Thursday, February 7, 2019 | Your community newspaper since 1916
Downtown Winterfest to offer cool fun Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca With temperatures expected to rise to more winter-friendly levels this weekend, Downtown Winterfest is going to be a sizzling seasonal play-date for families this Sunday. After some time in the deep freeze, this weekend is a welcome warm-up to the kind of subzero temperatures that call northerners out to play. It’s the good kind of cold – chill enough to convey the winter spirit but playable for those who don the apparel of the season. People in Prince George know well that “we are winter,” since that slogan emerged from the 2015 Canada Winter Games experience here in this city, and it carries on through the efforts of Downtown Prince George (DPG) and its many supporters and partners in this annual endeavour. The action gets going at 11 a.m. and lasts to 4 p.m. all inside the public playground of Canada Games Plaza, in the sunny shadow of the Civic Centre, Public Library and Two Rivers Gallery. The place will be packed with snow zumba, snow golf, road hockey (with some of the city’s top male and female youth teams), the outdoor food court, the dancing beats of DJ Ant, and much more. “Our awesome community partners have so much going on, so make sure to mark it in your calendar and come join in the fun,” said DPG’s executive director Colleen Van Mook. “If you need to warm up your toes, we invite you to wander through the wonderful Winter Market which will be hosted inside the Prince George Civic and Conference Centre. Our fabulous exhibitors and local merchants will be offering a little something for everyone’s shopping pleasure. The Prince George Public Library and Two Rivers Gallery will also be offering free indoor activities throughout the day.” A favourite feature each year at Downtown Winterfest is the s’more selection. This popular sweet treat is the centre of a community contest, with businesses and agencies vying for votes with innovative recipes. The winner gets the pride and charity gets the proceeds from the There’s
CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN
Master carver Peter Vogelaar oversees the filling of a wood form that will create a wall that will be carved in Millian Park for this Sunday’s Downtown Prince George Winterfest. S’more Downtown competition. “While you are indulging in these traditional outdoor treats, you can be witness to a spectacular showcase of snow and ice carving art that will, once again, feature award-winning talent from international sculptor Peter Vogelaar,” said Van Mook. “His team will work their magic to create several stunning and interactive snow sculptures along with the very popular ice slide.”
There will also be community mascots, snowman catapults thanks to The Exploration Place, a photo booth, rides on the Cetral B.C. Railway and Forestry Museum’s Cottonwood Express mini-rail train, tryouts of paranordic sit-skiing with Josh Dueck of the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club, snowmobile demos and display with Forest Power Sports, and much more. Downtown Winterfest is one of the hottest spots on the annual Prince George calendar
during the snowy season. It’s one more way that DPG can show off the quality of life in our community and boost the action of the warm heart of the city. “Our goal is to create a downtown Prince George that is vibrant, safe, and attractive to citizens, businesses and visitors,” said Van Mook. “We do this through advocacy and partnerships that focus on events and promotions, beautification and business development initiatives.”
2018 was frustrating year for RCMP Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca
CP FILE PHOTO
A wildfire burns on a logging road approximately 20 kilometres southwest of Fort St. James on Aug. 15, 2018. Inhaling smoke from a wildfire can be equal to smoking a couple of packs of cigarettes a day depending on its thickness, says a researcher studying wildfires in Western Canada.
Wildfire smoke a dangerous ‘chemical soup’ researcher says Hina ALAM Citizen news service VANCOUVER — Inhaling smoke from a wildfire can be equal to smoking a couple of packs of cigarettes a day depending on its thickness, says a researcher studying wildfires in Western Canada. Mike Flannigan, a professor with the Department of Renewable Resources at the University of Alberta, said the smoke is like a “chemical soup” that can be trapped in the lungs and cause a number of health issues. “They are all kinds of particles, mercury, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane... there’s a whole long list.” Depending on the size of the particles, they get trapped in the lungs, accumulate over time and cause “all kinds of problems,” Flannigan said. “The more we are finding out about
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smoke and health, the more we are finding out it is bad for us, which isn’t a surprise but it’s worse than we thought.” Sarah Henderson, a senior environmental health scientist at the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, said the smaller the particles, the worse they are. Both Flannigan and Henderson will make presentations at the BC Lung Association’s annual workshop on air quality and health on Wednesday. Their presentation is timely after extreme wildfire seasons in British Columbia in 2017 and 2018. Smoke from forest fires last year reached Atlantic Canada and even as far away as Ireland. Emissions vary depending on the differences in fuel, burning conditions and other environmental factors, Flannigan said. — see ‘ON AVERAGE, page 3
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Prince George RCMP Supt. Warren Brown is remembering 2018 as a frustrating year in which the progress made on several fronts was offset by difficulty police have had in putting a dent on trouble in the city’s downtown. Speaking to city council on Monday night, Brown said staffing at the detachment reached a full complement, in contrast to past years when it has had trouble retaining members and replacing those who have moved on. “Prince George used to be an undesirable place for police officers to come,” Brown said. “They want to come here now. I would say the morale here is at an all-time high so we’re firing on a lot of pistons internally.” Added to that has been more effective use of the Car 60 program in which an RCMP officer is paired with a nurse trained in mental health and substance use services to help people in crisis, more strategic use of resources downtown and the launch of the Indigenous court. “But yet we continue to face crisis in the community, increased calls for service,” Brown said. “Our social service providers downtown are telling us that they are confronting more violent people that they’re having to help. In that regard I had really anticipated we would see a positive effect on crime stats this year and it certainly wasn’t to the degree that I’d hoped, so that was my frustration. However, we’ll sharpen our pencils and we will be ready for another round this year and hope to sit in front of you next year and tell you it wasn’t a frustrating year.” Year-end statistics showed that while mischief-related offences were down citywide, they were up in the downtown where RCMP responded to more than 600 calls for the offence, about 150 more than
Drinkable pot coming
Our social service providers downtown are telling us that they are confronting more violent people that they’re having to help. — Supt. Warren Brown in 2017. Trouble makers from out of town are a concern, according to Brown. He said Prince George Regional Correctional Centre houses a significant number of prisoners from elsewhere in northern B.C. who are serving time for offences committed in their home towns. When they’re released from jail, they often have no way to get back home and have no jobs, no money and no home. Some of the trouble may be due to the loss of the Greyhound bus service, Brown added. Coun. Murry Krause countered that many choose to stay in Prince George because the social services are better here than in the communities they came from. Brown also made reference to the rising prevalence of opioid use, which he said has reached a crisis level with addicts committing crimes to feed what can be a $500 a day habit. In response, two members per watch are working the downtown. “Given the volume and over-represented crime we have in the core area of downtown, it’s just a necessary policing response,” Brown said. “I won’t say it’s a response we’re going to have forever but it’s certainly one we’re going to have until we can find perhaps some better treatment and care for these individuals.” Mayor Lyn Hall said he’s noticed a rise in the use of private security firms to keep an eye on things downtown and added other communities face the same problems.
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