Prince George Citizen Thursday, February 26, 2026

THURSDAY,

Violence traps PG travellers in Mexico

Vacationers were locked down with no ights out

CITIZEN STAFF

WestJet flights between Mexico and Prince George International Airport were scheduled to resume Tuesday, Feb. 24, after a weekend of cancellations as scheduled to all destinations, with the

New whistleblower rules reject anonymous complaints

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

Prince George city council at its Monday, Feb. 23 meeting approved the city’s updated whistleblower policy which outlines procedures when a city employee makes an allegation of serious misconduct involving another city employee.

One of the biggest changes in the amended policy is anonymous complaints regarding serious misconduct will no longer be investigated and that an anonymous report can be disregarded if it does not provide enough substance or can’t be verified to have been made in good faith.

Coun. Trudy Klassen explained why she would not support the policy.

“I think council would be wise to avoid adopting a policy where someone would need to bring a whistleblower policy to the entire council, that’s an issue that I have,” said Klassen. “That would be a prohibitive barrier for anyone to work or for anyone who is in that situation because any time you’re making a whistleblower complaint it’s a highly stressed circumstance.

“I believe it would be better to have a policy where we can direct anyone wanting to make a whistleblower complaint to a third party outside of city hall. That would be a better protection against retaliation and the dangers of that. I think it would be better for us to not have a policy than adopt one shaped in this manner.”

While addressing Klassen’s concerns, Coun. Tim Bennett suggested that the BC Ombudsperson is that third party that could be used if required. He also said the cost of consulting the ombudsman is paid for by the province and not the city. In response, Klassen suggested the ombudsperson is not easily accessible and that would likely be a slow process and not an ideal way of dealing with a situation that requires third-party consultation.

Bennett also told Klassen the policy specifies city council’s involvement only applies to a complaint of serious misconduct against the city manager.

That would then be addressed in-camera by council in consultation with the corporate officer, who would determine and assign responsibility for an investigation by a third party.

“I believe everywhere else it would not necessarily need to come to the entire city council,” said Bennett. “If this was to come forward where we had a complaint against the city manager it would go to the mayor with a request to call a meeting of council because of the seriousness of the complaint.”

If the allegation is made against a member of city council, the designated recipients would forward the complaint to independent legal counsel to determine if an investigation is warranted. Only then would legal council engage an external investigator.

Coun. Ron Polillo said having the policy support third-party interventions, as Klassen suggested, would be prohibitively expensive.

“In regards to that third party, there is the BC Ombudsperson,” Polillo said.

“I do agree, having this improved policy as opposed to an outdated policy we all felt as a council needed to be updated. Staff has done the work, our unions have looked at it, questions have been clarified and concerns have been addressed and I support it.”

After the December meeting, staff met with both local Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) union representatives to review the updates to the whistleblower policy and respond to questions arising from the proposed changes. They are convinced those questions or concerns have been addressed in the updated policy.

It replaces an older version that was attached to the agenda for the Dec. 15, 2025 meeting and is unchanged from

the version administration had intended for council consideration.

At that meeting, corporate officer Ethan Anderson said he found some issues with the draft version attached to the agenda and asked for the item to be postponed for discussion until those issues had been resolved.

City manager Walter Babicz said the updated policy clarifies reporting pathways, strengthens confidentiality provisions, and provides improved guidance on investigation procedure and protections against retaliation.

“These amendments support the city’s commitment to fostering an ethical transparent and accountable organizational culture,” said Babicz.

The updated policy guides the complainant as to who should be informed of the issue based on the position held by subject of the alleged wrongdoing.

If it’s a city employee other than a director or city manager, the complaint would be filed jointly to the applicable department manager and city manager.

• A director’s complaint would go jointly to the city manager and a corporate officer

• A corporate officer would appeal to the city manager and the financial officer

• A member of city council (an elected official) would file the complaint jointly to the city manager and the corporate officer

Employees who submit a report are not required to prove their allegations but must demonstrate they have sound reasons for their concerns.

Within 15 days of a report of alleged serious misconduct being received, the designated recipients are required to respond in writing acknowledging the report has been received.

The policy outlines criteria that would allow someone who has had a serious complaint brought to the city’s attention to decline or stop an investigation.

Council approved the removal of a clause that allowed the city to investigate anonymous complaints.

The updated policy states: “While anonymous reporting is not permissible under this policy, those processing a complaint shall take steps to process complaints in a confidential manner, only disclosing the identity of a complainant to the extent that such disclosure is necessary for the investigation to proceed.”

There’s also a section stating that employees who report suspected misconduct in good faith will be protected.

Mayor Simon Yu said the updated policy excludes the mayor’s involvement in hearing a complaint of serious wrongdoing within the city’s organization and because of that he voted against adopting it.

“I think foremost the whistleblower policy is to protect the whistleblower,” said Yu. “We want to prevent retaliation and we’d like to see the whistleblower have a choice, you have people within the organization to make sure the case is heard in an unbiased way.

“I think the major change of the policy previously to now is the complete removal of the role of the mayor in this particular case. The mayor, under the community charter, is the CEO of the organization, is a full-time time staff (member). So therefore I think as the policy, a full-time employee within our organization should have the right to have the mayor hear the case, if there is wrongdoing. An elected official should be the option for any employee if they decided an elected official should hear their case.”

Vote summary

Council approve updates to the city’s whistleblower policy.

• In favour: Polillo, Bennett, Susan Scott, Garth Frizzell

• Opposed: Yu, Klassen

• Absent: Brian Skakun, Kyle Sampson, Cori Ramsay

Result: Approved

Code red: Busy Puerto Vallarta locked down during crisis

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Canadian airlines, including WestJet, cancelled and diverted flights Sunday, Feb. 22 after authorities temporarily shut down Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport in Puerto Vallarta amid a sweeping federal security operation.

Reports from Jalisco state described burning vehicles, roadblocks, shootouts and explosions, prompting officials to issue a shelter-in-place order and declare a state-wide “code red.”

WestJet said it diverted seven flights en route to Puerto Vallarta and cancelled 37 additional flights to and from Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara and Manzanillo.

Air Canada and Porter Airlines also suspended service to the destination Sunday after operations were paused at the airport.

Several inbound flights were diverted to other Mexican cities, while

others returned to their points of origin. Outbound departures were also cancelled.

Vancouver International Airport reported that all flights scheduled between Vancouver and Puerto Vallarta were cancelled due to the security situation affecting operations at the Mexican airport.

The Prince George Airport Authority said local operations had not been directly impacted. Chrissy Blok, communications and marketing manager, said the flight scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 28 was unaffected.

“Right now, our operations haven’t been impacted, but it is a day-by-day kind of situation,” she said. “As it stands at this minute, we’re okay.”

Passengers travelling to or from Mexico are advised to check directly with WestJet for the most current flight information and travel advisories.

The airline said guests should check

the status of their flight before heading to the airport, allow extra travel time and anticipate busy terminals.

WestJet also said it will review expenses claimed by affected travellers and allow modifications to travel plans for those impacted.

Global Affairs Canada updated its travel advisory for Mexico, noting the shelter-in-place order in Puerto Vallarta and warning that criminal groups had set up roadblocks with burning vehicles in several cities in Jalisco.

For some Prince George residents, the disruption turned a vacation into a lockdown.

Tana Gowan said she first learned of the unrest from a local resident Sunday morning.

“My mom and I were walking on the beach at the time,” she said.

In an email interview, Gowan said she and other visitors were restricted to the condo complex where they were staying outside Puerto Vallarta.

“Around noon we could see smoke all around the bay from Mismiloya to La Cruz,” she said. “Most people at our condo are Canadians and Americans and we are keeping each other updated with the new briefings. We cannot leave the grounds of the condo complex and have been advised not to walk on the beach either.

“It’s eerily calm here at sunset. No boats on the bay, only the navy patrol boats.”

Puerto Vallarta is one of Mexico’s most popular sun destinations for Canadians, particularly during the winter travel season.

The weekend cancellations were expected to have ripple effects at airports across the country as airlines worked to return to their regular schedules.

This edition of The Citizen went to press before any flights returned to Prince George and may not reflect more recent developments.

City council approves plan to ask for $30M in loans

Projects include work at Memorial Park Cemetery, CN Centre

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

City council has given the green light for administration to start the alternative approval process to borrow $30.046 million to pay for upkeep, maintain or expand civic facilities, buy new equipment and repair existing infrastructure.

The 20-year loan, unless it is opposed by 10 per cent of Prince George’s registered voters, is expected to carry an additional cost of $2.62 million in annual debt servicing until it is paid off, which would raise the tax rate 1.66 per cent. The decision was made at council’s meeting on Monday. Feb. 23 at city hall. A breakdown of the cost estimates for each program budget includes:

• $15.86 million for CN Centre building envelope renewal

• $5.15 million to expand Memorial Park Cemetery

• $4.086 million to purchase equipment

• $2.5 million for stormwater system renewal

• $2.45 million for civic facilities roof replacements

The city is required by BC law, when seeking loans over periods greater than five years, to get permission from eligible voters before borrowing the money. To get that electorate consent, municipalities must either hold a referendum or use the alternative approval process (AAP). A referendum would ask voters to mark on a ballot whether they approve or disapprove of the loan, and the majority rules.

The alternative approval process is more cost-effective and instead requires electors to submit a form stating their opposition. If 10 per cent or more of voters do so, the municipality must hold a referendum if it still wants to borrow the money.

Elections BC estimates there are 57,667 registered voters, meaning 5,767 electors would have to submit forms indicating they oppose the loan for the city’s plan to borrow the money to be scuttled.

Mayor Simon Yu said, considering there will be a municipal election this year on Oct. 17, why not wait until then to ask voters the loan question in a referendum to save money on staff time needed to process the vote.

City manager Walter Babicz said some of the projects are time-sensitive and there are procurement processes connected to those projects that would have to be postponed if a funding

“The price will almost certainly go up, unfortunately.”

Beesley told council CN Centre is 30 years old and, while the interior of the building is still in excellent shape, the exterior walls, doors, windows and roofing need work to prevent water damage. He reminded council a new envelope would have a 25-year lifespan for windows and doors and 50 years for metal siding and roofing, and the project would add to the energy efficiency of the building, which was not built to current standards.

decision is delayed until after the election.

All 18 loan authorization and financing bylaw recommendations were approved by council, but the vote was not unanimous.

Coun. Trudy Klassen voted against the proposal, while Yu and councillors Rob Polillo, Garth Frizzell, Tim Bennett and Susan Scott voted in favour. Councillors Brian Skakun and Kyle Sampson were absent on personal matters.

“As you know, I’m not a fan of the alternative approval process and I’m going to be voting against all of these,” said Klassen, who wanted council to delay a decision on the CN projects for the next council to deal with.

Before that was put to a vote, Yu asked Andy Beesley, director of civic facilities, for his opinion on waiting until after the October election. Beesley said the project is already approved and is on the corporate work plan as a major project, and delaying it will only make it more expensive.

“With the procurement process and the scale of this project, assuming this goes through, construction starts in 2027 and it’s a two-year project, so this would put it back to 2028 or 2029 and I can hear my project delivery staff in my ear right now saying we would need to come back to council for sure with a new budget,” said Beesley.

Yu said some of the cost could be offset by climate change grants from the federal government. Beesley acknowledged inflation will continue to drive costs up but said he’s “pretty confident” the cost estimates for the CN Centre project are accurate.

The $4.086 million for equipment replacement includes $3,405,000 for “mobile equipment replacement,” $60,000 to replace a self-contained breathing apparatus for Prince George Fire Rescue, $250,000 for a new Zamboni ice resurfacer for CN Centre and $89,000 to replace a hoist in the mechanical room at the Prince George Public Library.

The stormwater system renewal involves relining pipes and replacing aging assets such as ponds, outfalls, storm mains, culverts and catch basins. Memorial Park Cemetery has only five to seven years of capacity left, and the expansion project will add new burial plots, internal roadways, pedestrian paths and utilities for the northwest corner of the land near the intersection of Ferry Avenue and Highway 16. Planning work is already scheduled for this year and construction is expected to start next year.

The $2.45 million for civic roof replacements is for the Connaught Youth Centre, the Kin Atrium and one of the Kin 3 dressing rooms.

Kris Dalio, the city’s director of finance and IT services, said some of the costs will likely not have to be paid until the projects are completed and taxpayers would not see a rate increase right away, possibly not until 2029.

Public will have say through alternate approval process

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

He said the current interest rate the city pays on debt is roughly 3.8 per cent.

“This is a reminder that we don’t have unlimited debt, there is a regulated amount in the province and we’re well within it,” said Dalio. “But debt financing is still a very important and necessary component of how we fund our capital projects, it lets us drag the costs out over 20 years so that people who are using it are the people who are paying for it.

“Also, we set aside a lot of money for reserves and we use debt to fill some of the gaps and that helps us maintain our infrastructure.”

Bennett asked administration if there was a mechanism to add a 25-cent or 50-cent levy for every ticket sold for events at major facilities like CN Centre that would accumulate in a reserve fund to pay for building improvements years into the future.

Dalio said the city is limited to user group fees and admission charges to recoup some of the losses of operating public facilities like the city’s pools and arenas, but they generate only a small fraction of what it costs to operate those facilities.

“You wouldn’t be able to set aside enough money to do major reinvestment,” Dalio told Bennett. “The current admission for a pool is around $7; if we

were to charge exactly what it costs to do full cost recovery every time you went to the Aquatic Centre, it would probably be a $40-to-$50 entry fee. There’s a recognition there that this is a community good but we can still put some burden on the people who are using it.

“The most expensive facilities that we run are aquatic centres and arenas, it’s highly subsidized and while you could

charge an extra 50 cents it’s not going to be enough to do a $16 million project one day.”

The AAP will be filed by Friday, April 28 to allow eight weeks before a public response deadline on Tuesday, June 2 at 5 p.m.

When asked how the city will inform the public of the pending AAP, Babicz said staff will use the city website, Facebook page and billboards to get the message out.

Vote summary

Council approves 18 loan authorizations and financing bylaw recommendations.

• In favour: Yu, Polillo, Scott, Bennett, Frizzell

• Opposed: Klassen

• Absent: Brian Skakun, Kyle Sampson, Cori Ramsay Result: Approved With files from Colin Slark.

Retred general talks U.S. relatons during visit to city

Michel-Henri St-Louis speaks at a meeting of the local branch of Canadian International Council

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

Canada’s former military attache to the United States says communities like Prince George have a role to play in making the country resilient during the modernization of national defence.

In town on Thursday, Feb. 19 was Michel-Henri St-Louis, a recently retired major general in the Canadian Forces who served in many roles over a 38-year career.

On top of the attache position in Washington, D.C., St-Louis also served as the acting commander of the Canadian Army and the director general in charge of planning for the defence of Canada.

St-Louis sat down with The Citizen ahead of a planned talk at the Prince George Legion for the local branch of the Canadian International Council.

Though it was St-Louis’ first time in Prince George, he said his wife was born at the old Baldy Hughes radar station south of the city when her father worked at the facility.

When St-Louis retired last July, he had spent three years in the United States as military attache under both the Joe Biden and second Donald Trump administrations. However, in previous postings, he said, he had also been in the U.S. during the first Trump administration and the Barack Obama administration.

He described the position as like being Canada’s ambassador to the United States, but for military and not diplomatic matters.

“So, I have seen a fair bit of change,” St-Louis said. “In countries, presidents might not be a reflection of the country, but there is a relationship between how the country and especially the machine of government works and they take their lead partly by what the commander-in-chief, what the president tells them.”

Under Obama and Biden, St-Louis said, the U.S. played a leadership role among the west’s democracies and was

invested in maintaining partnerships with allies.

Trump has shifted — especially in his second term — to be more isolationist and focused on immediate national interests, he said.

When St-Louis retired, Trump had discussed America’s supposed need to control Greenland but his efforts to bring the autonomous territory, part of the Kingdom of Denmark, had yet to ramp up.

Trump’s anti-Canada rhetoric had yet to escalate back to the point it had been before former prime minister Justin Trudeau left politics.

The military attache’s job these days, St-Louis said, “must be very, very difficult” in the current atmosphere.

The Canadian and American militaries are tightly linked through their work under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and the Five Eyes military intelligence network.

Also binding the countries’ militaries

together are an integrated defence procurement and manufacturing sector, geography and history.

St-Louis said he spent 2 1/2 years saying that the U.S. and Canada are all-in on their relationship, “but if I can make the analogy, like in a (romantic) couple, the current president is not that into us anymore.

“It is hurting their relationship, it is absolutely affecting it and I personally — having served there a number of times, having relationships and friends and really being invested in the status of the Canadian-U.S. military relationship — am a little bit traumatized,” he said. “It’s hurtful now to see it as a civilian.”

He said he thinks that the current situation has made Canadians realize this country needs the ability to be able to defend its sovereignty after relying for so long on our neighbour to the south.

That reliance, he said, has maybe made Canada a little bit complacent.

Two days before St-Louis’s visit to Prince George, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a new defence

industrial strategy aimed at growing the amount of defence equipment produced within Canada and prioritizing Canadian companies for procurement opportunities.

There’s promise in that approach to insulate Canada from issues in procuring materials from the U.S., St-Louis said, but it will be a challenge to reinvest in the domestic industry and restart long-dormant production.

Though he’s still learning about Prince George, he said remote communities like it have a role to play in being resilient when it comes to national defence.

That can manifest itself in being a part of accessing natural resources needed for the military but also remaining strong in the face of natural disasters, cyber attacks and being the home of reserve forces.

During his almost four decades in the military, St-Louis said, one of the challenges most frequently laid at his feet was to find a way to downsize.

“I think there’s an acknowledgement that we need … more capabilities to be able to say this area belongs to Canada and we are willing to defend the access to our resources, access to our waters, access to the Arctic that is changing under our eyes,” he said.

Current efforts to make it easier for recruits to join the Canadian Forces and retain those soldiers are showing some success, he said.

In the talks he’s given since he retired, St-Louis said he likes to conclude by remarking that he feels that something has shifted in Canadians over the last year.

“There’s a sense of patriotism, there’s a sense of pride,” he said.

“We’ve been insulted and pushed around now by who we thought was our best friend and neighbour and it’s made us stand up for ourselves a little bit and take stock of who we are as a nation, what do we want to be in the future and what do we need to protect … I applaud this renewed interest into our security and defence.”

Mayor and council spent $74K on expenses in 2025

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

Prince George Mayor Simon Yu and the eight members of city council claimed a collective $74,015.50 in travel and other expenses in 2025, according to quarterly expense reports.

On the agenda for the Monday, Feb. 23 city council meeting were council expenses summaries for both the mayor and councillors for the third and fourth quarters of 2025.

Combined with the first and second quarter reports published last year, we can get a fuller picture of what expenses the elected officials claimed on top of their regular salaries and benefits.

The mayor has a specific line item for expenses in the city’s budget, which was set at $22,800 in 2025.

Across all four quarters, Yu reported $17,804.43 in expenses, almost $5,000 below the cap.

Prince George’s 2024 statement of financial information (SOFI), which reports how much elected officials and certain members of staff received in compensation, said that Yu only claimed $12,779.01 that year — about $5,000 less than in 2025.

Each councillor has an expense limit of $10,000. Here’s how much each of them reported in spending across the four quarterly reports, ranked from

most to least:

• Coun. Kyle Sampson: $10,318.55

• Coun. Cori Ramsay: $9,974.80

• Coun. Trudy Klassen: $8,987.93

• Coun. Garth Frizzell: $8,452.67

• Coun. Ron Polillo: $7,353.01

• Coun. Tim Bennett: $5,488.10

• Coun. Brian Skakun: $4,892.47

• Coun. Susan Scott: $743.54

However, these figures might not be final.

When the SOFI reports the mayor and councillors’ expenses, there is a note that GST rebates on purchases are applied where possible, meaning that the final totals could end up lower when the 2025 report is issued later this year.

Scott’s total is much lower than her colleagues, but her reported expenses in the 2024 quarterly reports didn’t line up with what that year’s SOFI listed under her name.

In the four quarterly reports in 2024, she reported no travel-related expenses at all. However, the 2024 SOFI said she claimed $3,668.63 in expenses.

There is a difference between the 2024 reports and the 2025 reports, though. The 2024 reports are labelled “council travel expenses summary report” while the 2025 iterations are labelled “quarterly council expense summary report.”

When the 2026 SOFI report is issued, The Citizen will have an analysis of its contents.

Fire causes $300K in damage

Damage is seen at a home on Sommerville Road on Monday, Feb. 23. Firefighters in Prince George responded to a structure fire in the early morning hour, arriving shortly after 2:30 a.m. to find fire in one half of the structure and heavy smoke issuing from the eaves. Damage is estimated at approximately $300,000 and no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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Sometmes borrowing just doesn’t make much sense

KENNEDY GORDON Citizen Managing Editor

When council talks about borrowing more than $30 million, the debate often centres on process, as in whether the decision will go to the alternative approval process or referendum.

But the more important question isn’t how we borrow. It’s why we keep borrowing at all for costs we know will keep coming.

The proposed loans cover necessary, even unavoidable, expenses: repairs to the CN Centre building envelope, expansion of Memorial Park Cemetery, stormwater system renewal, roof replacements at civic facilities, and more than $4 million in equipment purchases.

Together, they amount to $30,046,000, with annual debt servicing costs of $2.62 million — roughly 1.66 per cent of future tax levy increases.

None of these projects is frivolous. Roofs wear out. Pipes deteriorate. Cemeteries reach capacity. And, critically, vehicles and mobile equipment age and must be replaced.

That last category exposes a flaw in how city council manages our finances.

City staff propose that we borrow more than $4 million for equipment replacement, of which $3.4 million goes to “mobile equipment” — in other words, cars, trucks, street sweepers, loaders and other vehicles. But a vehicle fleet is not a surprise expense. It is not a once-in-a-generation capital project. It is a permanent, annually

recurring obligation.

Fire trucks, graders, snowplows, pickup trucks, ice resurfacers — they all have predictable life spans. A fleet is never static. Vehicles will always need replacing.

Yet the city repeatedly treats these predictable replacements as new developments that justify new debt.

Borrowing for long-term infrastructure that will serve residents for decades can make sense. Financing a stormwater system with a 50-year lifespan over 20-years spreads costs fairly across the generations who will benefit.

But borrowing for vehicles that are replaced on a regular basis — and paying interest on them — is a repeating cycle that just compounds our costs.

Here we are, borrowing to maintain the city fleet, then paying interest on those loans, only to borrow again the next year when the next round

of vehicles age out. Taxpayers aren’t just paying for trucks and equipment. They’re paying for trucks and equipment plus interest, over and over again. There’s a better way.

The most honest path forward would be a one-time tax increase — perhaps three per cent — established and specifically earmarked for fleet replacement, not quietly rolled into borrowing plans. However, it is an idea that would require political discipline — and political courage.

It would have to be transparent and clearly explained by the city: “we are going to buy our vehicles and equipment outright and stop paying interest on things we know we will always need.”

A three per cent increase would mean the average homeowner would pay about $90 more each year. But compare that to the long-term burden of perpetual debt servicing.

You might argue that leasing is a solution, but it isn’t in this case. Leasing means paying a premium for flexibility, along with financing charges embedded in the agreement. Over time, it costs more than ownership and can still leave taxpayers paying interest in another form.

Leasing can make sense in limited circumstances, but as a systemic replacement strategy it just reshuffles the financing burden.

When it comes to the city’s infrastructure, borrowing has been the usual go-to move. However, the city does have a mechanism that should be expanded and used to help reduce the borrowing costs: the General Infrastructure Replacement Fund (GIRF).

These funds are used to help pay for planned capital projects instead of borrowing for them.

With the significant amount of unfunded capital projects that keep getting deferred year after year, our next council should look at increasing the amount dedicated to it. For the cost to the homeowner of just $30.00 a year, an extra $1.5 million would be added to the GIRF to fund trails, sidewalks, building repairs.

Financial sustainability isn’t achieved by choosing to borrow year after year for expenses you know are coming. It’s achieved by breaking cycles of avoidable debt.

If we know the fleet will never stop turning over — and we do — then it’s time to stop pretending each replacement is a surprise.

We acknowledge the fnancial support of the government of Canada.

Nous reconnaissons l’appui fnancier du gouvernement du Canada.

Kennedy Gordon Managing Editor

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OPINION

Look beyond name recogniton at the ballot box this fall

ALBERT KOEHLER Guest Columnist

The race is on!

I am referring to the run for council in October of this year. Will there be a shift in representation, or are certain councillors likely to be re-elected primarily due to name recognition?

In the past three years, I have watched council meetings online and in person and felt the meetings were often too long and lacked effective decision-making. At times, they seemed completely chaotic.

Although I believe each councillor means well and tries his or her best, I am often left with the impression there are two and sometimes three councillor groups competing for a solution that does not necessarily result in approval of a motion, but often in extremely long discussions.

LETTERS EDITOR to the

If we lose Kopar Memorial Arena we lose a piece of our history

I read James Steidle’s opinion in the paper on Feb. 5/26. I do agree with a lot of his statements, especially the fact that the city has spent a lot of money tearing down buildings and rebuilding them. But sometimes it becomes necessary to do so.

I recently attended the Siren Cup at Kopar a few weeks ago. I had not been there for many years.

The first thing I noticed upon entering and walking up the ramp was the unpleasant smell. Not sure what it was, but I thought possibly just the smell of an old building. But someone had said it was the mats on the ramp?

We happened to sit in an area where it was very difficult to get out. Looking around, it seemed that most of the seating areas were like that. It was very hard to get out and, even if people stood up to let you go by, it was almost

My impression is also that our elected mayor, Simon Yu, often does not receive the respect he deserves.

Expanding the pool of eligible election candidates necessitates comprehensive information about each individual, including commentary, demonstrated track records with specific examples and relevant references. Name recognition alone is certainly not good enough.

Councillor remuneration in British Columbia differs by municipality but typically consists of a base salary and an expense allowance, such as for transportation.

I am curious who would agree to have their name put forward for election to council if they received only a fixed honorarium rather than a base salary, as is the case throughout Europe. Being elected as a councillor is a significant honour and reflects confidence in the individual’s capability to

represent their constituency effectively. They do not earn a salary but receive a basic amount — the honorarium — for general duties. This would amount to $3,000 to $15,000, depending on the size of the city, plus allowances, as well as extra payment for travel expenses or for being a member of a special committee. Compensation differs depending on the specific council and position. For example, full-time roles such as mayor are typically associated with higher reimbursement levels. Of course, an independent remuneration panel would determine all of this. Can this alternative approach be implemented in Prince George?

While this action may provoke debate, I am convinced it is essential. It would be a worthwhile exercise and, at the same time, it would become obvious who is really interested in serving and has the betterment of

our city in mind, without focusing on remuneration.

Would highly qualified individuals let their name stand if they could not expect to earn wages? Candidates who possess sufficient knowledge about Prince George may be able to make sound and informed decisions, offering advice and guidance to the administration rather than simply following directives.

One way or another, the future of Prince George depends to a good degree on our council. Many important decisions will have to be made in the coming years and will have an impact on our economy. Those chosen for elected positions ought to possess a broad range of qualities, demonstrate proven achievements, bring valuable life experience and maintain an optimistic perspective.

Albert Koehler, P.Eng., is a former city councillor.

that would need replacing, and Andy Beasley’s statement almost four years ago that the coliseum is old but overall in relatively solid condition.

But in my opinion, the seating is really inadequate and should be replaced. I would think that in order to do that, it would add a huge expense to the already estimated repair costs of $11 million.

Perhaps the arena has a few more years left in it, but I think it is inevitable that it needs replacing. I am sure that more people would attend the Spruce Kings games and other events that take place at that arena if the seating were more comfortable.

Mary Pat Wiley Prince George

impossible to squeeze past. I am a senior and was afraid of falling. During the intermis-sion, we found a different area to sit in that did not have that many people in it.

We did enjoy the game and chatting

with the people around us, and it certainly brought back memories of that small-town community feeling that I remember.

Steidle mentioned aesthetic expenses that were quoted in Brown’s report

Share your thoughts on the issues of the day with a letter to the editor. Our maximum letter length is 400 words, and letters will be edited for spelling, grammar, clarity and legality. The Citizen does not publish anonymous letters. Email your letter to editor@pgcitizen.ca.

OPINION

Editorial: A ward system would make council more accountable

A hybrid system might be more equitable.

Maintaining the eight councillors, a four-ward / fourcity-wide split would balance neighbourhood accountability with city wide leadership.

Four councillors would represent defined areas, ensuring local concerns are heard, while four elected city wide councillors could focus on long-term planning and fiscal oversight.

This structure strengthens engagement and reduces the risk of narrow, inward-focused ward politics dominating council decisions.

Perham

Post-secondary education is key to industry growth, forum panel hears

The obvious solution is for the universities and colleges to develop very strong co-op Education programs that will prepare students for careers in their chosen fields of study. By earning income, the students may be able to defray their costs for their postsecondary education while at the same time, acquiring real world skill sets.

The employers would benefit by being able to audition the co-op students for future employment opportunities. It’s a win-win situation that would help justify the existence of post-secondary institutions. Ed Prout

Well-loved animal rescue closing its doors after more than 20 years

Thank you for all your years of rehoming animals in need. I thank you for my cat Bonnie who was a feisty one no one wanted. All she needed was more TLC. You will be missed as a rescue and I hope someone takes up the void as there is the need. Enjoy your family and retirement.

Rural Redhead

Well-loved animal rescue closing its doors after more than 20 years

Nicole, what you did was beautiful. Now enjoy your rest.

My wife and I use to foster for the SPCA, the most memorable time of our life. I only wish the SPCA would come back to Prince George. They are certainly needed

Wilfred Comeau

Well-loved animal rescue closing its doors after more than 20 years

Thank you for caring for all the animals. I hope some kindhearted individuals take over.

All the best in your next chapter.

Jennifer Lussier

Well-loved animal rescue closing its doors after more than 20 years

Thank you Nicola for giving me my very first dog (that I ever rescued on my own as an adult). He was overlooked because he was a senior (by his breed standard) when I found him — he was immediately so loyal and faithful right to the very end.

He made it to double digits land and lived longer with me than without me. I take that as a huge win and a blessing. Nicola was nothing short of amazing to deal with, both as a human and an operator of a rescue society.

Thank you Nicola for giving me the best dog, the bestest friend I’ve ever had. I owe you an enormous debt of gratitude.

CavebabyK

Council to decide on alternative approvals for $30M in loans

I understand the need for all of these but 20 years of council inaction has led to this problem that we get to deal with now. There are so many issues that it leads to more issues.

Wanting a new performing arts centre but ignoring all the other issues that need to be dealt with first. Unfortunately it’s just going to be a revolving door because making a hard choice makes you unpopular but making hard choices also gets you noticed.

I just don’t see that happening with this council as it stands.

Dearth

Council to decide on alternative approvals for $30M in loans

If you look at the UNFUNDED capital plans going back years you will find a line item year after year for repairs to CN Centre building envelope. Nothing was done and we now face a $15 million tab.

Guess the logic is ‘why fix a small problem when you can ignore it and fix a big one?’

Issues with the roof at Connaught Youth center were identified years ago in AECOM report.

Could money have been saved if repairs were done in a timely manner?

What is the deal with $2.5 million for stormwater renewal? There is a new tax being imposed on taxpayers to pay for this. It must be removed from funding request as that would be double dipping in our pocket. They will brag that they kept tax increase under 5 per cent at election time while failing to mention this $30 million tab and the stormwater tax scam., both of which should be dealt with via regular budget funding.

As none of these are pressing matters rather than using the AAP wait until the fall election and let voters decide then

Bobs your uncle

Share your views on our stories at

School board set to review how much trustees are paid

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

School District 57’s board of education voted to undertake a review of trustee remuneration at its Tuesday, Feb. 17 special virtual meeting with the recommendations coming into effect after this fall’s slate of local elections.

The motion passed by trustees asks that the amount of time trustees take to carry out their responsibilities and how their counterparts in other districts are compensated should be a part of that review.

“This review is to be completed for consideration by the board as part of the 2026/27 budget cycle,” the document said.

“Any changes to trustee remuneration will be recommended to commence after the civic election to be held on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026.”

Factors in the review include extended health and dental benefits, insurance, technology allowances, employee and family assistance programming and remuneration for the chair and vice-chair.

Discussing the motion during the meeting, board chair Craig Brennan said that provincial law allows for individual districts to set trustee remuneration based on their specific circumstances.

SD57 has some unique complexities, he said, like how spread out it is and other factors that should be considered ahead of the board’s discussions over the 2026-27 school year budget.

Trustee Shar McCrory said she was opposed to the motion, saying that Prince George successfully moved a motion at last year’s BC School Trustees Association annual general meeting asking for a provincial review of trustee benefits.

Ordering the review as written, she said, would represent a duplication of that work.

Trustee Sarah Holland said she didn’t think it was the right time to launch a

remuneration review as there are still some big uncertainties for the district’s 2026-27 budget like what funding the provincial government will provide as well as new collective agreements with unions representing employees.

“We’ve seen with the city how this sort of process can become politically fraught,” Holland said, referring to the backlash over a City of Prince George committee’s initial recommendations to boost councillor pay.

Trustee Rachael Weber said she was in favour of the motion, saying while BCSTA is doing a lot of work, it doesn’t account for the special location of School District 57 within the province.

Brennan said he agreed with Weber, saying that the review would only provide recommendations that would still have to be implemented.

He said he thought it would be better to get the process done before the election and have it be one of the items that locals should weigh when deciding who to vote for.

Supt. Jameel Aziz said at previous districts he worked at, staff had been asked to gather some information comparing their trustees’ remuneration to those in similar circumstances.

He said he believed his staff could gather that information for the board to eventually discuss without issue.

The motion passed by a margin of four to two, with Holland and McCrory voting against it.

In the 2024-25 school year, trustees earned a base salary of $25,052.04. Brennan earned $32,082 as chair and vice-chair Erica McLean made $28,572.

With no regular board meeting in March, the next time trustees will meet is on Tuesday, April 14 at 5 p.m. in the library of Mackenzie Secondary School in the District of Mackenzie.

There was an attempt during the meeting to reschedule the meeting for April 7, but it failed after the voting was tied due to an even number of participating trustees.

SD57 revises 2025-26 budget with lower grant funding

COLIN SLARK Citizen Staff

School District 57 is projecting an almost $500,000 surplus for the 202526 fiscal year despite lower enrolment leading to lower-than-expected provincial grant funds, according to financial documents presented at the Tuesday, Feb. 17 special virtual board of education meeting.

When school boards pass their budget for the upcoming school year, revenue projections are based on what they think enrolment at their local schools will be.

In October 2025, early projections estimated that School District 57’s enrolment was around 200 students lower than at the beginning of the 202425 school year and around 70 lower than initial projections for the 2025-26 school year had guessed.

The next month, staff said they were expecting the district to receive around $660,000 less than expected in provincial grants due to enrolment.

An amended budget for the 202526 school year presented on Feb. 17 showed that grants from the Ministry of Education and Child Care are $561,143 lower than the original budget for the year had projected.

Presenting the amended budget during the meeting was the district’s director of finance, Hannah Brown, who said that grants from that ministry make up 98 per cent of SD57’s operating revenue.

She reiterated the finding from late last year that said that though overall enrolment was down, there is an increase in funding for supports for students in alternative programs.

On top of the provincial funding, the district is collecting $23,350 less in tuition fees than it had budgeted for in the original budget.

However, revenue from other sources ($196,085), rentals and leases ($55,000) and investment income ($100,000) are all higher than expected.

The net result is that the district is taking in $233,408 less in revenue than it had initially expected.

For general operating expenses, the district is also reporting $448,153 less than expected for instruction-related costs, $1.296 million more in district administration costs, $210,452 more in operations and maintenance costs and $547,164 less for transportation and housing costs.

Those transportation costs, Brown explained, are a result of optimizing school bus routes.

The net result is $511,598 more than expected in operating expenses.

For external services and supplies like professional development, rentals, dues, insurance and utilities, the district is reporting almost $2.2 million more in costs than the original 2025-26 budget estimated.

Evening things up somewhat are lower than expected salaries and benefits costs, which are pegged at almost $1.7 million below the original estimates.

The revised revenues and expenses for 2025-26 would have resulted in a

$903,818 deficit for the district, but surplus funds worth $1,379,566 are being used to cover that.

The remaining surplus of $475,748, Brown said, is entirely from the district’s capital fund.

She also clarified that the amended budget includes surplus figures from the previous school year that weren’t known when the original budget was being prepared.

At the end of the 2025-26 school year, the district is now presenting a budgeted accumulated operating surplus of $8,339,177.

This figure is conservative, Brown said, and may change if departments underspend their budgets.

After the presentation, Trustee Sarah Holland asked whether the savings in transportation costs were one-time or ongoing.

Secretary-treasurer Lynda Minnabarriet said they anticipate they will continue next school year.

Holland also asked whether reduced

expenses for teachers and educational assistants are due to the district being unable to full available positions.

Brown said the vacancies are due to both vacancies being unfilled as well as a reduction of required positions due to lower enrolment. Due to there being enough vacancies, Brown said that this did not result in any teachers losing their jobs.

The bylaw establishing the 2025-26 amended annual budget was approved unanimously.

The Feb. 17 meeting represented the continuation of the Feb. 10 meeting, which ended early after trustees, staff and other visitors learned about the scope of the shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, which took place earlier that same day in School District 59.

At the beginning of the meeting, board chair Craig Brennan read a prepared statement offering condolences and support to those affected by the tragedy.

Area MLAs say new budget leaves Prince George behind

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

Prince George’s three MLAs are disappointed by the NDP’s 2026 provincial budget.

All three expressed concern over new taxes on everything from cable television to security services, a lack of interest and funding for mental health support in the area and the budget’s investment in industry and natural resources.

Prince George-Valemount MLA Rosalyn Bird was especially critical of provincial sales tax increases to security services and other goods.

“The PST on things is going to be highly problematic,” said Bird. “We’ve had a lot of conversations regarding the crime and the street disorder downtown. Our city pays for security because of some of those challenges at the pool, at the library, at the CN Centre and now there’s going to be a PST added to those security services. Where’s that extra money going to come from? It’s going to have to be pushed back onto property taxes. Now the homeowners grant has been changed and so it’s sort of this trickle-down effect where the families and older people in our communities are once again left holding the bag.”

A primary concern for all MLAs, including Bird, when it comes to PST increases was the impact of an expanded sales tax on older British Columbians.

“That demographic does not feel seen, they don’t feel heard, they feel like they have been left to the wayside and that they’ve worked their entire lives and just sort of been discarded — and they have,” said Bird. “I would agree with some things that they have to say.

Small things that, to the average person, don’t seem significant. PST on landlines, PST on cable, PST on craft supplies, on those types of things, that’s a demographic that it’s going to impact. It’s the same thing with young working families.

If you look at yarn or if you look at material, for people who have really tight budgets, they’re fixing clothes, they’re knitting sweaters. They’re not buying things because they can’t afford to do it now. All of those little incremental things, they do build up. The smallest tax increase, something changing on property tax, the homeowners grant, it doesn’t matter how big or how small, it is going to have an impact on those two groups.”

Bird was also not impressed by what she saw as a lack of focus on building out Canada’s resources and is concerned about the red tape and legislation holding back the province.

“We live in a country that is resourcerich, but we certainly live in a province that is resource-rich,” said Bird. “We are just not focused and solution-oriented enough to make those projects come to fruition in a timely manner. Between legislation and red tape, whether it be permits or environmental assessments, I’m not saying that those things aren’t important, but I do think there are many mechanisms that those things can be streamlined, they can be more efficient and we can have projects move forward faster. So I think there are a lot of things that we can do to improve anything in the budget, whether it means reducing taxes instead of increasing taxes, whether it means building more infrastructure, improving roads, improving water systems, hospitals, schools. We can’t do that unless we have a strong economic base.”

MLA Kiel Giddens, who represents Prince George-Mackenzie, told The Citizen that he sees recent increases in tax on security services as a problem. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

BC Timber Sales Prince George

INVITATION TO COMMENT – FOREST OPER ATIONS MAP

The public is invited to review and comment on the BC Timber Sales Prince George (BCTS TPG) Forest Operations Map, showing proposed road construction and cut block development under Forest Stewardship Plan #24 within Forest Development Units in the Mackenzie Forest District, Prince George District and Headwater District. This map will be valid for the operating period from April 2, 2026 – April 2, 2029. During the operating period, the Timber Sales Manager may invite applications for Timber Sale Licenses for the harvesting of cut blocks shown on the map and apply for road permits to construct roads shown on the map.

The map is available for public review and comment online, at: fom.nrs.gov.bc.ca/public/projects

The map is also available for in-person review and comment by appointment at the BCTS TPG ofce, Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at:

BC Timber Sales Prince George 2000 Ospika Blvd S Prince George, B.C., V2N 4W5 Telephone: 205 614-7400

Comments will be accepted from March 2 – April 1, 2026. Comments may be submitted online at fom.nrs.gov. bc.ca/public/projects, emailed to tpg.ref@gov.bc.ca, delivered in-person to the address above during business hours, or mailed to the address above to the attention of Jonathan Taylor.

If you have questions or require assistance, please contact: Jonathan Taylor, Planning O cer, by phone: 250 649-4366, or email: tpg.ref@gov.bc.ca

New provincial sales taxes will afect seniors, say MLAs

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

“We certainly didn’t see much for Prince George or much clarity on the things that we have questions on, like the involuntary care beds that we so desperately need here,” said Giddens. “We didn’t see any transportation investments or anything like that. But more importantly, what’s missing is anything to support seniors, working people and small businesses. In fact, we’ve added costs to all of those groups. One of the things for folks in Prince George, we’ve obviously had a record number of fires, including arson, last year, that were very concerning. We’re having higher security costs in our downtown because of that. This government is putting seven per cent PST on security costs. So that’s going to hit the City of Prince George budget. It’s going to hit small businesses that are hiring private security to protect their properties. I think that’s completely unacceptable.”

Giddens also said the current 29-million-cubic-metre harvest proposed in forestry is not acceptable and that, without important industries like this contributing to GDP in a meaningful way, there may be problems in the future.

He also said he’s concerned about the budget’s ripple effect.

“With all the record deficits that this government has created, they’ve also managed to create uncertainty in business confidence and that’s one of the things that I am very concerned about,” said Giddens. “We need businesses to have certainty to make those investments and right now, British Columbia is not a province or a jurisdiction where businesses are seeing that certainty to be able to invest. I was one of the first in our caucus after our finance critic to speak to the budget and I talked about how the uncertainty in the forest sector

Extending sales tax to craft supplies like yarn hurts seniors, say Prince George’s MLAs, citing it as one of the examples of the NDP failing older adults with the new provincial budget.

is actually contributing to a flight of capital. It’s making sure that we’re not getting the modernization dollars. It’s making sure that we’re not getting any private-sector stability where they’re willing to make investments in BC right now and that’s not good enough for the folks who live here in northern BC who depend on the resource-sector economy to feed their families and to get ahead.”

Although he was largely critical of the budget, he was happy to see funding for UHNBC remain consistent, but he hopes more attention and funding are given to the hospital in the coming years.

“In my budget speech this week, the one thing I did say was that I am glad that the University Hospital of Northern BC funding is still in the budget,” said Giddens.

“They left it exactly the same as last year for the patient care tower, but I did say that I worry about our ability to fill that by 2031 with the challenges in our health-care system. We obviously need the workers and the equipment to fill that hospital and under the current fiscal trajectory of this province, I’m worried about our ability to actually — you know, we’ll have an empty tower if we’re not actually paying attention to how our health-care system is working right now.”

Lastly, Giddens said, he believes the budget will negatively affect his

that has been all squandered. We’ve got a debt which is projected to get to $182 billion this year and this has tripled over the last decade and that means that we’re going to be paying interest payments to service debt of $8.7 billion a year, which is a little over $1,500 per British Columbian by 2028-2029, and that’s up from $532 back in 2016-2017.”

Another area of concern for Clare was, in his view, a lack of attention to closures of health-care services, as well as the province’s approach to natural resources.

constituents and that he has already heard from concerned residents about possible impacts.

“I think this budget is going to be hard on constituents,” said Giddens. “I talk to working families all the time and I talk to seniors who — it’s expensive for them to travel to access certain health-care services, for example — and now we’re taxing them more on their basic cable or their landline phones or things like that. That’s hard on seniors when you’re on a fixed income. Businesses in our area come to my office all the time with concerns over red-tape regulations that don’t make sense and now we’re actually taxing them more with the charging of PST on professional services. So a small business that needs bookkeeping or accounting services is now paying an extra seven per cent PST. That’s actually going to be hard on the bottom line of small-business owners and that’s something I’m very concerned about.”

Sheldon Clare, MLA for Prince GeorgeNorth Cariboo, said the budget failed to deal with the deficits faced by the province and spoke about how this may affect average British Columbians.

“I think what we’ve got here is a failure to deal with any sensible way of addressing the record deficit, which now is at $13.3 billion, is what they’re estimating,” said Clare. “This was a surplus of over $5 billion in 2022 and

“They’ve delayed a whole bunch of long-term care homes at a time when seniors are in need of a lot of help and they’ve got delays all over the province,” said Clare. “They’ve got some serious problems with closures of ERs in the last year and there’s nothing there to deal with those problems, and they’re having tax increases of something like $4 billion. Are we kidding? This has not been addressed. We still have the same permitting problems for resource extraction that have gone on for a very long time. The mines health and safety and enforcement has been cut by $433,000 despite the fact that we’ve been seeing multiple deaths and trapped miners and all of this in the last year. It just makes no sense. Did they not get the memo?”

In his interview with The Citizen, Clare also heavily criticized the NDP’s role in cuts to forestry and said the party is not in touch with the needs of the industry.

“The royalties from forestry in 2022 were $1.8 billion, and the royalties in 2026 are $500 million. That’s a heck of a cut,” said Clare. “$1.3 billion in lost royalties in only four years. There’s also a cut of $2 million from fire preparedness, and what’s obviously going to be a summer of fires again. So, once again, endless reviews, no plans for forestry, lots of photo ops, but nothing of substance.”

Baptiste Nickel

FPX Nickel Corp. proposes to develop an open-pit nickel mine located 80 km northwest of Fort St. James that is anticipated to produce 120 megatonnes of ore per year for 28 years.

Share your thoughts

The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) and B.C.’s

Environmental Assessment O ce (EAO) are holding a public comment period on FPX Nickel Corp.’s initial project description from February 5 to March 9, 2026

In-Person Open House

February 18 | 2:30-6:00 pm PST

Fort St. James Community Hall

Online Information Session

February 24 | 11:30 am-1:30 pm PST

To register, visit: engage.eao.gov.bc.ca/BaptisteNickel-EE French virtual information session available upon request.

190 Stuart Dr E, Fort St. James, B.C. Learn more about the project and tell us what is

Visit the federal assessment page at iaac-aeic.gc.ca/050/evaluations/proj/90051 or visit the provincial engagement page at engage.eao.gov.bc.ca/BaptisteNickel-EE

You may also submit comments by mail: Baptiste Nickel Project, PO box 9426, Stn Prov Govt, Victoria, B.C. V8W 9V1

Man convicted of breaking into home, assaultng woman

BOB MACKIN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A Provincial Court judge in Prince George found a victim’s testimony about the attack she endured “logical, plausible and detailed” and convicted a 40-year-old man as charged.

Judge Cassandra Malfair said Feb. 18 that the Crown proved sexual assault, assault and break-and-enter charges against Zachary Allan Dalman beyond a reasonable doubt.

Dalman, who pleaded not guilty, claimed the allegations against him were fabricated and the crime scene staged.

Malfair said the woman ended a brief relationship with Dalman in February 2023, but he continued to pursue her,

by sending unwanted texts and arriving uninvited at her home.

On May 11, 2023, Dalman broke in while she was sleeping.

“Mr. Dalman sent (her) text messages two hours before the attack, announcing his intention to come to her residence and initiate sexual contact with her,” Malfair said.

Evidence showed the woman did not let Dalman into her home.

When she woke up, she immediately confronted him. “She was not challenged with any inconsistencies in her account of how the assault took place in the bedroom, her description of urinating herself and the feelings associated with that humiliation,” Malfair said.

Further, the injuries she suffered to

A Prince George judge has convicted a man accused of sexual assault after the victim testified about the attack.

her arms were “consistent with having been forcefully pinned to the bed, as she described.”

Much of the evidence was corroborated by an independent witness who Malfair deemed to be “reliable and credible.”

That witness observed the victim

to “be on edge and frightened at the prospect of Mr. Dalman driving by her workplace,” which is consistent with having experienced trauma.

Identifiers of the victim and witnesses are protected by a publication ban.

Malfair ordered a pre-sentencing report about Dalman, including a psychiatric assessment and assessment of the risk of sexual violence, and set April 22 as Dalman’s next court date.

Dalman is free on bail, with several conditions, including to report to a bail supervisor and live under a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew.

He is banned from communicating with the victim and must not go within 500 metres of where she lives or within 10 metres of where she works or otherwise happens to be.

Acquital for man accused of spitng in city worker’s face

BOB MACKIN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A man accused of spitting in a city worker’s face in August 2024 was acquitted Monday, Feb. 23 in Prince George Provincial Court of an assault charge.

City of Prince George erected temporary barriers and signage for repaving Carney Street north of Fifth Avenue on Aug. 27, 2024. The tie-up also affected adjoining side streets. Noah Dorlie David Marquette, who was unaware that the work would take place, became frustrated with the detours and drove

around a barrier so that he could access his Second Avenue driveway and park his car at home.

One of the workers confronted the 37-year-old about disobeying the signage and barriers.

“The Crown submits Mr. Marquette was driving unsafely and was aggressive and belligerent,” Judge Cassandra Malfair said.

The worker testified that Marquette spat phlegm into his face through an open car window.

Marquette denied his driving was unsafe and testified that the worker was “being unreasonable.” Marquette

Olympic hockey slows

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The men’s Olympic hockey quarterfinal in Milan, Italy briefly threatened to delay the start of a sexual assault and indecent assault trial in Williams Lake on Feb. 18.

Irvine Francis Charleyboy, the 80-yearold former Alexis Creek Indian band

claimed he spat his gum out, away from the direction of the worker.

Malfair said the Crown submitted the worker was just trying to do his job and had no reason to “make up a false assault allegation against a resident over a traffic control issue.”

But, the judge found the worker tended to hyperbolize about Marquette’s level of aggression and his own level of civility during the interaction. Additionally, his testimony about Marquette’s speed was exaggerated. Malfair said another worker at the site contradicted the worker’s evidence.

“He says Mr. Marquette’s vehicle swerved around the barricade, but had to do a shimmy maneuver back and forth to get to the intersection. His evidence was consistent with Mr. Marquette’s,” Malfair said.

“In short, it was not possible for him to race up to the intersection, around the barrier, dodging parked cars at 50 to 60 kilometres an hour.”

After considering all the evidence, Mayfair said “I don’t know who or what to believe.”

As such, the accused, Marquette, was legally entitled to acquittal.

court network as trial gets started

chief, pleaded not guilty in BC Supreme Court to charges dating back to 1980.

Last November, Charleyboy was acquitted of charges dating back to 1974.

Before the trial began, Justice Kevin Loo agreed to allow a court-approved support worker sit near a complainant while she testified behind a screen.

As she made the application, Crown prosecutor Paola Konge remarked that

her computer was “exceptionally slow” in accessing documents.

“There’s unfortunate connectivity issues happening of late,” Konge said.

Loo had the answer.

“The entire courthouse is in that position and I understand that probably it’s because of the Olympic hockey game going on at the moment, and all of the provincial employees watching the

game rather than actually working,” the judge said.

“Hopefully, in 20 minutes or so, it will be over and we’ll be better connected.” It did not take that long. Mitch Marner’s 4-3 winner in the second minute of overtime eliminated the Czech Republic. Prince George-born coach Jon Cooper’s Canadian squad then met Finland in Friday’s semifinal.

Tossing frearm into trash can ends with convicton

BOB MACKIN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A 37-year-old man who dumped a gun in a garbage can after fleeing from Prince George RCMP pleaded guilty Feb. 19 in Prince George Provincial Court.

Ryan David McGibbon was charged with 10 counts, but pleaded guilty before Judge Cassandra Malfair to four: flight from police, driving while disqualified, possessing a prohibited or restricted firearm with ammunition and possessing a firearm with an altered serial number.

Crown prosecutor Eric Rines said McGibbon appeared before Malfair in late 2023 and was prohibited from operating a motor vehicle for a year until Dec. 26, 2024.

But, on May 9, 2024, RCMP officers on patrol near Second Avenue spotted an older green GMC truck driving westbound with multiple occupants. The truck failed to stop at the Fifth Avenue

and Johnson Street intersection, so officers activated cruiser lights in an effort to pull the vehicle over.

The driver accelerated through a red light at Fifth Avenue and Ospika Boulevard and the officers lost visibility.

The vehicle description was radioed to another officer, who followed it into the Caledonia Trailer Park. McGibbon

Two snowmobilers killed

exited the driver’s side and dropped an item into a garbage can, making a loud thud noise.

McGibbon initially resisted arrest, so an officer tasered him.

He fell to the ground and was handcuffed.

An officer retrieved a loaded 9 mm handgun from the garbage can.

“It did not have any observable serial number and it was one that was noted to have been, as described, privately manufactured,” Rines said. “It was a black and silver steel.”

Malfair set May 20 for McGibbon’s next appearance and ordered a pre-sentencing report with a psychiatric assessment.

CRIME NOTES

Weapons found, arrests made as police spot ‘lost’ licence plate

RCMP in Prince George made two arrests and seized weapons and ammunition after a license plate registered as “lost” in a police database led to a high-speed chase.

Officers on routine patrol on Wednesday, Feb. 18 noticed the plate and tried to stop the vehicle.

However, the driver took off at high speed. Police didn’t pursue for safety reasons.

Later that evening, the same officers located the vehicle parked near the intersection of Killoren Crescent and Mullet Crescent.

The driver and passenger, both known to police, were arrested.

RCMP allegedly found a firearm near the driver’s seat in plain view and what police describe as a large quantity of ammunition in the possession of the driver.

A search of the vehicle yielded additional firearms, ammunition and hard body armour.

The two occupants of the vehicle, identified as Brett James Morgan and Kenneth Ricardo Munroe, were taken into custody.

Both were charged.

Morgan:

• Flight from police

• Dangerous operation of a

motor vehicle

• Driving while prohibited

• Possession of a firearm in a motor vehicle

• Possession of a firearm knowing its possession is unauthorized

• Careless storage of a firearm

• Possession of a weapon

• Possession of a firearm/ammunition contrary to prohibition order Munroe:

• Possession of a firearm in a motor vehicle

• Possession of a firearm knowing its possession is unauthorized

• Careless storage of a firearm

• Possession of a weapon

• Possession of a firearm/ammunition contrary to prohibition order

• Police say Morgan and Munro were to remain in custody until their next court appearance.

RCMP looking for 38-year-old wanted on two warrants

Prince George RCMP are asking the public to report sightings of 38-year-old Brandy Lenay Potskin to police.

Potskin is wanted on one endorsed and one unendorsed warrant for the following:

• Driving while prohibited (Motor Vehicle Act)

• Failure to comply with a probation order

Potskin has previously been charged with theft ($5,000 or under), wilfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer,

breach of a conditional sentence order, breach of release order and robbery.

She is described as:

• Indigenous female

• 5’6” (167 cm)

• 150 lb (68 kg)

• Black hair

• Brown eyes

Potskin is considered dangerous by police and they warn that she should not be approached.

Anyone knowing Potskin’s whereabouts is asked to contact Prince George RCMP at 250-561-3300. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Police connect Sinclair Road raid to shooting investigation

A 37-year-old man has been arrested following the execution of a search warrant connected to an ongoing shooting investigation in Prince George.

Members of the Prince George RCMP arrested Robert Donald Davis on Thursday, Feb. 12, after searching a residence in the 1800 block of Sinclair Road.

Police say the warrant was related to a Feb. 3 shooting on Redwood Street that left two people injured.

With assistance from the Lower Mainland Emergency Response Team, officers used distraction devices known as “flashbangs” before entering the Sinclair Road home. During the search,

police located several firearms and ammunition.

Davis was taken into custody at the residence and faces multiple firearms-related charges unrelated to the original shooting investigation. The approved charges include five counts of possession of a firearm or ammunition contrary to a prohibition order and three counts of possession of a firearm knowing its possession is unauthorized.

Davis remains in custody pending his next court appearance.

“Community safety is our top priority and to this end our Investigative Support Team remains focused on gathering all available information to help us determine who is responsible for these recent incidents,” stated Jennifer Cooper, media relations officer for the Prince George RCMP.

The shooting investigation is ongoing.

Dogwalker injured, dog killed by vehicle in Quesnel

A dog is dead and its owner hurt after they were hit by an SUV, Quesnel RCMP report.

Police received the initial report at about 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 17 about the incident at a pedestrian crosswalk at Flamingo Street and Pentland Crescent. RCMP report that the dog died and the man, 78, was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The driver of the vehicle remained on scene and was ticketed for failing to yield to a pedestrian and driving with an expired licence, say police.

New thrif store will support local animals in need

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

The Prince George Humane Society (PGHS) will soon be offering a new opportunity for those in the community to support animals in need and look fashionable while doing it.

PGHS is currently building inventory and putting the finishing touches on opening a new community thrift store named the Humane Society Community Thrift Store, which is set to open its doors in March at 1445 10th Ave.

Angela McLaren, founder and executive director of PGHS, has been looking for a space for this store for the last three years, and spoke to The Citizen on how this new storefront will benefit animals and pets in the community.

“We’ve always had programs and services that we’ve been offering the community, which has really primarily been grant fund-based and that’s not

As well as previously existing programs, McLaren is hoping to use funds to help launch a program designed to keep low-income families and their pets together.

This program would help provide emergency financial support for vet bills or other needs to families that may have no other options available.

always sustainable,” she said. “The plan is to have stores to support some of our programs and services that we offer the community.”

McLaren said funds from this new storefront will be put toward programs like keeping Pets and People Together, which helps locals work on behavioural problems with pets to keep them from surrendering them to shelters. In addition, funds will support trap, neuter and return programs for feral cat colonies to reduce the number of feral cats coming into shelters.

Last but not least, funds from this store will go toward funds for the pets already in the Humane Society’s care when they are most needed.

“From the shelter animal perspective, we do get a lot of medical cases that we don’t always have funds for, so we have to fundraise for them. Money would be used towards those emergency medical cases,” she said.

McLaren also wants to impact not just the Prince George animal community but the people as well.

“Thrifting has become a big thing,” said McLaren.

“People love thrifting, and we

recognize that people are financially in harder situations and this is one way for us not only to support the community, but also give them opportunities to be able to get affordable clothes and products — it was a win-win for everyone. We recognize that people can’t afford to go to general stores now. They need other opportunities to shop more affordably and to try to keep clothes out of the landfill.”

The PGHS is looking to the community for donations before opening its doors and is accepting donated items at its storefront seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Currently, PGHS is accepting gently used clothing, furniture, media and books, and any pet toys or supplies that are looking for a new home.

For further information or to donate funds directly to PGHS, visit this link: https://www. canadahelps.org/en/charities/ prince-george-humane-society/

Fraser Lake will recover afer devastatng fre: Mayor

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

The community of Fraser Lake is reeling from the impacts of a massive blaze that left four businesses destroyed and many more impacted.

The fire began early Sunday, Feb. 22 and resulted in the destruction of The Fraser Lake Inn, The Cannabis Hut and the Everyday Grocery Store, as well as a vacant restaurant.

Several businesses in the area were also affected, including a vape store, the post office, 2001 Cuts and the liquor store, which are without power, with 2001 Cuts suffering water damage as well.

Firefighters from Fraser Lake were joined by crews from Fort Fraser, Burns Lake, Fort St. James and Vanderhoof, who fought the fire and remained on scene from 3:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and continue to monitor the fire.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The Village of Fraser Lake has also posted a statement on its website noting that although equipment has been removed, the area will continue to be monitored over the next 24 hours and still presents significant hazards, including dangerous smoke. The site warns locals to keep their distance and take alternate routes.

Mayor Sarrah Storey has been speaking to those impacted and told The Citizen how the community has been reacting to the weekend blaze.

“The community is shocked and saddened to see this amount of devastation,” said Storey. “It is quite the sight to see — to walk out there and see how much was burned and how quickly, and see the other businesses that are still impacted. I was just with the owner of 2001 Cuts and the damage to her business is going to be impactful, and she’s going to have to take out all of her equipment and find somewhere else to work for a while or come up with a plan … there’s definitely a lot of emotions for people and they are all very different emotions, for different reasons.”

During her interview with The Citizen,

she noted that the community has recently seen several setbacks, such as mill and mine closures as well as the recent fire. However, she is confident that the town will not only survive these setbacks but thrive.

“There’s not one way to come at this for the people in the community,” said Storey. “We’ve seen so much loss. We’ve seen so many different things over the years and we seem to be winning most days. We take two steps forward, but then we take one step back and then there’s something that’s devastating that happens to the community. I don’t wake up in the morning thinking, what’s going to be on my plate today that I didn’t know was going to happen. It’s not on my 2026 bingo card. There’s just a lot of different things that just keep happening to this town and I would prefer it were all good things.”

Storey estimated that approximately a dozen people are out of work due to the fire.

“When you lose a grocery store, for example, it doesn’t impact just the people who are working within the building. It also impacts a greater, broader area of resources and all of those supply chains,” said Storey. “Within the community at this point, I would say close to a dozen people. It does impact families, even with 12 jobs lost, especially when you need that income coming in, that is really tough for a community of this size.”

However, the community is offering support, she added, including many donating food to the fire department

to help feed those fighting the fire and doing further work on the site.

“We’ve had definitely a lot more support than I expected,” she said. “I didn’t realize how many people would come together and really just support the community, and the firefighters themselves … they worked really, really hard to stop the fire from spreading any further and impacting any of the other businesses.”

Storey also had high praise for the volunteer firefighters from Fraser Lake and thanked them for their efforts during the blaze.

“At the end of the day, the fire department is a volunteer fire department and it consists of some great members who volunteer their time,” said Storey. “These aren’t paid employees, these are people who have decided to step up and support their community and we want to thank them and appreciate them because I think that without great people, without great volunteers and without great volunteerism, a community doesn’t do as well as us. We’re just really lucky to have such great volunteers and to have such a great tight-knit community that comes together.”

She also wants local residents who were impacted to know that they are there for them and that ministers and MPs have been reaching out to offer support.

“We are here for them and we will support them in any way we can,” said Storey. “I think the community is rallying behind the business owners that are impacted and just for them to reach out

if they need help or they need support. (Skeena-Bulkley Valley) MP Ellis Ross was here today and we had a few ministers call and talk to us and we want to know if there’s something that we can do to help and advocate for to support the community and the residents at this time.”

During her interview, she said that she and Ross discussed the fire and those impacted, and what can be done to support the town in the future, including the expansion of major projects like the reopening of Endako Mine and more.

“This community, I would say, is going through a transition right now,” said Storey. “I believe wholeheartedly that this community has the potential to be one of the best communities in the Northwest. We have so much potential with the lake and the mountain and we have some hard-working staff and council working on projects and working on things every day. I appreciate Ellis coming to Fraser Lake and listening to us and visiting the site today.”

Storey has also personally launched a GoFundMe to support the fire department in Fraser Lake.

So far, the fund is nearly halfway to reaching its goal, with $1,900 raised of its $4,500 goal.

She noted that she started the fundraiser with the goal of giving back to those who gave their all fighting the fire on Sunday.

“The GoFundMe is really to thank the volunteers,” said Storey. “I would like to be able to send something to the other departments that came and helped us out as well and I would like to be able to thank the volunteers who have blisters on their feet and had to deal with a lot of toxic fumes. This is important in tough moments and what they did and the bravery and just overall hard work that they put into what they did yesterday was absolutely mind-boggling. I am so impressed with the team and I want to be able to give back to those and thank them better than I could any other way.”

To donate, visit: www. gofundme.com/f/fraser-lake -volunteer-fire-department

Liquor store fned for selling beer to undercover minor

BOB MACKIN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A Fort St. John liquor store was fined $7,000 after one of its employees sold beer to an undercover minor.

Historic cave shortlisted for Indigenous tourism award

ED HITCHINS

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

CHARLIE LAKE, BC — A local historical site with roots dating back to the Ice Age has been shortlisted for a top honour for Indigenous tourist destinations.

Tse’k’wa Heritage Society’s national historic site in Charlie Lake has been shortlisted for the honour by the Tourism Industry Association of BC (TIABC) in the Indigenous operator or experience category.

Also known as the Charlie Lake cave, the site has been owned by three northeast BC First Nations — Doig River First Nation (DRFN), Prophet River First Nation (PRFN) and West Moberly First Nations (WMFN) — since 2012.

The cave is one of the only national historic sites in Canada to be owned by the Indigenous community and has been a gathering site for the Dane-zaa people of the region for 12,000 years.

The nomination for Tse’k’wa came from Spinal Cord Injury BC program, Access BC. Tse’k’wa Heritage Society’s executive director, Alyssa Currie, spoke to Energeticcity.ca about the nomination.

“It is a really exciting nomination,” said Currie. “Less than five years ago, we were building public infrastructure and really transforming Tse’K’wa as a site into a tourism destination.

“So now, to be nominated among these other incredible operators is really exciting.”

The infrastructure that began in 2021 included accessibility trails and signage for visitors as well as an amphitheatre and archeological dome structure.

According to TIABC, the award nomination reflects “the passion, innovation and dedication found throughout BC’s tourism industry.”

Currie said the nomination is also reflective of the entire Tse’k’wa team, from top to bottom.

“We would not have been able to reach this level of success without the support of our communities, our knowledge holders (and) our elders,” said Currie. “This award, this nomination, this shortlisted finalist position, belongs to them just as much as it belongs to anybody within the Tse’k’wa organization.”

Currie said being in the final three slots alongside Tofino’s Best Western Plus Tin Wis Resort, owned by the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, and Takaya Tours, operated in Vancouver by the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, is being “in good company.”

The TIABC award winners will be announced on March 5 during the organization’s conference in Kelowna.

This story originally appeared at energeticcity.ca.

The Feb. 11 decision by Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch delegate John Rogers said 0936068 BC Ltd., doing business as the On the Rocks Liquor Store, admitted to the contravention, but asked to be fined less than $7,000 rather than be suspended for seven to 11 days. It could have been fined as much as $11,000.

On Aug. 8, 2025 at 2:05 p.m., the undercover minor went to the store to buy a six-pack of Corona beer. The clerk asked for identification, but the minor “stated that they did not have it on them.”

“The employee then stated ‘no problem’ and proceeded to complete the

sale,” said the Rogers decision.

The minor paid $25 and received $3.30 in change.

Rogers called the transaction the “most disturbing element” of evidence before him.

“In other words, this was not a case of the employee being distracted and failing to ask for identification,” the decision said.

“She did ask for identification and yet still completed the sale when it was not produced.”

A liquor inspector entered the store at 2:14 p.m. and advised the employee of the contravention. The clerk provided the name of her manager.

Rogers said the licensee has implemented remedial measures and intends to achieve strict compliance, but the regulation does not allow a fine less than $7,000.

Friday March 13, 2026 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Registration starts at 5:30 Van Bien Elem. School - Training Centre 311 Wilson Cr.

Entry Fee: $25 – Includes free Co ee, Bottled Water, Soft Drinks & Snacks

PRIZES* awarded for 1st, 2nd, & 3rd *Total prize money based on number of entries (i.e. 50% of net proceeds) Net proceeds to Rotary Club of Prince George Yellowhead to support a variety of community projects

What’s happening in PG

Open Stage at Books & Co. goes Thursday, Feb. 26 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at 1685 Third Ave. Devon Flynn is hosting this event that invites people to take the stage to showcase their talent including but not limited to playing an instrument, singing, poetry reading, do some magic, test your comedy schtick and anything else you’d like to try. To sign up email devon.w.flynn@gmail.com or pop into the café. The store will be open for shopping and Cait’s Sweet Bites & Beanery will serve refreshments.

2SLGBTQIA+ Voice & Culture Summit goes Friday, Feb. 27 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Prince George Civic Centre. Presented by the Northern BC Queer Connection Society this is a groundbreaking, community-centred cultural gathering filled with storytelling, creativity and celebration, bringing together 2SLGBTQIA+ community members, artists, advocates, and service providers from across the region. Morning session features community arts & l and in the evening there is a gala to celebrate Northern BC’s vibrant queer community with an evening of performances, including drag, live music, and more. For all the details and tickets visit www.eventbrite. ca/e/2slgbtqia-voices-culture-summit-tickets

2026 Northern BC RV & Outdoor Expo goes Friday, Feb. 27 to Sunday, March 1 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the CN Centre. Event brings together all outdoor activities — camping, off-roading, conservation, and more — in one place to get prepared for unforgettable adventures. There will be a wide variety of vendors offering something for everyone—from seasoned adventurers to weekend campers. Entry $2 at the door with all proceeds going to the PG Judo Club. Coldest Night of the Year fundraising event goes Saturday, Feb. 28 at 4 p.m. and starts at St. Giles Presbyterian Church, 1500 Edmonton St. This annual fundraiser is presented by AWAC Association Advocating for Women and Community. This is a family-friendly two or five kilometre fundraising walk in

support of local charities serving people experiencing hurt, hunger and homelessness. All net proceeds stay in the community to support charity partners. To register or donate to a team visit https://cnoy.org/location/princegeorge

Where the Wild Things Are – a Night of Comedy goes Saturday, Feb. 29 at 8 p.m. at Omineca Arts Centre, 369 Victoria St., and is presented by Improv Shmimprov. The evening’s comedy presentation is based on audience suggestions. There are new games guaranteed to entertain. As always there’s some snacks and drinky drinks so bring your significant other and share some laughs. Doors open at 7 p.m. For more information and $20 tickets visit www.shmimprovimprov.ca/ where-the-wild-things-are BC Old Time Fiddlers’ Dance goes Saturday, Feb. 28 from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Senior Activity Centre, 425 Brunswick. Live fiddle music is featured for polkas, waltzes, two-steps, barn dances and called group dances. A great family event. Prizes and ice cream bar snacks included. Coffee, water, pop and chips available by donation. Everyone is welcome. Tickets at the door are only $10

for adults, children with parents are free.

Danny Bell and His Disappointments, Jared Jackel’s Bad Vibrations and Corbin Spensley perform Saturday, Feb. 28 at 9 p.m. at the Legion PG 43, 101-1116 Sixth Ave. Triple bill features Danny Bell and His Disappointments playing a combination of psych-folk, alt. rock and punk. Corbin Spensley Raw, unpretentious, dynamic, captivating — there’s a rawness there... The ability to turn what starts delicately into something with a rough, nasally edge. Verging on a scream, but still clear as a bell.and Penticton-based psychedelic freak folk artist Jared Jackel’s Bad Vibrations. Tickets are $20 at the door or $15 in advance. For all the details and tickets visit www.madloon.ca/tickets/ dannybelletal

PG & District Music Festival Gala Performance goes Saturday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. at Knox Performance Centre, 1448 Fifth Ave. This event features the most memorable senior performances from the 2026 Festival chosen by the discipline adjudicators. Tickets can be purchased online or if seats are still available with cash at the door. Adults $20, children 18 and under are $10. For

more information and tickets visit www. knoxcentre.ca/prince-george-and-district-music-festival-gala

Patchwork of Talent Group Variety Show goes Sunday, March 1 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 28 at 2 p.m. at the Elder Citizens Recreation Association, 1692 10th Ave. The fun-loving group offers skits, jokes, songs and fun. Tickets are $10 each and are on sale now at ECRA.

Artist Reception: Al Rempel – Flightlines goes Thursday, March 5 at 7 p.m. at Omineca Arts Centre, 369 Victoria St. This a free event and open to the public. There will be light snacks and refreshments and bar service for those 19+ with 2 pieces of ID. There will be an artist talk followed by a Q&A. Come and view the art install and meet the artist. Flightlines is an expansive show that initially displays a series of aerial photos interlaced with extra-long line poems. Visitors will be invited and encouraged to share ideas and interpretations by writing their own extra-long lines for the developing display.

Live Music Fundraiser Event goes Friday, March 6 with doors open at 7:30 and show starting at 8:30 p.m. at the PG Legion 43, 101-1116 Sixth Ave. This event features Past Due, Masters of Serendipity and the Theresa Jordan Band who will play country, blue grass, classic rock and folk music. All proceeds go to the Salvation Army and entry is 19+ only by donation.

Rowan Siebert Live at the Hart Ski Hill goes Friday, March 6 at 6 p.m. at 3740 Winslow Dr.. Rowan is a 16-yearold local musician performing as a solo acoustic artist the lead singer of the punk band The Narcans. Influenced by AFI, Misfits, Black Flag and Lady Gaga, Rowan brings raw energy, strong vocals, and a confident stage presence to every performance. Rowan has performed across British Columbia and appeared at festivals including Rockin’ the Ridgeline and Intertidal, earning a reputation as a dynamic and memorable live performer.

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Seedy Saturday goes Saturday, March 7 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Elder Citizens Recreation Association Centre, 1692 Tenth Ave., presented by the Prince George Master Gardeners and David Douglas Botanical Garden Society (DDBGS). The event features a seed swap, seed sales and displays, gardening for biodiversity presentation. Schedule is greeting at 9:15 a.m., Pollinators at 9:30 a.m., Designing a Diverse Garden at 10:30 a.m., Plant Life Cycle 101 at 11:30 a.m., What It Takes to Become a Beekeeper at 12:15 p.m., Hydroponics at 1 p.m. and at 1:30 p.m. is a DDBGS update. Memberships are available, books and garden tools will be available with an opportunity to Ask a Gardener, ECRA kitchen will be open and there will be door prizes. Admission is by donation.

CNC Open House Spring 2026 goes Saturday, March 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 3330 22nd Avenue. If attending the College of New Caledonia is part of the next step this open house offers a way to experience CNC firsthand. Drop by to meet instructors, tour the campus, and explore programs through hands-on demonstrations. Learn about student services and supports, ask questions and see if CNC is the place for you. There’s also a little fun along the way. Play Plinko for prizes and enjoy many treats during the visit.

Limelight, Scribbens and The Goomahs Live goes on Saturday, March 7 at 9 p.m. at the PG Legion 43, 101-1110 Sixth Ave. Three of PG’s greats teaming up for a night of surf rock, pop, postpunk, stoner rock and alt. rock. Tickets for this 19+event are $20 at the door or $15 in advance www.madloon.ca/ tickets/p/limegoomahs

Midnight Bloom goes Saturday, March 7 at 9:30 p.m. at Ignite Nightclub, 1232 Third Ave. As the season shifts and the night comes alive there is fresh energy, deep grooves and immersive visuals to welcome spring. Loud, late and in full bloom. Wear your best florals, bold

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prints, and spring-inspired fits. Headliner SIVZ, sets the tone with lush rhythms and late-night energy, supported by Smashley, Phat Funk, and M3llow-D, delivering a stacked lineup built to move the floor from open to close.

Snort Squad Meet Up goes Sunday, March 8 at the dog park at 1627 Ingledew St. Join in for a fun, relaxed playdate for Boston Terriers, French Bulldogs, Frenchtons and their humans to socialize, play, and burn off some energy. Please bring water for the pups and poop bags. Friendly, vaccinated dogs only. Let’s keep it safe and fun for everyone.

Musical Merriment goes Sunday, March 8 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Vanier Hall, 2901 Griffiths Ave. An afternoon of musical celebrations, from the shimmering beauty of an arctic sunrise to Mozart’s elegant Coronation Mass. The event is presented by the Prince George Symphony Orchestra with the Prince George Cantata Singers, featuring soloists Danielle Klaponski (soprano), Melanie Nichol (alto), Callum Alden (tenor), and Jason Cook (bass.) There will be a 30 minute pre-concert chat with Maestro Michael Hall at 1:15 p.m. For more information and tickets visit www.pgso. com/concerts/musical_merriment

Spring Watercolour Paint & Sip goes Wednesday, March 11 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Studio 2880, 2880 15th Ave and presented by Wildflower Farm. Join this easy, fun and full of spring dreaming watercolour paint night. Cost is $70 each, for groups of four or more it’s $60 per person. Must pre-register by messaging Lisa with Wildflower Farm at wildflowerfarmpg@hotmail.com or text 250-961-3519.

The Arrogant Worms return to Prince George on Thursday, March 12 at 7:30 p.m. at Artspace, above Books & Co., 1685 Third Avenue. This is an evening of music, laughs and good ol’ Canadian Canadian-ness. The Arrogant Worms began in 1991 as a comedy troupe performing songs and sketches. The early feedback on the live shows was clear: lose the sketches. So the songs endured

and they all remain because the band hates to throw anything out. Tickets are $40+GST at Books & Co. Call 250-5636637 or visit.

Craft & Chat at the main branch of the Prince George Public Library goes every Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. in the magazine corner, second floor. This event is in partnership with Great Northwest Fibre Fest.

Myeloma Support Group goes every third Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. at Commonwealth Financial, 575 Victoria St. Everyone is welcome who has been diagnosed, those who are caregivers, family members and friends. Wheelchair accessible parking at the back of the building. For more information call Viv Lougheed at 250-981-2618.

Parkinson Support Group meetings are the first Saturday of each month at 1 p.m. at the Spruce Capital Seniors Centre, 3701 Rainbow Drive. Meetings are

informal and are for sharing information about slowing down the progression of PD. There are guest speakers, special events and biweekly exercise sessions and positive social interaction. Use lower parking lot beside ball diamond to access the seniors centre.

Chronic Condition Support Group takes place the first Tuesday of every month from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Nechako Branch of the Prince George Public Library, 6547 John Hart Hwy. This is a community social group where people with any chronic condition can come together to socialize, connect and learn from each other. This is a free drop-in event.

If you’ve got an event coming up email us at news@pgcitizen.ca to offer details including name of the event, the date, time and location, ticket price and where to get them and a little bit about what’s happening, too. LOCF

TOYS • COMICS • GAMES

Warming hearts on the Coldest Night of the Year

From rock-bottom to recovery, three residents of Olive’s Branch share their stories

CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen Staff

Olivia Holland, Mark Roth and Bailey Murphy are each at different stages of recovery but they all have one thing in common. They are all actively engaged in the Olive’s Branch program that offers those willing a chance to experience supported housing in a 28-unit sober living facility in downtown Prince George.

Sitting around a table along with the three in recovery are volunteer Elda Egan and Danielle Trudeau, the Association Advocating for Women and Community (AWAC)’s community and fundraising coordinator, because they are organizing Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY) to support the incredibly comprehensive efforts made by the non-profit AWAC right here in Prince George.

Egan brought the Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser to Prince George in 2017, and each year she continues to be the greatest fundraiser in Prince George. Unfortunately, within her family Egan experienced first-hand the devastation of mental health and addictions issues when her beloved son Luke, who struggled with mental health issues his whole life, died of fentanyl poisoning in 2022.

Egan said the event is in support of all sons and daughters experiencing homelessness as she knows all too well the ongoing heartbreak that comes with those circumstances.

During the CNOY event organizers are asking people to donate to the cause and take a walk in the shoes of those who struggle with issues like homelessness, mental health and addictions issues, by taking a two- or five-kilometre walk on Saturday, Feb. 28 to get a glimpse of what it’s like to be on the streets at night.

Here are their stories.

Olivia Holland

Holland is two years in at Olive’s Branch, which offers fully furnished studio-style units with round-the-clock

staffing, case management, peer support, counselling services, shared common areas and a fitness room. Residents have comprehensive wraparound support and 12-step-based recovery programming to foster lasting sobriety.

Each resident can stay for up to three years but Holland said she’ll most likely be ready to fly the coop before then.

She said she was 30 years into her addiction when she stopped cold turkey.

“For the last 24 years of that my drug of choice was meth,” Holland said. “24 years and 30 years using.”

Holland spent most of her life in Smithers and was having trouble getting support to get clean, she said.

“There were certain things that I had

survived in my childhood,” Holland explained, without going into too much detail.

“I was trying to run away from all those emotions so I just numbed myself out so I didn’t have to feel anything.”

So for her it was OK that her partner was an active user, too.

“I didn’t think I had a problem because I had a house, I had a job,” Holland said.

She finally hit the point where she knew enough was enough.

“I lost my partner, I lost my home, I lost my licence, I lost my job all within about a year,” Holland said.

She was bouncing around from couch to couch when she ran out of money, couldn’t get any more drugs and

realized that was it.

“So I came to Prince George and I was on the streets with only a week or two of clean time, white-knuckling it, trying to stay clean. I found drugs on the ground three times — and I threw them away,” Holland said, shaking her clenched fists in demonstration of the angst she felt.

“I felt like it was a big test when I came here and the AWAC people saw that I was trying to stay clean and asked me if I wanted an application for the Olive’s Branc. So I did the application and within a week I was accepted. It was like a higher power was guiding me.”

That was just over two years ago.

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New lease on life: Annual AWAC fundraiser ofers hope

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She slowly got everything back, starting with her ID.

“And then I got my training,” Holland said. “I got 10 certificates so I can go back to work. I’m looking to get into some kind of peer support so I can help those who need it or outreach so I can give back. But I didn’t limit myself when it comes to certificates — I even got my chainsaw safety.”

The others around the table erupted in surprised laughter when Holland shared that bit of information. This woman is ready for anything, was the general consensus.

“I’m looking to get my GED and I got my license back,” she said. “I slowly got everything back that I have lost over the years and the most important thing that I got back was my self respect. Olive’s Branch saved my life.”

Holland is on staff at the Olive’s Branch and is fully engaged in everything available to her within the facility.

She attends all the programs available for personal growth and those for recovery based on the 12-step program.

“And we’re learning how to deal with some of our trauma here,” Holland said.

“We also learn to deal with our resentments towards other people because those can take you out when you don’t deal with them properly. The program also helps us have a better understanding of our daily behaviour so if we do something that we could have done better we make amends right away. Working with other people makes a huge difference, too. This is a safe place.”

Mark Roth

Roth came to Olive’s Branch about four months ago and somehow he knows it’s different this time.

He tried detox and treatment centres all over BC about 30 times and nothing ever stuck.

Roth said he grew up in a good family in a town west of Prince George.

“I had a loving, supportive childhood,” Roth said.

“I come from a good, strong European family. The town I grew up was based in commercial fishing and you weren’t anybody unless you could consume a large amount of alcohol and drugs. In high school it became a thing — I wanted to be somebody. I wanted to be a commercial fishermen so in order to do that you had to stay up for long hours, party, there were large amounts of money and somewhere through all that I got carried away and alcohol became the No. 1 thing in my life. I was so ashamed, coming from a loving family, that I pushed everybody away.”

Roth took to the streets at about 21 years old.

“I was on the street committing property crimes,” Roth said. “I have been in and out of prison. I would say I was a product of BC Corrections when they kick you out the front door with nowhere to go, no hope, no nothing. This went on for a very long time. I was sitting in prison just wanting to die. There was no hope.”

When he was released onto the streets of Prince George he would run himself down so much he would go to detox just to get some food and recharge for the next stint.

“That way I could continue to use drugs and alcohol and I did this for years and years and years,” Roth said. Last year his wife of 12 years passed away when he was in prison.

“We had a pretty chaotic marriage due to my addiction but I loved her,” Roth said.

“So when I got out of prison all I wanted to do was die. I tried a couple of times to overdose myself. I wasn’t even successful doing that. I ended up in detox again just to get some sleep and some food and on Wednesday morning there was a speaker from AWAC’s Olive’s Branch who came in to do a presentation and wow. I thought it sounded all right. And I thought I would give it one more try.”

Three days later an AWAC representative picked him up and took him to the sober living facility downtown, he added.

“I had never been to a place where

people were so loving and caring and supportive and they cared about me. It was really refreshing. Again, being (in and out) of prison over and over again you just give up on life and finally there’s a place that made me think that maybe there was hope for me.”

Unfortunately, Roth had to go back to his hometown to deal with his dad’s

death. Things just got too overwhelming and he relapsed, he said.

After he put his dad and wife to rest, he headed back onto the street.

“I was so physically, mentally and spiritually sick — I was just an empty vessel,” Roth said.

“I was completely unrecognizable. There was always that seed implanted in the back of my mind of the Olive’s Branch so I thought maybe I would go down to Prince George again, go into detox and maybe something good would happen for me.”

Four months ago, he jumped on the bus, came back to town and entered detox knowing that on a Wednesday an AWAC rep would be there.

“They asked me what I was doing and I said I need help bad,” Roth said. Right there he filled out an application and they took him from detox again.

“Which I’m so grateful for,” Roth said.

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with The Cantata Singers and soloists Danielle Klaponski, Melanie Nichol, Callum Alden, and Jason Cook

Musical Merriment

Sunday, March 8th Vanier Hall 2:00pm

Olive’s branch ofers residents recovery and rebuilding

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

“Coming from the prison system and wanting to die I can’t say enough about Olive’s Branch. All my basic needs are met. I feel safe here. There is opportunity after opportunity here. There are loving and wonderful people here. I am in group every day, I attend meetings, I journal, I do written step work and now I’ve been given an opportunity to be able to cook for everybody here.”

In his past Roth used to be a cook in work camps and on tugboats, something he really enjoyed doing.

He will get his food safe certificate any day now.

“And then I can cook healthy food for everyone here and that way I can express myself creatively through that,” Roth said.

In the very next breath he said something that gave everyone around the table goosebumps.

“I don’t want to die any more. I have just found a whole new love for life, a whole new purpose. Out of 30-odd places I have been to this is the most wonderful, loving place. I couldn’t ask for anything more. Everybody is here to help me, not to judge me. It’s amazing. I can’t stress enough how much it’s helped me in my life right now to be here.”

Bailey Murphy

Murphy is eight months into his Olive’s Branch program.

He grew up in a single-parent home where the family experienced poverty, addiction and neglect.

“There wasn’t any abuse but there were some things that happened in my childhood that led me to not feel very comfortable in my own skin,” Murphy said. “I just had a really poor self-image regardless of whether I did really well in things. I never felt like I ever was good enough.”

At times things did get better but during his mid-teens he fell into a depression he just couldn’t pull himself out of that led him to self-medicate, he added.

“I was 19 when I tried hard drugs

— cocaine and eventually crack,” Murphy said.

“It took a couple of years for it to progress into it being a problem and I had depression and anxiety and the drugs were the solution to those problems.”

This was during COVID and the isolation didn’t help, he added.

He did get clean for a time but relapsed and fell more deeply into his addiction.

“I was still able to have a job and because it was a pretty good job it allowed me to have a really bad drug habit. Eventually I got treatment and that was about two years ago,” Murphy said.

“I felt ready. I was done. But I guess I wasn’t because when I came out I ended up relapsing.”

The mill he was working at shut down and then he was just sitting on EI, he added.

“My addiction progressed, getting worse and worse. Eventually I went to work on another job and that only lasted about two months. I was living

with my mom at the time and she knew I relapsed and she ended up kicking me out because she didn’t want to enable me.”

He also didn’t go to his father for help.

“I had done that so many times because of my addiction,” Murphy said.

“So I was staying at a homeless shelter last January and eventually someone ended up getting me to the Olive’s Branch. I felt so beat up and so hopeless and was convinced nothing was going to change. At first it was hard but eventually things started to get good.”

Everybody at Olive’s Branch was here for the right reasons, he added.

“In other places it seemed people were there as a get-out-of-jail-free card but here it doesn’t seem to be like that,” Murphy explained.

“There’s just a lot of support for me and it’s been working out. I’ve been doing the programs and I have learned a lot. I’ve done steps and I am helping others. This time it seems to be working. I’m slowly starting to feel comfortable with myself. It’s not perfect every day

and I still make mistakes but it’s a world of difference from where I was a year ago. Things are really starting to look up now.”

Murphy sees a good job in his future, he added.

“I think now that I’ve been doing the work to help myself things are starting to look up,” Murphy said.

Murphy has been doing a work experience program called Branching Out, where able-bodied people go out in the community to help with snow shovelling, yardwork and moving furniture.

“I really enjoy that,” Murphy said. “It’s good to help people and it gives me a sense of purpose. When I was in my addiction I never really had that. I had no direction. I’m still figuring some stuff out but I’m starting to get some direction now. Finally I’m feeling like there is some hope.”

Murphy said instead of beating himself up over his addiction he is now understanding that his mental health issues went unchecked and that’s why he turned to drugs.

“Now I can look at my addiction as a learning experience and realize how lucky I am to be alive,” Murphy said, understanding the risk that came with that behaviour.

“Things could’ve turned out a lot differently. I could’ve died.”

Murphy said he’s looking forward to building a secure future with housing, a car and a steady job while continuing to work the program and maintain the connections with positive people in his life.

“I would like to make amends to my family and rebuild the connection with them,” Murphy said. “And I have been able to rebuild connections with old friends that I have had in my past who didn’t give up on me. And now I have new connections to people who I have met in recovery. I’ve met some really awesome people.”

To donate to the Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser that supports AWAC’s programs or to participate in the walk visit https://cnoy.org/location/ princegeorge

Strong local support for abandoned ‘parvo puppies’

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

The Prince George Humane Society (PGHS) has been overwhelmed with community support following its temporary lockdown and treatment of six parvo-positive puppies.

Initially, PGHS took in puppies found as strays in a schoolyard on Upland Street on Saturday, Jan. 24, which prompted the society to pause dog walks, meet-and-greets and adoptions until further notice, with the intention of isolating the dogs to prevent further spread of the disease.

Following this, PGHS put out a call on Facebook for monetary and item donations to help support both the animals and the staff who were pushed to the limit helping and treating them.

Thankfully, society representatives say, the community of Prince George showed up in a big way, providing more than enough support to treat the animals, as

well as funds and items for their care.

Executive director Angela McLaren expressed her gratitude to the Prince George community for supporting both the animals and her staff during a difficult and stressful time.

“It’s endless,” said McLaren. “From a monetary perspective, I mean, it costs us $1,000 to treat each parvo case and so from a financial perspective, we received just over $3,000 for those puppies that were sick. When we reach out to this community, we always get enormous support. So I want to say it was endless and abundant, and as usual with this community, they always step forward to help. We weren’t short of supplies and donations.”

McLaren said she was not surprised by the generosity shown by animal lovers in Prince George.

“Well, I’m never surprised because that’s what we love about the City of Prince George, is that we know that people always step up for the animals and

Six honoured with Jeanne Clarke awards for preserving area history

CITIZEN STAFF

The Prince George Public Library Board has announced the winners of the 2026 Jeanne Clarke Local History Awards, celebrating individuals and authors who have made significant contributions to preserving and sharing the history of Prince George and the surrounding region.

In the Service category, Bill Poser was honoured for more than three decades of dedication to documenting, preserving and revitalizing Dakelh language and history.

Ray Olson and Linda Campbell — known as the “Train Lady” — were also recognized for their creative approach to public history.

Through train visits along the historic “East Line,” they share stories of the small towns and communities east of Prince George.

This is one of six dogs found with canine parvovirus. The six have been cured and will be up for adoption.

always support the organization,” said McLaren. “It’s great to see in situations like that, when we wanted to get puppies out of this environment as quickly as we could, people already stepped up and helped with fostering and so that made a huge difference for us. We’re lucky — it’s an amazing community that always comes together.”

Currently, the six dogs in the humane society’s care are parvo-free and are waiting to finish their treatment before being put up for adoption.

McLaren told The Citizen that parvo is an extremely dangerous disease and may become more prevalent as the snow melts, because soil and feces can carry the virus.

She urges all dog owners in the city to get their dogs vaccinated and be aware of the symptoms.

“Some of these symptoms that you see are lethargy, loss of appetite, high fever, bloody or foul-smelling diarrhea and intense vomiting and when people start seeing those kinds of symptoms, we recommend that they go to the vets immediately. Very often, for unvaccinated puppies, it’s usually fatal if they don’t get immediate veterinary care,” she said.

The BC SPCA’s North Cariboo community services team and Prince George Spay/Neuter Clinic have also seen the effect this disease has had on dogs and, in response to these cases, have decided to lend a helping hand to the community.

In the Publication category, two works were selected for their contributions to regional history.

Lha Yudit’ih We Always Find a Way: Bringing the Tsilhqot’in Title Case Home, by Lorraine Weir and Roger William, tells the story of the Tsilhqot’in land title case from the perspective of Roger William and members of the affected communities.

Also honoured was The Notorious Georges by Jonathan Swainger. The book examines the origins of Prince George’s reputation as a rough-andtumble “gritty mill town,” exploring how efforts to establish respectability clashed with frontier-era stereotypes of a boisterous and unruly settlement in the years surrounding the First World War.

More information about the awards is available at pgpl.ca/ jeanne-clarke-local-history-awards.

Seedy Saturday is a sure sign of spring for gardeners

CHRISTINE DALGLEISH Citizen Staff

As winter continues with its up and down temperatures, a bit of snow and sunshine and that howling wind, one can’t help but think ahead to those sunny days of spring.

With those thoughts of warmer days comes plans for a vibrantly strong growing season and that’s where Seedy Saturday comes in on March 7 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Elder Citizens Recreation Association Centre, 1692 Tenth Ave.

As always this event is presented by the Prince George Master Gardeners and David Douglas Botanical Garden Society (DDBGS).

The event features a seed swap and sales, displays and a host of information sessions including Designing a Diverse Garden, which provides information about creating a garden built for biodiversity, Plant Life Cycle 101, What It Takes to Become a Beekeeper and a chat about hydroponics.

Ana Peasgood is a member of the Prince George Master Gardeners Society and a volunteer helping out with the event.

“I started out as a student in 2020 and we’ve brought back Seedy Saturday in person after COVID and now we’re expanding,” Peasgood said.

“It’s been growing every year, getting bigger and bigger so we needed a bigger space so this year we’re at ECRA, which will offer much more parking and just a little more space for everyone to get really comfy. The goal for Seedy Saturday is to inspire the community and share education on home gardening and then, of course, we have our seed swap. That seed swap table is probably the pinnacle of the event, so we always encourage everybody to get there early if they want a good selection.”

The Master Gardeners will be at that seed swap table to help people choose what they need, she added.

“We also have some vendors who will be selling some seeds and we also have quite a few community partners that are non-profits who will have information

tables and they are all gardening or outdoor related,” Peasgood said.

“We will have the beekeepers there and the naturalists and a lot of other organizations who will be sharing information about having a good outdoor year here in Prince George.”

The majority of the information sessions will be presented by Master Gardeners, she added.

“We have Master Gardeners who are working with Master Gardeners in training, which is our students who have graduated the program who are now doing their training,” Peasgood said.

“They have worked together to put the sessions on so we have a really exciting pollinators presentation that will be talking about a new initiative that’s taking place in Prince George.”

One session is called Designing a Diverse Garden.

“When we look at gardens and we look at biodiversity, you are really trying to create a space that works with the natural world,” Peasgood explained.

“You are part of your own little ecosystem so you’re wanting to create spaces

in the fall but we had such a great interest in it that we decided to show it again to the general public. It is super interesting for those who may not have that outdoor garden space who still want to garden in an apartment or smaller space and they can look at hydroponics as an option.”

Prince George Beekeepers Association representatives will hold an information session about how to get into beekeeping, which is really exciting, as it lends itself nicely to biodiversity and the pollinator project that’s coming up, Peasgood added.

Seedy Saturday is a fun event, it’s one of our favourites of the year that we get to put on and we’re very grateful for the support of the David Douglas Botanical Garden Society that helps us host it,” Peasgood said.

that have not just one type of plant but different plants that work well together and work with the soil and the birds and animals love to come live in it. It’s really about creating an ecosystem that can become self-sustaining

At Seedy Saturday the Master Gardeners will encourage people to use open-pollinated seeds, heirloom seeds where possible and that is also supported through the seed library at the Prince George Public Library that will be available soon.

“Biodiversity will see those seeds fall down, regrow back in your garden or you can collect them and replant them, just building all of these good Earth habits to help climate change, make you happy in your backyard and it’s really a garden that lives in its own little ecosystem,” Peasgood said.

“The Plant Life Cycle 101 information session is really just the basics of how plants grow, how do we start from seed and then grow to maturity and then collect the seeds at the end,” Peasgood explained.

“Hydroponics is a session we did back

“The best part of Seedy Saturday is that we see people from all different backgrounds come together because they just have a shared love of gardening and growing and there’s just an air of excitement. The speakers spark so many ideas and are providing inspiration that results in a lot of chatter. So we are encouraging families, elders, young people — we see lots of kids come to these events — everybody can learn to grow a great garden regardless of what size home or apartment they live in.”

Entry is by donation and all proceeds go towards funding the Master Gardeners’ education initiatives in Prince George.

Seedy Sunday schedule

• Words of welcome at 9:15 a.m.

• Pollinators at 9:30 a.m.

• Designing a Diverse Garden at 10:30 a.m.

• Plant Life Cycle 101 at 11:30 a.m.

• What It Takes to Become a Beekeeper at 12:15 p.m.

• Hydroponics at 1 p.m.

• DDBGS update at 1:30 p.m.

Memberships, books and gardening tools will be available.

The Elder Citizens Rec Centre kitchen will be open and there will be door prizes.

26, 1972:

26, 1999: Solomon

Feb. 25, 2013: Montell Lindgren of the Duchess Park Condors hustles past Sean Gaiesky of the D.P. Todd Trojans during the north central zone championship boys’ basketball nal. The Condors, playing on their home court, beat the Trojans 69-53.

Feb. 27, 1987: Bob Kiss used a level and a tape measure to check the slant on a Westwood Drive sidewalk, nding that it dipped six inches over two feet. The retired equipment operator was on a one-man campaign to straighten out the city’s paved areas, calling them a ‘hazard.’ CITIZEN FILE

Our Blood Counts sees 100K-plus growth as a positve

The

group wants to bring a blood plasma donation centre to Prince George

MATTHEW HILLIER Citizen Staff

With recent news that Prince George and the surrounding area have hit 100,000 residents, one advocacy group sees this as a sign that the North is ready and willing to donate blood to help Canadians across the country.

Our Blood Counts has a simple goal: to bring a new blood plasma donor centre to Prince George.

Group members note that giving blood has become very important lately, with Canada collecting about 30 per cent of the blood plasma needed to produce essential medications for patients with cancer, immune deficiencies, bleeding disorders and other conditions.

The remaining 70 per cent of immunoglobulin, a plasma-based medication, primarily comes from the United States. One of the roadblocks to bringing a centre to Prince George, according to Canadian Blood Services, is that a population base of about 120,000 is needed to sustain a donor centre.

Mark Karjaluoto, the founder of Our Blood Counts, spoke to The Citizen about what this population milestone means to his organization.

“We think that it does send a message to Canadian Blood Services that they need to look twice at Prince George,” said Karjaluoto. “Especially given that Thunder Bay, as a rural mid-sized city, can support a donor centre. Well, then, why not Prince George? Why are we so different?”

He added that, given the wide range of support seen from rural communities across the North, a donation centre would easily cross the threshold of 120,000 and that many in the Interior would be more than willing to travel to donate.

“It’s encouraging because it’s not just Prince George’s support,” said

Karjaluoto. “We’re at eight municipalities that have passed resolutions or provided a letter so far — it’s Burns Lake, Fraser Lake, Vanderhoof, Quesnel, Valemount, McBride and Mackenzie. Mackenzie was the first and there’s some distance from Prince George, but they see the logic in that people will come here for business or any number of other needs, go and see a Cougars game, and that they could also tie a blood donation into that as well.”

With Canadian Blood Services also working toward a goal of adding one million new donors by 2030, Our Blood Counts has noted that giving should not be confined to major urban centres and that rural hubs like Prince George should also be given the chance to drive donations.

“Looking at the 100,000 number, I think it has given us hope for a couple of different reasons,” said Karjaluoto. “One is to say that this is a growing community, but also to say around us, the communities that are all supportive of this, that they would be willing to help make this a success. So what we’re trying to say is look at Prince George

as a growing community, but also look at a minimum at the northern Interior because there are a good number of people here who really want to give the gift of life.”

Karjaluoto also reports that the petition started by his organization is making steady progress, with a total of 2,750 signatures.

Our Blood Counts has also received endorsements in principle from First Nations leaders, health-care providers, the municipalities mentioned above, three regional districts and local MLAs.

With renewed and active support, Karjaluoto is optimistic that his organization will continue to grow and raise awareness of the need for a donation clinic in the city.

“Our petition now, at last check, 2,750 names,” said Karjaluoto. “We’ve been doing that basically without any paid promotions. The growth is slow and steady, but as people start to tell their stories and we share those, we see consistent growth. I think it’s a process of education. A lot of the process is talking with people face-to-face about it. When people hear that and then they

start to recall, well, they had a loved one who benefited from donor blood or that they used to give at the Prince George donor centre and they really miss it. The support there, I think, becomes quite apparent. So I just say it’s a slowand-steady kind of process of building support for it. We’re committed for the long term.”

He added what the North can bring to all of Canada in terms of donations if the donation centre becomes a reality.

“The arguments about plasma in terms of how much we import, that I would say is absolutely screaming for a local solution, for a rural Canada solution,” he said. “Prince George has led several really important things that show how we can make a difference in education with the development of the university, with the development of the Northern Medical Program, with the construction of the cancer centre and the regional cancer strategy. Those are all important things for us and we think blood donation can be part of that too.”

If you are interested in signing the petition or learning more, visit the Our Blood Counts page on Facebook.

Local Sports Vikings celebrate another AA boys basketball ttle

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

Winning never gets old for the Nechako Valley Vikings.

They’ve done a lot of that lately at the North Central zone double-A boys basketball championship and it seems every time the Vanderhoof gang hoists the trophy at the end of another title run one of the Mueller boys is there to share the spoils of victory.

Their latest happened Sunday, Feb. 22 at Shas Ti Kelly Road Secondary School gym — a 65-61 win over the D.P. Todd Trojans in the second final of the weekend.

Tournament MVP Dayne Mueller, a graduating Grade 12 guard, had the honour of climbing the ladder to snip the first strand of the net, a tradition the souvenir-seeking Vikings have carried out in each of the past five seasons they’ve won the big game to claim North Central’s provincial tournament berth. Mueller, the MVP in 2025, did what all good leaders do: a bit of everything that adds up to winning basketball. He was ferocious on defence and a warrior in the paint, hitting timely buckets with defenders draped all over his back. He threaded passes to open teammates taking up space away from the crowd to better enable quality shots, guys like his younger brother Tyce, who shot a game-high 23 points Sunday. Perhaps just as importantly, Dayne Mueller was the voice of experience on the floor for a young team with just two seniors.

He watched and learned from the likes of his older cousin Tanton Mueller, the zone champion/MVP in 2022 and 2023, who showed him what it takes to lead a team to a championship. In a tight game from start to finish, he put up a modest 11 points and it was his final two shots, both from the free throw line to give his team a five-point cushion with 26.3 seconds left, that

salted away the victory.

“This is a brand-new team,” said Dayne Mueller. “We’ve got two seniors and we have three or four players that played last year, we have a really young team and coming out with that win is pretty crazy.

“We didn’t allow them to make threes and had a lot more pressure even though our legs were gassed, I could barely move at the end there.”

After the Trojans won the first final Saturday afternoon 61-59 on a buzzer-beating triple from Jake Samis, both teams struggled to put up points in the opening quarter Sunday.

But not Tyce Mueller, who hit two threes and made another bucket in the first five minutes and change to put the Vikings up 9-2.

He played for the junior team last season but was limited by knee injuries to just six games. As a Grade 10 he made the tournament’s second all-star team and in the final Sunday he was a constant threat.

“He puts in endless hours, he’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen in my life,” said Dayne Mueller. “I’m really excited to see the next two years for him. We play lots of (one-on-one).”

The Trojans’ offence came to life later in that quarter and Samis, Andrew Bertrand, Markus Sale and Logan Slater all made their points to allow D.P. Todd to get out of the first half with the teams tied at 23.

“Honestly, I thought we played a decent game, decent tournament, it’s just one play can make a difference, but

I thought it was a hard-fought battle between the two teams, and unfortunately we can’t say we’ve got it next year,” said Sale, one of eight graduating senior Trojans.

“I think it was their defence, they put a lot of pressure on our top guards and once they get into their defensive zone it’s really hard to break down everything.”

Sale took a hit to the nose in the fourth quarter and was bleeding profusely and had to leave the game briefly to get the flow stopped in the dressing room, but still managed to collect 12 points in the game, one off the pace of Logan Slater, who led the Trojans with 13 points.

The Trojans jumped ahead 28-23 to start the third quarter, their first lead of the game, and then it became a battle of long-range bombers.

Brody Black and the Mueller brothers each found the net for triples to erase the Trojans’ lead.

Samis and Vikings’ Myer Himmelright took turns sinking treys and the quarter ended with another two-point strike from Himmelright that brought the Vikings within a point, down 38-37 heading into the fourth quarter.

Tyce Mueller started the fourth with a triple and a turnaround jump shot bucket that gave the Vikings a 42-38 lead they would not relinquish the rest of the game.

“It’s been like that the last couple years, us and them, we know it’s going to be a close game, similar to last year, going to Game 3 on Sunday,” said Trojans head coach Randy Sandhu.

“The game started slow for both teams and it came down to just a couple of baskets, both teams deserve it no matter what. I’m proud of my boys, we had a great season and a great career. I know this one is going to be tough for them tonight but they did very well and I’m proud of them.”

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

College Heights locks up provincial basketball berth

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

The College Heights Cougars have booked their ticket to the BC provincial basketball champions March 4-7 in Langley.

They nailed that down with a convincing 73-50 win over the Duchess Park Condors in the North Central zone triple-A boys championship in Quesnel.

Led by tournament MVP forward Tolu Bankole, the Cougars went undefeated in the four-team tournament, starting with a 79-44 win over Lake City of Williams Lake, followed by an 80-63 triumph over the Condors on Friday.

In those three games, Bankole averaged 23 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four blocks.

“He’s playing the best basketball of his career right now,” said Cougars head coach Jordan Yu.

Dillon Piddocke, Jeona Gill and Caleb Fuller were also standouts for the Condors at the zone playoffs and all were selected to the first all-start team.

Piddocke put up 24 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the first game against Duchess Park, while in the championship game, point guard Gill collected 17 points, three assists and two steals.

Fuller spiced the Cougars’ offence with a 17-point game in their opening win over Lake City.

“He has a motor that doesn’t quit

and is the heartbeat of this team,” said Yu. “He does so many things that may not show up on the stat sheet and he’s a player who would be any coach’s dream. The effort and energy this kid brings to each practice and game is second to none.”

College Heights, the City League champions, won three of the five meetings with Duchess Park this season.

The Condors won the first two games early in the season and both were close games.

“They have some great talent on the floor with Julian Victorino and Ismael

Andrew, who are very tough guards for anyone who their slashing ability and sharp 3three-point shooting,” said Yu. “Also, Grade 11 standout Callum Whitehouse, who is a very athletic and very tough to stop in transition and from getting to the hoop.

“Duchess has a great group of kids who work tremendously hard throughout the entire game and pressure the ball extremely well.”

The Cougars will have about 10 days to prepare for the 16-team provincial tournament in Langley, March 4-7. They haven’t cracked the BC top-10 rankings

this season but Yu has seen encouraging signs lately and would not be too surprised if they pull off an upset.

“Our team has really turned a corner since mid-January and we are starting to play some of our best basketball on both ends of the floor,” he said. “We have had some very good games with some big wins under our belt this year and we are excited to get back to work this week in practice as we await our seeding on the Live Draw show at 3 p.m. on Sunday.”

The Cedars Christian Eagles had their season come to an end Saturday in Dawson Creek at the North Central zone boys single-A tournament.

They started with an emotional 57-40 win over Tumbler Ridge Kodiaks, a team still recovering from the shock of the Feb. 12 mass shootings in their school that left nine people dead and 25 injured.

The Eagles then lost 57-54 to the host Mountain Christian Rams and were eliminated from provincial contention in a 70-47 loss to the Fort St. James Falcons. The Eagles ended up fifth after they defeated Northside Christian 78-52 on Saturday.

Lakes District Lakers of Burns Lake captured the North Central title with a win over Mountain Christian. The Rams claimed the second provincial berth with a win over Chetwynd.

The boys single-A provincial tournament is also in Langley, March 4-7.

Nechako Valley now heads to the provincials in Langley

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Vikings head coach Gary Simrose took over the senior team in 1997, when Ron Van Dolah packed in after 26 years at the helm, and that coaching consistency has been a recipe for success.

“D.P. Todd is an awesome team, they battled all the way through the tournament, our guys just wouldn’t be denied today,” said Simrose. “Tyce scored and our Grade 12

leaders (Dayne Mueller and Linden Buchanan) stepped up bigtime when we needed them and everybody played great defence.

“They’re a mentally tough group. Even though they don’t have a lot of experience they gutted it out.”

This is the 27th double-A boys basketball title for Nechako Valley and Simrose, now in his 29th season, has been the winning head coach for 11 of them.

“When you think back, I played for

Ron Van Dolah and Gary played for Ron Van Dolah, and we’ve had essentially two coaches since 1970, so we have great continuity in our program,” said Vikings assistant coach Joel Mueller.

“Gary is so consistent, he puts the expectations on the kids and he doesn’t waiver on that and the kids bought in. We struggled to little close again today, but it’s a young team. Credit to the D.P. Todd team, those guys played so hard. Yesterday they got us and we were

fortunate to get them today.”

The Vikings, ranked No. 2 going in, beat the top-ranked Trojans 65-55 on Friday in the double-knockout tournament.

That forced D.P. Todd to play a survival playoff against the host Shas Ti Kelly Road Grizzlies and they beat the Griz 79-70 Saturday morning to advance to the first final a few hours later.

Nechako Valley will represent North Central at the provincial tournament, March 4-7 in Langley.

Gavin Rowell brings family pride to Olympic slopes

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

The weather gods were cruel to the Canadian ski cross team at the Olympic Winter Games Saturday, Feb. 21 in Livigno, Italy.

Heavy snowfall that started falling during the heat races slowed the course considerably and that proved detrimental to the four men from Canada, including current World Cup leader Reece Howden, and all four were eliminated early in the competition.

As difficult as that was to accept, 26-year-old Gavin Rowell of Prince George grabbed his two minutes of fame under the spotlight of his first Olympics and in front of his parents from Prince George, Ken and Audrey, and other family members who watched him race at Livigno Snow Park, he showcased his talent for racing a four-man roller derby on skis on the biggest stage of his career.

“I’m still happy with the experience, I was able to somewhat perform under pressure, even though it wasn’t the result I wanted I was in the mix trying to battle my way through,” said Rowell.

“In a one-medal event like this we have one day at the Olympics and we have about two minutes of Olympic performance, and if everything goes well you have five minutes of Olympic performance in the entire Games,” he said.

“It makes it feel a lot better when you come down, maybe you’re not happy with your run, but being able to run over and see your family who are all so proud, even though you didn’t perform the way you wanted to, that was super special. It makes it really hard to be mad.”

After posting the 29th-quickest seeding time (1:09.46), Rowell ended up fourth in his eighth-final heat, with German racers Florian Wilmsmann and Cornel Renn claiming the top two spots needed to advance.

“I made a couple mistakes but it was fine, it’s just seeding and the yellow bib (worn by the lowest-ranked skier in each heat) didn’t really matter too

much today,” said Rowell. “Unfortunately there was a three-person heat (the first eighth-final race) and there was still fresh tracks on that side and then it started snowing really hard. When it’s going from such a hard icy surface to that fresh-snow surface it’s a huge adjustment.”

Unfortunately, the Canadian team was unable to adjust quickly enough to the changing conditions. Their ski wax in the fresh snow was less than ideal and all four men were eliminated early.

“I know we struggled with this fresh snow stuff and those other teams have multi-million dollar wax programs they share with their alpine and cross-country programs and Canada doesn’t quite do that,” said Rowell. “We just have four dudes who work super-hard getting the skis dialed in and they felt decent in the gate on that surface where they hadn’t had fresh snow.

“In a World Cup they probably would have cancelled, but Olympics, they’re putting that thing on. We had one weather day but it was too late into the race when it started really snowing and it was getting really bad.”

It was a dream finish for Italy with Italian ski crossers Simone Deromedis

The snow started just before Rowell’s heat race and progressively got worse, reducing visibility and increasing the difficulty of making passes. Howden said the race should have been delayed at least until the heavy snowfall stopped.

“We really can’t make it work in these conditions,” he said. “This is not a good example of what ski cross is. I am upset. I’ve done everything I needed to do. I was skiing really fast going into it. We shouldn’t be racing in these conditions… We didn’t even have enough speed to make the last jump. These are the worst conditions we’ve raced in probably the last two years.”

and Frederico Tomasoni winning gold and silver respectively. Alex Fiva of Switzerland, the oldest competitor at 40, won bronze.

The weather proved disastrous for medal favourite Howden, a 27-year-old native of Cultus Lake, BC. The threetime Crystal Globe champion and current World Cup points leader placed first in the seeding round by almost a full second. He won his eighth-final heat and got a good start in the quarter-final but was forced into the fresh snow on the outside of the course rounding a corner with Tomasoni and dropped to fourth place, never recovering his earlier form.

“Honestly, like the weather is ridiculous, it is a joke,” Howden told CBC Sports reporter Kelly VanderBeek. “It’s snowing so hard, and it’s just, the track is dead slow. This is an absolute joke.

“It really sucks that I have been training for four years, and this is what we get to compete in,” he said. “This is just a joke, really. We would never run a downhill race in these conditions. And this is not different, if not worse, having to deal with the draft and people running in the track in front of you.”

Jarred Schmidt of Ottawa, who had the sixth-quickest seeding time, moved up from fourth to second at the finish of his eighth-final heat but was later handed a yellow card when judges ruled he interfered from behind and pushed on the ski of Czechian skier Daniel Paulus on the first corner. Instead of advancing to quarterfinals Schmidt was ranked as last.

“It’s tough, that’s ski cross, it didn’t go my way today, but I think the morale is high and we’re looking forward to more racing,” said Schmidt. “It’s tough when it doesn’t go your way on an Olympic day but that’s life. You wait four years and it’s not your day and maybe you go another four and maybe you don’t, but that’s the Olympics.”

Kevin Drury of Toronto, 37, in his third and final Olympics, was seventh-quickest in the seeding round and finished second in his eight-final heat but in the quarter-finals struggled to clear a jump near the top of the course and never recovered, finishing fourth. Howden finished 13th overall, Drury was 14th, Rowell was 28th and Schmidt ended up 31st.

Rowell and Schmidt were packing up their room in the athletes’ village late Saturday afternoon so they’ll be able to clear out early Sunday, Feb. 22 to catch a flight to Serbia, where they’ll be racing their next World Cup event next weekend in Kapaonik. There are still five World Cup stops ahead on the circuit, including a Canadian date in Ontario.

Funding is always an issue for Canadian Olympians

PG speed skater talks about her future

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

Now that her first Winter Olympic Games is over, the question long track speed skater Carolina Hiller-Donnelly is pondering is whether she wants to take another shot at making it to the next Olympics four years down the road in France.

While her Olympic experience racing the 500-metre and 1,000m events was unforgettable for all the right reasons, the Prince George product is not reaping any financial rewards from her sport. In fact, being a full-time athlete each year on the World Cup long track speed skating circuit costs her a significant amount of money.

Hiller-Donnelly figures she and her husband Ben Donnelly spent $40,000 just so she could compete this season leading up to the Olympics and the two-time world champion team sprinter is considering whether or not she can continue being a full-time athlete.

“You’re trying to compete with the best in the world while also figuring out how to pay for the daily things and plan for the future,” Hiller-Donnelly said. “That mental load can affect longevity in the sport. Funding is a real obstacle.

“Funding is one of the biggest stressors in high-performance sport,” she said. “At the national team level, people assume everything is covered, but that’s rarely the case.”

The 2026 World Championships are in Heerenveen, Holland, March 5-8. While some Canadian speed skaters will remain in Europe to train for that event after the Olympics, Hiller-Donnelly is back home in Calgary. Her season is over.

“They have world sprint and world all-arounds but I’m not going to those because they’re not funded by our federations, they’re pay-your-ownway and so I’m not going to go,” said Hiller-Donnelly.

Canadian athletes have to pay for

Carolina Hiller-Donnelly of Prince George heads into the first corner after the start of the women’s long track speed skating 1,000m event at the Winter Olympic Games in Milan, Italy on Monday, Feb. 9.

their own travel to get to Heereneen. While they will be supported with accommodations and food once they arrive, they’ll also be required to buck up for their own flights back to Canada.

Canadian long track sprinter Laurent Dubreil, who won the bronze medal Saturday in the men’s 500m race, said he’s had to self-fund trips to World Cup events this season and revealed he would be staying with friends during the world championships next month to save money.

Hiller-Donnelly has her own coach, Kevin Crockett, and doesn’t train with the national team. She has to pay for her own equipment and cover the cost of traveling to training camps and competitions within Canada, food and insurance. She says she’s fortunate to have the financial support of her husband, who works as a welder, but more than a few athletes go into debt just to compete and they’re getting to the point where they can’t keep incurring that debt.

funding from Sport Canada slashed 4.5 per cent in 2024-25 and the budget for international support for Canadian skaters was reduced by 60 per cent.

The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) have asked the federal government for a $144 million increase in core funding for 62 federally funded NSOs to address their budget concerns.

David Shoemaker, COC’s chief executive officer, told CBC Sports: “The reality is we are falling way behind our competitors. Germany, Italy, France are outspending us by 10 times.”

Dutch skaters didn’t have to open their wallets to get to Italy. Their season expenses are paid, and their Olympic results speak for themselves. Heading into the final four days of the Olympics, the long track team from the Netherlands have won two gold, six silver and one bronze medal at the Games, while the short track team has four gold, one silver and one bronze, which accounts for the country’s entire 15-medal total so far.

“I know it’s the primary reason for a lot of my teammates (to retire) and always part of the conversation,” said Hiller-Donnelly. “It would still be part of my conversation and one of the reasons for sure.”

The 28-year-old Hiller-Donnelly has a degree in kinesiology from the University of Calgary and has that to fall back on if she decides to retire from her sport at a point where it appears she’s just heading into the prime of her career, age-wise.

Jennifer Heil, Canada’s chef de mission in Italy, said Canadian athletes have paid, on average, $25,000 just to be able to compete in this year’s Olympics. The former moguls world and Olympic champion said there hasn’t been any new investment in our national sport federations since 2005, despite the cost of inflation which has driven up costs close to 50 per cent, and she’s concerned the pipeline that feeds Canadian athletes to our Olympic teams is thinning.

Speed Skating Canada had its core

“In the Netherlands, speed skating is their national sport, so the amount of money they put into their sport is so heightened compared to any of the other countries,” said Hiller Donnelly. “They have pro teams. It’s just a different level.”

The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Great Britain, France, Austria, Czechia and Japan all have national lotteries that fund programs for national team athletes. Canada doesn’t. It has provincial lotteries that support minor sports but no national lottery specifically targeted for national sports organizations.

I think the lottery system is an interesting idea,” said Hiller-Donnelly. “It could really reduce financial stress and allow more athletes to focus fully on training and recovery,” said Hiller-Donnelly.

“I think Canadians are really supportive of sport, especially around the Olympics. If there was a system where people knew that buying a lottery ticket directly supported athletes, I think many would embrace that.”

Hiller-Donnelly back to skate with Blizzard club

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

Olympian Carolina Hiller-Donnelly is not forgetting her roots and is planning a special treat for the kids who race in the Prince George Blizzard Speed Skating Club,which introduced her to the sport when she was four years old.

She’s coming back to her hometown in early March to practice with them on the ice at Kin 1 arena.

“I need to get home before their season is over,” she said. “I just want to get on the ice with them and do a practice with them. I’m so excited to see them all.”

After competing in the Olympic Winter Games 500m race on Sunday, Feb. 15, Hiller-Donnelly left Italy on Wednesday, Feb. 18 and is back in Calgary. She’ll be there for two weeks and then will travel to Prince George to spend time with her friends and family and also visit with students at Immaculate Conception School, where she spent her elementary school years.

Hiller-Donnelly capped off her first Olympic competition with a 21st-place finish in the 500m sprint, won in Olympic-record time by Dutch superstar Femke Kok, who set a new Olympic record in 36.38 seconds, two seconds quicker than Hiller-Donnelly.

“I think I definitely left something out there,” she said. “I entered that race wanting more, wanting a bit of a higher rank and time, but looking back on that race, that was truly the best I could do and I’m really proud of that race. I felt as strong as I could be on that day.”

She placed 26th in the 1,000m event Feb. 9 in Milan.

Hiller-Donnelly is one of only three Canadian women ever to break the 38-second barrier in the 500m when she clocked 37.85 at a World Cup race in Calgary in December 2022. She finished 12th in the 500 at the 2023 world championship, the best individual event placing of her career.

The ice oval in Milano Speed Skating Stadium is a temporary surface, built on

wood. Mark Messer, the ice technician for the Olympic Oval in Calgary, has been tasked with the job of looking after the ice for his sixth Olympics and it’s obviously fast. Kok broke the Olympic record in the 1,000m on that ice, which was topped one pairing later by her Dutch teammate Jutta Leerdam.

“It was really different, unlike any ice I’ve ever skated on,” said Hiller-Donnelly. “Since it’s temporary they have the ice on wood. Usually it’s on cement and the cooling system is built into the cement, but this ice, since it’s temporary, all the cooling system has to be above the cement and the wood is on top of that and so it’s really loud when you’re skating.”

Immediately after her 500m race, Hiller-Donnelly was able to talk to her dad Bruce and brother Lucas and tune in their watch party in Prince George, as well as link to her twin brother Nico in Calgary. She saw them all on a big screen set up in the infield at the track.

“It was kind of like a big Zoom call and right when I got off the ice a volunteer called me over and told me to follow her, I thought I was getting called for doping control,” said Hiller-Donnelly. “I already did that for the 1,000m, but then she brought me over to this massive screen and I got to talk to everyone.”

Hiller-Donnelly had her own 13-strong cheering section in the corner stands at Milano Speed Skating Stadium, which included her husband (former national team speed skater Ben Donnelly) her father-in-law, her mom’s three best friends and their husbands and friends from Prince George.

“It was absolutely incredible. I had so much fun out there, knowing all the people I had in the stands and at home cheering me on and supporting me just made it that much better,” she said.

“There’s just something magical in the air about the Olympics. It only happens every four years and not many athletes get to experience it so I just feel super-privileged and grateful to live out this dream. I’m never going to forget it.”

Extended road trip takes Prince George Cougars east

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

The Prince George Cougars collected another road victory on their East Division tour with a 4-2 win Saturday over the Moose Jaw Warriors.

Carson Carels, Arsenii Anisimov, Kooper Gizowski and Dmitri Yakutsenak scored the Prince George goals, and Josh Ravensbergen earned the win in goal, making 24 saves on 26 shots. On the power-play, the Cougars were 2-for6, while the Warriors went 0-for-4 with the extra man.

Mark Lamb recorded his 216th win which left him tied with Ed Dempsey for the most career wins in Prince George Cougars’ history.

“Obviously good to get the win,” said Cougars assistant coach Carter Rigby. “At times I thought we were a little slow. There was some trouble throughout the game with some stupid penalties, but at the end of the day we ended up locking it down and it putting it away. It wasn’t pretty, but nonetheless, we will take the two points.”

The opening period saw the Moose Jaw Warriors strike first. Following a turnover at the offensive blue line by the Cougars, the Warriors raced up ice on a 2-on-0, where Casey Brown finished off a pass from Landen McFadden just 1:10 into the game to make it 1-0.

Prince George settled in as the period progressed. Dawson Seitz did tremendous work gaining the offensive zone before delivering a brilliant setup to Carels, who wired home his 17th of the season at 6:37 to tie the game.

The Cougars grabbed the lead at 11:15 thanks to a point shot from Anisimov. Prince George carried that 2-1 advantage through 20 minutes, outshooting Moose Jaw 12-7 in the opening frame. In the second period, the Warriors found the equalizer when McFadden capitalized on a breakaway at 4:02. The Cats responded quickly, restoring their lead on the power play.

Gizowski scored his 26th of the year at 5:51, finishing off strong work from the unit, with assists credited to Carels and Terik Parascak. The Cougars also

killed off three penalties in the period and were sharp defensively. After 40 minutes, Prince George led 3-2 and outshot the Warriors 13-9 in the second.

The Cougars locked things down in the third and had some great chances throughout the final period. Prince George also received more great goaltending from Ravensbergen to keep his team ahead. Yakutsenak delivered the empty-net goal at 18:52 to secure the victory.

The win improved the Cougars’ season record to 34-20-2-0 (second in BC Division) and kept them one point up on the third-place Kelowna Rockets (31-185-2), who were 4-2 winners Saturday in Kamloops.

Friday game

The Cougars delivered a dominant performance Friday, Feb. 20, defeating the Swift Current Broncos 6-2.

opportunity, Brennan Rudolph opened the scoring at 7:47. Prince George responded at 15:17 with a highlight-reel passing play between Parascak, Yakutsenak, and Souch, with Souch finishing off a slick feed from Yakutsenak to even the score 1-1 after 20 minutes.

The Cougars took control in the second period. Yakutsenak redirected a Tyrone Sobry shot at 1:32 to give Prince George a 2-1 lead. Just over three minutes later, the Cougars struck twice in 16 seconds — Souch netted his second of the night at 4:44, followed by Parascak wiring a wrist shot from the right circle at 4:56 to make it 4-1.

Parascak added his second of the game at 8:33, marking his 250th career point in the WHL. The goal chased Broncos starter Archer Cooke, with Aidan Eskit entering in relief. Prince George carried a 5-1 lead into the intermission and outshot Swift Current 17-5 in the middle frame.

In the third period, the Cougars continued to press. Foster extended the lead to 6-1 at 5:29 with a wrist shot from the left circle for his 11th goal of the season. Carter Moen replied on the power play at 7:17 for the Broncos’ second goal.

Parascak led the offensive charge with two goals and two assists. Brock Souch added a pair of goals, while Yakutsenak and Aiden Foster also found the back of the net. In goal, Alexander Levshyn earned the victory, turning aside 15 of 17 shots.

Despite generating numerous quality opportunities, the Cougars went 0-for-6 on the power play.

Swift Current finished 1-for-6 with the man advantage.

“I really liked our game,” said Rigby. “The guys were good. They (Swift Current) get the first one there and then we rebound right away. I thought even on the power-play, lots of chances. I liked our PK pressure and I thought Levy (Alex Levshyn) was great. All in all, happy with that one.”

The Broncos came out strong in the opening five minutes, earning two early power plays. Shortly after their second

The final frame also featured a fight between Kayden Lemire and Stepan Kuryachenkov.

Prince George capped off the night by outshooting Swift Current 16-3 in the third period.

The win improved the Cougars’ second-place BC Division record to 33-202-0. They remained one point ahead of the third-place Kelowna Rockets, who won 3-2 Friday on Kamloops. The Brandon Wheat Kings did the Cougars a favour, beating the Penticton Vees 4-0. The Vees are 10 points ahead of Prince George atop the BC Division.

The Cougars resumed their eightgame roadtrip Tuesday in Brandon against the Wheat Kings, then headed to Regina to play Wednesday. Both games happened after this issue of The Citizen went to press.

The Cougars continue their road trip in Saskatoon on Friday and finish the trip Saturday in Prince Albert.

Goaltending key to Spruce Kings’ decisive division lead

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

The Prince George Spruce Kings are spoiled.

They’re already blessed with what is arguably the top goaltending tandem in the BC Hockey League with Ryder Green and Colin Reay.

Saturday night at Kopar Memorial Arena their third goalie, 20-year-old Cody Arnold, had his chance to hog the spotlight.

Arnold drew his first start since he signed with the Spruce Kings Nov. 28, 2025 and he came close to shutting out the Powell River Kings, making 20 saves in a 5-1 victory.

Arnold, from Kinnelon, N.J., played 11 games this season with the Boston Dogs of the National Collegiate Development Conference and posted a 6-2 record with a 2.19 goals-against average and .937 save percentage.

He also played one game in November

for the Surrey Eagles and that didn’t go nearly as well as Saturday’s game when he allowed five goals on 19 shots playing slightly less than half the game.

Unlike Friday’s game against Powell River, a 5-3 Prince George win, the Spruce Kings were committed to playing airtight defence and that made Arnold’s life a lot easier. They had a few breakdowns but Arnold was ready for it, making some key saves to keep his shutout bid intact most of the game.

Powell River finally broke through his armour with about seven minutes left.

The Spruce Kings got caught on a 2-on-1 and Ryan Hedley dished to Josh Wiebe, whose shot from the side beat Arnold for the only goal he allowed.

Mason Loewen had a three-point night with one goal and two assists, matching his offensive output from Friday’s game. He was selected the game’s first star in each game.

Loewen, a 19-year-old native of Charlie Lake, BC, has been one of the Spruce

Prince George Spruce Kings forward

Ryan Wachtel’s shot is blocked by Powell River Kings goalie Devin Peck at Kopar Memorial Arena Saturday, Feb. 21.

Kings most consistent scorers lately, maintaining a point-per-game pace over the past 13 games with eight goals and five assists.

Carter Hesselgrave got the Spruce Kings started with a shorthanded goal 7:58 in, and Loewen followed up later in the period to give the Spruce Kings a 2-0 lead.

Ryan Wachtel and Tai Ushio scored goals seven seconds apart before the

second period was two minutes old. Defenceman Nick Bianchi notched the other goal for Prince George.

The Spruce Kings outshot Powell River 47-21, including a 22-5 advantage in the third period.

The Spruce Kings (27-14-2-0, first in Coastal East) moved six points ahead of the second-place Coquitlam Express (24-15-1-1). Coquitlam, which has two games in hand over Prince George, was idle Saturday and will play Sunday afternoon at Alberni Valley.

Since Jan. 3, the Spruce Kings have been one of the hottest teams in the BCHL with 11 wins, one regulation loss and one overtime loss.

The Spruce Kings return to action Friday and Saturday at Kopar where they face the last-overall Surrey Eagles in a two-game set.

The Spruce Kings have 11 games left and are down to their last four home games this season. They’ll also host Coquitlam at Kopar, March 21-22.

Auto racing legend Clif Hucul lived life in high gear

Indy Car driver dies at 79 after a long, rewarding career behind the wheel

TED CLARKE Citizen Staff

The Prince George sports community is saddened to learn of the death of former Indy Car racer Cliff Hucul, who died after an extended illness Tuesday, Feb. 17 at home at his farm south of the city. He was 79.

Inducted into the Prince George Sports Hall of Fame in 2019 for his many accomplishments in racing that put Prince George on the world motorsport map, Hucul is best known as a threetime qualifier for the world’s most famous car race, the Indianapolis 500. Hucul competed in the USAC and CART Championship Car series from 1979-81. He had 21 starts and posted eight top-10 finishes, including a fourthplace result in 1979 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Born Aug. 21, 1946 in Grande Prairie, Alta., Hucul started racing at age 14, driving his father Emil’s stock car, and by the time he turned 15 he was a regular on the dirt track circuit in northern Alberta.

Hucul moved to Prince George in 1967 to work for his dad’s company, Northern Express Trucking, and he became a regular at PGARA Speedway in the open-wheel modified classes.

After three seasons he jumped up to the Canadian American Modified Racing Association (CAMRA) sprint car circuit, where he raced the likes of 1983 Indianapolis 500 champion Tom Sneva and his brother Jerry at tracks in Canada and four U.S. states.

Backed by a couple private sponsors, in the fall of 1976 Hucul paid $60,000 to buy the rear-engine McLaren Johnny Rutherford drove to victory a few months earlier at the 1976 Indy 500. He took it to the Indy track the following year and broke two engines trying to qualify for the race.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Cliff Hucul put Prince George on the world auto racing map when he qualified three consecutive years for the Indianapolis 500. Hucul, 79, died at his home south of Prince George on Tuesday, Feb. 17.

His mother Jean in Prince George mortgaged the family home so he buy another engine and it lasted just 30 laps before it broke. Famed engine builder AJ Watson offered to help and used two broken engines to build one that was race-ready and Hucul qualified on the last day, 27th quickest out of 33 qualifiers.

In the 200-lap race, he’d worked his way up to 12th place after 72 laps when he was forced to retire with a rear-end

broadcasts of his dad racing in the Indy 500.

“I can remember one year when there was 32 Americans and one guy from Prince George, BC, Canada, racing there,” said Kelly Hucul.

“When they dropped the green flag to announce the start of the race, I remember chills running up the back of my spine, what an amazing feeling it was.

A.J. Foyt, Al Unser, Bobby Unser and Tom Sneva, those are the best drivers that ever lived and to be part of that period, what an amazing thing in life.”

Kelly was just becoming a teenager when his dad made it to the big leagues of racing and he would have loved to have seen more of his races live.

“We didn’t have that kind of money (to go his races in the States) but I went to one IndyCar race and plenty of super-modified races,” he said. “We lived at the track (in Prince George), I was basically at the track from the time I was born.

“I remember Tom and Jerry Sneva coming to Prince George to race; we bought the four-wheel drive car from their dad. It got banned from the CAMRA circuit because it was too good.”

Late in his racing career Hucul was hired in 1986 by a Chicago-based NASCAR team and drove in three Winston Cup events that year but he said it lacked the thrill of open-wheel racing.

problem. Mechanical problems also forced him to drop out early in the Indy 500 races in 1978 and 1979.

He earned $17,746 from that first Indy race, which allowed him to continue to race that season in the IndyCar series, and in 1978 he secured his first major sponsorship deal when the Wendy’s hamburger chain got his No. 29 car.

His son Kelly, who was born when Cliff was 20, watched on tape delay the

In November 1996, a highway accident near Chetwynd when his truck hit a patch of black ice and flipped into a ditch left Hucul a paraplegic. The loss of the use of his legs ended his racing days but did not stop Hucul from remaining active on the Prince George Auto Racing Association. He continued to advise and mentor local drivers and was co-owner of a sprint car.

Until about the past year he continued to manage his hay and grain farm, using hand controls to operate heavy farm equipment.

He is survived by his son Kelly and daughter-in-law Sylvie, daughter Michele and many loving grandchildren. A memorial service will be announced later.

Life Events

Patricia Lynn (Bjarnason) Doucete

January 8, 1952- January 27, 2026

It is with profound sadness that the family of Patricia Doucete announces her passing. She lost her 20 year batle with cancer with strength and grace.

Born in Wawa Ontario and lived in Balmertown Ontario untl the family moved to Merrit BC in 1969 where she graduated and then came to Prince George to take nursing. She married Roy and had 2 sons, D’arcy and Darryl who she loved more than anything.

Pat was a care giver from a young age startng with her siblings. She worked at Prince George Regional Hospital in the pediatric ward and then completed her career in home care nursing.

In 2003 she and Roy moved to Ashcrof BC. She fnally grew the garden she always wanted with lots of vegetables and fowers. She volunteered and enjoyed golfng and curling.

Predeceased by her father and lef to grieve is her husband of 53 years Roy Doucete, her sons D’arcy and Darryl, her grandchildren Isaiah, Isaac and Gabrielle and her mother Laura Bjarnason. As well as her siblings Bob (Sharon) Alda, Tracy (Bill) and Jody (Ed) and many nieces, nephews and friends

There will be a memorial at a later date in Ashcrof. In lieu of fowers donatons may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society.

We will cherish the beautful memories. You may be gone from our sight but never from our hearts.

Richard Donald Mayhew

July 19, 19 - ebruary 12, 2026

At age 81 on February 12, 2026, in Prince George, Rick went to be with his lord and saviour, Jesus Christ. Rick had fought a 2-year 3 month batle with lung cancer. Rick says he was started in Flin Flon Manitoba and fnished July 19, 19 in ancouver.

Rick fell in love with a newly immigrated Dutch girl, Riny anderlee. They were married and had three children, Donna, Rick and Cli . They moved to Prince George in 1966 where Rick had a 0-year career in real estate and 25 years in fnancial services. e loved his kids and grandkids and vice versa. Many, many Christmases, birthday partes, graduatons, fshing trips etc.

In 1983 Rick married Marilyn in Calgary and moved to Prince George the ne t year. In his Christan life he played pedal steel guitar in a band that went to the jail every second Sunday, playing two services each tme. They played other events too. e led a men’s breakfast for 20 years every Tuesday morning. Each week doing a di erent biblical topic. e cooked in the kitchen for the breakfasts as well.

Rick was predeceased by his mom Gay & his dad Erving, his brothers George (Shirley), Ron (Colleen), and his son Cli .

Rick is survived by his wife Marilyn, his brother enry (Sandy), his daughter Donna (Dusty), his son Rick (Shawna), and many grandchildren great grandchildren.

There will be a celebraton of life for Rick on riday February 27th at 3:00pm at Westwood Mennonite Church - 2658 Ospika Blvd. S. Prince George BC

In Memory of

Boyd Bayne

December 4, 1942 - February 24, 2016

The world changes from year to year... Our lives from day to day... but the memory of you shall never pass away

Jean, Cheryl ( Rod) Nadine (Rob), Allan (Nikki) Hayley, Nevin, Kayla, Payton, Avery

e ina P ster

March 6, 1939 - ebruary 11, 2026

Sadly we share the news of Regina Pfster’s passing on February 11, 2026.

Born in Bischberg, Germany in 1939, Regina’s childhood was shaped by the war, leading to a selfreliant, fercely independent, resourceful woman. These traits served her well when she emigrated to Canada with her husband Erich, making Prince George their forever home since 1959.

Lef in mourning and memories are her children Ron and Doris (Tom), and grandchildren Julia and Owen. We hope that Regina has now reunited with her beloved Erich, who predeceased her in 2018. They belong together.

We thank the wonderful sta of the Gateway Lodge Comple Care unit for their care, and neighbours Carol and Shannon for the visits and company they shared with our Mom.

Please see Regina’s full obituary online at www.princegeorgecit en.com obituaries

In Loving Memory

Barbara Cousins

1947 2021

We hold you in our hearts where love never fades.

Sandra Patricia Frances Wilson née (Dunkley)

January 18, 1943 - February 12, 2026

With deep sadness, the family of Sandra Wilson announces her passing on February 12, 2026, surrounded by love.

Sandra was a devoted mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and friend whose life was grounded in family, community, and kindness.

She is lovingly remembered by her children Randy and Cindy Wilson; her grandchildren Chantelle (Brad), Chelsea (Glenn), Cherise (Ryan), Felicity (Dan), and Garret (Ashley); and her 15 great grandchildren, who were her greatest joy.

Sandra was predeceased by her husband Ernie Wilson and grandson Jimmy-Joe.

Born in Tisdale, Saskatchewan, on January 18, 1943, to Georgina and Ernie Dunkley, Sandra was the eldest of fve children. She moved with her family to Strathnaver, BC, in 1950, where they helped establish Dunkley Lumber. At 16, she married Ernie, beginning a lifelong partnership built on love and perseverance. Sandra will be remembered for her strength, generous spirit, love of animals, and the warmth she extended to all. Her home was always open, her kitchen table always welcoming, and her famous pickles always in demand. Sandra will be deeply missed by her family, siblings, extended relatves, and many dear friends. In lieu of fowers, donatons in Sandra’s memory may be made to the Prince George Hospice House

Laine Michael Russel Snaychuk

August 21, 2001 -February 3, 2026

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the sudden passing of our beloved son Laine Michael Russel Snaychuk.

Laine was born in Edmonton, AB. He passed away due to a tragic accident in Oliver, BC.

He was survived by his mother Adrianne (Greening) Snaychuk of Olalla, BC; father Steven Snaychuk (Kathy Blair) of Edmonton. AB; his grandparents, Frane and Connie Greening of Olalla, BC; Valerie (Snaychuk) Sabyan (Chris) of Prince George, and many friends and family.

A celebraton of life to be announced at a later date.

Nevenka Smolcic

October 19, 1938 - February 17, 2026

With heavy hearts we say goodbye to our mom, grandma and great grandma. Born in Brin e, Croata, she moved to Canada 50 years ago.

She is predeceased by her husband Mile, infant daughter Marijana, brother Miko and sister-in-law Olga.

She will be missed and mourned by her two daughters Ruza and Ana (Josip), beloved grandchildren Richard (Sharaya) and Sandra (Jason) and great grandson Jakob.

She will be forever remembered by her extended family in Croata. Brothers in law Ivan ( ari a), ommy and atali; nephew omislav ( atca), Ana and Mika; niece Nevenka (Josip), Anita.

Prayers will be held at Sacred Heart Cathedral Tuesday Feb 24, 2026 at 6pm; funeral mass (Sacred Heart) Wednesday Feb 25, 2026 at 10am with interment to follow.

View local Obituaries

Elsie Gardner (née Gorbat) uly 9, 19 ebruary 1 , 0 6

It is with sadness that we share the passing of Elsie Gardner (née Gorbat). Elsie was born in Willow River to immigrant parents from Ukraine and Russia. They moved to Prince George when Elsie and her sister, lga were stll school aged.

An avid reader and writer, Elsie became editor of her high school newspaper and became the frst in her family to get a degree, pursuing her Bachelor of Arts in English at UBC, where she also served as editor of The Ubyssey.

Elsie was a reporter for many years for the Prince George Cit en. She met Ralph Gardner there, whom she had interviewed at a local school board meetng. heir partnership grew into nearly 69 years of marriage, even through Elsie’s journey with Al heimer’s.

ith the arrival of their three daughters Anne, Sandra and Christne whom she and alph raised in Coquitlam, Elsie devoted herself fully to her family. She was a loving mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. Family was her greatest priority and joy.

Elsie showed her love through the meals she prepared. She was also a passionate gardener, known for her beautful roses and dahlias. Elsie and alph en oyed many cruises together, fnally seeing places she had long read about.

redeceased by her daughter Sandra ugget (Al), Elsie will be greatly missed by her husband, Ralph Gardner; her daughters Anne Gardner and Christne Gardner ( ince); her grandchildren icholas (Sarah aude), Alex (David), ichael, Gabriella, Sebastan, Lia and im; and great grandson Leo.

Classifeds

By JoAnn Derson

• Medication labels can fade, so when you get yours, put a piece of clear tape over the instructions. This way, you’ll always be able to read the instructions.

Do you have a screw loose (in your eyeglasses)? This is an easy x. Paint the screw with a dab of clear nail polish and quickly re-screw. It works like glue. Dab the top of the screw for a little extra insurance.

* “Snow will better slide off a shovel that has been sprayed with furniture polish.” -- T.L. in Minnesota

• “During the holidays (the height of baking season for me), I keep a large plastic saltshaker filled with flour and a bit of dry rice. The rice helps the flour to shake out without getting clumped up, and I use it to dust cake pans, rolling pins, kneading boards, etc.” — W.F. in

* Here’s an old tip but a good one: Before going away on vacation, put a couple ice cubes in a plastic baggie, set at the front of the freezer.

• “One

Pallets for pick-up every Thursday. Call

When you return, if there is any evidence of melting, you will know you’ve lost power while you were gone. If the bag is one big, at cube, you lost power long enough to suspect all your refrigerator items of being spoiled.

* To temporarily get a winter frost effect on a window, use this fun recipe. Dissolve 4-6 tablespoons of Epsom salts in a beer. When the salt is dissolved, dip a clean rag in the mixture and wipe it on your window pane. As it dries, crystals will form, creating a frost effect. This is a great solution for a window you don’t want to be clear but also don’t want to permanently alter. The effect washes off with soap and water.

*On March 9, 1841, at the end of a historic case, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, with just one dissenting vote, that the enslaved Africans who seized control of the Amistad slave ship had been illegally forced into bondage and thus were free under American law.

• On Nov. 11, 1831, Nat Turner, an American slave and educated minister who believed that he’d been chosen by God to lead his people into freedom, was hanged in Jerusalem, Virginia, for leading a revolt with 75 followers through Southampton County, killing about 60 white people.

* On March 10, 1982, all solar system planets aligned on the same side of

• On Nov. 12, 1969, investigative journalist Seymour Hersh revealed the extent of the U.S. Army’s charges against 1st Lt. William L. Calley at My Lai, Vietnam, in a cable picked up by more than 30 newspapers, saying that “The Army says he [Calley] deliberately murdered at least 109 Vietnamese civilians during a searchand-destroy mission in March 1968, in a Viet Cong stronghold known as ‘Pinkville.’”

ARIES (March 21 to April 19) A litle woolgathering is good right now. It helps you sort out some problems before you try to work out their solutons. But don’t be out of it for too long, or you’ll miss getng in on something important!

the sun in an event called a syzygy. Fortunately, and contrary to the natural catastrophes predicted in the 1974 bestselling book “The Jupiter Effect” by John Gribbin and Stephen H. Plagemann (including an earthquake in the San Andreas fault), Earth went on with business as usual.

* On March 11, 1997, former Beatle Paul McCartney added “Sir” to his name when he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his “services to music” at London’s Buckingham Palace. Three of his children accompanied him, but wife Linda was unable to attend as she

was dealing with breast cancer, which would end her life a little more than a year later.

* On March 12, 1988, a sudden hailstorm caused a stampede of fans at a soccer match in Kathmandu, Nepal’s National Stadium, killing at least 70 people and injuring hundreds more.

* On March 13, 1942, the Quartermaster Corps of the United States Army began training dogs for the newly established War Dog Program, or “K-9 Corps.” More than a million dogs served on both sides during World War I, the most famous

CANCER (June 21 to July 22)

being Rin Tin Tin, who made his film debut in 1922.

* On March 14, 1979, Judy Chicago’s art installation “The Dinner Party” debuted at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, earning praise for its feminist focus as well as controversy over its use of genital imagery. It remains on permanent display at the Brooklyn Museum in New York City.

* On March 15, 2021, Deb Haaland became the first Indigenous person in American history to serve as a cabinet secretary when she was sworn in as Secretary of the Interior.

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22)

• On Nov. 13, 1979, Philadelphia 76ers center Darryl Dawkins leaped over Kansas City Kings forward Bill Robinzine for a memorable slam dunk that shattered the fiberglass backboard. His equally memorable comment on the move, which was not his last and the sound of which spectators likened to a bomb going off: “It wasn’t really a safe thing to do, but it was a Darryl Dawkins thing to do.”

Relatonships on the job and in your personal life seem to be up in the air at this tme. Trying to get a handle on things is frustratng and probably futle. Wait for events to return to a steady, even fow.

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Your acquisitve self will fnd this to be a favorable tme for buying something that you’ve wanted for a long tme. Meanwhile, your inquisitve self leads to the disclosure of some important facts.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) It’s tme to come down to earth and face the reality about someone in your life. Get to the truth, then decide what you’ll do about the relatonship.

• On Nov. 14, 1882, outlaw Frank “Buckskin” Leslie shot and killed Billy “The Kid” Claiborne, who had publicly challenged him, in Tombstone, Arizona.

• On Nov. 15, 1984, Baby Fae, a month old infant who received the world’s first baboon heart transplant, died at California’s Loma Linda University 20 days after the operation. Three other people had received animal heart transplants, but none survived longer than a few days.

• On Nov. 16, 2001, British author J.K. Rowling’s most famous and beloved creation, the bespectacled boy wizard Harry Potter (played by Daniel Radcliffe in his first major role), made his silver-screen debut in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” which went on to become one of the highestgrossing movies in history.

• On Nov. 17, 1903, the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party split into two factions: the majority Bolsheviks and minority Mensheviks. The Bolsheviks went on to become the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

© 2024 King Features Synd., Inc.

LEO (July 23 to August 22) You might be everyone’s idea of a cool cat, but you’d really prefer going somewhere warm for a while. This is the tme to do it! Expect good news from someone who is working hard on your behalf.

VIRGO (August 23 to September 22)

Things seem to be slowing down. Use this quieter tme to do some muchneeded meditaton. You’ll come away with a new understanding of what compels you to do what you do.

Marriage and mergers are favored at this tme. Relatonships, both personal and professional, might appear to be unraveling. But quick acton can make long-lastng repairs.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21)

A loved one reacts happily to a romantc suggeston. Consider a cruise or a trip if you have the tme and money. But a movie and dinner will do just as well.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Don’t wait for someone to help you bridge an emotonal gap between you and a loved one. You need to take the initatve yourself. The result will be worth all the efort that you put into it.

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Stop blaming yourself for a problem at work. Someone else set the situaton in moton, leaving you on the spot when something had to be done. So, perk up! You have lots of people on your side.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Positve aspects contnue to favor exploratons of new career opportunites. While you’re eager to check these prospects out, you also need to spend more quality tme with your family.

PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Cupid has an arrow with your name on it. But you need to help him fnd his target by getng out into the social swim where, with luck, the chubby cherub could pin two hearts with one arrow!

Homes & Living

Indoor late winter DIY projects

Winter has a way of trapping us indoors — which makes it the perfect season to tackle a few smart, budget-friendly DIY projects before spring arrives. You don’t need a massive renovation budget to make your home feel refreshed. What you do need is a plan, a free weekend or two, and the discipline to actually finish what you start.

Here are practical, affordable projects that deliver real impact before the snow melts.

Refresh Walls with Paint or an Accent Feature

Few upgrades offer a better return on effort than paint. A gallon is inexpensive, and the transformation is dramatic. If painting an entire room feels overwhelming, focus on a single

your dream door starts here

accent wall or even repaint tired trim and baseboards in crisp white for contrast.

For a little creativity without major cost, consider peel-andstick wallpaper in a small space like a powder room or entryway. It’s renter-friendly and forgiving for beginners.

The key is preparation. Patch holes, sand rough spots, and tape properly. Rushed paint jobs look cheap. Careful ones look professional.

Upgrade Cabinet Hardware

Replacing dated cabinet pulls and knobs in your kitchen or bathroom is one of the fastest ways to modernize a space. Matte black, brushed brass, or simple stainless styles can instantly shift the look from tired to current.

Measure carefully before purchasing so the new hardware fits existing holes. If you’re willing to fill and drill new holes, your style options expand significantly. This is a one-afternoon project that punches far above its cost.

Install Open Shelving

Open shelving adds both storage and personality. Whether in a kitchen, laundry room, or home office, simple wood boards and sturdy brackets can create practical display space without custom cabinetry costs. Choose wood that complements your décor and secure shelves directly into studs for stability. Then style intentionally — plants, books, baskets, and a few curated decorative pieces go a long way. Keep clutter minimal. Open

shelving rewards discipline.

Create a Mudroom Drop Zone

Spring means mud, rain, and clutter. If you don’t already have a landing space near your door, now is the time to create one.

Install wall hooks for coats and bags. Add a small bench or repurpose a narrow console table. Use labeled baskets underneath for shoes and accessories. If you’re ambitious, build a simple board-and-batten feature wall behind the hooks for a custom look.

This project improves daily life immediately — and that’s the kind of DIY that actually matters.

Update Lighting Fixtures

Lighting is often overlooked, yet it dramatically affects how a home

continued on next page

continued from previous page feels. Swapping outdated fixtures for modern, energy-efficient options can completely change a room’s atmosphere.

You don’t have to rewire the house. Focus on high-impact areas: dining rooms, entryways, or bathroom vanity lights. Always shut off power at the breaker before installation, and if you’re unsure about wiring, bring in a professional.

Layered lighting — overhead, task, and accent — makes a home feel intentional rather than accidental.

Refinish or Paint Furniture

Before buying new furniture, look at what you already own. A dated dresser can become a statement piece with sanding, primer, and quality paint. Swap out the hardware while you’re at it.

Chalk paint is beginner-friendly and forgiving, but durability improves with a proper topcoat. Neutral tones offer versatility,

while bold colours can add personality in small doses.

This is also a great way to test your DIY discipline. Finishing coats and curing times matter. Don’t rush it.

Seal Drafts and Boost Efficiency

This isn’t glamorous, but it’s smart. Before spring thaw reveals your energy bills, inspect windows and doors for drafts. Apply weatherstripping, replace worn door sweeps, and seal small gaps with caulk.

It’s inexpensive, takes little time, and improves comfort immediately. Smart homeowners focus on both appearance and function.

Start an Indoor Herb Garden

If you’re craving spring, bring a bit of it inside. A small herb garden on a sunny windowsill — basil, parsley, chives — adds freshness to meals and life to your kitchen.

All you need are pots, soil,

seeds, and decent light. It’s simple, satisfying, and practical.

Final Thought: Finish What You Start

Here’s the honest truth: a halffinished DIY project costs more than no project at all. It drains energy and clutters your space.

Choose two or three realistic projects. Schedule them. Complete them fully. When spring arrives, you’ll step into a home that feels renewed — not overwhelmed. Progress doesn’t require a huge budget. It requires focus and follow-through.

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