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Tuesday, April 2, 2019 | Your community newspaper since 1916

‘Pinball’ Clemons to speak at Bob Ewert lecture Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca He’s bouncing and careening back to Prince George like a pinball on a points streak. Michael Clemons was known all over the football world as Pinball, and the name still applies now that he has scored as many big moments in the board room as he ever did on the field. He came to Canada as a CFL prospect in 1989 who already had NFL experience as a punt returner and receiver. He cut a route across the record books that few will ever touch. Many fans from that era remember his dazzling runs, defined by tenacity, speed and agility that earned him his nickname. What many fans might not realize was he carried on doing the same thing after retirement, just as a coach, team executive (all of it with the Toronto Argonauts) and a number of social activist and business ventures. Of the six Grey Cups he won, half were in off-field positions. When he comes to Prince George on Saturday, as the keynote speaker at the annual Dr. Bob Ewert Dinner and Lecture, he will focus on that evolution – how a person can grow into a leader, how a community can grow into a team. “Great communities respond to challenges. When you have things going on in the neighbourhood that upset the community, you come together, you unify to make that change,” said Clemons after researching some of what Prince George has rallied around in the past. Whether that is accommodating thousands of wildfire evacuees, banding together by the thousand to establish a university, or pulling as a team of 70,000-plus to pull off the Canada Winter Games, Prince George is emblematic of a place that works together for the greater good, whether the cause is large or small. “There are still gaps,” he said, and zeroed in on the medical theme of the dinner event. “Whether that is rehab, or people who shouldn’t have to travel that far, or who are unable to get access because they can’t travel that far, there is still work for us to do, so in that, we must refine ourselves

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Michael ‘Pinball’ Clemons spoke at the second annual UNBC Timberwolves Legacy Breakfast on March 30, 2016. and get better, and recharge so we continue to add that fuel to the community, to understand that we are growing, and sensitive to the needs of our community, and continuing to find the energy to address them.” It takes both those elements, he explained, to create a culture of success. As people and as communities, you have to be on the lookout for the problems confronting you and your neighbours. Then, you have to forget that there are always problems, disregard that there is no end to need and apply yourself anyway to the causes that will help. “When we don’t have challenges, what do we have to live for?” he said. “I believe that’s what invigorates us. That’s what charges us. I used to tell my players, there is always adversity in life. If you have no adversity, you know what that means: it means you’re dead. “As long as we live, we will have chal-

lenge. And that’s the lifeblood. We certainly want to enjoy life, have a good life and look for balance in life, and adversity always gives us something to fight for and something to move forward for. Challenges are as important as blessings.” The city got a taste of the Pinball Clemons experience in 2016 when he was the special guest at the UNBC Timberwolves Legacy Breakfast. In the span of 90 minutes, he went from someone the TV cameras had a hard time tracking to someone who could easily be your own neighbour. The city was charmed and motivated by his authentic presence and genuine energy for helping others. “People there are wonderful,” he said, and while that sounds like an obligatory statement from anyone in the public eye who visits a new community, he started naming names and describing situations

from his last visit just to prove he was sincerely paying attention. He even suggested he’d like to start a Selan Alpay fan club after the local entrepreneur and philanthropist won his friendship last time here. “We could use a little Prince George here in Ontario – that community in unity,” Clemons said. Pinball lights up the room on Saturday at the Prince George Civic Centre starting with cocktails at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner, lecture and more. The event is a presentation of the Northern Medical Society. In addition to Clemens, there will also be two other special guests at the Dr. Bob Ewert Dinner, with Dr. John Maile of Quesnel and Dr. David Snadden of Prince George being inducted into the Northern B.C. Medical Hall of Fame. Seats are available via the Central Interior Tickets website.

Big cat seen roaming Pidherny-Hart Highlands Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca A cougar has been sighted in the Pidherny-Hart Highlands area. Mike Nash and Judy Lett were on their way up Foothills Boulevard on Friday night when they saw the animal on the east side of the road, just below the Ridgeview area. At first, they did not believe their eyes. “It’s one of those things that hits you instantly – ‘wow, that’s odd, totally different’ – and then moments later you sort of put the pieces together and make an ID,” said Nash, a noted outdoor enthusiast who has written several books, columns and magazine articles. Nash said he only saw the eyes reflecting in the headlights of his car but the movements strongly suggested the animal. Lett got a better view. “It was a little bit dark but I saw the flash of the eyes,” Lett said. “And the way it was walking, it looked like a big cat. It almost looked like it was after prey, slinking along... it was cool to see.” Even for Nash, it was something to remember. He said it was only the second time he has ever actual seen the animal, the other being at dusk near Dease Lake, driving back from a backpacking trip. However, the couple has come across signs of cougars passing

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When cougars start being seen following people with dogs ... that’s behaviour we really want to take note of. — Sgt. Steve Ackles, Conservation officer through the greenbelt next to their home in past years, notably footprints in the snow indicating a large male had been following them on a trail they like to walk. And Lett said walkers who frequent the Pidherny area recently came across the remains of a deer and suspect it was taken down by a cougar. The couple has let the neighbours know so they can keep an eye out while walking their dogs or taking their children out for a stroll. Conservation Officer Service Sgt. Steve Ackles took the report in stride saying the animals only become a concern when they deviate from their typical “prey profile” – when they stop going after deer or raccoons or “even house cats.” “When cougars start being seen following people with dogs – and typically, they’re focussed on the dog – during daylight hours in months other than say August

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when the deer have spots, that’s behaviour we really want to take note of,” Ackles said. Even then, it’s still a “very long stretch from a cougar stalking a dog to a cougar stalking a human.” Regardless, even if a cougar appears to be simply going about its natural business, Ackles said it’s still worthwhile giving the COS the heads up by leaving a report on its 24-hour hotline (1-877952-7277). “We really need those reports and sightings just to keep track,” Ackles said. As for what to do if you come across a cougar, “definitely never turn your back or run from a cougar,” Ackles advised. Instead, make yourself big, throw rocks and stare it down. “Look right into its eyes like two boxers staring each other down,” he added. Bear bangers and horns won’t make a difference. “Noise does not seem to be a negative stimulus to them,” Ackles said. Last year, there were 14 sightings in the Prince George area reported to the Conservation Officer Service – a far cry from the number of sightings on Vancouver Island. “In Nanaimo, for example, we probably have four to five cougars living within city limits and typically, we would not remove a cougar from the population unless there was indication that it was going off its prey profile,” Ackles said.

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Police seized illegal marijuana, cash and guns from a home.

Police seize $1M of cash, drugs Citizen staff A man and woman were arrested and Prince George RCMP seized $1 million worth of cash and cannabis from a home in the city. Police said a search of the property – the address was not provided – uncovered more than 55 kilograms (121 pounds) of dried cannabis, a significant amount of other forms of cannabis products and more than $550,000 in cash. Several firearms and ammunition were also seized. “This is a substantial seizure

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resulting from the investigation of persons previously not known to police,” said Insp. Shaun Wright in a statement. “Our officers will continue to target those persons that do not abide by Canadian law, including the Cannabis Act.” The suspects were later released without charge at this time, pending the completion of the investigation and charge approval from the federal prosecution service. The action was taken on March 23 after the detachment’s street crew unit executed a search warrant on the home.

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