Prince George Citizen December 19, 2018 by Prince George Citizen

Wednesday, December 19, 2018 | Your community newspaper since 1916

CITIZEN PHOTO BY JAMES DOYLE

Christmas luncheon Smokehouse Restaurant baker Dulcy Pegg ladles gravy onto a plate during the Prince George Native Friendship Centre’s annual Christmas luncheon on Tuesday afternoon.

Regional district considers plan to combat illegal dumping Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff

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RCMP seized drugs, cash and weapons in October 2017 during the arrest of Kenneth Daniel Kirkpatrick.

Major drug haul leads to federal prison sentence Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca A Prince George man was sentenced Tuesday to a further four-and-a-half years in federal prison on counts stemming from a haul of more than $200,000 worth of drugs from two homes in the city. In all, Kenneth Daniel Kirkpatrick, 38, was sentenced to six years but received credit of 1 1/2 years for time served prior to sentencing. Acting on a tip that he may be trafficking in heroin, Prince George RCMP obtained a warrant in September 2017 to track Kirkpatrick’s cellphone. From there, the detachment’s street crew unit was able to keep tabs on Kirkpatrick and over about three weeks he was seen

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driving around the city, visiting known drug traffickers and acting in a manner consistent with trafficking, the court was told. He was also seen going to and from two homes – one in the 1600 block of Harper Drive and the other in the 300 block of Mullet Crescent – leading police to believe he was storing drugs at those spots. On Oct. 11, 2017, police converged on Kirkpatrick in his vehicle after it looked like he was about to sell some drugs to a customer. He was arrested and in the vehicle RCMP found 8.28 grams of cocaine, 6.2 grams of fentanyl-laced heroin, $1,000 in cash and two cellphones and two digital scales. Keys seized from Kirkpatrick were used to unlock the deadbolts at the two homes. — see ‘I KEEP GOING, page 3

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A strategy to prevent illegal dumping will be taken to the Fraser-Fort George Regional District board of directors on Thursday. It puts a particular emphasis on an education campaign to make people aware that a significant portion of illegally dumped waste – yard waste, non-refridgerant appliances and tires – is actually accepted at many FFGRD facilities at no charge. The campaign would also promote the Recycling Council of British Columbia’s Recylcepedia, found at www.rcbc. ca, which shows an array of options for recycling items, as well as the provincial government’s Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) hotline for reporting illegal dumping. The campaign would promote the concept that illegal dumping is a “community issue with a community solution” and that the act is “not OK and won’t be tolerated.” The strategy also calls for expanding recycling services at FFGRD facilities, particularly rural transfer stations. As of Jan. 1, major appliances including fridges, freezers and air conditioners will be accepted at no charge at select regional district facilities though the Major Appliance Recycling Roundtable stewardship program. Currently, the FFGRD charges a $22.50 tipping fee to dispose of appliances containing ozone depleting substances. The strategy also calls for expanding community cleanup campaigns to include large-item pickup events, hazardous waste roundups and seasonal collection of yard waste. Signage would also be posted at problem areas showing the fines levied for illegal dumping, RAPP line information and

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The campaign would promote the concept that illegal dumping is a “community issue with a community solution” and that the act is “not OK and won’t be tolerated.” warnings for areas under surveillance. And owners of private property that have become hotspots for illegal dumping would be encouraged to install gates and barriers, as well as security cameras and signs warning that the area is under surveillance. The final element is enforcement and to that end, the strategy would give the Conservation Officer Service and bylaw enforcement officers the authority and resources to carry out enforcement. Steps would include passing an illegal dumping bylaw, working with COS to establish baseline data on the nature and extent of illegal dumping in the FFGRD, mapping problem sites and assessing the impact of prevention efforts. In an accompanying report, it was noted that the FFGRD can waive tipping fees for community cleanup events. In all, it can grant exemptions adding up to $25,000 in a single year but as of October, only four groups have taken advantage, adding up to $6,096 of fees waived. To date this year, 21 tonnes of material have been collected from 19 locations. The efforts included the Civic Pride Earth Day cleanup events in Prince George, McBride and Valemount, for which $1,800 in tipping fees were waived.

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