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Tuesday, September 18, 2018 | Your community newspaper since 1916

CNC opens heavy duty mechanic facility Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca The new building at College of New Caledonia is as heavy duty as the machines inside and the education students will get as they work on them. CNC staff and students were joined by dignitaries of all kinds for the grand opening Monday, including Melanie Mark, the provincial minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training. “Students will be positioned for success in the trades with the new Heavy Mechanical Trades Facility in Prince George,” said Mark. “These students are building the best B.C. by diagnosing, maintaining, repairing and operating equipment and vehicles that keep our province growing and moving. Our government is working hard so students throughout B.C. can access the skills to thrive.” The new building was built for the LEEDS Gold environmental designation, pending final construction analysis. It was a $18.5-million construction project that more than replaced the facility CNC was renting off-campus to house the heavy-duty mechanics education programs prior to this new building. Frank Rossi, dean of CNC’s School of Trades and Technologies, said the college was already able to add an entire new class, thanks to the new space. The education quality was going to go up because the many new features of the building would now allow for more kinds of machines to be studied and worked on by students, plus the interior working conditions were now improved as well. The Heavy Mechanical Trades Facility can now accommodate 251 full-time-equivalent spaces, and up to 48 new spaces, in the Heavy-Duty Equipment Technician and Truck and Transport Mechanics programs. Heavy Mechanical Trades students inspect, service and repair heavy trucks, commercial trucks, buses, diesel engines, transport trailers, cranes, graders, drills, bulldozers and other heavy equipment.

CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN

Ryan Bachand, a heavy duty mechanic student at the College of New Caledonia, explains how the hydrostatic transmission training simulator is used to Advanced Education Minister Melanie Mark during the official opening of the college’s Heavy Mechanical Trades Facility on Monday. One of those students, Ryan Bachand, came to CNC while still a high school student at Kelly Road Secondary School, and he is now closing in on completion of his full Heavy-Duty Mechanical Trades certifications. He grinned about what he called vast improvements compared to the old building. “We’re not standing shoulder to shoulder with the next student,” he said, explaining that tight quarters in those fields were neither educationally helpful nor even particularly safe compared to the new facilities. “As a student, I appreciate the work that

has been done to improve my learning and further education for those interested in the heavy duty mechanic trade,” he said. “I am very happy and excited to continue my learning in this new building.” CNC president Henry Reiser said this project has spanned his tenure at the college and he was thrilled to see it finally open. He thanked the federal and provincial governments for their financial contributions to the construction ($6.9 million from the Government of Canada and $10.1 million from the province) which covered most of the bills, allowing CNC to invest strategi-

cally in this building (the college contributed $1.5 million of their own dollars). “The college works with local and regional employers and industry to ensure that we’re equipping our students with the skills that are needed in the workplace,” Reiser said. “Providing responsive, relevant and quality training positions our students for success. The strength of CNC’s programming includes practical hands-on training. The new Heavy Mechanical Trades Facility will enable students to develop the skills that employers are looking for.”

Mayoral challenger gives rambling, erratic interview Man who died Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca The lone challenger in the city’s mayoral race lives in a VLA-area apartment building, survives on $1,800 a month and describes himself as a “radical, non-conformist thinking coach.” That much we do know about Willy Ens. Well that, and when it comes to fielding questions in an interview, he can be all over the map. Ens opened a phone call to The Citizen on Monday by saying he was at a food bank and launched into a rambling anecdote about talking to a recruiter at College of New Caledonia. It might make an interesting story for the newspaper, he added. When I said I was more interested in a story on the fact he’s running for mayor, Ens sounded upset. “You’re not interested in the local news, eh?” he replied in a gravelly voice. “Well, that’s pretty local news,” I replied in reference to his bid for top spot on city council. Ens segued into a vague reference. “Well hey, like I say, the way this is going and at the rate this is playing, it reminds me of being on the Charlottes and under the Charlotte agreement as they called it,” he said. “And that was that dogs still chase cats, and everybody walked.” I interrupted to ask if he intends to see this campaign out to its end. He does. “Oh yeah, no, no, no, this is a job application,” he said. “Our mayor, he’s got a real race happening here.” Ens said he’s running because he’s proud of

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I’m bringing real credentials to this. (Mayor Lyn Hall) has no idea on construction, obviously. He’s tearing everything down. — Mayoral candidate Willy Ens Prince George and wants to see the city “held together.” He accused Mayor Lyn Hall, who is seeking a second term, of being “bound and determined to demolish everything and reconstruct it,” in apparent reference to the Four Seasons Pool. “Hell, I was here since the building of it. None of you guys have been here that long. I was here since ’69.” I raised an item he referred to in a series of messages he had sent to me through social media on Sunday – the mayor’s salary. Ens said he’s living on an old age pension of $1,800 a month reduced from $2,300 a month “and nobody’s telling me why.” Ens went on to say the mayor makes more in “bonus” than he will in a year. Starting Jan. 1, the city’s mayor will earn $127,889 in remuneration, a jump of $29,063. But Ens would not reduce the salary if elected. “Why would I?” he said. “I’m bringing real credentials to this. He has no idea on construction, obviously. He’s tearing everything down.” “That pool? That’s ridiculous tearing that

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down. That thing survived an earthquake, do you realize we had an earthquake in Prince George?” When I replied that if we did, it wasn’t very big, I was soon corrected and told we had one in 1986, the year after his son was born. “This sounds like I’m trying to coach you in reporting,” he added. I asked him what kind of experience he had in construction. Ens said he has 34 years as a class A gas fitter and the “methanol plant ran under my ticket” until there was a change in bureaucratic jurisdiction. He went on to say it was the methanol plant in Kitimat, was built under Ocelot Industries Ltd. and that he was the liaison between the “gas branch” and the “City of Kitimat” and Ocelot Industries. But he could not remember the specific name of the plant when asked. He replied that this was back in the 1980s and added: “What do you remember from 30 years ago?” When I replied that I’d remember who I worked for, Ens laughed and said “yeah, well jobs might’ve been few and far between if you were getting them on this rate.” “Anyway, buddy, this is ridiculous. I’m done,” Ens said and hung up as I tried to find out how old he is. With the help of two nominators with addresses at a downtown hostel, Ens submitted his papers on Friday, just hours before the 4 p.m. deadline. Candidacies remain subject to challenge until Tuesday at 4 p.m. and the deadline for withdrawal is Friday at 4 p.m.

Minister defends B.C. pot plan NEWS 8

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in police custody mild mannered, inquest told Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff A Kitwanga man who died while in custody at the Prince George RCMP detachment is being remembered as mild mannered, friendly and well versed in his First Nation’s tradition and heritage. An inquest into the Nov. 21, 2016 death of Jamie Wilford Shanoss, 51, began Monday at the Prince George courthouse. It opened with testimony from an uncle, Art Mathews, who described his nephew as well mannered ever since he was a child. As his uncle, Mathews said his role was to teach Shanoss how to hunt and “all the things we do in our culture.” Showing empathy and respect for the animals he hunted and refraining from confrontation with other people were among the virtues taught, he said. — see ‘HE WAS, page 3

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