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Festive spirit was in abundance at the Christmas in the Valley celebration last Friday night, with wagon rides, carols and an appearance by Santa. More photos, page A12. Alicia Bridges photo
Hwy 16 transport plan Downtown crime spree By Alicia Bridges Smithers/Interior News
The Ministry of Transportation is working on a provincial strategy to improve transportation and safety along Highway 16 after First Nations and government leaders met at a forum in Smithers last week. About 90 people attended the day-long symposium co-hosted by the Ministry and the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA). According to the Ministry, its goal was to address transportation challenges and find ways to improve services along Highway 16 between Prince Rupert and Prince George. A Ministry spokesperson said input from the forum would be incorporated into a plan being prepared for Transportation Minister Todd Stone, who was not at the meeting but promised to “turn discussions into action” in a statement. “The action plan will identify solutions to provide safe, practical and sustainable transportation services for communities along
the Highway 16 corridor as quickly as possible,” said the spokesperson. Stone told The Canadian Press some of the options being considered were volunteerdriven vans linking First Nations reserves and communities, improving current transit schedules and expanding the use of existing medical transportation. A meeting for families of missing and murdered aboriginal women is also being planned for early 2016. “This family gathering will provide a safe and supportive environment for families of missing and murdered Aboriginal women to heal together by sharing their stories and their collective strength,” said the spokesperson. “The family gathering will also be a forum where people can come together to look for – and identify – solutions.” At least 18 women have been murdered or gone missing along 700-kilometre stretch of highway, which has become known as the Highway of Tears. See OPTIONS on A4
prompts more patrols
By Alicia Bridges Smithers/Interior News
Smithers RCMP has permanently ramped up its patrols of the Main Street area amid calls for increased security after seven downtown businesses were broken into overnight on Nov. 23. Forensics officers from Terrace were in Smithers last Monday looking for evidence in seven thefts and two attempts to break into local businesses the night before. Police believe the crimes were committed by a transient male looking for cash. A suspect was arrested in Whitehorse, Yukon, on Nov. 27 after five businesses were broken into there. Smithers RCMP Staff Sergeant
Rob Mitchell said he would be interviewed in relation to the Smithers offences. He said the man is also a suspect in a series of similar break-ins in Prince Rupert. The detachment has permanently bumped up the frequency of its night patrols of the area in response to the crimes. Sgt. Mitchell said his detachment had always conducted periodic patrols of the area. “We have already implemented a policy of more regular, more frequent patrols, which were already underway, but we have ramped them up in light of the most recent rash of break and enters,” he said. See RCMP on A8
edwards named local legend Rick Edwards earns recognition for Hudson Bay Mountain involvement.
changing of the guide dog guard Smithers man Sieghard Weitzel welcomes new guide dog, Radar.
sunny hill to the rescue Telkwa woman does all she can to re-home unwanted horses, feral cats.
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The Interior News
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
N ews
Ministry of Environment measures poor Bulkley Valley air quality
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Air quality advisories issued for Bulkley Valley as B.C. Ministry of Environment officials visit By Chris Gareau Smithers/Interior News
In a coincidental case of apt timing, air quality advisories were issued for Smithers, Houston and Burns Lake right after Ministry of Environment officials were in the Bulkley Valley to talk about measurements of the air shed. Clean air section manager Glen Okrainetz and air quality science specialist Natalie Suzuki of the Environmental Protection Division presented the first findings of and the methods used by the new National Air Quality Management System to Smithers town council last Tuesday. It measured data from 2011-14. The particular issue for Smithers and the rest of the Bulkley Valley is particulate matter, specifically PM 2.5. “By fine particulate matter or PM 2.5, I’m talking about microscopic particles typically associated with a combustiontype process,” explained Suzuki to council. “These particles are fine enough to be deposited deep within our lungs, and are associated with various respiratory as well as cardiovascular effects.” The day after the Ministry presented its findings, an air quality advisory for Smithers that lasted two day was issued. Another was issued this Monday.
On a chart shown to council, Smithers stuck out in bright red as having particulate matter levels higher than all of the other measurements from northern British Columbia except for Vanderhoof. Part of those higher levels were from having better measuring equipment, according to Okrainetz, but Smithers still has a problem. “It’s not so much the ongoing emissions, it appears to be we’ve got some spikes that occur, likely in the winter, associated with residential wood combustion,” explained Okrainetz. “When you’ve got weather like you do here this week, nice clear, cold weather, the smoke has nowhere to go.” A Smithers bylaw on the books has proven ineffective in getting many Smithereens to switch over to better wood stoves. “The current bylaw includes a soft target of 2010 to swap out all of the noncertified wood stoves, so we blew by that target,” said Mayor Taylor Bachrach. “We know there are still un-certified wood stoves out there, so I really think [the solution is] taking another run at the bylaw and trying to come up with an enforceable strategy for swapping out those old smoky stoves in our community.” Enforcement is an issue, but Bachrach said that a brainstorming session before
the meeting came up with a few ideas that council will present in the future. “Really, it’s not about just creating a regulatory stick. We need carrots as well, and more than anything we need awareness and education out there,” said Bachrach. “People need to know ... what the province is telling us, which is that our community has a real problem and we need to take some serious action to fix it.” The carrot of supplementing the wood exchange program also proved to not be very successful. “I know there has been an application by the air shed management society, which would include the Town of Smithers, so residents can participate in that,” said Bachrach. “In the past, the Town itself has added to that incentive. We will have a discussion about whether that is one of the strategies we will want to put back in place.” Okrainetz said that if the Town is interested, a car outfitted with a monitor could be driven by UNBC students to more accurately pinpoint sources of emissions. “The province has singled out Smithers as one of the communities in the northern interior that has big problem with air quality. So they’re serious about working with us to tackle it, we’re serious about tackling it,” said Bachrach.
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The Interior News
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
N ews
Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP heads to Paris for climate talks By Chris Gareau Smithers/Interior News
The Bulkley Valley will have a representative at the COP21 climate change meeting of world leaders in Paris this weekend. Local MP and NDP Critic for the Environment and Climate Change Nathan Cullen was invited to take part as a member of the Canadian delegation along with other federal and provincial leaders. Cullen called the 21st United Nation Conference of Parties the “last, best chance for the world to come to some agreement on climate change.” “The expectations are going through the roof right now for Canada to show up, not just with a new speech and a new guy with [Prime Minister] Trudeau, but with an actual goal and a plan to get to that goal,” said Cullenon Thursday before he packed his bags. He pointed to provincial efforts, including Alberta recently announcing its plans to put a price on carbon. “The ball’s now in Mr. Trudeau’s court, and we’ll be showing up in Paris to make sure his feet are held to the fire,”
said Cullen. He added that he would arrive after the leaders when the ministers handling the file were “more engaged.” Cullen also plans to use other countries’ strides in cutting carbon emissions. “I want to work with this government. I’ve had several conversations with the new minister; I’m feeling good about the way those conversations go, but we need a lot more than just ‘wait and see, Canada will get back to you in six months,’ ” said Cullen. He also felt Canada and the other countries of the world need to arrive at specific emission reduction targets. It has already been stated by participants that any agreement would not be legally binding. “Science is very helpful in explaining what Canada’s contribution should be. The meeting with the provinces was a good first step, yet leadership requires, well, leadership. It requires a goal, and a target is that goal,” said Cullen. “It’d be like ... I was telling you I was going to lose some weight, and you said ‘okay, how much?’ And I said, ‘I don’t know really. I don’t really have a goal.’ And you said, ‘well, how are you going to do it?’ And I said, ‘I don’t really know
that either. But I’m just going to lose some weight.’ “You’d be forgiven for being a bit skeptical about my chances of success, and for many years Canada has had goals with no way to get there. The way to fix that is not to simply step back from both a goal and a plan,” said Cullen.
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Airport fees change as traffic dips By Chris Gareau Smithers/Interior News
Smithers council unanimously passed third reading of the Airport Fees and Charges 2016-2018 last Tuesday. It must be voted on one more time to be adopted. This comes at the same time that the air traffic report shows a dip in flights landing and taking off from Smithers Regional Airport. Airport manager Rob Blackburn explained that no fees are charged on privately registered piston aircraft. “The goal with that is to increase the frequency of those small flyers. The guys, it’s a hobby for them to come out and have a few flights,” said Blackburn. Fees for commercial flights are going up by two per cent in what Blackburn describes as an effort to keep up with costs. “I don’t think that will show up at all ... as far as price of a ticket in Smithers goes. And that’s pretty much going across the country,” said Blackburn. “What we did in order to get to that is we studied all the other airports in northern B.C. I think a total of 18 airports that we looked at, and we wanted to make sure that we weren’t the highest and that we A passing aircraft leaves a contrail over Smithers. weren’t the lowest to make sure we were staying competitive. Fewer planes are using the Smithers airport. “That two per cent keeps us very Grant Harris photo
well in the middle of the pack.” Air traffic numbers are down about the amount Hawkair flew before withdrawing from Smithers airport in June, according to Blackburn, but he added that they do not necessarily have a direct correlation. Aircraft traffic movement for October was 1,107, with 6,636 chartered and scheduled passengers. Last October, it was 1,374 aircraft traffic movements with 8,083 total passengers. Chartered passengers were down this past October compared to October, 2014 from 1,088 last year to 905 this year. Scheduled passengers were down from 6,995 last October to 5,731 this October. “That is just a coincidence, I think. The reality of it is yes, we’re down those many aircraft movements when we’re down that much in fees, but we also don’t have any pipeline activity going on this year, which we had a lot of last year,” explained Blackburn. “Those people just aren’t travelling this year.” Any ticket price jumps would come from a lack of competition, said Blackburn, who added that for a company like Westjet to move in, more passengers were needed. Air Canada is the main carrier now servicing Smithers. “Air Canada has pretty much got the monopoly now, and they’re just working it,” said Blackburn.
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Chiefs not invited By Alicia Bridges Smithers/Interior News
The Office of the Wet’suwet’en (OW) says the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure’s failure to invite its hereditary chiefs to a transportation symposium in Smithers last week was a disappointing oversight. Public transportation options to improve safety along Highway 16 were considered by more than 90 community leaders at a forum in Smithers on Tuesday. First Nations bands and municipal leaders, including Smithers town councillors, were among those invited to the meeting co-hosted by the Ministry and the First Nations Health Authority. But executive director Debbie Pierre said nobody told her office about the symposium. “We didn’t even know about this symposium until it was happening and it was very unfortunate that the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs were not invited because they do have an inherent responsibility to care for their membership,” she said. Pierre said her office would have raised questions about why the
The Interior News
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
recommendations of Wally Oppal’s Missing Women Commission of Inquiry had not been enacted. She plans to raise the issue with Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation Minister John Rustad’s office, which is organizing a “government-to-government” meeting with the Wet’suwet’en in early 2016. “If we are going into “governmentto-government” discussions, that was quite an oversight,” said Pierre. Hereditary chief Na’Moks (John Ridsdale) said holding a meeting on Wet’suwet’en territory without notifying hereditary leaders went against Wet’suwet’en protocol. If he had been invited, Na’Moks said he would have put pressure on the Ministry to act now. “If there was immediate action I would be more than pleased to support it but if it’s just a planning stage – they’ve had many opportunities in the past to do that,” he said. FNHA said chiefs of 26 elected band councils within 75 kilometres of the highway were invited to send two representatives to the meeting. The authority said it covered the cost of their travel, and it did not turn away anyone who could attend at their own cost.
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Hwy options considered From PLAN on Front Advocates say better public transportation is needed to connect small communities, which have limited access to services and amenities, and to reduce the need to hitchhike between towns. The Ministry has ruled out a shuttle bus service, which was recommended by the Highway of Tears Symposium report in 2006. Instead, it says it is focused on “community-based” transportation solutions which are suited to individual communities along the highway. Examples of what that might look like were presented at last week’s meeting in Smithers. Northern Health’s medical transportation bus, a communityled service in Lake Babine, and the Seniors Helping Seniors program in Fort St. James were among the models discussed. Mary Teegee from Carrier Sekani Family Services had hoped to see a financial commitment to a better service today. Her organization also runs the Highway of Tears initiative, which provides advocacy and support for vulnerable women and families of victims. “We were there to ensure that the issue of the Highway of Tears and missing and murdered aboriginal women was not forgotten in this,” she said. Although Teegee said she had seen numerous reports and discussions on the issue, she was cautiously optimistic that this meeting was a step towards
seeing improvements. The meeting also considered the results of an FNHA survey on First Nations travel needs along the Highway 16 corridor. FNHA engagement and coordination manager Mark Matthew told The Interior News his organization’s main interest in partnering with the Ministry was to improve public transportation for medical reasons. However, he said there may be opportunities for his organization to help other groups with transportation measures that improve public safety overall. “Anything that looks solutionbased beyond the medical transportation work that we’re mandated to provide, we will have to have more discussions on how involved we actually would be on that,” said Matthew. “By us supporting the process it may sort of provide us direction to pursue other external partnerships but it won’t necessarily mean us delivering a service.” Moricetown Band member Lorna Morris hoped any new service would help stop hitchhiking, which she said was a problem in her community. “We have quite a few that are still on the road hitchhiking because of the rising cost of fuel and low-income [and] no jobs,” she said. “It’s hard to say what can we do. “There are a lot of options but it takes money to move a rock.” She said communities and governments had to work together to find the solution.
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Wednesday, December 2, 2015
N EWS Northern Health bus easier to access By Xuyun Zeng Houston/Interior News
Community leaders raised concerns of low ridership on the Northern Health Connections bus at the Houston Health Education Community Services Safety Committee (CHESS) meeting two weeks ago. Northern Health’s Houston site coordinator Sally Sullivan revealed that she has clarified that clients can use the bus to get to most medically-related appointments. “I think there were a lot of people in the community that were not aware exactly what the Health Connections bus could be used for,” said
Sullivan. “It’s not limited to only physician appointments or specialist appointments.” “That can be used for a dental appointment, optometrist, anything really that has a connection with health.” Sullivan revealed the ridership is “very low” at the meeting. “I think that’s why they’re very lenient about how closely related to health it is, and I think until the bus is jam-packed every trip, they’re not really going to push back.” Houston RCMP detachment commander Sgt. Stephen Rose asked if the bus could be used for probation court visits in Smithers. “We have a fair number
of clients that need to get to Smithers for various things, so I’m wondering if there’s a way,” he said. Sullivan later noted that she will check if this is possible. A ride on the bus costs $20 to $80 for a return trip depending on the distance of the destination. “I know there’s been community members who have used it to go to Vancouver for a specialist appointment,” said Sullivan. The bus goes to centres for medical care such as Terrace, Prince George and Smithers. It runs a Thursday service where riders can get to Smithers and back on the same day. People looking for more
information can find out more at nhconnections.ca, or call 1-888-647-6997. District of Houston Coun. Jonathan Van Barneveld encourages use of the bus to ensure its sustainability. “Now that we know the definition of ‘health’ is very broad, people can really utilize that,” said Van Barneveld. “It’s about getting information out there and educating the public so that it eventually becomes their first option.” “For people that don’t have vehicles, transportation is a big thing, so if they realize that Thursday’s the day you can do that, then they can really co-ordinate their efforts and get ridership up.”
Mixed reaction to forum from politicians By Alicia Bridges Smithers/Interior News
Northwest politicians reacted to last week’s transportation symposium in Smithers with a mixture of optimism and disappointment. The symposium co-hosted by the Ministry and the First Nations Health Authority was held to brainstorm solutions to a lack of transportation along Highway 16. Ministry workers are now preparing an “action plan” to present to Transportation Minister Todd Stone. Smithers Mayor Taylor Bachrach, who attended part of the meeting, said communities in the Northwest were still waiting for a concrete financial commitment and tangible actions from the Ministry. “To me that has always been the missing link,” he said. “We talk about the problem but we don’t talk about the brass tacks of the solution and so I’m looking forward to the conversation evolving to that place.” However, Bachrach said he was encouraged by last week’s meeting and what he considered to be a “new tone of commitment” from the Ministry.
He hopes the solution will be a region-wide system with a coordinated administrative and funding model. The mayor believes it should be a holistic service to address all health and safety needs, not just medical treatment. “For whatever reason, we have elevated the need to get to hospital appointments above other transportation needs and yet all those other transportation needs are critical aspects of health and vitality in the North,” said Bachrach. “People need to travel to access food, people need to travel to visit with family, people need to travel to employment counselling, all of those different reasons, and those are all things that contribute to people’s quality of life and also their health.” Smithers town councillor Bill Goodacre, who also attended the Smithers meeting, was cautiously optimistic that the campaign for better transport was gaining momentum. He said last week’s meeting was the first time so many different groups had come together to discuss the issue. “If these kinds of conversations
continue then there will be a lot more political will generated to put pressure on the federal and provincial government,” he said. “Also we’ve got this window of opportunity with the new federal government that has shown it wants to do more on the aboriginal file.” But NDP Stikine MLA Doug Donaldson said the government should have committed to a plan. “I’m very disheartened that there was no timeline or timeframe at the end of the symposium to say when this group that came up to hold the forum will be getting back to the group, and also when they will be implementing some kind of actions,” said Donaldson. He said the role that public transportation plays in contributing to poverty rates should also be considered. “When there’s people that are struggling to find transportation options, a lot of that has to do with poverty and if these people can’t get to appointments, they can’t get to a place to buy nutritious food for their family, they can’t get to work.” S ke e n a - B u l k l e y
Valley MP Nathan Cullen also suggested an investment in transportation would help improve the standard of living for people in small communities. “ U l t i m at e l y, and it’s a bigger question, it’s about people having money, jobs, work and opportunities to be able to get from A to B without having to rely on unsafe means of travel,” he said. Cullen said he planned to approach Indigenous and Northern Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett, and federal
Transport Minister Marc Garneau, seeking support for a better service along Highway 16. The NDP had also been working with cell phone companies to install more towers along the highway, he said. Despite having witnessed other forums on the issue, Cullen was encouraged by last week’s symposium. “The reason I’m hopeful with this one was that it was less about grand speeches and vague promises and a lot more about a plan.”
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Thank you! A heartfelt thank you from St. Anthony’s Parish for the overwhelming success of our Silent Auction held on Saturday, September 12-26, 2015. This thank you goes out to the following businesses and personal donations received from both Houston and Smithers for the Silent Auction as well as from the parishoners of both St. Anthony’s and St. Joseph’s. Houston Businesses: John Himech Logging, Ltd. Wilson Bros Contracting, Ltd. Groot Bros Enterprises, Ltd. D.H. Manufacturing D&M Industrial Supply Machine Shop Nadina Truck Services, Ltd. Stardust Transpot, Ltd. Can-For Mills Aurora Truck Centre, Ltd. A.R.P. Collision Wine and Lager Shop Finning Tractor Canada B.V. Building Centre, Ltd. (Castle) Houston Co-op All West Glass, Ltd. Napa Auto Parts Sullivan Motor Products Monster Industries, Inc. All Out Fire Extinguishers Pleasant Valley Plaza Blastpro Construction, Ltd. RBC 1st Choice Fashions B.V. Credit Union (Houston) Pacific Truck and Equipment, Inc. Pleasant Valley Restaurant Pharmasave Drugs Brewstir’s Cafe Houston Food Market Mike’s Audio Video Houston Barber Shop Home Hardware (Houston) Houston Pizza Factory The Razor’s Edge The Element’s Restaurant Lee’s Garden Emberson Plumbing and Heating, Ltd. VYBZ Hair Care and Bare Necessities Spa 7-11 Motions Canada Majestic Restaurant Willow Grove Golf and Country Club Blooming Arrangements The Tea House with a Twist Subway (Houston) Country Wide Printing and Stationery Fields Store Smither’s Businesses: McBike Rayz Board Shop Hy Tech Drilling Driftwood Diamond Drilling Frontier Chrysler Jeep and Eagle, Ltd.
Smokescreen Graphics Glacier Toyota Canadian Helicopter Hoskins Ford Sales, Ltd. Smithers Feed Store Canadian Tire Trails North Bandstra’s Transportation Systems, Ltd. Smither’s Lumber Yard Apex Cleaning Services Marks Work Warehouse B.V. Wholesale Safeway McDonalds Boston Pizza Tim Hortons Dairy Queen Smither’s Golf and Country Club The Red Apple Fabrications Pauls Bakery Heartstrings Home Decor, Ltd. Four Dimensions Big Smiles Kids Store Trackside Cantina Babine Vet Clinic Smither’s Sausage Factory La Petite Maison Decor and Design Dan’s Source for Sports Oscar’s Source for Adventure Outdoor Essentials Shopper’s Drug Mart Alpenhorn Bistro and Bar Appreciations Flowers and Gifts Totem Audio and Electronics Steakhouse on Main Extra Foods Blue Fin Sushi Bar Daddio’s Telkwa Businesses: Rudolph’s Sausage and Meats Also a special thank you goes out to the following people: David Hemmenway Daryl Nadeau Nelda Hudson Ilene Boucier Again, a million thank you’s. It wouldn’t have been a success without all of your support and in so doing a donation will be made to both the Houston Food Bank and Soup Kitchen.
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Skate with Santa Friday, December 11th 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Smithers Arena Admission is a non-perishable food item or cash donation to the Food Bank. Thanks to our supporters...
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The Interior News
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Published by Black Press Ltd. 3764 Broadway Avenue, Smithers BC V0J 2N0
2010
Publisher Grant Harris, Editor Chris Gareau CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER AWARD 2013
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Web poll Do you think any changes will come from last Tuesday’s Ministry of Transportation and First Nations Health Authority transportation symposium in Smithers?
No 65%
Yes 35%
Inconvenient truths of climate change
Guest View Tom Fletcher
P
remier Christy Clark and Environment Minister Mary Polak have joined the thousands of jet-setters in Paris to once again stage negotiations for a global climate treaty. The embarrassing failures of these United Nations events, such as the one in Lima, Peru last
year, have been forgotten. Canadian TV only showed file images of an effigy of Stephen Harper receiving a “fossil of the day” award for his alleged failure to rein in Canada’s two per cent of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions. Now Justin Trudeau leads our biggest-ever delegation to COP21, as the Paris meeting is called. Trudeau hasn’t even begun to develop a plan for Canada, asking provinces to come up with their own first, but he’s already hailed as a visionary. This is similar to the newly elected Barack Obama, who modestly predicted in 2008 that history would record his win as “the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal.” Perhaps Obama wasn’t
completely full of CO2, since in this century, global temperatures have increased by only about a fourth of what UN climate models predicted. This 20-year slowdown of the long run of post-Ice Age warming, which has dominated most of the last 10,000 years, is referred to as the “pause” or “hiatus.” It is usually explained away with reference to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation or other longterm warming and cooling trends in oceans. Other countries have put new emission reduction proposals on the table for COP21. Danish environmental economist Bjorn Lomborg did the math, and concluded that if every major emitting country keeps its word this time, the total of all their efforts would reduce
global warming by about 0.2 degrees by 2100. What? A statistically meaningless decrease after 85 years of energy austerity? That Lomborg, he’s just a “denier,” trying to get more publicity. Oh wait, here’s a study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that finds the same thing — two tenths of a degree by 2100. Wobbly climate models aren’t the only problem for global warming alarmists. NASA recently confirmed that contrary to UN projections, total ice mass in Antarctica is increasing. This is much more likely to slow sea level rise than an Obama or Trudeau speech. Arctic ice, meanwhile, is rebounding rapidly after receding in recent years. And while UN climate conferences always cause a spike in sightings of
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people wearing polar bear suits, here’s another inconvenient truth. B.C. polar bear researcher Susan Crockford reports that the world bear population is up to 26,500, a 50-year high. That Crockford, she’s just a denier ... Oh wait, the International Union for Conservation of Nature “Red List” says that’s about right, and the population trend is no longer “decreasing” but is now “unknown.” None of this is to deny that our climate is warming, or that the Industrial Revolution and carbon fuel use are part of the picture. It’s the religious zeal, misuse of data and attacks on skeptics that are troubling. B.C. already leads the country with its small but broad-based carbon tax,
about which Clark will boast at every opportunity in Paris. We won’t see the B.C. Liberal government’s final “Climate 2.0” plan until next spring, but their advisory committee wants to start jacking up the carbon tax in 2018. Northern and Interior B.C. folks are assured they will receive bigger rebates to reflect the fact that they pay more carbon tax to drive long distances in the cold. And B.C.’s aggressive 2020 greenhouse gas target? The government admits we’re not going to make that, because the economy is growing. — Tom Fletcher is legislature reporter and columnist for Black Press. Email: tfletcher@ blackpress.ca Twitter: @ tomfletcherbc
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L etters My door is still open Editor:
I felt disappointed reading Mr. McGregor’s letter regarding our meeting. (Right to worship freely, teach values in jeopardy published Nov. 25.) His recollection of what was said differs significantly from mine, as I did not make a remark about the need to elect different people to council. We did, however, discuss the fact that the Town of Smithers is a civic organization, not a religious one. Becoming a more inclusive community is a goal to which I remain firmly committed. I hope every person who chooses to call Smithers home can look forward to the same sense of belonging I enjoy, regardless of his or her differences. This is consistent with the diversity and tolerance that are hallmarks of contemporary Canadian society. My door is still open. Taylor Bachrach Mayor Smithers
Put away the black paint Editor: It is very interesting to read the beginning of a letter or opinion piece; sometimes it leads to a logical conclusion but at other times, like the Billboard Blues letter (published Nov. 18) the logic derails somewhere between the opening and closing. The writer begins by saying that the battle of the billboards, which are regularly vandalized, is disrespectful. A logical conclusion would be, since vandalism is a criminal activity that we don’t tolerate in our Canadian society, we don’t condone the actions of the vandal either. But when a person’s emotions and personal hurts get mixed into the equation, it becomes easier to bury the truth under black paint, both literally and figuratively, than it is to face the truth, acknowledge why it hurts and seek healing. The message of the billboard says that animals have legal protection in Canada, whereas children, at any stage and age in the womb, have zero protection under Canadian law. Using a billboard to communicate a message is an appropriate way to educate and inform the public. The writer calls the message judgmental, accusatory and searing, but those are emotional reactions that beg the question: “Why does this message bother someone that much?” Again, the writer gives the answer:
the person is hurting, just like her two friends who had “ended the start of a new life.” In their own words they acknowledge that it is not a “hope or a twinkle” that passes out of the womb through miscarriage or abortion; it is a new life, a tiny human being. Modern 3D ultrasounds, colour photographs that give a window into the womb, and pre-natal research have absolutely proven that this child, at 10 weeks and a mere two inches in size, already has a heartbeat, brain waves and functioning body organs. So now we finally come to the truth. The grief in our heart tells us that it was the life of our own child that ended too soon, but if that life ended by our “choice”, then despite all the excuses we might tell ourselves: my parents won’t approve, I am too young, my boyfriend is abusive, a baby will impede my career, etc., the pain of a guilty conscience is not silenced with buckets of black paint. Given time and nourishment, that new life in the womb could grow until he or she becomes a “newborn”; and if that does not bring joy and love to the biological mother, it will certainly do so for an adoptive mom. My first two grandsons are adopted. They are alive, placed in our daughters arms and they are deeply loved by the whole family. The black paint splattered all over my grandson’s face on the billboards along the highway is very hurtful. Why would the positive message of adoption elicit such hostility? It is time that the vandal put away her bucket of black paint, not only literally, but also figuratively. It is time to peel off the black paint that is covering up the event from the past which still hurts her so much. It is time to say sorry to that pre-born child and to accept the offer that Jesus gives to every one of us: that he will wash away the blackness of our hearts and make us white as snow. Betty Bandstra Smithers
Diversity is being forced Editor:
Some of the key words and phrases in Mayor Taylor Bachrach’s recent op-ed What’s in a rainbow (published Nov. 11) were “inclusive,” “tolerant community,” “diverse,” “celebrating difference,” “acceptance,” and “symbol of inclusion.” I would like to respectfully point out to the mayor the sad irony that as nice as these words may sound, they are increasingly being used by the LGBT community to undermine the basic freedoms that all Canadians should enjoy. One example hits close to home for me, : as an alumni of O T Trinity Western University (TWU), an Letters to the editor policy evangelical faithLetters are welcomed up to a maximum of 250 words. Letters are subject to editing for based institution clarity, brevity and legality. All letters must include the writer’s name, daytime telephone number and hometown for verification purposes. Anonymous, or pen names will not be in Langley. Not permitted. Not all submissions will be published. Letters may be e-mailed to: editor@ long ago, TWU interior-news.com. was granted
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approval by the B.C. Ministry of Advanced Education and the B.C. Law Society to begin a law school. They had to undergo a far more rigorous process than any other university to get this approval, simply because they were Christian. This approval was then rescinded, due to an outcry because students at TWU willingly abide by a lifestyle agreement which requires that they live according to a biblical standard of holiness, also as it relates to sexuality. Without any evidence of actual discrimination, future grads of the TWU law program were being prejudged. In the name of “diversity,” a Christian law school is being banned. Another example I can provide is from this spring, when Alberta enacted Bill 10 which requires all schools in Alberta to approve any activity or club done in the name of promoting diversity. This means that if a Christian school is asked by one student to start a club that promotes homosexuality, the school must comply even though it may violate the school’s statement of faith. It’s another example of “diversity” being forced, at the expense of freedom of religion and association. Using the modified phrase from George Orwell’s book Animal Farm with some creativity: “All people are equal, but some people are more equal than others.” Diversity and inclusion are important values to pursue. But they are not achieved by forcing all citizens to celebrate sexual lifestyles that some believe are both wrong and hurtful. Mark Moes Smithers
Open letter to Premier Clark on climate action Editor: Your goals of reducing carbon pollution and growing the economy are compatible, but only if your upcoming climate leadership plan includes meaningful policy to reduce carbon pollution in a manner compatible with a global carbon budget that limits global warming to two degrees Celsius. B.C. has led the world in driving down carbon pollution and growing the economy. But this is no longer the case. B.C.’s carbon pollution has increased since 2012 and will continue to increase without your action. In response you’ve created a climate leadership team and plan to soon share draft recommendations. This plan must include interim targets that align with B.C.’s legislated 2050 target. Any targets must be backed by effective policy and evidence-based public analysis showing how the policies will reduce carbon pollution, while maintaining a competitive and affordable economy. The plan must include a variety of effective measures that collectively are projected to meet the province’s emissions targets. These measures include: • Increasing the level and scope of the carbon tax • Increasing the stringency of the lowcarbon fuel standard • Strengthening building standards to
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reduce carbon pollution • Implementing a zero-emission vehicle standard for motor vehicles with sales targets • Regulating LNG and natural gas production to reduce carbon pollution LNG development must fit within the targets, and the burden to reduce emissions should not fall solely on the rest of the economy. These policies can be supported by initiatives to protect low-income families and help businesses adapt. However, if we don’t see evidence of meaningful policy, your ambition to be acting on climate is not credible. Mark Jaccard – Professor Environmental Economics, SFU Kathryn Harrison – Professor Political Science, UBC George Hoberg – Professor Dept. of Forest Resources Management, UBC Jonn Axsen – Assistant Professor Energy and Materials Research Group, SFU Kirsten Zickfeld – Associate Professor, Sarah E. Gergel - Associate Professor Department of Geography, SFU Department of Forest & Conservation Sciences, UBC Lori Daniels – Associate Professor Forest and Conservation Sciences, UBC Ronald Kellett – Director and Professor, School of Architecture + Landscape Architecture, UBC Tim K. Takaro - Professor and Chair, Faculty of Health Sciences, SFU Andrew Rowe – Institute for Integrated Energy Systems Dept. of Mechanical Engineering UVIC Curran Crawford - Associate Professor Graduate Program Director, Department of Mechanical Engineering, UVIC Wendy J. Palen – Associate Professor Dept. of Biological Sciences, SFU Peter Hall – Professor and Director, Urban Studies, SFU Stephanie Bertels – Associate Professor, SFU Beedie School of Business Shane Gunster – Associate Professor, School of Communication, SFU Hisham Zerriffi - Assistant Professor, Liu Institute for Global Issues, UBC Karen E. Kohfeld – Associate Professor & Canada Research Chair in Climate, SFU Anne Salomon – Associate Professor Coastal Marine Ecology and Conservation Lab, SFU Simon Donner – Associate Professor, Climatology, UBC Arne Mooers – Professor, Biological Sciences, SFU Tara Ivanochko - Senior Instructor, Director Environmental Science, UBC Robert Gifford – Professor of Psychology and Environmental Studies, UVIC Milind Kandlikar – Professor, UBC Pascal Haegeli – Assistant Professor Research Chair in Avalanche Risk Management, SFU Meg Holden – Associate Professor, Urban Studies and Geography, SFU Lynne Quarmby – Professor, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, SFU Sally Aitken – Professor, Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, UBC Sumeet Gulati – Associate Professor, Environmental and Resource Economics, UBC Anthony Perl – Professor of Urban Studies and Political Science, SFU
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N EWS
Merchants back RCMP patrols
From SPREE on Front “Some business owners for obvious reasons have expressed concerns,” said Mitchell. The RCMP decision came amid calls from business owners to increase the police presence around Main Street at night. Michelle Blackett, whose business New Age Insights was among those broken into, was among those urging police to do more. “We just need more patrols by the police department I think, in the early hours of the morning,” said Blackett. “The police need to have more of a presence, this is something that’s been going on for years.” Kitchen Works was also targeted but the thief was unable to make it inside. Owner Ron Robichaud said it was the third time thieves had tried but failed to break into his business in the two years he has owned it. He said he considered that number to be too high for the size of the community and echoed Blackett’s calls for a stronger police presence at night. “It’s our core of our community which should be protected,” said
Robichaud. “The vandals basically targeted a concentrated area of businesses and they were able to go to nine businesses with not much difficulty or not being apprehended or even being deterred after the first or second or third.” He said there should be more police patrols and possibly security cameras installed to deter criminals. Robichaud plans to talk to other merchants about measures to prevent more break-ins in the future. Barb Fassnacht has been running Barb’s Bodacious Boutique on Main Street for fourand-a-half years. She said the thief must have been looking for cash because they did not damage any of her stock. “This is the first time and I’m just grateful they didn’t trash the whole place,” she said. Fassnacht was pleased to hear that police had increased their patrols. Staff Sgt. Mitchell requested a meeting with the Main Street Merchants Association to discuss their concerns and provide information on improved security measures on Dec. 1.
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Driver allegedly forces police car off the road By Alicia Bridges Smithers/Interior News
A 33-year-old Smithers man is facing dangerous driving charges for allegedly forcing a police vehicle off the road before fleeing at high speed. At about 6 p.m. on Nov. 12, Smithers RCMP received a call about a man who was slumped over the steering wheel of a white Toyota Camry parked in a driveway on Railway Avenue. A police officer was driving towards the scene when he saw a white Toyota vehicle swerve across the centre line onto the wrong side of the road.
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The RCMP officer was allegedly forced to turn right into a ditch to avoid a collision. They attempted to stop the vehicle but the driver allegedly fled at high speed. Police said the officer did not pursue the vehicle because a highspeed chase in the downtown area was a risk to public safety. Jesse Thomas White was arrested on Nov. 18 and charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, flight from a police officer and breach of recognizance. He was remanded in custody and appeared in Smithers Provincial Court on Nov. 25. The case was adjourned and he was scheduled to appear again on Nov. 30.
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Rick Edwards crowned Legendary Local By Xuyun Zeng Smithers/Interior News
Forty years ago, a b’y from Newfoundland screeched into town on his motorcycle. “I was passing through the area back in 1976 on a motorcycle trip and I ran out of gas and ran out of money and actually went down to the social services — see if I can get some food stamps or some money — and instead I had a job within a few hours and I’ve been living there ever since,” said Rick (Mo) Edwards from the Burin Peninsula in Newfoundland. Edwards got a job with a sawmill and that same year he got involved with the Hudson Bay Mountain, something which he would continue to do for 40 years. Hudson Bay Mountain
Resort pass holders recently voted him as the Legendary Local, an honour conferred to people “who [have] been involved with the mountain in one way or another over an extended period of time.” “I’ve had a season’s pass for 39 years, I’ve been a cabin owner since the mid-80s up there, I’ve been in 29 of the 31 Schuss Boomers — that’s the annual downhill race,” he said. “And I got into the backcountry skiing real early on, like the late 70s and early 80s when the first modern backcountry equipment started coming out.” Edwards gave back to the community by helping out with local club races and the 1994 BC Winter Games. “I was a timekeeper, a gatekeeper, helped put up the fences, done this and done that, took part in all the
fundraisers for the ski club,” he said. He has also helped in rescuing lost and stranded skiers before Smithers had a Search and Rescue unit. “We were involved for a lot of years with rescuing a lot of people that were skiing out of bounds and got lost,” said Edwards. “We were out looking for kids that were missing on the mountain and several times we did that over the years.” Edwards is now retired and lives full-time in his cabin when he is not in Newfoundland. He bought the cabin with last year’s Legendary Local Nick DeWit, and used to live in it during the weekends when he lived in Quick. “It just made a whole lot more sense to go up there on Friday evening after
work and stay the weekend rather than pounding back and forth all the time,” he said. “Plus, you could party away and drink as much beer as you wanted to and you wouldn’t have to worry about the drinking and the driving.” The passion for skiing came at a young age for Edwards. “I was already a skier before I came to Smithers, I skied all my life actually, right from about age seven or age eight,” said Edwards. “And then when I realized there was a ski area in Smithers, I mean, that was a bonus right.” “You know, not to mention all the hiking and the hunting, rafting and canoeing and whatever else is on the go. It’s a real outdoorsperson’s place to be.”
Rick (Mo) Edwards is Hudson Bay Mountain’s Legendary Local for 2015/2016 season.
Hudson Bay Mountain photo
Steelheads win against Kitimat Ice Demons By Xuyun Zeng Smithers/Interior News
The Steelhead’s losing streak has ended. Last Saturday’s match against the Kitimat Ice Demons felt much unlike the past two games in November. Where previous games were neck-and-neck, this time the Steelheads beat the Kitimat Ice Demons 6-3, with two-thirds of their goals scored by Brendan DeVries. “Just basically try to shoot the puck lots and got a few lucky bounces, the puck was going in
tonight so that was good,” said DeVries of his game strategy. “I guess all year so far the puck hasn’t been going in too much but now, couple of lucky bounces and they’re going in now.” “We’ve played some pretty good games of late and just couldn’t beat the goaltender so it’s good to get another win, get back on the winning side, so hopefully the game continues to roll from there.” Head coach Tom DeVries commented similarly in the past that the biggest problem they have had was getting the puck past a “hot goalie” who seemed to stop everything. See DEVRIES on A10
Brendan DeVries carries the puck. DeVries scored four goals out of six last Saturday.
Xuyun Zeng photo
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Wednesday, December 2, 2015
S PORTS Steelheads’ Brendan DeVries scores four of six goals 1st
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From WIN on A9 He spoke with a different tone after Saturday’s match. “I thought the game was really good. Finally we got some goals in the net. It’s great,” said Tom. “I think our players have played well all year.” “You make mistakes but that’s part of the game and scoring goals is great because last time we played the goalie he stopped everything, so now we got it through.” D e V r i e s subsequently put the fourth puck into the goal midway through the second, just as the Ice Demons’ Jeff Mildenberger did shortly after, setting the score at 4-3. That was the last goal the Ice Demons would score. The Steelheads’ wingers Zach Davies and Mark Arnold scored the last two goals. “Like I said, we have a good team, we have good players, and eventually the pucks are going to go in. Anything different? No,” said Tom. Noticeably, one difference was the lack of fights that night. Judging by the trend set by previous home games, which almost guaranteed a brutal fight that would land a player in the penalty box for many minutes, that night’s match saw both teams keep their belligerence to a minimum. Trash talking got broken up quickly by referees. Nudges did not get acted upon. Nobody sat in the penalty box for more than two minutes. The Steelheads will play two out-oftown, back-to-back matches this Saturday and Sunday against Quesnel and Williams Lake respectively. The previous game between the Steelheads and the Ice Demons, held Nov. 14, ended in a 2-1 loss for the Steelheads.
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1st Period: KID 17:28 - R. Abreu SSH 16:26 - B. DeVries SSH 11:02 - B. DeVries
KID 09:54 - J. Slanina SSH 07:04 - B. DeVries
2nd Period: SSH 13:42 - B. DeVries KID 11:50 - J. Mildenberger SSH 3:08 - Z. Davies
3rd Period: SSH 18:41 - M. Arnold
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S ports Smithereens win big at karate, kickboxing
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Come in to Dawn 2 Dusk for all your Winter needs! Skis, Snowboards & all your Avalanche gear.
Shop local with our PRICE MATCH GUARANTEE. If you find a cheaper price online in Canada or in Town we will BEAT IT! British Columbia sent 10 athletes to the World Karate and Kickboxing Championships in Orlando, Fla. and brought back 22 medals.
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Four golds Liza Ramos, gold in kata. “In kata, she is now considered as one of three best women performers since 2007,” said coach Marwan Abu Khadra. Martin Roberge, gold in point sparring. “[Compared to last year, he had] more experience and very good tactical fights,” said Marwan. Tareq Abu Khadra, gold in team continuous sparring. “He excelled in improvement of his overall sparring with excellent technique and tactics,” said Marwan. Bronwyn Hobson, gold in evening event team point fight. “She led her team, girls’ 16-17, to gold. Superb performance,” said Marwan. Three silvers Anaise Labonte, silver in
continuous sparring Liza Ramos, silver in point and continuous sparring. Fifteen Bronzes Karim Abu Khadra, three bronzes in team, point and continuous sparring Liza Ramos, three bronzes in kata. Tareq Abu Khadra, two bronzes in point and continuous sparring. Salish Macdonald, two bronzes in point and continuous sparring Mackay Morgan, two bronzes in point and continuous sparring Bronwyn Hobson, one bronze in point sparring Rohyn Lamb, one bronze in continuous sparring Martin Roberge, one bronze in continuous sparring
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Christmas comes to the Bulkley Valley
The silent auction on wreaths decorated by merchants raises money for the Smithers Community Services Association’s Christmas Hamper Program.
Santa brings the ho-ho-ho to Bovill Square as he takes a picture with Aria, 2, and Laurel Menzel.
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Children slip down the snow slide next to Bugwood Bean.
The lights and decorations on Main Street signal that it’s Christmas time.
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A14 www.interior-news.com
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Wednesday, December 2, 2015
16th Annual
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Christmas art sale
St. Joseph's School Pre-Kindergarten Program has spaces available starting Jan. 4th for the Monday, Wednesday and Friday sessions.
Registration is now open. • Children must be 4 years of age by December 31, 2015 to enroll in this program • Please bring your child's Care Card & immunization record • The first month's fee is payable at time of registration • Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning class $170.00 per month Class times are from 8:30 - 11:30 am. For more info call the school office at 250-847-9414
WINTERGOLD Over 30 vendors display their arts and crafts on both floors of the Art Gallery in the 36th Wintergold. The event is a major fundraiser for the Gallery.
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12 & under order off our Kids Menu & Receive: Kid’s Toy, choice of Milk, Juice or Pop and Ice cream for Dessert! Event organizer Martha Wertz displays her range of creative art at the Artisans of the Valley event in the Old Church. The event hosted 10 vendors selling accessories, food, artwork, soaps and apparel. Xuyun Zeng photo
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A&E Artist paints Highway 16 to help people with low-income
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Breaking News? Let us know Artist Rene Jaspers [left] stands beside Houston’s Western Financial Group manager Dustie Combes. It is hosting Jaspers’ first painting, depicting Houston’s North Road bridge.
Xuyun Zeng photo
By Xuyun Zeng Houston/Interior News
A Burns Lake artist will paint a picture for every 25 kilometres from Prince George to Haida Gwaii to raise money for programs that will help people with low income. In total, Rene Jaspers hopes to put out 40 paintings by next October that will fund her Highway of Hope Foundation. Jaspers hopes to sell each painting for $1,200, and this money will go towards her three-step plan to help people with low income. Jaspers first plans to use the money to fund workshops on preventing violence. “The prevention part includes the [Northern] Society for Domestic Peace,” said Jaspers. “They’re in schools already, so they’re going to be doing the work for bringing the prevention message to [children as] young as Grade 3 on how to protect yourselves, whether in a vehicle or in a home, [and] how to deescalate anger.” She also wants to fund driver’s education and vehicles so that people with low income can receive their full licence, and also to support people in rural communities to find affordable transportation so that they can get access to medical care and education. “I want to include everybody, and that includes seniors — seniors who can’t get around normally with a vehicle or can’t drive a vehicle anymore, I’d like to be able to get them to medical centres,” said Jaspers. She also wants to fund people who have financial difficulties in getting their full driver’s
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licence. “With teenagers, a lot of times [they] can’t afford it. A lot of families can’t afford [getting] their driver’s licence.” Community organizations are rallying around Jaspers. She recently had her first painting of Houston’s North Road bridge on display at Western Financial Group’s mall office, and revealed that every Northwest Community College campus will put up an art show with her paintings. “Having a purpose is important,” said Jaspers. “I’d like to say something with this too — to show people the beauty of our North, that there’s hope in our North.” For every 25 kilometres from Prince George on Highway 16, she takes a photo within five paces of the vehicle and makes an oil painting out of the photo. She currently has photos of the highway all the way to Terrace, and will continue her project at a different time of the year so that her 40 paintings show the North in different seasons. “I look to give everybody a better future. That’s my hope, and that’s where the Highway of Hope comes from,” said Jaspers. “Yes, it travels around the Highway of Tears. The Highway of Tears, I think, it’s very important, and we need to keep that in focus also.” “The Highway of Tears has been around for 21 years and it’s a long time and people have been working at it very diligently — [Carrier Sekani Family Services Highway of Tears coordinator] Brenda Wilson with her crew. And I think that’s very important and if I can help them too, I’m happy to.”
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A17
T HREE R IVERS R EPORT
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The Interior News
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Lattie recognized at Cedric literary award By Alicia Bridges New Hazelton/Interior News
A New Hazelton woman has been recognized by the Cedric Literary Awards for a story she wrote about her experiences as a Gitxsan woman. Yvonne Lattie received an honourable mention for her story entitled Past and Future Experiences of a Gitxsan Woman, in which she wrote about her culture, childhood and spiritual experiences. The writer had been shortlisted in the First Nations writing category of the Cedric Literary Awards, which recognizes writers aged 50 or older. Although Irene Lynxleg won the top prize with her short story “Keesis’s Trimble Park Diary”, the judges were impressed with Lattie’s entry. “We want to thank the writer
A division of
for sharing her story – her experience on her healing journey,” a statement from the judges reads. “Looking at surroundings through her eyes helps us to be more aware of our own surroundings and receive the messages presented to us. “Like her descriptive words – this story will help to keep rituals alive for the Gitxsan Nation.” Lattie said she had arranged to swap stories with some of the other writers she met at the ceremony in Victoria on Nov. 21. She also plans to write more about her life. “A lot of thoughts have been going through my mind in regards to what kind of topics I will write about,” said Lattie. “It would be a true story, not fiction. “It would be experiences, about life basically, because I’m very spiritual in regards to culture and New Hazelton woman Yvonne Lattie (left) and fellow writer Irene Lynxleg at the Cedric Literary heritage.” Awards in Vancouver last week.
Contributed photo
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A18
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By Alicia Bridges
Smithers/Interior News
More than 40 years since he attended his first New Democratic Party meeting in the Kispiox Valley shortly after arriving from India, Hazelton man Joe Francis has been named an honorary life member of the party. He received the accolade at a B.C. NDP convention attended by
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Accolade for Francis
Hazelton man Joe Francis, picture third from left, was named an honorary life member of the B.C. NDP on Nov. 7. Alicia Bridges photo
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Wednesday, December 2, 2015
T HREE R IVERS R EPORT Francis knows fairness, justice: NDP From FRANCIS on A18 “So he took me there, there was a few people, three or four people at that time,” said Francis. Since then, he has become a trusted local support for NDP candidates and elected members in the Hazelton area. Doug Donaldson, Nathan Cullen, Bill Goodacre and Jackie Pement are among the party members he has helped to elect in the past three decades. Francis remembers when Cullen, who is now the Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP, called him to assist with his first campaign. “I said ‘okay come over’ [to Hazelton] and I talked to a few people at the hospital and I said ‘can you come over’ and there were 30 people there for that meeting,” he said. “Nathan was so surprised, he just
wanted to talk to me about that and I got all these 30 people, even now he tells me.” Francis said homelessness and First Nations poverty were among the reasons he became interested in politics in B.C. He was introduced to some of those issues through people he encountered at the Wrinch Memorial Hospital, where he worked as an accountant and business manager for 25 years. Outside the party, Francis was a founding member of the local Amnesty International chapter, a treasurer for the Mountainview United Church and a board member at the Storytellers’ Foundation, a community literacy organization. He has also supported new immigrants and newcomers to the Hazeltons and served as a board member for the Skeena Place seniors facility.
Environmental issues were also important to Curtis, who was opposed to the introduction of pesticide sprays, a controversial issue in the Kispiox Valley when he joined the party. Now he says pipeline projects and resource development are the region’s biggest environmental concerns. “If there is a way for it to be environmentally done then we should support that,” he said. Stikine MLA Doug Donaldson said Francis was an exemplary contributor to his community, with a strong sense of justice and fairness. “When you have an encounter with Joe you don’t come away feeling in any way depressed,” he said. “You come away laughing and thinking ‘yeah, I’m going to carry on the work that needs to be done to make all the communities that we have in the North a better place to live’.”
A19
Display Ad Deadline 3:00 Thursday
Bulkley Valley Search & Rescue Annual General Meeting
Monday, December 7th, 2015 7:00 pm Basement of Ranger Park Building 17th Ave & Princess Street “Come find out what our volunteer members have been up to this year and what our plans are for 2016.” Contact: info@bvsearchandrescue.com
It takes a community to
DRINKING DRIVING COUNTERATTACK
STOP DRINKING AND DRIVING! Drinking and Driving don’t mix.
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Gitsegukla Health Centre 849-5231
Please don’t Drink & Drive
It’s not just you in DANGER when you Drink and Drive. OF ICT
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Have a safe and happy holiday.
Have a safe Holiday Season,
ON ELT
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Don’t Drink and Drive!
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Don’t Drink and Drive
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A20
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Wednesday, December 2, 2015
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Mon. to Thurs. 8 am - 7 pm • Fri. 8 am - 8 pm • Sat. 8 am - 7 pm • Sun. 9 am - 6 pm 3302 Highway 16 Smithers, BC • (250) 847-3313 • 1 (800) 579-3313 • bulkleyvalleywholesale.com
The Interior News
C OMMUNITY Wednesday, December 2, 2015
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Changing of the guide dogs for Weitzel By Alicia Bridges Smithers/Interior News
After 11 years helping Smithers man Sieghard Weitzel ski, hike and make the most of life in the Bulkley Valley, guide dog Mulligan is retiring to let recent graduate Radar take over the duty of helping Weitzel see. B.C. & Alberta Guide Dogs mobility instructor Jaime Arnup travelled to Smithers last week to deliver Radar, a yellow Labrador retriever, to his new owner. Arnup said the 19-monthold dog with a high-energy personality has been paired with Weitzel because of his active lifestyle and experience with guide dogs. Dogs are usually matched with people based on an interview and assessment process which takes into account their lifestyle, daily activities, home environment and fitness level. However, Arnup said she knew right away Radar would be a good fit for Weitzel. “I trained Mulligan years ago when he was just a puppy so I did the original match for Sieghard ... so I’ve known him for their entire life together,” she said. “I didn’t train Radar but when I heard about Radar and I got info about his work style and his personality ... I immediately thought of Sieghard.” Weitzel, who owns the Outdoor Essentials store on Main Street, skis and hikes trails with his dogs using a sled dog harness to feel their movement. He said although the dogs had a strict training regime until they graduated, there was no reason they could not be pets and companions once they were matched with their owners. “In summer I take them on the trails and take them to the river and I have no problem with them jumping in the water if they want to,” said Weitzel. “I find from my personal experiences that has no negative
Smithers man Sieghard Weitzel with his guide dog Mulligan (left), who is retiring so recent graduate Radar (right) can take over the job of helping his owner see.
Alicia Bridges photo
effect, if anything I find it has a positive effect on the dogs. “To me, if the dog is happy, he will work better.” Before he got his first dog, Weitzel relied on a white cane for almost ten years after he lost his sight in 1984. Although he was a dog lover, he had some reservations about getting a guide dog until a friend convinced him it was a great way to get around. “I did have a bit of a notion back then that guide dogs were kind of, not really dogs, they were kind of these machines that were trained to perform these tasks,” he said. “My friend said well, it’s all what you make out of the dog. “You can treat the dog
whichever way you like so I decided to give it a try.” His first dog, another yellow Labrador retriever named Buddy, came from the Leader Dogs for the Blind in Michigan, U.S.A. Weitzel quickly realized how much he was able to do with his new companion, who made navigating the world less stressful. “It’s a whole different approach,” he said. “The dog takes you around things whereas with a cane you always kind of walk until you touch something with a cane, and then if it’s a sign or a display in a mall and then you try to feel your way around it.” Weitzel uses voice commands
to tell his dog which way to go or to find a door, and the animal will stop at obstacles like curbs and steps to warn him. Radar is ready to start that job now that Mulligan, who took over from Buddy in 2004, has retired. The older dog can now relax, but Weitzel said it might take him some time to get used to retirement. Mulligan has been trying to edge into the harness when Weitzel asks Radar to work. Guide dogs usually stay with their owners when they retire unless their owners cannot afford to keep two dogs. In that case they are placed in homes, sometimes with the people who trained them as
puppies, but Weitzel has always been able to keep his dogs when they retire. “He probably has a few more years life expectancy and I certainly will keep him and he will just come along and be a pet and hang out in the store,” he said. Mulligan may also be able to play a role leading the younger dog by example. Weitzel said Radar was still learning to ignore distractions while he was on the job. “He is young, Mulligan was a little bit older when I got him, but Radar is very full of energy, very exuberant, very happy dog,” he said. “He just loves to go to people.”
Imagine your retirement! See us today. • The Hazeltons • Smithers • Houston & District • Lakes District •
B2 www.interior-news.com
C OMMUNITY
The Interior News
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Northwest Guide Outfitters awards
He’s on the way!
Start your shopping at SMITHERS SECONDARY The winners of the awards for exceptional animals who came away with engraved belt buckles were (clockwise from top left): Mountain Goat - guide Brandon Ponath of Love Bros. & Lee Ltd. Central B.C. Moose - guide Graham Larson, Kispiox Valley Outfitters. Grizzly Bear - Kurt McGhie, Collingwood Bros Guide Outfitters. Stone Sheep - Esther McGhie, Collingwood Bros Guide Outfitters. Mountain Caribou - Jake Robinson, Kawdy Outfitters. Not pictured are winners for Northern Moose - guide Lance Goodwin, Northwest Big Game Outfitters; and Black Bear - guide Jim Lancaster, Copper River Outfitters. The Northwest Guide Outfitters Association Fundraiser and Awards Banquet on Saturday evening at Hudson Bay Lodge provided about 50 Sunday dinners for the Broadway Place Emergency Shelter, according to Northwest Guides’ Ron Fleming. He added that Northwest Guides have supported local food banks through community services and the Salvation Army from Burns Lake to Hazelton. They also support the BC Trappers with their Ungulate Enhancement Projects to keep moose, elk, deer and caribou herds stable. Chris Gareau photos
The Road To Damascus By Alex Nikolic Mud Hut Media “If you smile at me I will understand. Because that is something everyone everywhere does in the same language.” - Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young Syria is a downstream country, with nearly 60% of its water originating elsewhere. While the Tigris crosses its border only momentarily as it flows from Turkey to Iraq, the Euphrates bisects the country and provides its capital with fresh water. Both sources are in the Taurus Mountains in eastern Turkey and, like all rivers in the region but one, flow south. The Orontes River flows north from Lebanon and provides water to Syria’s third and fourth largest cities, Homs and Hama – our next destinations.
Crescent many millennia ago”. This, coupled with inadequate water management policies, drove nearly two million people to the cities, where inadequate social policies eventually led to an attempt at a Syrian Arab Spring. Much like elsewhere in the world, the ruling minority’s military answered the civilian majority’s peaceful protest with live rounds, and civil war ensued.
Noria, Hama
Close to Homs is one of the world’s most important and imposing medieval castles. Krak des Chevaliers was first captured from the local Kurds, then built, repaired and defended by the Knights Hospitaller throughout the Crusades. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Forever situated on military battle lines, political borderlines and seismic fault lines, it continues to be damaged by centuries of earthquakes, conflict and war. Nearby, and not to be outdone, Hama boasts the world’s largest “noria”. Waterwheels dot the courses of what few rivers Syria has, and have been used since the Middle Ages to irrigate the fields above. Nowhere were they as charming as Hama, whose wooden paddles and spokes, reaching diameters of over sixty feet, creaked and groaned above the Orontes’ downstream flow. Water wars in downstream countries are nothing new. Many suggest that the current Syrian conflict began in 2006, during what has been called the “worst longterm drought and most severe set of crop failures since agricultural civilizations began in the Fertile
Krak des Chevaliers
ARTS & CRAFTS FAIR FRIDAY, Dec. 4 • 6 pm – 9 pm SATURDAY, Dec 5 • 9 am – 3 pm
1000 Villages in the Round Room too
Admission $2.00 - towards donation to BC Childrens Hospital
The Bulkley Valley Refugee Sponsorship Group Thank you to all who came to the Get To Know Syria Night on November 21. The event raised over $11,000 towards our goal to bring a Syrian refugee family to Smithers. We are blessed to live in such an inclusive and welcoming community! The event would not have been as successful without the hardworking volunteers, performers, creative designers, cooks, bakers and financial contributors. We would also like to thank the businesses and community organizations that made this event possible by donating the venue space, food ingredients, materials and decorations, prepared foods and advertising: The Bulkley Valley Christian School and their Foods Students, Nature’s Pantry, Extra Foods, Rustica Bakery, Bugwood Bean, Heartstrings, Logpile Lodge and The Interior News. Our fundraising efforts will continue in the New Year. Stay tuned! Our goal: To sponsor a Syrian refugee family to Smithers. To find out more about us or to join our group, please contact us. bvsponsorshipgroup.weebly.com Facebook.com/bvsponsorshipgroup
The Interior News
www.interior-news.com
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
C OMMUNITY Council tackles signs and fines
Climate call for action passed, backyard hens delayed By Chris Gareau Smithers/Interior News
Smithereens looking to raise backyard hens will have to wait at least another week as bylaw adoption flew the coop when an amendment to lower the required number of nesting boxes was added at last Tuesday’s council meeting. Chicken was not the only item on council’s plate. Along with poor air quality and airport fee changes (see stories on A2 and A3), council took on the sign bylaw review, property maintenance fines, climate change, and held for budget discussions a long term plan to increase taxes in support of eventually replacing the Bulkley Valley Regional Pool. Holding off on hens Council has the full intention of passing the bylaw changes that would allow backyard hens to be raised in residential areas at the Dec. 8 meeting. Adoption was delayed after an oversight from passing of third reading several weeks ago was fixed. The amendment added to the Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw 1780 lowers the number of nesting boxes from one for each hen to one for each four hens. Everything else stays the same as planned, with a maximum of six laying hens allowed on R1, R2 and R6 properties with lots larger than 550 metres squared. Community gardens zoned P1 would be allowed to tend a flock of a dozen. Only the garden near Elks Park currently fits that description. Sign bylaw review rules fixed The terms of reference of the sign bylaw review asked for by Smithers merchants was
passed last Tuesday. “What we’re considering doing is changing the rules around things like the size of signs, placement of signs, and what we’re trying to protect or ... create is a certain aesthetic feel in our downtown,” explained Mayor Taylor Bachrach during the meeting. He added an amendment that was passed unanimously to support in principal having an artist sketch how bylaw changes may change the look of downtown. Other amendments included ensuring “the spirit of the alpine theme will be upheld,” and to avoid writing down sign bylaw infractions gathered at public walk-abouts tentatively scheduled for Jan. 20-21. Other alpine themed communities will be researched as part of the discussions with merchants and the public. A community survey is to be drafted for the Dec. 8 council meeting. A draft bylaw for public review is scheduled to be presented to the community at a committee of the whole on Feb. 16. Climate call for action, property maintenance fines A call for action on energy and climate in the building sector from Architecture Canada, Urban Development Institute, and Pembina Institute was passed, with councillors Frank Wray, Gladys Attrill and Phil Brienesse opposed. Included in the call is for the Town to lead by example by requiring all new planned public buildings — such as an arts and culture centre — “be net-zero energy ready.” Increases to property maintenance fines, which cover things like unsightly property and derelict vehicles, was passed. The maximum fine is now $10,000, with a jail term of up to six months. The minimum fine is set at $100.
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS Board of Directors The Wetzin’kwa Community Forest Corporation (Wetzin’kwa) is a company formed by the Town of Smithers and the Village of Telkwa to manage the Wetzin’kwa Community Forest tenure. Wetzin’kwa is now accepting nominations for an upcoming vacancy on its Board of Directors. This ‘Director at Large’ position is a volunteer position which has a three year term beginning in January 2016. To be eligible for appointment, prospective nominees must: 1. Submit a Statement of Intent to the corporation that includes a summary of experience and expertise that they can bring to the corporation, identification of any potential areas of conflict, and an outline of their willingness to serve on the Board of Directors for a period of up to three years. 2. Currently reside in the Bulkley Valley (must reside in Smithers, Telkwa, Moricetown or in the outlying area). 3. Have been a resident of the Bulkley Valley for no fewer than 12 consecutive months prior to nomination. Anyone meeting these requirements and interested in serving the community in this volunteer capacity is encouraged to apply. Applications/nominations will be accepted by the Wetzin’kwa General Manager, until January 4th, 2016 at 9:00AM. Selected candidates will be interviewed by a subcommittee, established by the WCFC board. The successful candidate will be contacted prior to the board of director’s next meeting. All applications/nominations can be dropped off at Silvicon Services Inc located at 3560 Victoria Drive, Smithers, BC or mail to Wetzin’kwa Community Forest Corp. P.O. Box 565 Smithers, BC V0J 2N0 or e-mail to wetzinkwacomfor@gmail.com
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IS BACK!
It’s absolutely FREE! You qualify for FREE gifts and coupons if you’ve moved to the area or had a baby within the last year.
Bringing Local Community information & gifts
Laura 250-846-5742
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Advertising space donated by The Interior News
A ten year sweet ride - Eyecandy Custom a Dynojet tuning centre specifically for Harley Davidson motorcycles. They are also the only CVSE certified motorcycle inspection facility in the northwest.
Eyecandy Customs has been here in Smithers for ten years and in that time has solidified their reputation for outstanding service and award winning customization. Newly located in the Tatlow Industrial Park next to Randy’s Image Design, Sam and fellow mechanic Jason invite you in .
You can bring them all your engine repair needs. Whether you’re a resource contractor who needs service on your pumps, generators, quads and snow machines or an enthusiast who wants work done on a road or dirt bike, their new shop is certainly capable of handling it all. Eyecandy Customs’ new location is now set up with separate areas for service, fabrication, engine work and also secure storage allowing them increased capacity and decreased turn around time. Other things have singled out Eyecandy Customs as your shop of choice. For example they have
Engine maintenance and tuning are just two things they handle; customization is where they bring your dreams to life. They have the experience to build you a bike from the ground up as a restoration or something cool straight out of your imagination. They do the specialty work that no one else can and have won awards and accolades at events like the Houston Drags and Kitimat’s Man’s Best Friend Show & Shine as well as the widely known Panhandler awards. So if you need your machine tuned
www.eyecandycustoms.ca
up for winter enjoyment or work whether its a sled, quad or side by side... and if you want a faster more exciting machine for on the road Eyecandy Customs can give you something sweet to ride. Call them at 250-847.4404
B4 www.interior-news.com
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
C ommunity
Healing the holiday stress ... gluten-free
Spice of Life Brenda Mallory
S
tress! That is the word we will hear more often as the Christmas season gets into full swing. What to buy? Can you afford all the stuff that is a must for Santa’s list? Not to worry, I suppose, you can sit in the comfort of your own home, zone into the buying process on computer or the shopping channel on TV. I ask you once more, can you afford it? More stress! The other day as I shopped I was speaking to a lady with a moderate deer-in-the-headlight look to her. She was on the hunt for special things for Christmas dinner, minus perishables, of course. Her confusion came to light when she showed me her list, which made it apparent that she had to accommodate different issues with her upcoming guests. We have your gluten-free folks with a dairy allergy — or was it eggs? We can’t forget the vegetarian person or the vegan. Maybe a squash looking like a turkey might be fun, I was told. Fun? Sounds too stressful for me. Just about then a person could do with a good stiff drink, it was mentioned today that there is such a creation called a gluten-free beer. Alcohol-free I have heard of. Too complicated, too stressful! I probably should not comment on all this food business since I am one who could cause a host to wonder. I don’t eat sugar. I can eat
it but I know it is not a good thing for my old body. I do have a dandy book that might give some idea for those who seek some healthy alternatives. It is titled 500 Low Carb Recipes, written by Dana Carpender. Let me share this recipe with you: Chocolate Cheesecake 2 cups cottage cheese 2 eggs 1/2 cup sour cream 2 oz unsweetened baking chocolate melted 1/4 cup Splenda some kind of prebaked crust preheat oven to 375 degrees Put cottage cheese, eggs, and sour cream in the blender. When that is really smooth add the melted chocolate and Splenda. Put mixture in the crust. Put pie plate and mixture in a pan of water. Cook for 40 to 45 minutes. Don’t be too stressed. I have no idea if it will work. Before I go today I am taking off my hat to the group of folks in this valley who came together to sponsor a refugee family. Now that’s the spirit — Christmas and otherwise. Our petty Christmas stress issues do not compare to the suffering of so many people. I hope we all come together to welcome them. While I have my hat off, I must say how proud we all are of Alex Cuba who won the Latin Grammy for singer/songwriter. His fourth Grammy! This pleasant young man adds so much to so many. His beautiful voice can reach into your heart. You can buy his recent CD Healer at Mountain Eagle books. His other CDs are there as well. If you are lucky, you just might be there when Alex will serenade the patrons. Buy the Healer CD, let Alex Cuba sing to you. Mountain Eagle carries the CDs of many fine local musicians. Relax, forget the holiday stress for a bit. You could call me at 250-846-5095 or just send an email to mallory@bulkley.net.
The Interior News
Community Calendar
To list your nonprofit coming events please drop off your listing at The Interior News, 3764 Broadway Ave., fax us at 250-847-2995, or email laura@interior-news.com. More information is available through our Online Community Calendar at www.interior-news.com. Deadline for submissions is Fridays at noon. Maximum 25 words. Limited space is available. We regret we cannot accept items over the phone. One of a Kind – Artisans Christmas Gift Shop Dec. 1-19 at the Smithers Art Gallery, Tuesday to Friday 12-5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Exclusive items of limited supply. www.smithersart.org, info@smithersart.org, 250-847-3898. Ten Thousand Villages Sale Friday, Dec. 4, 6-9 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 5, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Smithers Secondary Round Room. Fair trade crafts and gifts from developing nations around the world. Smithers Senior Citizens’ Bazaar Saturday, Dec. 5, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Pioneer Senior Activity Centre, 4018 Mountain View Drive. Crafts, baking, door prize, tea. Round Lake Coffee House Saturday, Dec. 5, 6 p.m. Pulled pork bun served until 7 p.m. Music starts at 7:30 p.m. Six Feet Over, Keith Cummings Band, Cheryl Hofweber, Ted Bryant. www.roundlakebc.com. Smithers Film Society Second Mother Sunday, Dec. 6, 7 p.m., Roi Theatre. Thought-provoking story examining generational and class divides in Brazil. Christmas Pyjama Storytime Wednesday, Dec. 9, 6 p.m., Smithers Public Library. Bring your favourite blanket for stories, rhymes, refreshments and a very special Christmas guest. All ages welcome.
Write Letters for International Human Rights Day Thursday, Dec. 10, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., The Gathering Place, NWCC. Light snacks, beverages, children’s corner. One letter for a cookie, another for a hot chocolate. Beth Richardson, 250847-1448. The Northwest Passage in Canada’s High Arctic Thursday, Dec. 10, 7 p.m., NWCC Atrium. Slides and talk by Jim and Rosamund Pojar. BV Naturalists. A Ceremony of Remembering Saturday, Dec. 12, 2 p.m., Pioneer Place Seniors’ Activity Centre. For people experiencing the loss of a loved one at Christmastime. Everyone welcome. BV Hospice Society, 250-877-7451. Christmas Carol Sing Saturday, Dec. 12, 7 p.m., St. Stephen’s Church, Telkwa. Everyone welcome. Smithers Film Society Brooklyn Sunday, Dec. 20, 7 p.m., Roi Theatre. Luminous and bittersweet portrayal of who we are, where we’ve come from, where we’re going and the places we call home. Regular admission. Ground 2 Griddle Neighbourhood Kitchen Tuesdays 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., St. James Anglican Church Hall. SCSA 250-847-9515 to join this free life skills literacy program. Childcare provided.
Come Cheer your Champions Smithers Steelheads vs
Quesnel Kangaroos Quesnel Arena Sat., Dec. 5
Puck Drop 7:30 pm
Smithers Steelheads vs
Williams Lake Stampeders
Double Header!
Williams Lake Arena Sun., Dec. 6 Puck Drop 1:30 pm Admission: Adults $10.00 Seniors & Children $5.00 at the Door.
Locals helping Locals bulkleyvalleywholesale.com
Join the Bulkley Valley Wholesale team as they support a local family in need this Christmas with a delicious benefit BBQ. This Saturday from 11 to 3 come enjoy a Hot Dog, Smokie or Hamburger
The Interior News
C OMMUNITY
www.interior-news.com
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
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SMITHERS FIGURE SKATING CLUB ANNUAL CHRISTMAS TREE SALE December 10th-12th • Thursday 3:00-7:00 • Friday 10:00-8:00 • Saturday 10:00-4:00
BARGAINS FOR A GOOD CAUSE Doug and Sierra Ede check out a Philadelphia Flyers jersey at the Rotary Charity Auction, which raised more than $35,000 over two nights last week. Proceeds will be split between the Smithers Rotary Club and the Smithers Mountain Bike Association, which will use the money for its youth trails project. A Hawaiian holiday donated by Richard Stantion at RBC Dominion Securities attracted the higest bid. Alicia Bridges photo
Crafters pop up for Christmas By Alicia Bridges Smithers/Interior News
A group of local artists and craftspeople have launched a pop-up store to sell their wares in the lead up to Christmas. The Out of Hand shop on Second Avenue will stock handmade crafts and edible treats from 32 artists and four farms in the Bulkley Valley area until Christmas Eve. The shop is being staffed by the craftspeople involved, who also split their rent, so all of the proceeds from sales go to the individual who made the item. Organizer Lyn Nugent said a group of artists had wanted to open a pop-up shop for several years. She said clients were enjoying the opportunity to shop for local gifts. “It seems to make people happy,” she said. “They come in and they say it’s a nice atmosphere and it feels good and Lyn Nugent with some of the handmade items at the Out they’re thrilled to be able to buy local of Hand pop-up store in Smithers. things.” Alicia Bridges photo
Bulkley Valley Wholesale Parking Lot TREE PRICES: $35 small, $45 medium, $55 large $5 discount with canned or dry goods donation for local foodbanks smithersfigureskatingclub.com Thanks to everyone who supported our successful “Float the Ark” Benefit Auction. Thank you to our sponsors, local businesses & individuals for making contributions. Thanks also to all those who attended our event & purchased items. The programs at The Ark will continue to grow thanks to your support.
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Steak House on Main Home Hardware Subway Canfor Noelle Bulloch Sandra Smith Mt. Eagle Books Smithers Lumber Yard, Timber Mart Big Smiles Martha Wertz TE Hudson Law Corp Judy Schierer Jill Dunbar BV Home Centre Brady and Jordana Stokes Perry and Co. Nature’s Pantry Peter Haines Lindsay Lang Laurelin Fondacaro Amy Stokes - Steeped Tea Kristen Peterson - Peekaboo Beans Deb Caminzend - Pampered Chef Local Supply Co. Flora May's Lingerie
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Sedaz Lingerie Barbel Schroeter - Out of Hand Jeanne MacNeil - South Hill Design Rhonda Wilson - Origami Owl Kristina Graham - Discovery Toys Jill McDonald Klaus Mueller Nordan Equipment Bugwood Bean Shalome Cowley – Hips Required Bellydance Kenton and Jeannette Dash Norma and George Stokes Leslie McCurrach Lindsay Steeves Sarah Wright Casandra Dievert Linda and Gary Hanson BV Wholesale Sport Check BV Insurance Shaunlea Vliegenthart Musicians: Molly Moolman, Gavin Day, Tirion Grice, Ruth Lloyd, Caitlyn McLeod, Rachel Cuell
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The Interior News
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
C OMMUNITY
Make it the gift you can’t wait to give!
PLOWING THROUGH THE FACTS St. Joseph’s School student Solomon Pollard sits in the driver’s seat of a snow plow while Billabong Road and Bridge Maintenance worker Wanda Murray explains the numerous buttons and devices that control the machine. The company let students explore the machine last Wednesday as part of its Show the Plow campaign, which promotes highway safety. Grant Harris photo
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Wednesday, December 2, 2015
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Third animal rescue saves feral cats, horses By Xuyun Zeng Telkwa/Interior News
By day, she works as a driver examiner, but when the need calls, Andrea Jessee springs into action to save horses and feral cats. Since its official opening last June, she and her husband Shane Jessee have been running the Sunny Hill Animal Rescue out of their Telkwa property. “It started with me being involved in the equine industry for over 10 years. I’ve been a rider for 20 years” said Jessee. “I saw a huge need. I’ve taken rescue horses over the years as my personal horses, some of them I would re-home. Most of them are my own six now that I currently own.” “My husband decided that, ‘Yeah, this is something we can take on, we can run a rescue on a small scale.’ ” The Sunny Hill Animal Rescue fills a void here in the Bulkley Valley. Before, horses would have to go to Prince George, and nobody specialized in feral cats. “Every rescue and shelter runs at capacity, if not over capacity,” said Jessee. “Us being close friends, of course, opened the door for [Prince George Equine Rescue] to voice [their] concerns that there’s lots of horses coming in from this part of the country.” “Us being here at least allows a place for some of the horses from this area, that need to be re-homed, to have a place to go.” The Rescue also took up rehabilitating feral cats after
It takes 31 muscles to fold up this newspaper.
their proliferation at the Telkwa transfer station. “My mom brought one home and it just went from there. We realized there’s no resources for feral cats whatsoever,” she said. The Rescue tries to tame young kittens under six months old and provides older cats to farmers for rodent control. The Rescue takes in most horses except intact stallions and aggressive horses. “Surrendering an animal to a rescue gives the person a way to re-home the horse rather immediately, without having to ship the horse to auction or slaughter,” she said. “You obviously can’t save all of them. B.C. alone sends upwards of 60,000 horses to the slaughterhouses.” “We don’t have the capacity to save every one of those, but we can make an impact ... in saving the ones that are at least around here.” Jessee and her husband volunteer their extra time and money out of love for animals, and she said she has seen results in rehabilitating animals. “All the animals come right to our home. That’s how we differ from a shelter environment, where there is a separate area for animals to be housed. Horses come right to our property,” she said. “Once possible, we try to integrate them into the herd. Horses are herd animals. They do best with friends. “And we’ve actually had some horses where they’ve come in with emotional trauma as much as physical, they do very well in being allowed to be a horse.”
They have recently rehabilitated a grey mare seized by the BCSPCA from Karin and Catherine Adams, who were charged with animal cruelty and neglect. “She’s sort of been to hell and back for lack of a better term,” said Jessee. “She went to a foster home, they did a really good job at rehabbing her.” “Once she came to us, I basically turned her out to the field with the horses on 40-some-odd acres just to let her be a horse and learn how to talk to the other horses because she had been secluded for so long.” Running an animal rescue does require funds, and Jessee hopes the community would support her. She has seen a spike in her hay bill, paying $56,000 this year because of the shortage in the North. Since taking on feral cats, she has also needed to seek veterinarian services, costing her “$150 to $250” per cat. She appreciates all the support she received at the Fall Fair fundraiser, and is seeking a business sponsor for their Gift Basket Draw. They are also selling calendars that can be found in Scotiabank, Smithers Feed Store, Northern Fusion Curry House, Bulkley Valley Veterinarian Clinic and the Tea Gallery. They also have an account at the Bottle Depot. The Rescue complements the Northern Lights Wildlife Society, which saves wildlife such as moose and bears, and the Northwest Animal Shelter which saves domestic cats and dogs.
Letters to Santa The Interior News will be printing a selection of letters to Santa in our Christmas edition distributed Wednesday, Dec. 23. Please use a dark coloured marker or crayons. You can draw pictures on it too.
Andrea Jessee has a loving moment with Zaffy, an eight-year-old Arab gelding currently available for adoption.
Contributed photo
The Sunny Hill Animal Rescue rear horses on their property in Telkwa. Contributed photo
Celebrate your baby’s first Christmas with a special greeting on our “Merry Christmas, Baby!” page, publishing Wednesday, December 23 in our Christmas Edition. Fill out the entry form below and submit it, along with a photo of the baby and the $25.00 (incl. GST) entry fee, to The Interior News by 5 p.m., Monday, December 14. Digital photos may be emailed to laura@interior-news.com
Baby’s First Christmas Entry Form
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Drop your letter off at our office or email it by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16
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Your Name: ____________________________________ Address: _______________________________________ Phone: ________________________________________ Baby’s Name: __________________________________ Date of Birth: __________________________________ Message to baby (must be 35 words or less): _______ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________
Mail or drop off at 3764 Broadway Ave. Box 2560, Smithers, BC V0J 2N0
“A WORLD OF OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN OUR REGION” 37, 3RD Avenue, PH: 250-692-3195 PO Box 820, TF: 800-320-3339 Burns Lake, BC V0J 1E0 FX: 250-692-3305 www.rdbn.bc.ca E-MAIL:inquiries@rdbn.bc.ca
JOB POSTING – Environmental Services Assistant The Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako is seeking applicants for the position of Environmental Services Assistant. The position is permanent, full-time, and situated in Burns Lake, BC. The Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako is a non-union organization. Responsibilities of the Environmental Services Assistant include: • Assisting in the development, implementation and evaluation of waste reduction initiatives; • Assisting in the development and implementation of public education programs; • Contract administration, maintaining and developing databases, clerical work and report preparation; • Reporting on the RDBN’s Corporate Energy and Emissions Plan and other sustainability initiatives as required. The successful applicant must have a positive attitude and be willing to be challenged. Although this position is an essential part of a team, it will be important for the successful applicant to work independently and take on a high level of responsibility for assigned tasks. The position offers a competitive salary range and includes a comprehensive benefits package. Applicants for the Environmental Services Assistant position will ideally possess the following: • A minimum of two years job related experience; • Education and training related to solid waste management including waste reduction initiatives and policies; • General knowledge of local government operations as well as environmental legislation; • Experience in the development of public education materials including the use of social media; • Knowledge of procurement processes, contract administration; • Superior ability to communicate, both orally and in writing; • Proficient in the use of computers, desktop software, spreadsheets; • Excellent attention to detail and strong administrative skills; • Good time management and priority assessment as well as good organizational skills; • Ability to work under pressure, meet deadlines, complete assignments in an effective manner; • Ability to maintain effective relationships with public, staff, officials and outside agencies; • A valid BC Driver’s Licence must be maintained. Applications for the Environmental Services Assistant position will be accepted by fax (250-692-3305), e-mail (inquiries@rdbn. bc.ca) or at 37-3rd Avenue, PO Box 820, Burns Lake, BC, V0J 1E0 until 4:00 p.m., Friday, December 11, 2015 and should be addressed to Janine Dougall, Director of Environmental Services.
January 7th, 2016.
azaars, I love walking about, seeing all the items people have created. We are so fortunate to live in this community with so many extremely creative people who share their talents. The Seniors’ Bazaar is at the Seniors’ Activity Centre Saturday, Dec. 5 from 10 a.m. to noon. Then we have the 1000 Villages
VIEW FROM THE PORCH Lorraine Doiron
Real Estate
Community shares creativity at the bonanza of bazaars B
Real Estate
Real Estate
in the Round Room at Smithers Secondary School along with their huge Bazaar, Dec. 4 and 5. Let us hope that none of us are hit with a case of oniomania, a compulsive shopping disorder. The word derives from the Greek onios, meaning “for sale” and the Late Latin mania meaning “extreme desire.”
Real Estate
Real Estate
Smithers’ One of a Kind is the place to shop for beautiful, unique gifts. Every December, the Smithers Art Gallery holds a gift shop filled with one of a kind gifts — arts and crafts handmade by local and regional artisans. This year’s dates are Dec. 1–19. See GRATITUDE on B12
Real Estate
Real Estate
Bulkley Valley Real Estate
Email: remaxbv@telus.net Located in the Log Office at 3568 Hwy. 16 Each Office Independently Owned & Operated
250-847-5999
Pick up your FREE copy of our Real Estate Flyer and our map of the Bulkley Valley. View more of our listings online at www.remaxsmithersbc.ca or on Facebook. NEW LISTING
$326,900
$219,000
NEW LISTING
$197,000 $
NEW LISTING
$310,000
NEW LISTING
$92,000
NEW LISTING
14424 Round Lake Road
3676 Alfred Avenue
1708 Telegraph Street, Telkwa
1677 First Street, Telkwa
#10-4430 Hudson Bay MHP
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4 bdrm, 2 bathroom, 2030 s.f. home 5.25 acres, Round Lake views Updates to kitchen, flooring, bsmnt OSBE, double garage, fruit trees
Peter & Karen
mls r2017292
Donna Grudgfield
$64,500
NEW LISTING
4 bedrooms, one level Hardwood floors in livingroom European style kitchen 75x125 lot, alley access
NEW PRICE
mls r2016639
1998, 3 bedroom rancher Well kept open design home Fenced yard, greenhouse & garden Trails out back to Tyhee Lake
Charlie McClary
$191,500
mls r2016797
4 bedrooms + den, 3 bathrooms ½ acre lot, treed & private Many updates and well kept 3 car garage
Sandra Hinchliffe
$569,000
mls r2015605
One of the best location in park 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom, 1994 Open layout, bright, vaulted ceilings Interior freshly painted, storage shed
Jantina Meints
mls r2017384
$305,000
$295,000
3880 Churchill St, New Hazelton
#8 - 3278 Park Place
7639 Tatlow Road
4879 Fourth Avenue
B – 3270 Third Avenue
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2 bedroom bungalow Partial unfinished basement/cellar 27x36 covered deck, 165x120 lot Great starter, rental, handyman
Ron & Charlie
mls r
3 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms Double paved drive, covered carport New roof 2012, stainless appliances Wheel chair ramp, fenced yard
Donna & Peter
mls n247002
285 acres, borders crown land 50x140 shop with 50x40 heated 30x40 & 24x24 new building 2012 www.realestatesmithers.com
Leo Lubbers
$349,500
$299,900
mls r2014440
3 bdrm, 1 bath rancher style home Large .47 acre lot by golf course Carport, paved drive, storage www.realestatesmithers.com
Leo Lubbers
mls r2013734
$199,500
Newer 2 bedroom, 2 bath, one level Quality ½ duplex, custom kitchen Ensuite w/ jacuzzi, fenced backyard www.smithershomes.com
Ron Lapadat
$229,000
mls r2013795
$89,000-109,000
Chandler Park Estates
20887 Highway 16 W, Smithers
133 Prairie Road
Highway 16, Smithers
Whistler Road
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Phase 1, quick possession available Now preselling Phase 2 Luxury 2 bed, 2 bath adult complex 1260 sf, wheelchair accessible
Ron Lapadat
46.6 acres, 4 bedroom home 3 pastures, fenced for horses Toboggan Creek frontage Spruce forest, many trails
Donna Grudgfield
mls r2012828
Cozy ski cabin along Cinderella run Wood/electric heat, 3 bdrm, 1 bath Fully furnished, bring your ski gear www.smithershomes.com
Ron Lapadat
$225,000
$410,000
mls n243506
28,800 sf with 240’ of Hwy frontage Great location Near high school and KFC C-3 commercial zone
Sandra Hinchliffe
$449,500
mls n4507490
Last 3 lots on Whistler Road Close to town and wilderness Great access to biking & skiing 5.06-8.92 acres in size
Sandra Hinchliffe
$79,900
$234,500
Telkwa High Road
3436 Victoria Drive
3520 Victoria Drive
Fulton Street, Granisle
1686 Telegraph Street
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317 acres Mostly forested, some timber value Views and southwest exposure Not in ALR
Sandra Hinchliffe
mls n235270
Industrial M-2 bare land site Great location on 2.41 acres Water at site line, septic required Access off Victoria/Fulton Drive
Charlie McClary
mls n236530
Mulder Concrete Site Sells 5 acres, M-2 zoning Clean environmental report Prime location, easy access
Charlie McClary
$324,900
$364,900
mls n4507400
Granisle handy-man special Executive home let go, needs repair 3216 sf, 6 bdrm, 3 bath, 2 fireplaces Many extras, awesome lake view
Ron & Charlie
$344,500
mls n248147
1936 sf family home in Telkwa 2 floors, 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms Large fenced yard, carport Quiet low traffic neighborhood
Charlie McClary
$320,000
mls r2000621
$320,000
1149 Hunter Avenue
2712 Tatlow Road
3768 Twelfth Avenue
7060 Cedar Road
48680 Mill Bay, Granisle
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4 bdrm, 3 bath custom built home Large lot, partially fenced 3,162 s.f. garage, sundeck Fam&rec room, great neighborhood
Karen Benson
Peter Lund Res. 847-3435
mls n246602
Donna Grudgfield Cell. 847-1228
4 bedroom + den, 2112 sq ft home 8.031 acres, trails and creek 40x20 heated shop w/concrete floors Recent updates, quick possession
Karen Benson
Leo Lubbers Cell. 847-1292
mls n247647
3 bdrm, 2 bathroom, family home Large lot in the hill section, views Numerous upgrades,energy efficient Pantry, workshop, sun room, deck
Karen Benson
Ron Lapadat Cell. 847-0335
mls r2004978
Sandra Hinchliffe Cell. 847-0725
Great family home on 5 acres 4 bdrm, 3 bath, office,large rec room Double garage, large sundeck, osbe Beautiful view of Hudson Bay Mtn
Jantina Meints
Charlie McClary Cell. 877-1770
mls n247477
Karen Benson Cell. 847-0548
Beautiful home on Babine Lake Large sundeck, osbe, shop, carport Vaulted ceiling, bright, open layout Gardens, greenhouse, full basement
Jantina Meints
Jantina Meints Cell. 847-3144
mls n244386
Kiesha Matthews Cell. 876-8420
B11
w w w . w i l d l i f e s h e l t e r. c o m
space donated by The Interior News
C OMMUNITY
www.interior-news.com
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Support Northernlights Wildlife Shelter’s 5th Annual Dawson’s Lights. Light up the tree at Smithers Feed Store !
The Interior News
B12
www.interior-news.com
The Interior News
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
C OMMUNITY
Focusing on your gratitude helps keep you focused From CREATIVITY on B11 Come and see what is offered: pottery, handmade soaps, carved burl bowls, unique carved wood furniture, baby booties and bibs, wood sculptures, raku ornaments, quilting, books, fine art, beeswax candles, hand painted ornaments, Christmas cards, mosaic glass windows and much more. Most are limited stock, stop in, don’t miss out! Gratitude. Studies show that people who regularly practise gratitude are less likely to procrastinate, and better able to remain focused on priorities. Practising gratitude supports your immune system, improves sleep and helps to reduce stress, a lot like practising meditation. Just look around you during the day, maybe the sun is shining, maybe your computer is actually working or the dog listens when you say “be quiet.” Look at your family members, be grateful as you do not know how long you will have them, there is no guarantee. At the Smithers Public Library, did you know you can download movies? Streaming movies are always available with your library
card. Available on all Internetenabled computers, tablets and smart phones. I don’t know how to do this but library staff can help explain what to do. The Book Lovers’ Night Out is Tuesday, Dec. 8 at the Alpenhorn, 7 p.m. Bring your own read to present and discuss on the theme of war and conflict. The January read will be All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews. Books distributed at the Dec. 8 meeting with information on the next Night Out. Dec. 9, 6 p.m. is Pyjama Story Time. Food for Fines has already started and runs until Dec. 12. Pay overdue charges with a donation of non-perishable food for the Christmas Hampers. Check out the library website for tons of other events and information at smithers.bc.libraries. coop. The Spaniards call their retirees and elders jubilados, meaning “jubilant one.” I truly prefer this over being called a senior or older person. Closing with: “Life loves to be taken by the lapel and told: ‘I’m with you kid. Let’s go.’ ” — Maya Angelou.
Storewide Power Tool Sale !
Sale $9999
reg price $13999
Sale ends December 24th
BV Home Centre Hwy 16 – Telkwa 250-846-5856
Happy Ads “Moments to Remember” “Happy Birthday” “Happy Anniversary” “Congratulations...”
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WETLANDS ARE DISAPPEARING Protect them. Become a member today.
www.ducks.ca 1-866-384-DUCK
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incl. GST for a 2x3
or 00
72
incl. GST for a 2x6 or 3x4 Ask about prices for adding colour!
250-847-3266 or email laura@interior-news.com
Dewalt jig saw w/ orbit DW317
Smithers Fellowship Baptist Church Queen & 7th Friday, the 4th of December 7:30pm love offering will be taken For more information call 250.847.3725 www.crystalclearministries.com
Hwy 16 – Houston
250-845-7606