Prince George Citizen November 23, 2018 by Prince George Citizen

Friday, November 23, 2018 | Your community newspaper since 1916

CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN

Finishing touches Emily Bornestig keeps a keen eye as she places ornaments on the Enchainement Dance Centre tree, titled A Christmas Carol, at the 25th annual Festival of Trees at the Civic Centre. The festival opens to the public on Saturday.

Sawmill workers taking strike vote Intersection changes in store following death Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff

Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca Drivers will soon no longer be able to get onto Highway 97 North from Westwood Drive as part of changes in store to make crossing the highway in that area safer for pedestrians. The northbound lane leading to 22nd Avenue is to be closed by mid to late January, according to a city staff report detailing further changes planned for the area following the death of a College of New Caledonia student this past summer. Drivers will still be able to reach Highway 97 northbound by heading east on Massey Drive and then turning onto the onramp just past the overpass. Those who want to get onto Highway 97 southbound will still be able to use the turning lane connection at Westwood and the highway south of the intersection. And the southbound access to Westwood will remain unaffected. Changes to traffic signals for traffic coming from 22nd Avenue will make the closure necessary, staff said. At it stands, right-turn, left-turn and through traffic and pedestrians can all proceed at the same time. With the changes, drivers turning left will get an advanced green light allowing them to pass through before walkers are given the go-ahead to cross the highway via the crosswalk on the north side. “With through traffic idle while the leftturning traffic advances, Westwood northbound traffic will not be able to advance and long queues will develop creating traffic congestion and traffic backing up towards Massey Drive,” staff say in the report. A second phase green light will allow through traffic and drivers turning right to pass through at the same time pedestrians are crossing.

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The northbound lane leading to 22nd Avenue is to be closed by mid to late January... following the death of a College of New Caledonia student this past summer. The signal for pedestrians will also include a countdown feature. Information signs will be posted to give drivers the heads up. Several measures have been taken in the wake of the June 6 death of Sandeep Kaur, who was struck and killed while trying to cross the highway at a spot between 18th and 22nd Avenues, a few hundred metres north of the intersection. The works have included removing the sidewalk from the CNC campus to a decommissioned bus stop, putting up signs on the CNC campus directing pedestrians to the intersection, installing concrete barriers on the west side of East Central at 20th Avenue, also with signs pointing to the intersection, building a sidewalk from the same spot to the intersection and installing a fence along the highway’s median from 22nd Avenue to 18th Avenue. In early October, charges against Michelle Denise Dac, the driver accused of running into Kaur, were reduced from impaired driving causing death and causing an accident resulting in death to dangerous driving, driving while impaired and driving with a blood-alcohol level over .08. Her case remains before the court. The full staff report and accompanying slide presentation is posted with this story at www.princegeorgecitizen.com.

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Job action by the B.C. Interior’s unionized sawmill workers is set to spread. United Steelworkers members working at Canfor’s Plateau, Polar and Chetwynd sawmills are voting this week on whether to give the bargaining committee a strike mandate. The outcome should be known by Saturday, USW Local 1-2017 business agent Brian O’Rourke said, and if it’s in the affirmative, they will join a growing number who are in a strike position. Those employed in the southern region moved into strike position on Tuesday morning after mediated talks held in Kelowna last week with the employer’s bargaining agent, the Interior Forest Labour Relations Association, broke down. “After making some very significant moves to break the logjam between the two parties, the industry still insisted on keeping concessions on the table and dictating conditions on bargaining,” said USW lead negotiator Bob Matters in a statement. Workers at 13 mills in the northern

region have been in a strike position since Oct. 6. They had waged a campaign of rotating strikes, which was put on hold while the talks in Kelowna were held. Next steps will likely be determined next week. “We are just at a standstill for right now,” O’Rourke said. The USW is accusing employers of refusing to share with workers the “record profits” they have reaped this year, “while insisting the union agree to concessions.” “The USW Bargaining Committee remains committed to achieving a fair collective agreement for our members. The bargaining committee has pushed the employer hard at the negotiating table and believe now job action by the membership is needed to send a clear message.” Council on Northern Interior Forest Employment Relations, the bargaining agent for those 13 mills, is offering two-per-cent wage increases in each year of a five-year contract. Reached this week, CONIFER executive director Mike Bryce said the association remains willing to reach a negotiated settlement that’s acceptable to both parties.

FortisBC asks customers to conserve gas Citizen news service The natural gas supply is improving for British Columbia, but FortisBC Energy Inc. is still asking its residential and business customers to conserve ahead of the two coldest months of the year. Fortis says in a news release that measures to boost its natural gas supply, warmer than average weather and an announcement from Enbridge that it will increase its pipeline pressure are all increasing the supply. The Enbridge pipeline that exploded and burned last month near Prince George has been fixed and the company

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See page 2 for more details and short-term forecasts

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says it will raise its maximum allowable operating pressure to 85 per cent. FortisBC CEO Roger Dall’Antonia says the latest news, and the company’s purchase of additional natural gas from the open market, puts it in a much better position to supply its customers over the winter. However, he says in order to ensure Fortis has a sufficient supply for all its customers, conservation is still needed. Fortis says in a statement that if there is a prolonged cold period, demand could outpace supply and Fortis may have to ask its large-scale industrial or commercial customers to curtail operations.

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