetings with provincial health officials in a bid to negotiate a funding model that will see the clinic remain open. See CLINIC on A13

PVEA urges BC Hydro to delay logging Watson’s Slough ALEISHA HENDRY ahendry@ahnfsj.ca

The Peace Valley Environment Association held a protest at wetlands in the Peace River Valley last week in response to notice that logging was slated for the area. About 30 people gathered at Watson’s Slough Feb. 2 to protest BC Hydro’s Site C dam construction schedule, which has listed the area to be logged and cleared away in winter 2017. The PRRD has sent a request to BC Hydro to hold off on logging the area, after receiving a letter from the PVEA. Bear Flat landowner Ken Boon noted during the gathering that one’s position on the project shouldn’t matter in

this case. “There’s a lot of people here that don’t want to see this project go ahead, myself included, and continue to oppose it and fight it. But even if you’re not opposed to Site C, even if you’re in favour of Site C, it makes no sense to log this slough yet. It just looks like a no-brainer for Hydro to hold off,� he said. Ducks Unlimited has done work in the area installing information signs and a trail, and the slough is often used to educate school kids about wetlands wildlife. Local wildlife biologist and avid bird watcher Mark Phinney spoke about the importance of the wetlands to the area, as it’s the largest in Northeast B.C. See SLOUGH on A3

ALEISHA HENDRY PHOTO

Site C protesters walked around the Watson’s Slough area on Feb. 2 in response to a notice that logging was slated to occur in the area.

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