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Wednesday, June 26, 2019 | Your community newspaper since 1916

CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN

Making a Strong Start Ronnie West drums for the Strong Start students from Nusdeh Yoh Elementary and Ron Brent Elementary at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park Tuesday morning.

Canada Day events planned Conifex selling Fort St. James mill Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca Canada Day activities can be enjoyed in a number of ways and places. The multicultural personality of Canada, the foundation of inclusion and cultureblending, is what leads the celebrations at the most popular of the local events for Canada’s birthday. Canada Day In The Park happens at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park with music and dancing at the Kiwanis Bandshell, informational booths and a broad array of international food vendors around the grassy grounds, plenty of wild free-form joy at the playground and Rotaract Waterspray Park, plus endless activities and interests at Exploration Place and the Little Prince railroad rides. It finishes with a fireworks display at 11 p.m. – all for families, all for free. North of the city about 30 minutes, you’ll find a more rustic form of national celebration. Historic Huble Homestead hosts Dominion Day each July 1. Take a trip to the past and celebrate Canada’s birthday the old-fashioned way at the city’s living museum with pioneer farmhouse, barns, general store, post office blacksmith shop, fish drying camp and much more. Enjoy heritage demonstrations and music throughout the day, and take part in the Dominion Day festivities by joining in pioneer games and races, eating contests, a special Canadian treasure hunt, and crafts. Join the parade across the site and afterwards enjoy a free piece of birthday cake, then kick back and relax with a hot meal from the barbecue. Admission by donation (recommended $10 for this event). For a gold rush dose of pioneering fun, head down to Barkerville on July 1. It’s actually the first place to ever celebrate Dominion Day, and they did it before B.C. was part of the national confederation. “Just past midnight on July 1, 1868, the Dominion of Canada’s first anniversary, Barkerville citizens launched their own version of a 21 gun salute,” explained Barker-

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In 2019, we celebrate much the same way, with a tug of war, funny face contest, greasy pole climb, egg toss, races and lots more. — Barkerville curatorial staff ville curatorial staff. “Cannons were in short supply, so black powder charges were detonated between stacked anvils, providing a loud and raucous start to Canada’s inaugural birthday party. A full slate of activities followed throughout the day and long into the evening, capped off with a fireworks display. “In 2019, we celebrate much the same way, with a tug of war, funny face contest, greasy pole climb, egg toss, races and lots more. Scotiabank sponsors a giant cake, and the House Hotel hosts an evening of entertainment, dancing and refreshments.” An even older institution in the area also has a Canada Day celebration. Founded in 1806 by Simon Fraser, the national historic site of Fort St. James is on the brow of a view of Stuart Lake and wrapped in the ancient arms of Indigenous cultures that still operate in the modern context today. “Travel back to 1896 when wealth was measured in fur pelts and salmon, the natural bounty bartered by the Carrier First Nations and European fur traders at Fort St. James,” said Parks Canada staff. “Tour Canada’s largest collection of wooden buildings faithfully restored to the fur trade era. Spend the night in the historic Murray house warmed by a wood stove and memories of the family who lived here more than a century ago.” The July 1 celebrations start with an 8 a.m. pancake breakfast then on through a slate of activities like a parade, live entertainment, kids crafts, magic show, hoola hoop demonstration, and more.

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Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca Conifex Timber Inc. will be selling its Fort St. James sawmill and related timber rights to Oregon-based Hampton Lumber, the companies said in a statement jointly issued Tuesday. The deal, worth $39 million plus the market value of finished lumber and log inventory at closing, remains subject to approval by the Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations, and Rural Development. However, Hampton CEO Steve Zika said the company intends to build a new sawmill in Fort St. James. It will be operated in partnership with area First Nations and community partners, “similar to a successful joint venture we have with the Burns Lake Native Development Corporation in the Burns Lake area,” he added. Conifex’s existing Fort St. James mill was shut down on May 13. It is not expected to resume normal operations prior

to the closing of the transaction. “We have known for some time that lumber industry rationalization is inevitable because too little sawlog supply is available to maintain the existing manufacturing base in the Interior region of B.C.,” Conifex chair and CEO Ken Shields said. “The decision we have taken to sell the mill was extremely difficult; however, we are encouraged by Hampton’s plans for the site. “We believe this transaction supports the province’s objectives for industry rationalization that is mindful of the impacts on people, communities and First Nations.” Conifex will use the proceeds from the sale to retire debt and to provide additional liquidity. Hampton Lumber operates nine sawmills in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. “While economic conditions are extremely challenging right now for the lumber industry in British Columbia, we believe the long-term outlook for Canadian lumber is promising,” Zika said.

Third Avenue pot shop rejected once again Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff For a second time, an attempt to convince city council to allow a cannabis store to open across from a downtown social agency that works with vulnerable youth has failed. Nasser Kamani had been seeking to change councillors’ minds on his proposal to open a store in the old Plateau Clothing shop at 1289 Third Ave. In answer to a rejection issued in April, Kamani proposed Monday to limit the store’s hours to times when the school

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at Intersect Youth and Family Services is closed. But the idea failed to win council’s support, in part because Intersect will still be in use outside of school hours. Largely over concerns about proper process, council also turned down a suggestion by Kamani to grant him a temporary use permit for six months to find a new location before the licence he has secured from the provincial government expires. If granted, it would have come with the proviso that he not use the licence to operate at the Third Avenue spot. — see COUNCIL, page 3

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