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DEADLINES: For Friday’s paper - 1:00 pm on Tuesday.
Britco and the Lheidli T’enneh have signed a memorandum of understand-ing (MOU) to establish a joint venture modular building rental and workforce accommodation business.
The focus of the partnership is to supply modular buildings to the many major projects proposed for the Lheidli T’enneh traditional territory and north-ern B.C.
“Britco and Lheidli T’enneh have a lot to offer each other,” said Chief Dominic Frederick, in a press release. “Britco’s commitment to excellence and to aborig-inal partnerships combined with Lheidli T’enneh’s knowledge of the local and regional market is a partnership that will create opportunities for both parties.”
In 2013, Britco opened a modular building rental business branch office in Prince George.
With half of its approximately 1,000 employees located in B.C., Britco’s growth in recent years has been the result of the investment in the energy sector in western Canada.
Under the terms of the partnership agreement, Britco will also be working with Lheidli T’enneh to provide jobs and skills training opportunities in the construction trades for Lheidli T’enneh members.
Mayor Shari Green is suggesting the city’s snow removal woes are a result of the recent dispute with its unions.
“Did work crews do their best?” she appar-ently wrote in an e-mail to resident Joanna Garbutt, who was corresponding with the mayor about snow removal. “Well, you would have to ask their union president that, now that the contract is settled, their work seems to have improved. I would hate to think they used job action to receive a wage increase and put road safety in jeopardy to do it.”
Th e quote comes from an e-mail thread ap-parently between Green and Garbutt, which
Garbutt posted on her Facebook page.Green’s offi ce told the Free Press that the
mayor was too busy to grant an interview to confi rm whether the e-mail was from her, but Green supplied the newspaper with the following e-mail response:
“During heated and lengthy contract nego-tiations, sometimes unions do what they can to disrupt the employer, and that should be no surprise to anyone in this case,” Green said in her e-mail to the Free Press.
“I’m very disappointed,” said CUPE Local 399 president Gary Campbell of the mayor’s email comment. “Her comments are fl at-out wrong … Th e snow removal problems are not because unionized workers aren’t doing their job.”
He pointed out that successive heavy snow-
falls followed by ice build-up has made snow clearing a challenge along with management decisions at city hall.
“Th e fact there have been cutbacks every year doesn’t help,” he said. “Th ere’s not enough employees to fi ll the seats (in the graders).”
Th e number of private contractors hired to help with snow removal is also down.
Th e union local, along with Local 1048, and the city just ratifi ed a collective agree-ment last week that will see workers get a 0.5 per cent lump sum payment for 2013; 0.75 per cent wage increase for 2014; two per cent wage increase for 2015; and two per cent increase for 2016.
Bill PHILLIPS/Free PressTami Brushey, President, Prince George CUPW Local 812, leads a rally outside Prince George-Peace River MP Bob Zimmer’s office Wednesday, against proposed changes to Canada Post. About 40 people attended the rally. Story Page A5.
2 Friday, January 17, 2014 www.pgfreepress.comPrince George - NEWS - Free Press
Friday, January 17, 2014 3www.pgfreepress.com
BILL PHILLIPS | 250.564.0005 | [email protected] | www.pgfreepress.com
Canada’s largest union in the private sector is holding meetings across the country over the com-ing weeks to prepare for a nationwide campaign to defend the rights of Cana-dians in the workplace.
“Unifor is standing up for the rights of Canadi-ans to provide for their families in safe and stable workplaces,” said Unifor National President Jerry Dias, who will be attend-ing all of the meetings. “Unionized or not, we believe that’s what all Ca-nadian workers want.”
Th e meetings - which began in Windsor, Ontar-io, and fi nish in St. John’s, Newfoundland, on Febru-ary 27 - are being held to discuss with local Unifor leaders threats posed to basic labour rights, and what they can do about it.
A meeting is scheduled for February 17 in Prince George, but a location has yet to be announced.
“Without unions and collective bargaining, it will be impossible for most Canadians to attain a decent, secure life,” Dias said. “Th e current attack by governments across Canada on our basic labour rights will fun-damentally damage our quality of life - and that’s why we are determined to stop it.”
Th e Harper govern-ment’s Bill C525 would make it easier to decertify unions in the federal sec-tor, on the basis of biased voting rules, he said. In Ontario, Conservative Leader Tim Hudak wants to eliminate the Rand Formula, while Alberta’s Conservatives have made it illegal for some unions to even talk about striking.
Th e meetings will review such challenges, and how Unifor’s Rights at Work campaign will counter the attack.
Unifor was founded Labour Day weekend 2013 when the Canadian Auto Workers and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers unions merged. With more than 300,000 members, Unifor is Canada’s largest union in the private sector.
Uniformeet
Much like their ads, Janet Holder played the ‘home’ card during a Prince George Chamber of Commerce luncheon Tuesday.
Th e Executive Vice President, Western Ac-cess for Enbridge and the person in charge of the Northern Gateway pipeline project, highlighted her Prince George roots.
“I grew up here in Prince George,” she said to the crowd of about 80. “I love this community. It truly is part of who I am. When I took on the lead for the Northern Gateway, I knew I was coming home. Once a northerner, always a northerner.”
It was Holder’s fi rst public appearance in Prince George since the Joint Review Panel gave condi-tional approval to the pipeline that is slated to run from Edmonton to Kitimat and transport diluted bitumen to the coast.
Th e Joint Review Panel listed 209 conditions that it recommends be met before the pipeline be built.
Holder pointed out the panel stated Canada would be better off with the project going ahead
than not.“It was a proud moment for all of us on the
Northern Gateway team,” she said of the review panel’s decision. “But I can assure you there was no celebrations in our offi ce, because the JRP decision is just one more step in a very long journey.”
She said Northern Gateway must now work to meet those 209 conditions and meet the fi ve conditions outlined by the provincial government. One of the conditions was a favourable ruling by the Joint Review Panel and another, perhaps one of the most contentious, was B.C. getting a bigger slice of revenue generated.
“Th e last is that share of wealth refl ects the amount of risk that’s being taken by British Columbia,” Holder said. “So we are working to mitigate all the risks of this pipeline.”
So does that mean a safer pipeline would mean less cash for British Columbia?
“I believe the language in the condition says ‘fair share’ or ‘level of risk,’ so we need to determine the level of risk, (to) therefore determine the fair share,” she said aft er the meeting. “Th ose two do come hand-in-glove.”
She added they will meet with the province to discuss the provincial conditions.
“We support those conditions, we believe they are the right conditions,” Holder said. “But we still have a lot of work to do and dialogue with B.C.”
Dealing with First Nations will be another chal-lenge prior to actually laying any pipe. Holder said Enbridge is off ering 10 per cent equity partnership agreements to First Nations groups and 26 such agreements have been signed.
“We are very proud of the progress but under-stand our relationships with many First Nations communities is not where we would like it to be,” she said.
Notable in the Chamber of Commerce crowd was Carrier Sekani Tribal Chief Terry Teegee, well-known for his opposition to the pipeline. He asked Holder what Enbridge would do if the federal government does not approve the pipeline and how they will proceed given that First Nations, and others, may launch legal challenges.
“I don’t think we would challenge that,” Holder said of the possibility Ottawa would not give the project the green light, but stressed Enbridge would want to know Ottawa’s reasoning.
She added that the company is certainly aware that there may be legal challenges and “will respect that process.”
Bill PHILLIPS/Free PressEnbridge’s Executive Vice President, Western Access, Janet Holder, answers questions at a Chamber of Commerce luncheon Tuesday as Chamber President Derek Dougherty moderates.
Pipeline ‘fair share’ for B.C.depends on ‘level of risk’ - Janet HolderBill [email protected]
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wage increase will be paid for by a cost savings attained through the elimination of the Layoff Protection Letter of Understanding and other collective agreement language changes, ensuring that the fi rst two years of the contract meet the city’s net zero mandate.
“I was hoping we could get away from the ‘us and them’ attitude,” Campbell said. “I was hoping to mend fences. Th at’s pretty tough (with Green’s com-ments).”
Green, in her e-mail to the Free Press, said the city is focusing on getting the job done.
“I will take responsibility but I will not allow those on our hard-working staff who are trying their best, to be unfairly vilifi ed,” she said. “What should be the focus is that both parties were able to fi nally reach an agreement and all our city staff are back to work, committed to delivering great service to the community. I am thankful for that. Snow removal in the past several days has improved and I am pleased to see the dramatic progress being made. Th e warm weather should help and cleaning up every street is job number one. “
FROM PAGE A1
Green says doesn’t want staff ‘unfairly vilifi ed’
4 Friday, January 17, 2014 www.pgfreepress.comPrince George - NEWS - Free Press
with a condition of an undertaking or recognizance, sentenced to one day in jail, placed on probation for 18 months and assessed a victim surcharge of $100.
Glen D. Casimer was found guilty of theft of property with a value less than $5,000, placed on probation for 12 months and assessed a victim surcharge of $100. Casimer was also found guilty of failing to comply with a condition of an under-taking, sentenced to one day in jail and assessed a victim surcharge of $100.
Daniel T. Dupuis was found guilty of driving while prohibited, fi ned $500, assessed a victim surcharge of $75 and prohibited from driving for one year. Dupuis was also found guilty of a second count of driving while prohibited, sentenced to one day in jail, fi ned $500, assessed a victim surcharge of $75 and prohibited from driving for one year. Dupuis was also found guilty of failing to comply with a condition of an undertaking or recognizance and sentenced to 21 days in jail.
Jason T. Paquette was found guilty of theft of property with a value less than $5,000, received a conditional sentence of three months, was placed on probation for nine months and assessed a victim surcharge of $100.
Joanne M. Pete was found guilty of assaulting a peace offi cer and two counts of theft of property with a value less than $5,000, sentenced to 60 days in jail and placed on probation for 18 months. Pete was also found guilty of a third count of theft of property with a value less than $5,000, sentenced to 60 days in jail, placed on probation for 18 months and assessed a victim surcharge of $100.
Rebekah Prince was found guilty of mischief, placed on probation for 12 months and assessed a victim surcharge of $100.
Vern J.M. Robert was found guilty of operating a motor vehicle with a blood-alcohol reading over .08 and causing an accident causing bodily harm, sentenced to 75 days in jail to be served on an in-termittent basis, placed on probation for two years, assessed a victim surcharge of $200 and prohibited from driving for two years.
Cecil H. Tuininga was found guilty of failing to comply with a probation order, fi ned $100 and as-sessed a victim surcharge of $30.
In Provincial Court in Prince George on Oct. 31:Travis I. Basil was found guilty of theft of proper-
ty with a value less than $5,000 and failing to com-ply with a probation order, sentenced to nine days in jail and assessed a victim surcharge of $50. Basil was also found guilty of a second count of theft of property with a value less than $5,000, sentenced to nine days in jail, placed on probation for six months and assessed a victim surcharge of $50.
James D.J. Charlie was found guilty of theft of property with a value less than $5,000, sentenced to 14 days in jail and placed on probation for one year. Charlie was also found guilty of failing to comply with a probation order and sentenced to 15 days in jail.
Roderick A. Louis was found guilty of failing to comply with a condition of an undertaking or recognizance, sentenced to one day in jail and as-sessed a victim surcharge of $50.
Connie Massettoe was found guilty of failing to comply with a probation order, sentenced to one day in jail and assessed a victim surcharge of $50.
Dean K. Poitras was found guilty of assault and sentenced to 60 days in jail. Poitras was also found guilty of theft of property with a value less than $5,000 and sentenced to 30 days in jail. Poitras was also found guilty of a second count of theft of prop-
erty with a value less than $5,000, sentenced to 30 days in jail, fi ned 15 cents and assessed a victim surcharge of fi ve cents.
April M. Shaw was found guilty of failing to comply with a probation order, sentenced to 12 days in jail, fi ned 15 cents and assessed a victim surcharge of fi ve cents.
In Provincial Court in Prince George on Oct. 29:
Allison M. Gladue was found guilty of two counts of fraud, sentenced to 113 days in jail and placed on proba-tion for one year.
Bonita S. Dempsey was found guilty of assault and four counts of theft of property with a value less than $5,000 and received a conditional sentence of six months.
Craig F. Lyver was found guilty of production of a controlled substance, received a conditional sentence of six months and was prohibited from pos-sessing fi rearms for 10 years.
Angel R. Reno was found guilty of failing to comply with a probation or-der, sentenced to one day in jail, fi ned $1 and assessed a victim surcharge of 30 cents.
Lisa A. Wanke was found guilty of fraud, received a conditional sentence of 18 months, placed on probation for three years, assessed a victim sur-charge of $200 and ordered to make restitution of $16,652.65.
In Provincial Court in Prince George on Oct. 30:
Rick L. Alexis was found guilty of assault causing bodily harm, sen-tenced to 100 days in jail, placed on probation for 18 months, assessed a victim surcharge of $100 and received a lifetime prohibition on the posses-sion of fi rearms. Alexis was also found guilty of assault, sentenced to eight days in jail, placed on probation for 18 months and assessed a victim sur-charge of $100. Alexis was also found guilty of failing to comply with a probation order and failing to comply
Assaults get jail, probation
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For an appointment call 564-4454980 Fourth Avenue, Prince George • aartsenlaw.com
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WANTEDCrime Stoppers is asking the public’s assistance in locating the following person who is wanted on a British Columbia wide warrant. As of 0920hrs this 15th day of January 2014, Svetlana Melissa MARKOVIC (B: 1984-03-26) is wanted on a British Columbia wide warrant for FAIL TO COMPLY WITH PROBATION. MARKOVIC is described as a First Nations female, 163 cm or 5’04” tall and weighs 64 kg or 141 lbs. MARKOVIC has brown hair and brown eyes. MARKOVIC should be considered violent
WANTED
WANTEDCrime Stoppers is asking the public’s assistance in locating the following person who is wanted on a British Columbia wide warrant. As of 0920hrs this 15th day of January 2014, Daniel Keith ANDREW (B: 1975-06-18) is wanted on a British Columbia wide warrant for THEFT UNDER $5000. ANDREW is described as a First Nations male, 173 cm or 5’8” tall and weighs 73 kg or 161 lbs. ANDREW has black hair and brown eyes. ANDREW should be considered violent.
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Crime Stoppers is asking the public’s assistance in locating the following person who is wanted on a British Columbia wide warrant. As of 0920hrs this 15th day of January 2014, Shane Alan MCNELLY (B: 1972-11-11) is wanted on a British Columbia wide warrant for THEFT UNDER $5000 and BREACH OF UNDERTAKING. MCNELLY is described as a Caucasian male, 185 cm or 6’1” tall and weighs 82kg or 181 lbs. MCNELLY has brown hair and blue eyes. MCNELLY should be considered violent.
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Friday, January 17, 2014 5www.pgfreepress.com Prince George - NEWS - Free Press
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Council will receive a detailed re-port on how the city is managing its snow removal this year at its January 20 meeting.
And several councillors have made it clear they are unhappy with how the city is tackling the annual prob-lem of clearing the roads.
Coun. Brian Skakun posted a photo on Facebook this week of graders sitting idle in the city work yards last night, setting off a social media frenzy.
“I have been told that we have all the available equipment out, we are going at the problem 24-7 and so
on,” he posted on his Facebook page. “I talked previously about the lack of contractors helping with snow removal and know the city has to do something regarding that issue ASAP. I am also looking at what we are doing with regards to our own workforce when it comes to clear-ing the roads. Th is weekend I took a count of some of the snow-clearing equipment in the city yard. On Saturday evening I counted fi ve sand trucks with snowplows, two loaders, two sidewalk clearing machines, and at least three graders. Last night at 6:30 pm I counted four graders, one loader, two sidewalk machines and four sand trucks with snow plows.”
Mayor Shari Green is not pleased with Skakun’s actions.
“It is unfortunate some choose to lay blame where it does not belong and sneak around in the dark taking misleading photos for their own politi-cal gain,” Green said in an e-mail to the Free Press.
Coun. Cameron Stolz agrees with the assess-ments that snow clearing has been problem, but off ered an explanation for what Skakun observed.
“Without a doubt, our roads are horrible,” he posted on Facebook. “I’ve had people stop me at my shop, at the grocery store, and at the gas sta-tion … Th e city crews work two 10-hour shift s. Th e two hours in between shift s is used to service and refuel the equipment. Th ere are currently two parked graders at the city’s 18th Avenue yards, one is broken and should be back in service for Friday, the other is owned by Columbia Bitulithic and stored there.”
Stolz pointed out the city has increased its snow removal budget from $5 million in 2013 to $5.8 million in 2014. He added that in New York City
garbage trucks have been outfi tted with plows to help clear snow when they are not picking up garbage.
Skakun will be on holidays next week and won’t be at the city council meeting when the staff report on snow removal will be discussed. Skakun says he wrote a letter explaining his views.
“I am asking some serious questions regarding this particular issue. If the equipment is sitting because of a lack of personnel, then that should be addressed. If it is a maintenance issue, then that needs to be addressed. Th e machinery looks as if it is getting moved around day aft er day so I’m not sure maintenance is it. To me, it should not matter so much what the issue is at this point regarding the lack of snow plowing, we should never have millions of dollars of equipment sitting doing nothing while the safety of our residents could be at risk and the image of our community takes another beating.”
About 40 people rallied in front of Prince George-Peace River MP Bob Zimmer’s offi ce Wednesday, protest-ing planned changes to Canada Post.
“Th e main part (of Canada Post’s fi ve point plan) aff ecting us, and aff ecting seniors and people with mobility issues in particular, is their decision to cut door-to-door ser-vice,” said Tami Brushey, President, Prince George Canadian Union of Postal Workers Local 812, who led the rally.
Canada Post delivers mail to 24,179 doors in Prince George. Th at service will end by 2019. Th e Crown corporation says the remaining one-third of Canadian households that still get home delivery will be switched to community mailboxes or grouped or lobby mailboxes over the next fi ve years.
Brushey says there are 65 letter carrier routes in Prince George, but not all are currently fi lled.
“Th ey’ve frozen the transfers,” she said.
Brushey and Zimmer have had a bit of an exchange in the Free Press
with Zimmer writing a column sup-porting the changes before Christ-mas, which prompted a response from Brushey, which prompted a re-sponse from Zimmer (See Page 10). Th e two have not had any face-to-face discussions, although Brushey has been attempting to do so.
“I gave them my contact informa-tion about 10 days ago,” Brushey said Wednesday. “Th ey have my e-mail address and my phone number and they have yet to contact me.”
She actually went into Zimmer’s offi ce prior to the rally and asked to meet.
“I would love to have a conversa-tion with him,” she said. “I think it’s important for our MPs to meet.”
Th e union has started a petition opposing the changes to Canada Post and they will taking it to the heart of Canadians on Saturday – Hockey Day in Canada. Th ey will be set up at CN Centre asking people to sign.
Th e Canada Post changes mean about 8,000 fewer postal workers will be needed across the country.
In addition, the price of stamps will go up from 63 to 85 cents each if bought in booklets, or $1 for indi-vidual stamps.
6 Friday, January 17, 2014 www.pgfreepress.comPrince George - NEWS - Free Press
Passengers at the Prince George Airport are taking off ... literally and in numbers.
Th e airport has set a new record in annual passenger growth. In 2013, 426,709 passengers used YXS, an increase of two per cent from 2012. Th e previous record was 418,589 passengers set last year, a diff erence of over 8,000 people.
“We can see that our growth is indicative with the continual growth in our economy,” said John Gibson, President and CEO of the Prince George Airport Authority. “We can also attribute the increase in traffi c to added seats in the marketplace by all three carriers.”
Manager of Marketing and Communications Lindsay Cotter says heavy travel months out of YXS included April, July, September and December.
“Each of those months saw increases between four per cent and eight per cent over the same period last year,” she said.
Passenger record takes offat the Prince George Airport
Crime Stoppers honourslocal police officers for their help
Th e Prince George Crime Stopper Society honoured local police offi cers as part of Crime Stopper Month activities.
Const. Paul Starr, a General Duty member assigned to ‘A’ Watch, is the 2013 recipient of the Prince George Crime Stoppers Offi cer of the Year Award. Over the past year, Starr has demonstrated strong support for the Crime Stopper program as evident through his investigations. For 2013, the Prince George Crime Stopper Society has awarded ‘B’ Watch, the General Duty Watch of the Year. Led by Staff Sergeant Marc Pelletier, ‘B’ Watch offi cers investigating Crime Stopper TIPS have led to more arrests in 2013 than any other Watch.
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Flooring, cabinetry, plumbing fi xtures, heating equipment, roofi ng, siding and appliances should also be covered by a manufacturer’s warranty.
Your renovator will provide you with the manufacturer’s documents that outline these warranties and explain the procedures you need to follow in case of problems.
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sponsored by Jacques Fournier, CIP and Paul Vezina CAIB offf
Friday, January 17, 2014 7www.pgfreepress.com Prince George - NEWS - Free Press
Th e excessive emphasis on automation through computer technology and on the digitization of printed records is centralizing wealth and limiting overall economic growth, a computer scientist says in his latest book.
“We see the phenomenon of power and money be-coming concentrated around the people who operate the most central computers in a network, undervalu-ing everyone else,” Jaron Lanier says in Who Owns the Future?
“Lately, network-empowered fi nance has amplifi ed corruption and illusion, and the Internet has de-stroyed more jobs than it has created,” he observes.
People are not made suffi ciently aware that they can still act to change this situation, he contends. “Technology is not really autonomous,” he continues. “People act in the network age either by struggling to get close to the top . . . servers in order to enjoy power and wealth, or by doing something other than that and falling into relative poverty.”
Th ere would be other choices if these systems were organized diff erently, but few in responsible positions in the industry turn their attention to such alterna-tive alternative possibilities. “We technologists ought to be serving mankind, not turning ourselves into a privileged class,” he comments.
Instead, where the trick of outsourcing has not been used, our leaders continue down the path of comput-erized automation of tasks and of the digitization of records, oft en in areas where it isn’t appropriate. Ar-chivists are not valued as much as in the recent past.
Th e Conservative government’s drive toward pell-mell digitization of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ books, reports and other records is a case in point. Aft er signifi cant cutbacks to personnel, the task is being undertaken with insuffi cient staff in an atmosphere of confusion, as the government prepares to close seven of the department’s 11 libraries by 2015, according to a CBC report Jan. 6. Irreplaceable docu-ments are being lost.
Tom Siddon, the former fi sheries minister in Brian Mulroney’s Progressive Conservative government, called closing the libraries Orwellian. “Some might suspect it’s driven by a notion to exterminate all unpopular scientifi c fi ndings that interfere with the government’s economic objectives,” he told the CBC. “You do not extinguish national libraries of knowl-edge or history in an arbitrary way any more than the government would be allowed to extinguish the record of cabinet deliberations or to burn the books of Hansard.”
It is increasingly the case that some people work sixty or more hours per week, more than many of them want, while those displaced by automation and the Internet are unemployed or doing only occa-sional freelance work. “What should the role of ‘extra’ humans be if not everyone is still strictly needed?” Lanier asks. “Do the extra people – the ones whose roles have withered – starve? Or get easy lives? Who decides? How?”
Now, “the information economy that we are cur-rently building doesn’t really embrace capitalism, but rather a new form of feudalism,” Lanier warns.
“We aren’t creating enough opportunity for people online,” he explains. “Th e proof is simple. Th e wide adoption of transformative connecting technology should create a middle-class wealth boom . . . Instead we’ve seen recession, unemployment, and auster-ity. Great fortunes are being made on shrinking the economy instead of growing it.”
In the Dec. 25-31, 2013 SF Weekly free newspaper in the San Francisco Bay Area, bar reviewer Benjamin Wachs laments the closure of a traditional German-style beer hall, Schroeder’s German Restaurant, for its remodelling into an upscale cocktail lounge.
He says the San Francisco area has become a
hedonism economy, where most residents have to try to make a living from serving and entertaining the few among the wealth elites, particularly from Silicon Valley.
Bright young men with money and clout “have recently made remarks about how only the ‘produc-tive’ belong here and the rest of us ‘human garbage’ should get out of the way,” Wachs reports. “Th is is a pretty convincing footprint in the track I fear we’re following. Th ey come from an industry that disdains outsiders, whose members have made no secret of their desire to automate troublesome unions away – and is notoriously full of glass ceilings. Th e shredding of our social fabric, of the understanding that a barista and a bar back are as deserving of dignity as nouveau millionaires, will have far more impact on tomor-row’s watering holes than a craze for Sriracha-infused cocktails.”
Unless we do something to reverse this trend, we will soon be going beyond what the United States ex-perienced during the Gilded Age of the robber barons in the 1890s into a system yet more dangerous.
CLASS 1 DRIVERSLarry’s HEAVY HAULING (1990 LTD)
requires full time Class 1 Drivers.Log hauling & lowbedding experience an asset.
Automation limiting growth of economyPaul StticklandSpecial to Free Press
Allan WISHART/Free PressPeter Nesset and his daughter Cara, 8, decided the Nordic Winter Festival demanded a more-Viking look. The two were among hun-dreds at the Otway Ski Centre on Sunday for the festival.
Ready for the trails
YOUR CITY MATTERSJANUARY 17, 2014
accepting applications for Membership on the Prince George Heritage Commission.
The Commission meets monthly, does research and provides information and recommendations to Council and City Staff.
Applications are available on the City’s web site www.princegeorge.ca/cityhall/committees/, or may be picked up at City Hall, 1100 Patricia Boulevard. For further information or to have an application form mailed to you, please call 250.561.7602.
Applications or resumes received by the City Manager’s Offi ce, Director of Legislative Services by the February 7, 2014 deadline will be considered by City Council at its Closed Meeting of February 24, 2014.
**Applications in their entirety, will be included in a Regular Council Meeting Agenda, and forwarded to Council for consideration. Those Agendas may become public and the City of Prince George will use personal information collected for the purposes of committee appointments and committee member listings.**
PUBLIC NOTICESREAL ESTATE SERVICES
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to the provisions of Section 26(3) of the Community Charter that the City of Prince George intends to lease 1424 2nd Avenue, Prince George, BC legally described as Part of Lots 10 to 13, Block 19, District Lot 343, Cariboo District Plan 1268 to Patricia Robillard, Terri Robillard & Jami Witso dba Japatedon Travel for a term of 2 years at a rent of $9,300.00 per year, plus applicable taxes, with one option to renew for a second term of 2 years, at the then fair market rent.Ian Wells,Director of Planning and Development
1100 Patricia Boulevard, Prince George, BC V2L 3V9
P14-01 Waste Water Treatment Centre UpgradesClosing Date: February 4, 2014For information concerning City of Prince George bidding opportunities visit BC Bid at www.bcbid.gov.bc.ca
PROCLAMATIONS January 2014 is proclaimed “Alzheimer Awareness Month”
2014 DOG LICENSES2014 DOG LICENSES ARE NOW ON SALE. If the dog is sterilized the license is $33 and if the dog is not sterilized the cost is $75. Dog tags can be purchased online at www.princegeorge.ca, by mail, by telephone 250-561-7600, Service Centre at City Hall, BC SPCA, Bosley’s Pet Food Plus, The Bone & Biscuit, Day N’ Night Store (Hart Hwy), Dog Gone Bakery, Ospika Pet & Farm Supplies, Petland, and Total Pet.
Licensing your dog is a key factor in responsible pet ownership. A current valid dog license allows for quick identifi cation if your dog is found at large or impounded.
COMMUNITY ASSOCIATIONSBLACKBURN COMMUNITY ASSOCIATIONThe Blackburn Community Association currently has spaces in their Preschool and Out-of-School Care programs! The Blackburn Li’l Rascals Preschool and Out-of-School Care licenced programs are open Monday through Friday. The program is located at 2455 Blackburn Road (basement of RJ Blackburn House).
Please contact Amanda Conway at 250-963-6871 for more information about how to enrol your child for 2014!
CITY COUNCIL MEETINGRegular Council MeetingMonday, January 20, 2014 – Council Chambers – 6:00 p.m.
COUNCIL, COUNCIL COMMITTEES, COMMISSIONS, AND BOARDS MEETINGS
Select Committee on Finance and AuditMonday, January 20, 2014 – 2nd Floor Conference Room – 12:00 p.m.
Advisory Committee on Development DesignWednesday, January 22, 2014 – 2nd Floor Conference Room – 12:00 p.m.
Prince George Heritage CommissionThursday, January 23, 2014 – 2nd Floor Conference Room – 12:00 p.m.
COUNCIL COMMISSIONS AND COMMITTEES MEMBERSHIP
Prince George Heritage CommissionApply for the Prince George Heritage Commission!
Deadline for Applications: 5:00 p.m. Friday, February 7, 2014
Prince George is a City full of volunteers willing to give their time to ensure their community is a better place to live, work and play. Council Commissions provide residents of our community the opportunity to participate on the development of our municipality.
At this time the City Manager’s Offi ce is
8 Friday, January 17, 2014 www.pgfreepress.com
BILL PHILLIPS | 250.564.0005 | [email protected] | www.pgfreepress.com
Brad Monscher is fast becoming a neighbourhood hero.In the past month, he’s pulled out 20 or more stranded
vehicles from deep ruts in the Johnson Avenue and Irwin Street area off 15th Avenue. He pulls them out with his pick-up truck, says “have a nice day” and then rides away like the Lone Ranger, another good deed done.
He apparently cares that people can get out and about and do their chores and attend events around town and maybe spend some money that can go into taxes and support the
many services the city requires to keep us happy and productive.
Monscher reaches out to people caught up in predicaments be-yond their control.
Like piles of snow.In school we learned about
four main human confl icts: man against man, man against nature, man against society, and man against himself. Well, I’d say by getting stuck in a rut Saturday while turning right on Irwin Street, I covered all four bases.
I don’t know Mr. Monscher personally so I don’t know if he just happens upon motor-ists mired in mud and snow and his vehicle does a U-turn or if he’s helping out humanity to earn his heavenly wings. But I do know that he beat out BCAA to my distress call. BCAA would have come, much later, but they were facing an avalanche of calls from other customers.
Had Mr. Monscher not come by, I would probably have spent another few hours of digging out with my neighbour’s shovel – Brian Stothard on the shovel – or with a rented jackhammer until I fi nally hit pay dirt – gravel road.
But there is no telling. By the time snow-clearing crews came along Tuesday, it
was all over but the crying. I had come close to using up the last of my “free” BCAA roadside assistance calls and I would now be working on my long-term disability claim because arms and legs are not meant to be used as heavy load lift equipment.
I tell you there is a place in heaven – or else a seat on city council – for community-minded people like Brad Monscher. He could sit alongside Brian Skakun, who was out taking pictures of snow problems and posting them on Facebook.
Th inking about it, I must have looked pretty stupid. Damsel in distress, my leather-gloved hands wringing in
distress, armed with my 18 kg. bag of clumping cat litter, kicking snow out from under my tires with my high heeled
boots. I never come prepared for disaster. So Saturday, my car became Mr. Monscher’s 20th successful truck rescue.
Manual labour attempts had failed miserably. Bystanders had tried to dig a First World War-type trench
around my sunken tires with volunteers pushing on my car from behind. All along Irwin Street, the scene was the same – vehicles caught up in the ruts and guts of snowbanks too deep to win the war with sweet talk, rock and roll (rocking car back and forth), cat litter traction or any other attempt to escape.
“I talked to the city workers out here two years ago about this problem,” said Stothard, who had been digging people out most of the morning.
Neighbour Barb Snow (ironic, right?) takes a bus to work. She has to make it to 15th Avenue pulling a trolley for her oxygen unit along the snowy streets. Th e walk to the bus stop is simply treacherous – a fi eld of land mines to complete the analogy. She dreads to think what it’s like for
children or the elderly. “Th ey always forget about our roads. We had to wait until
today (Monday) for the graders to fi nally come out. I had to leave for work Saturday half an hour early just to walk a block and a half. Th e priority used to be to clear bus routes fi rst so traffi c could move more easily. Now they wait until the snow piles are so high that bus drivers actually have to get off the bus to help passengers [with disabilities] on because they can’t get close enough to the curb.”
Even the buses get struck, she says. Every winter we complain, we nag, we get stuck, we go
crazy. We pay our taxes. Th en guys like Monscher and Stothard get us out of our ruts and we go about our business and then spring arrives.
And then we forget how mad we were last year.All I can say to the Prince George “powers that be” is if
we wanted to live among craters, we’d fl y to the moon – on borrowed wings.
Stuck in a rut with places to goSnow woes falling on deaf ears?
TEA WITH TERESATERESAMALLAM
Teresa MALLAM/Free PressBrian Stothard had his hands full Saturday, digging cars out of hidden potholes and deep snowpiles so motor-ists could go on their way. He and other local good Samaritans spent much of Saturday helping out after two successive heavy snowfalls last week.
Th e summary and conclusion of Bill Gaal’s report on city’s snow removal eff orts this year pretty much … well, sums it up and comes to a conclusion.
“Th e city’s snow clearing eff orts have not changed,” he writes in his report that council will discuss on Monday. “What is changing is the weather events and the volume of snow per storm event, and, more importantly, resident expectations.”
He hit the nail on the head. Th e impor-tant aspect of the snow removal debate, which has hit a fever pitch in Prince George, is where do we go from here.
For those who are defending the snow removal eff orts of the city, and there are a few, Gaal’s report gives a perfect excuse to maintain the status quo … it’s not us, it’s the
changing weather.However, while Gaal’s report very clearly
points the fi nger away from the city, it does highlight exactly what the problem is.
Snowfalls have changed, the city response to snowfall hasn’t.
Without getting into the debate over whether climate change is real, not real, dreamed up by David Suzuki, or fi xed by Ezra Levant, the fact remains that our weather is diff erent than it was even 10 years ago.
I sat in on a presentation about the city storm drain utility a few months ago and one of the key drivers behind that plan, like it or not, is the fact that storm drain infrastructure is getting stressed because the city is seeing the same thing with rainfall …
it’s not that we are getting more rain, it’s that when we do get it comes all at once.
Snow is following the same pattern. And, two feet of snow in a day causes more prob-lems than an inch of rain.
Council now has a decision to make. Th ey can blame it on the weather, tell staff to keep on keepin’ on, and boast that they increased the snow removal budget this year (which is a red herring because snow clearing doesn’t stop when the budget is reached so, in terms of actual snow clearing, they could set the budget at 100 bucks and the snow would be cleared just the same with the only diff erence being how much they went over budget).
Or the other route council can take is to acknowledge that snowfalls, for whatever
reason, are dif-ferent now than they were years ago. Because they are diff erent, a diff erent strategy on snow removal is required.
We can argue until the cows come home whether we have enough staff , equipment, re-sources, or resolve for snow clearing.
It is evident that what we are doing now is not adequate.
WRITER’S BLOCKBILLPHILLIPS
The winter wonderland times, they are a’changin’ - are we?
Friday, January 17, 2014 9www.pgfreepress.com
BILL PHILLIPS | 250.564.0005 | [email protected] | www.pgfreepress.com
Weight added over the holiday season bugging you? Th ink it is diet time?
If you are considering some reforms to your food con-sumption, there is lots of help. Th e bookstores have a good selection of information to assist you. A more economical solution is to check out the local library, which has hundreds of diet books and related information. Th ere are also organi-zations such as TOPS that provide information, support and some discipline. In short, there is lots of help out there.
Th e important thing to keep in mind is to be sensible in both your goals and your actions. Weight gain seems to happen quickly but healthy weight loss takes time and a bit of self-discipline. Let your doctor know your inten-tions, even if you are in good health. If you have a chronic medical problem, his or her review and involvement is a must. You could consult with a dietician or nutritionist, if you can fi nd one who takes private consultations. Healthlink BC (dial 811) may be helpful. One can also check the Internet, keeping in mind that there is far more bad advice and incorrect informa-tion on the net than good.
Check out the credibility of the site before following their advice. More oft en than not they are just trying to sell you some service or product. Th e Canada Food Guide, which outlines what is a good daily diet in easy to understand terms, is available on the Government of Canada website.
From experience, the best advice is keeping it simple. It is so darned easy to set ourselves up for failure. In the fl ush of optimism many of us, me included, create a plan that becomes too burdensome to carry out.
Th e fundamental truth is we gain weight when we con-
sume more calories than our bodies burn and drop weight when we burn more than we consume. Th at is oversimplify-ing it, but it is not too bad of a starting point.
Remember to be honest in tracking your consumption, exercise and such. If we are not, we only fool ourselves. None of us can fool ourselves into weight loss.
With a little eff ort, it works. It took me over three years to shed close to 50 pounds and it still takes a little eff ort to
maintain my far healthier weight. If I can do it, anybody can.
You will have some sophisticated opposition. Th e food industry does a heck of a job in
convincing us to purchase their products. Th ree of their common weapons are salt, sugar and fat. If you do not already do so, read the nutri-tion labels and understand what they mean. Th ose convenient and seductive products are not grandma’s home cooking.
Th ere is nothing wrong with hitting the fast food joints occasionally. While quick, it is seldom balanced nutrition. Super sizing ap-pears to have been replaced by the whole meal deal, which just means they add fat-laden salted
fries and a very large sweet drink, neither of which any of us needs. Consuming fast foods is OK occasionally, but if it is a habit, fat city here you come.
Th ere are a few little things that can also help. Use a smaller plate; you will load up less. Eat slowly; it is more enjoyable and tasty.
Don’t have seconds. Eat until you are no longer hungry rather than eat until you are full.
We all owe ourselves and our loved ones good health and there is no better place to start than taking care with how and what we eat.
Inciteful.Th at is the only way to describe Mayor Shari Green’s
insinuation that our snow removal problems are, at least in part, because of the unionized workers at city hall and
the recent contract negotiations.Inciteful and simply ridiculous.It’s also astounding that Green makes such a suggestion and
then, in her e-mail to the Free Press and with righteous indigna-tion, says we shouldn’t be criticizing city staff .
“I will not allow those on our hardworking staff who are try-ing their best, to be unfairly vilifi ed,” she wrote.
Does she not realize, or understand, that by suggesting the unionized staff deliberately skewered snow removal she is, herself, vilifying city staff ? Perhaps she believes the unionized workers aren’t among those “who are trying their best.”
To make such a comment a week aft er the contract is ratifi ed no doubt has many CUPE workers regretting their ‘yes’ vote last week.
Both CUPE presidents, Gary Campbell and Janet Bigelow, have talked about mending fences and getting away from the ‘us and them’ mentality, now that the contract talks are over.
It seems that is unlikely, given Green’s obvious distaste for the union locals.
Th ere is a time to be combative, but this isn’t it.Th e city is looking for leadership, not spite. Time to lose weight
CONTACT US:[email protected] | 250-564-0005Proudly serving more than
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This Prince George Free Press is a member of the British Columbia Press Council, a self-regulatory body governing the province’s newspaper industry. The council considers complaints from the public about the conduct of member newspapers. Directors oversee the mediation of complaints, with input from both the newspaper and the complaint holder. If talking with the editor or publisher does not resolve your complaint about coverage or story treatment, you may contact the B.C. Press Council. Your written concern, with documentation, should be sent within 45 days to B.C. Press Council, 201 Selby St., Nanaimo, B.C. V9R 2R2. For information, phone 888-687-2213 or go to www.bcpresscouncil.org * Based on Stats Canada average of 2.2 person per household. ** CCAB Audit March 2013.
RoySpoonerCirculation Manager
BillPhillipsRegional
Editor
Ron DrillenGeneralManager
ONSIDEVICBOWMAN
No man ever listened himself out of a job.
- Calvin Coolidge
Who isvilifying whom?
The District of Port Edward sits right next to the City of Prince Rupert.
Th e district’s council recently made a decision that caused some heads to be turned and prompted
the Northern Voice newspaper to cite the decision as one that could be – and should be – emulated by city councils from Ab-botsford to Yahk.
Councillors with the District of Port Edward actually de-clined an all-expenses trip to the Caribbean.
Council members, you see, had just returned from Malaysia, where they visited with a company proposing to build a lique-fi ed natural-gas facility near Port Edward.
A second company with an interest in entering the LNG market on the North Coast invited Port Edward council to visit its facilities in Trinidad and Tobago in January.
But, as Port Edward Coun. Knut Bjorndal noted: “I think all LNG terminals look the same to the untrained eye, but I do want to thank [BG] for the opportunity.”
Th e trip to the sunshine and sea would have taken place in the dreariest of seasons. It would have cost Port Edwards tax-payers nothing. Yet council politely declined, deciding the trip to Malaysia off ered enough information on the LNG proposals.
Perhaps councils elsewhere will take heed of the wise deci-sions being made up in Port Edward and apply such sage decision-making to their agendas.
On the North Coast, the decision involved zero taxpayer dol-lars; in Prince George and elsewhere, trips related to provincial and federal municipal conferences and sister-city locales involve real money – public money. A blanket ban on travel isn’t the goal, but there is no harm in questioning the validity of trips and who should go.
- Kamloops Th is Week
A council shunning perks?
10 Friday, January 17, 2014 www.pgfreepress.com
www.pgfreepress.com
Crooked numbers.It’s what my friends and I call it in a baseball
game when a team puts up two or more runs in an inning.
It’s a good way to put yourself on the road to a win, putting up two, three, four or more runs in one shot.
I thought of that phrase a lot last week watch-ing the Scotties BC Women’s Curling Champi-onships at the Prince George Golf and Curling Club.
Th ere seemed to be a lot of crooked numbers being put up on the scoreboards as the draws went along. So I decided to do some extensive research. (I went to the www.playdowns.ca site, called up the Scotties draws and counted up what I wanted to know.)
I decided to stick with ends where there were three or
more points scored, since two-point ends are fairly common in curling. In the nine draws of the round robin, there were 58 ends where there were three or more points put up.
Th at’s an average of more than six per draw, or one per game.
I have no idea if this is above average or below average for a Scotties, but the comments I heard from volunteers, fans and curlers alike led me to believe we were seeing some very high scores.
Why?Th e obvious answer is the ice. B.J. Gagnon
was the head ice technician for the tournament, and everyone I talked to agreed the ice was
“swingy”, with a lot of curl. Th e curlers I talked to also said the ice was consistent from one game to the next, which was what they wanted.
“You learn what the ice is like,” was something I heard more than once, “and it will be that way all the time.”
It defi nitely made for more exciting games, since, to quote Yogi Berra, “It ain’t over til it’s over.”
Down four with two ends to go? No problem. Score three, then steal two. (I’m not sure that happened last week, but it could have.)
I saw a couple of rocks fail to make the hog line, but I don’t recall seeing or hearing about a rock picking up debris on the ice, causing it to veer off course. Again, I wasn’t able to watch every rock of every end of every game, but no one seemed concerned about the condition of the ice.
And that’s all the teams could ask for. Th e ice was fair for everyone.
Th e skips and teams who adjusted to the conditions and realized it was easier to play for big ends were the ones who made it through.
It was a great show for all.
ALLAN’S AMBLINGSALLANWISHART
Is there no end to the three-point ends?
Editor:Open letter to Prince George-Peace River MP
Bob ZimmerYour letter in the Free Press (Canada Post needs to
save money, December 27) is based on one fact and one assumption. Th e assumption, common to ‘conserva-tives,’ is that any public service must earn a profi t. Th is is no more valid for a public service such as Canada Post than it is for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or the Canadian Armed Forces.
Since 1875 the world has enjoyed the fruits of an agreement that now rests as a specialized agency of the United Nations. Th is is the Universal Postal Union, an international agreement allowing virtually anyone in the world with the price of a stamp to send a mes-sage on paper to anyone else in the world. One need not have access to a computer or electricity to use this international service. Here in Canada, we have the same privilege. For 63 cents (plus GST, of course) I can send a letter to anyone from here to Newfoundland with reasonable expectation that it will be safely delivered in reasonable time.
Th is service of our government is being whittled away due to two factors. Th e fi rst is the propensity of people to communicate electronically. Th e second is the gradual, deliberate reduction in services and increase in prices tailored to make this public service attractive for future privatization. Prince George has now only one post offi ce instead of two. One can no longer rent a secure box in a post offi ce location. Services have been hived off to a variety of stores, no longer staff ed by em-ployees of Canada Post.
Th is government has further undermined post offi ces by making discounted stamps available in stores while real post offi ces must sell for posted prices. One can buy those ‘permanent’ stamps by the roll at Costco at a fi ve per cent discount from the post offi ce price. Why?
I have a number of friends with whom I communicate by mail. Not only does this give us the luxury of being able to receive a tangible, personal letter from another but we can send each other clippings, books, DVDs and such. And these days we also enjoy the luxury of assum-ing that personal messages do not fi nd their duplicates on NSA computer banks.
Canada Post should continue to serve Canadians as a secure, personal way of communicating without neces-sarily producing profi ts to off set cut in corporate taxes. Until the RCMP and Canada’s military produce a profi t, neither should Canada Post be required to do so.
James LougheryPrince George
Zimmer makesassumptions Editor:
I am writing in response to Tami Brushey’s letter of January 10th regard-ing the proposed cuts to Canada Post. I appreciate that she is speaking in defence of the postal workers’ union, but she needs to examine her numbers before making accusations.
First off , Canada Post has not paid a dividend to the government since 2008. Canada Post says in their annual report that in real operational terms, they lost $54 million in 2012. In their latest quarterly report they say they are running an $88 million net loss through Q3 2013. Secondly, many people do not realize how expensive door-to-door service is, and how few people actu-ally receive it. Door-to-door delivery is only available to 33% of Canadian households now, and the cost to deliver is $283 per household. Community mailbox delivery service costs $108 per household.
As to the idea that Canada Post should follow the European model of banking; the postal service says it has researched this option and dismissed it as not a viable avenue. Th ey say the potential for postal banking is limited, and it would not be as lucrative as fi nancial services that the post offi ce already provides such as fund transfers and pre-paid cards.
Also, I think Ms. Brushey needs to be reminded that the cuts were the decision of Canada Post. As a Crown Corpora-tion, it operates independent of government. Although I sup-port Canada Post’s recognition that it needs to become more
effi cient, the decision was made by the Corporation’s manage-ment without prompting from our government.
It is true that Canada will become the fi rst OECD nation to phase out door-to-door delivery service, but it is preferable to more drastic alternatives. Other OECD countries, such as Th e Netherlands, UK, and Germany have responded by priva-tizing their postal services. Th at is not a path I wish to see Canada post take. It is an important public service and should stay in public hands.
Bob ZimmerMP, Prince George-Peace River
Chair, BC/Yukon Caucus
Zimmer on Canada Post
Editor:I read your article (“Call made to re-open Veterans’ Aff airs
offi ce in Prince George,” Free Press December 27, 2013) with great concern, as I along with our Conservative government take the issue of veterans care very seriously. I was particular-ly troubled by the claim that veterans in northern B.C. would see diminished service.
I appreciate Mr. Gabriel’s concern about diffi culties elderly veterans may experience while accessing services online. Th e truth of the matter is that more veterans will be able to access services by speaking to a real person. Services will be available at every one of Service Canada’s 600 locations across the country, a dramatic increase from the 33 Veterans Aff airs Canada offi ces located only in urban centres. Each Service Canada location will have staff trained by Veterans Aff airs Canada to help people with their benefi t applications, answer questions, and assist them in accessing other services. Th is
means that thousands of Canadian veterans who are living in smaller communities like Mackenzie and Dawson Creek will also be able to access services face-to-face in their own communities.
To say that Canada’s veterans will receive diminished service because of the VAC closure is simply not true, as the same services are available at the Service Canada desk. In Prince George the Service Canada desk is located in the same building as the old Veterans Aff airs offi ce.
Our government has provided nearly $4.7 billion in new funding to enhance benefi ts, programs, and services for vet-erans and their families. We have also worked hard to ensure that close to 90% of the department’s budget goes toward direct service and support for veterans.
Bob ZimmerMP, Prince George-Peace River
Chair, BC/Yukon Caucus
Zimmer on closing Veteran’s Affairs offi ce in P.G.
Bev Misch has a passion for home decor and putting together beautiful rooms, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that she felt inspired to fi nd just the perfect pieces for the look she loved.
“Th ree years ago when I bought my house, I had a hard time fi nding pieces I liked for my rooms and I actually ended up carrying around an aqua-coloured vase with choco-late brown tones that I loved. I took it everywhere I went to shop for furniture and accessories, including Kamloops and Vancouver.”
Th e search paid off .Today, she has the comfortable
white leather upholstered pieces with aqua blue/chocolate colour accents she loves and the drama of a black electric baby grand piano.
“Black – it always pulls a room together,” she says.
While her own search was long and oft en frustrating, it led her to want to help others by opening up her own business.
On Oct. 1 she opened the doors – with stylishly decorated rooms – to Misch El Laneous Home Decor and Furniture Boutique.
“We leased the building and then began gutting all of the [former] offi ce spaces to make individual rooms,” she said. “We picked out 30 designs we liked and then we narrowed that down to the look we wanted to use to put together six display rooms. We have seven show rooms, each with its own look, and we’ll be adding two more ‘surprise’ rooms in the future.”
Th e beautiful rooms feature styles including Modern, Baroque, Shabby Chic, Traditional, Transi-tional and Rustic Industrial.
“Th e rustic industrial look is very popular right now,” said Misch. It is perfect for loft living or just for people who like the look of reclaimed wood and uniquely repurposed metal.
As soon as you walk in the door, there is a raised display room in turquoise, purple and white in a
style she refers to as Transitional.
“Transitional is a combination of tradi-tional and contempo-rary styles. It is really good for people who have older homes with hardwood fl oors or fi replaces who want to use modern pieces. Th ey can use their existing infrastructure but pull in modern pieces to update their space.”
Most people know what they like in terms of colour palette, she notes, but many are not sure what style they want in their homes. Th at’s where her shop comes in.
“People can come in and feel like this is home because of the way the rooms are set up, and they can incorporate the look they like into their own spaces.”
Misch is a teacher who was born, raised and educated in Prince George. She spent six years at UNBC obtaining her B.A. then Bachelor of Education degrees.
Her love of design came with her marriage, she says.
“When I fi rst got married, I was always buying decorating maga-zines where you’d see the rooms decorated as a whole. Th at always stuck with me. So I dreamed of doing this – opening my own shop, to help people discover the style or look they want for their homes. And now I’m doing it and it’s really exciting.
“A lot of people have told me they have to struggle to envision the fi nal look, so I help them piece together items they love to create a personal oasis in their home.”
Clients can choose pieces off the fl oor or custom order pieces to suit their taste, needs and budget.
“When they come in, if they see a look they like in our display rooms but want to see more pieces, we can fi nd suitable pieces in our catalogues. Th e next time they come in, I can have a photo gallery waiting for them, showing pieces they can choose from and special order.”
One of the services Misch provides is home consultations.
“We can go in, measure the existing spaces, view what pieces they already have and love – and just go from there. Th en we can incorporate pieces they like from the store or from our catalogues to complete their look.”
Misch El Laneous Home Decor
and Furniture Boutique is located at 1511 Lyon St. Store hours are Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6
p.m. and Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Phone 250-564-7330 or follow them on Facebook for more .
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Two rings in two years.Th e Prince George
Salvation Army’s Bill Glas-gow said Monday that in a strange turn of events, two good-quality rings have shown up in their Christmas kettles – one last month and the other last December.
“We got the fi rst one in one of those old plastic milk cartons, it was full of change that someone brought in when we had our (2013) campaign. When we counted it all out, there was close to $1,400 in change, and in that change, there was an old, men’s ring. So we thought maybe that in putting the change in, the ring came off .”
Finding items other than Canadian money is not rare, says Glasgow.
A ladies’ ring was found in one of the kettles last year.
“We’ve seen lockets from necklaces and pen-dants and stuff like that, nothing of any value (except perhaps
sentimental if they ended up in the kettle in error) and lots of foreign
In conjunction with Mardi Gras Snow Daze, the Elder Citizens Recreation Association (ECRA) hosts the Senior Idol Contest Saturday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. Admission is $10. Everyone 55 plus is welcome to enjoy the show, or register before Feb. 1 and become one of the contestants. Th e contest is at the ECRA centre at 1692 10th Ave. For details phone 250-561-9381.
Th ere will be a book signing Saturday, Jan. 18 at Cafe Voltaire, Books and Company, for local author Michael Warr with his new book, Murder in the Antarctic. Th e event takes place from 2 to 4 p.m. Th e exciting new book is a classic how-done-it murder mystery, set on a contemporary Antarc-tic cruise. Warr has spent years in the Antarctic and those experiences led to his writings about the area. Check out the book at www.feedaread.com.
Th e Prince George Public Library is celebrat-ing Family Literacy Day on Saturday, Jan. 25 with Munsch Mania 2. Th ere will be many Munsch memorable moments around the library and in the Keith Gordon Room, CBC Radio One staff will be on hand to read Mortimer. Coldsnap local performers will sing songs and help children make basic percussion instruments (noise makers) to punctuate the “clang clang rattle big bang” bits in the story and sing songs. Event runs 1 to 3 p.m.
SENIOR IDOL CONTEST
BOOK SIGNING
MUNSCH MANIA 2
Prince George Community Playbill
exchange, coins from other countries, that we can’t really do anything with. But we fi gure people just put it in there and say, ‘hey, there you go’ as a donation.”
He hopes if the rings were put in with money donations by mistake that the rightful owners will come forward.
“We would like to know how the rings got there because we will eventually have to end up selling them. It is odd though that we found two rings in two years, one year apart. Th at is very unusual.”
Anyone with information about either ring can contact Bill Glasgow at the Salvation Army at 250-564-4000 Ex. 226.
Ring found in kettle again
Jim VANDERPLOEG/Special to Free PressThe Band Perry rocked CN Centre and a huge crowd of fans on Saturday night.
Family harmony
Sonya is a 17 year old Quarter-horse mare and stands at 14.3hh. She has a quiet temperament and level head. Her left eye was recently removed due to a past trauma but she is adapting very well and is not spooky. She is also very healthy and sound. If Sonya sounds like your type of horse, contact the BC SPCA at 250-562-5511 or visit us at: 4011 Lansdowne Road • [email protected]
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Friday, January 17, 2014 13www.pgfreepress.com Prince George - COMMUNITY - Free Press
See what’s under the sea
A small bright blue fi sh swims by.“Is that a Tang? asks the reporter.“No,” says the professor, smiling as
he points out a bright yellow fi sh at the other side of the aquarium.
“Th at’s a Gramma, this is a Tang.” Th e Tang is thin and shaped like a
silver dollar. Prof. Staff an Lindgren, a teacher of invertebrate zoology at UNBC, is the mastermind behind the water world. And if you want to learn more about sea life, then the Teaching Laboratory at UNBC is a good place to come.
On Sunday, the 2014 Reef Tank Tour, an event put on by a local group of enthusiasts, includes an invitation to see UNBC’s 135-gallon built-in reef tank.
Filled with a wide variety of fasci-nating marine life including beautiful corals, the tank is one of the highlights of campus tours – especially with visiting dignitaries. It is also a valued teaching tool for biology classes.
“Th e professor has taken care of the tank for many years with the help of donations from students, staff and fac-ulty,” says Russell John Vander Ende, the reef tank group’s spokesperson and tour organizer.
“In February, we host a ‘Finding Nemo’ pub night fundraiser to help with the costs associated with the tank’s upkeep.”
Th e tank is an impressive six feet by two feet by one and one half feet and located on a third fl oor hallway frequented by students and staff .
“Th e donations we get help to pay for maintenance costs such as salt, chemicals and the occasional live-stock,” says Lindgren. “When a tank is well maintained and healthy [like this one], the fi sh do very well and our clown fi sh, for example, are about 14 years old. So we don’t have to replace species very oft en.”
Th ere is a wide variety of marine life represented in the UNBC tank including “home-grown” corals which can be broken off and shared with other enthusiasts to keep the species
regenerating. “Besides the fi sh, we have
diff erent corals. Th ere are sea urchins, brittle stars - it is very diverse so students are exposed to a variety of marine life.
“Having a reef tank can be a very expensive hobby so when you have people from the group who have been successful at growing their own corals (stores usually sell corals from wild reefs), you know the his-tory. Total Pet is one store that has helped us out a lot and been very supportive.”
Th e reef tank with its playful clown fi sh and other inhabitants has many younger fans on campus, says Lindgren.
“We get children from the [UNBC] daycare com-ing by here on a weekly basis, or more oft en, and they just love coming here and seeing the fi sh. Th ey oft en leave little notes of appreciation, so that’s kind of nice.”
On the wall Wednesday is a yellow Post-it note with hand-written words:
“Dear Fish Tank Dude, your fi sh are awesome, they make everybody smile...”
Lindgren has a blog with his reef tank news and updates and links to other interesting information on marine biology at blogs.unbc.ca./reeft ank.
“I wrote a piece, Everybody’s Fa-vourite Nemo, about clown fi sh with a link to information on the movie. I usually write about issues and I do pieces on species of marine life we have in the aquarium.”
Th is year’s Reef Tank Tour takes place starting Sunday, Jan. 19 with the UNBC reef tank on the third fl oor Teaching Lab and continues Feb. 2, Feb. 16 and March 2 at the homes of local members. Anyone wanting to view them can obtain addresses from Russell John Vander Ende at 250-960-5846.
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Teresa MALLAM/Free PressProfessor Staffan Lindgren with the UNBC reef tank on Wednesday. The aquarium is a teaching tool for biology students and a place for “Nemo” to play hide and seek with children who frequently visit from the university’s daycare program.
Reef tank tour includes University of Northern B.C. aquarium
14 Friday, January 17, 2014 www.pgfreepress.comPrince George - COMMUNITY - Free Press
Hollywood comes to PGSS stage
It may be every girl’s dream to go to Holly-wood and become a big, famous movie star but in the Prince George Secondary production of Hollywood Hotel, things get off to a less than picture perfect start.
Th eatre students were in dress rehearsals Monday in preparation for their opening night at Vanier Hall on Wednesday.
Th e cast is very colourful (students share four of the major roles) and as the storyline unfolds, it is clear that many unexpected obstacles are in the way for three girl friends, would-be starlets and a screenwriter, who want to make it big in Hollywood.
Grade 11 student Derrian Olson makes her directorial debut with this production.
“It’s really zany and crazy and there’s a lot of energy on stage with the cast of characters,” she says. “We have 25 to 30 actors in the play – mostly Grade 10 students [the fi rst year PGSS theatre instruction is off ered) – so for many of them this is their fi rst time acting on stage, in front of a live audience.”
Olson, who performed in PGSS’s production of Peter Pan last year, says the biggest challenge she faced as a fi rst-time director was making sure the actors grow into their roles.
“You have to make sure they really suit their roles and can fi t into the parts and become their characters,” she said. “Th e play is really
funny and the girls face a lot of obstacles with things like [lack of] money.”
PGSS drama instructor Angela Finlay, who took over from teacher Steve Baker a few weeks ago, says cast and crew – made up of students from Grades 10 to 12 – really pulled together quickly to make things run smoothly.
“It was hard for them, they had to adjust to a new instruc-tor –Steve had been with them for rehearsals since September. So I really give the students credit for being able to make that change and turn around and put together something
they can be proud of, and make it their own.
“Th ey’re very good at being leaders. And of course, Steve has been giving me lots of advice and mentorship.”
Teamwork is at the core of any successful theatre produc-tion, she says.
“Th e students volunteered their spare time. I had about 20 students here (Vanier Hall) on Friday night until 9 p.m. putting up sets and there were students who came in on Satur-day too.
“We have a Stage Craft group in the fi rst block that comes in about 7 a.m. and works on
building the set. Th ey go right from painting two by fours and fi breboard and then the actors come later in the day.”
Putting on a show for the community takes a big eff ort on the part of the students, Finlay said, adding she too learned new theatrical skills.
“I actually learned today (Monday) how to put up wall-paper,” she said, laughing.
PGSS production of Holly-wood Hotel runs Wednesday, Jan. 15 through Saturday, Jan. 18 evenings at Vanier Hall.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door.
Teresa MALLAM/Free PressActress wanna-be Sylvia (Miranda Doerksen) begs silent screen veteran Gertrude Binley Kay (Nikki Mueller) to give her acting lessons in a rehearsal scene Monday from PGSS’ production of Hollywood Hotel. The play runs Wednesday through Saturday at Vanier Hall starting at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10, sold at the door.
ACROSS1. Mimic5. Luxury retreats9. Bikini half12. Automobile part13. Three musicians14. Lubricate15. Virginia dance16. Headset part
18. Fastener19. Grain20. Ticks off21. Trooper target24. Hither’s partner27. Closet bar28. Sever again32. Wed in secret34. Idolize
2014 Infi niti Q50 challenges the old orderInfiniti has had a bit of an identity crisis over the past year with a wholesale change in the way it names its prod-ucts. Gone is the JX crossover, it’s called the QX60 now and the G 37 sedan has been replaced with the Q50 sedan. Q signifies for cars and QX for crossovers or SUVs. The outgoing G37 was already a very worthy on-road performer but a bit too simplistic in the inside. Now, Infiniti has taken things up a notch with the Q50, adding a dynamic look, sumptuous interior and class leading technology.
LooksIt could be argued that the current BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class are a bit conservative, while this Q50 and the major competitor, Lexus IS, are much edgier. This is especially true with the front grille. The rest of the Q50 is nicely sculpted, with flowing lines and an almost elegant rear end. Sold as a base model, sport trim, all wheel drive (AWD), premium, and even a hybrid, there is a broad market for this sedan. Starting at $37,500 and ramping up to the AWD sport model at $49,950, there is a substantial discount with the Q50 when you compare it to a similarly equipped BMW. The base model comes with 17-inch wheels but most of the higher trim levels are equipped with 19-inch wheels. The car seen here is the AWD premium model starting at $43,400.
InsideThe Q50 centre console is very attractive with two screens placed for radio functions and the second for the
navigation ($1,400 option) and backup camera. The way the lower screen is incorporated is first rate; it looks like a high quality iPad that sits flush with the dash, while the higher screen is recessed for easier use in bright light. The only problem with this system is the time it takes to boot-up when you start the car over 30 seconds to access the radio and other features. Most people will buy the sport model ($47,495) or the premium trim ($43,400) to get heated leather seats, Bose stereo, backup camera with around view cameras, and power tilt and telescopic steering to name a few additional features. The base model is a price leader but expect to buy the premium model or above to get the car well equipped. In comparison, the $53,800, 300hp BMW 335iS AWD is much more expensive than many of the top Q50 trim levels.
DriveThe latest trend is to include a turbo-charged 4-cylinder engine as the base power plant in most German compact luxury sedans. This Q50 is bucking the trend and sticking with the 3.7L V6 they had in the previous G37 with a powerful and smooth 328hp. The transmission is a 7-speed automat-ic that puts the power to either the rear wheels, or all wheels, depending on the trim selected. Most Canadians will
opt for the AWD model, which is a good choice due to the higher level of interior amenities.In addition, the Q50 is the first car to have a steer-by-wire system that is customizable and this system is optional on the AWD models and standard on the sport versions of the Q50. Direct Adaptive Steering has its critics but for me, the Q50 feels like it is an extension of the driver, moving through corners with ease and comfort with just the
slightest movement of the steering wheel. Handling is enhanced thanks to a stiffer chassis and the rear suspen-sion has been adjusted. The downside to equipping the Q50 with a V6 is the amount of fuel it burns in comparison to the turbo 4-cylinder offerings from the German competition. Rated at 11.1L/100km in the city and 7.3L on the highway for the AWD equipped model. There is a hybrid version available that drops the consumption down to 7.0L/100km in the city and 5.0L on the highway but it is a premium offering with a starting price of $47,000.
VerdictThe benchmark in the premium com-pact sedan market has been the BMW 3 Series but the gap is narrowing. This new Q50 looks great, has a wonder-ful interior, power to spare and solid
handling dynamics. On price, the BMW 328i AWD is the closest and starts at $46,200 but is equipped with a 241hp 4-cylinder. The direct competitor on power is the much more expensive 335is AWD. The Lexus IS350 AWD is another premi-um offering from Japan, and it starts at a very competitive $44,000. As much as the Japanese automakers like to chal-lenge the German makers, they really end up competing with each other. Yes, this is a worthy car but the one thing you cannot factor into the buying decision is the badge appeal that storied brands like Mercedes, BMW and Audi provide.
The LowdownPower: 3.7L V6 with 328hpFill-up: 11.1L/7.3L/100km (city/highway) Sticker price: $37,500-$47,950
‘‘Direct Adaptive Steering has its critics but for me, the Q50 feels like it is an extension of the driver.’’Zack Spencer
Visit the Q50 photo gallery at DrivewayBC.ca
This new Q50 looks great, has a wonderful interior, power to spare and solid
handling dynamics.Zack Spencer
drivewayBC.ca | Welcome to the driver’s seat
Find more online at
drivewayBC.ca
Safety Tip:When extreme winter road conditions hit, it’s a good idea to think about whether you even need to get behind the wheel. If you have the option, consider public transit or carpool with some who has a vehicle prepared for the conditions. Also consider
leaving for work just a little later to allow crews to clear the roads.
QuestionOF THE WEEK:
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Visit the Q50 photo gallery at DrivewayBC.ca
h l kThis new Q50 looks great, has a wonderful interior, power to spare and solid
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driveway
‘‘Many singles I know decide to get something a little less “practical” in the grand scheme of things.”’’Alexandra Straub
So, you’re not married. Th at’s okay!You don’t have kids? No worries.You pretty much have the pick of the litter when it comes to buying a car. Why?Because you don’t necessarily have specifi c requirements that need to be met when selecting a vehicle. Meaning, you don’t need to consider having a large enough backseat to fi t car seats, unless you want a big back seat for other reasons. Like, you have a dog that weighs as much as an adult. Or you don’t need four doors because you’re pretty much the only one going to be inside the cabin at any given time.Unless your profession requires you to haul around equipment or gear, you don’t have to buy a crossover, mini-van, sedan or SUV if you don’t want to.Th at said, many singles I know decide to get something a little less “practical” in the grand scheme of things. Less practical-ity is usually spelled with fi ve letters: coupe.So, to those individuals who are the alpha of their one-person wolf pack, here are a few coupes under $30K to consider.Honda Accord Coupe: Base MSRP $26,400I’m starting off with the Accord because it’s a cool car. Th e current genera-tion has so much going for it and defi nitely has developed more personal-ity in the redesign. You have the option of two engines: a more economi-cal 2.4L 4-cylinder or a more powerful 3.5L V6. Either way, you can get them equipped with a 6-speed manual or a CVT transmission. Only the EX-L Navi trim with the V6 has the option of a 6-speed automatic trans-mission. No matter how you slice it, you’re getting
a great car. Better yet, it has a decent cargo capac-ity of 379L so you could easily dump your hockey gear inside. Th e interior is spacious and comfortable, and heck, it looks good. MINI Coupe/Roadster: Base MSRP $25,950/$28,900With room for two, even the base model of MINI Coupe or Roadster is a hoot. Specs-wise, it has the least impressive engine of the lot (only putting out 121 horsepower,) but that can be overlooked because of via driving dynamics. It has one of the best manual gearboxes for a car of its size and has an abundance of pep.Th ey’re not cheap, though.
So it has that working against it in some regards. And you could argue that a Mazda MX-5 is a better value (you won’t be wrong) but it’s still loads of fun.Dodge Challenger: Base MSRP $26,995If you’re driving a Dodge Challenger, you’re getting noticed. You don’t even need to have the grunt and roar of the SRT’s 6.4L V8 HEMI to turn heads. Inside and out, this two-door has style and power. Th e base SXT trim comes equipped with a 3.6L V6 and 305 horsepower. Kia Forte Koup:Base MSRP $20,550For just over $20K, the Kia Forte Koup is a solid value. And it’s not a bad looking car either. Inside, the interior is well fi nished and isn’t cheap.
Furthermore, you have many great standard ame-nities that come with the base model like 16-inch alloy wheels, fog lights, heated front seats, remote keyless entry, air condi-tioning and more.
VW GTI: Base MSRP $29,375Th e 3-door VW GTI is one of my favourite cars. Th e front-wheel, Ger-man engineered bundle of excitement has poise and pizzazz, along with a fabulous interior and a tried and tested engine. What’s great about the GTI is that it works for all ages. You could be 16 and driving it, or 60, and you’d still look good. You wouldn’t look out of place and people would give you nods of approval. Granted, the current generation is on its way out and the seventh generation (2014 model year) is coming soon. So if you want a killer deal on a 2013, now’s about as good of a time as any. [email protected]
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Friday, January 17, 2014 17www.pgfreepress.com Prince George - SIGN UP - Free Press
two rivers gallery
Picasso’s Playgroup for AdultsAdding Energy to Your Painting Self-Directed Life Drawing Drawing & PaintingDive Deep: DrawingIntro to IllustrationArt Heals
For full line-up or to register online, go to: www.tworiversgallery.ca/learn-create725 Civic Plaza | Tel: 250-614-7800
Gallery Members receive 10% discount on all classes
Adult Studio Classes & Workshops
Youth StudioClasses
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Open Make NightsThursdays, 5–9pm
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Woven Metal BoxesTool SharpeningThe Art of Fly TyingHome Hair CutsIntro to 3D PrintingEvil Mad Love ScienceIntro to ArduinoVermicomposting
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Sylvan will turn the school year around!Your child’s report card is telling you
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Our expert instructors develop a learning plan that is tailor-made for your child and delivers results.Learn more about Sylvan’s proven process today and nd out how it can help make your child’s next report card a great one!Sylvan’s proven process:- Builds skills in math, reading, writing and more- Develops independent work habits- Improves attitudes and motivates learning- Provides feedback to parents and teachers
March 17 - 21: Harry Potter Science Camp Seeing is believing!
March 24 - 28: Junior Astronomers Camp
Primary (grades K-2) & Intermediate (grades 3-7) camps are available for both themed weeks.
Up to 20 students in each campCost: $190/child
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Before camp care is available 8-9am and after-camp care is available 4-5:30pm at no additional cost.
Registration for both of these fantastic fun-fi lled weeks of Spring Break Camp opens on
Monday January 27th, 2014.
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18 Friday, January 17, 2014 www.pgfreepress.comPrince George - SIGN UP - Free Press
School District #57Centre for Learning Alternatives
Continuing Education at John McInnis Centre
Skills Upgrading Grade 11/ 12English English ChemistryMath Math and more… Biology
FREE to all Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents.
Must be BC Resident and age 18 or over
COMPLETE YOUR DIPLOMA!Registration is ongoing:• BC Ministry of Education approved courses• Self-paced • Teacher supported
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Check out our website: www.cla.sd57.bc.ca
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Friday, January 17, 2014 19www.pgfreepress.com Prince George - SIGN UP - Free Press
Continuing Education 250-561-5801www.cnc.bc.ca/ce
Registration recommended 2 weeks before the start date. *all CE courses are subject to a tech fee
Connect with CNC ContinuingEducation this New Year
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
BUSINESS &MANAGEMENTFundamentals of BookkeepingBook 101Jan 28 to Mar 4/14Tue, Thu 6:30-9:30pmCost: $362* First course in our Bookkeeping Certifi cate Program
Foundations of CollaborativeConfl ict Resolution Feb 19 – Feb 21/14 ORMar 26 – Mar 28/14 Wed-Fri 8:30am-4:30pm Cost: $591
Mediation Skills Level 1 Mar 12 – Mar 14/14 Wed-Fri 8:30am-4:30pmCost: $591
MSS Part 1: Interpersonal Communication & Confl ict Resolution Feb 11 – Feb 14/14 Tue-Fri 8:30am-4:00pm ORApr 8 to May 6/14 TueThu 6:00-9:00pmCost: $495
MSS Part 2: Group Decision-Making and Problem-Solving SkillsMar 18 - Mar 21/14 Tue-Fri 8:30am-4:00pmCost: $495
MSS Part 3: Self-Management and Leadership SkillDevelopmentApr 22 - Apr 25/14 Tue-Fri 8:30am-4:00pmCost: $495
Project Management Tools & Techniques: Level 1Feb 27 - Feb 28/14 ORMay 29 - May 30/14 Thu-Fri 8:30am-4:30pm Cost: $899
PMP/CAPM Certifi cation Preparation WorkshopJan 20 to 24/14 ORApr 28 to May 2/14 Mon-Fri 8:30am-4:30pmCost: $1,899
OFFICETECHNOLOGYIntroduction to Sage 50 (Simply Accounting)Apr 28 to May 26/14 Mon, Wed 6:00-9:00pmCost: $395
Microsoft Excel – Level 1Feb 24 to Mar 12/14 Mon, Wed 6:00-9:00pm ORMay 13 to May 29/14 Tue, Thu 6:00-9:00pmCost: $295
Microsoft Excel – Level 2Mar 31 to Apr 16/14 Mon, Wed 6:00-9:00pmCost: $295
Microsoft Word – Level 1 Feb 25 to Mar 6/14 Mon, Wed 6:00-9:00pmCost: $249
Microsoft Word – Level 2Apr 29 to May 8/14 Tue, Thu6:00-9:00pmCost: $249
HEALTH CARECertifi cate in CommunityMental HealthCourse 1: Introduction toMental Health Feb 12 to Apr 12/14 Wed 6:00-9:30pm &Sat 8:30am-4:30pmCost: $1,495
Certifi cate in CommunityMental HealthCourse 2: PsychosocialRehabilitation (PSR) Apr 30 to Jun 21/14Wed 6:00-9:30pm &Sat 8:30am-4:30pmCost: $1,795
CNC Continuing Education offers a wide variety of training opportunities in professional development and industry training.For all our course offerings visit our website at www.cnc.bc.ca.
20 Friday, January 17, 2014 www.pgfreepress.comPrince George - CLASSIFIEDS - Free Press
We’re not just a ber company. We’re a company of ber.
At Domtar you can expect more than just a job. North America’s largest integrated manufacturer and marketer of uncoated freesheet paper, and among its “greenest”, Domtar offers opportunities on which you can truly build a career.
The Kamloops Pulp Mill is currently recruiting for a
POWER AND RECOVERY SHIFT ENGINEER
This mill is located in Kamloops, British Columbia. Close to 85,000 people resides in this beautiful community. The City called “Tournament Capital of Canada” is vibrant & growing fast, offers an extensive variety of services,
businesses, leisure facilities and outdoor activities.
This position is responsible for the safe operation and coordination of an operating crew in the Power and Recovery Department.
In addition to an Inter-provincial Second Class Power Engineering certi cate, you must have:
• Proven track record of success in a supervisory capacity and safety performance• Dynamic, resourceful and are known for your sense of initiative• Demonstrated leadership and interpersonal skills• Have keen analytical skills and pay close attention to detail • Ability to problem solve in a group/team environment • Demonstrated ability to track and measure performance • Excellent oral/written/communication skills
Please submit your applications via email to:[email protected] by January 30, 2014
Thank you for applying at Domtar. Please note only selected candidates for an interview will be contacted. Domtar is an equal opportunity employer.
CERTIFIED ELECTRICIANInternational Forest Products Limited (Interfor) is a growth-oriented lumber company with operations in Canada and the United States. The Company has annual production capacity of more than 2.2 billion board feet and offers one of the most diverse lines of lumber products to customers around the world. For more information about Interfor, visit our website at www.interfor.com.
Interfor is currently recruiting for a Certi ed Electrician for our Grand Forks mill based in Grand Forks, BC. Grand Forks Interfor Ltd. facility’s has been recently upgraded to a very modern operation. The successful candidate must be a highly motivated team player, with strong communication and interpersonal skills. Alternate schedules and shift work will be required for a demanding, high paced environment. Excellent wages and bene t package as applicable in the United Steelworkers Local 1-423.
POSITION DETAILS:Required Competencies:
• Must be a Certi ed Electrician (BC/IP)
The ideal candidate will possess the following preferred quali cations: • Preference will be given to candidates who have Allen Bradley PLC experience and Motion
control. Ability to troubleshoot VFD drives, optimizer systems, scanners and computer skills would be an asset. Preference will also be given to candidates who have experience in the lumber manufacturing industry.
To express interest in this opportunity, please either apply online at www.interfor.com/careers, email: [email protected], complete an hourly application available at the Grand Forks Of ce or forward resume to Hank Randrup, Interfor Ltd, Box 39, Grand Forks, BC V0H 1H0 by January 19, 2014
We appreciate the interest of all applicants, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
All applicants offered a position must successfully complete a pre-employment drug test.Interfor is an Equal Opportunity Employer building a capable, committed, diverse workforce.
Shirley Macdonaldof New Norway, Alberta, passed away on January 13, 2014, at the age of 62 years. She is survived by her husband Charles; sons Scott (Brenda) and Travis (Sheri); grandchildren Brianna, Abby, Katie and Nicholas; brothers Ted (Linda), Pat (Geri Christman) and Danny (Faye) Wychopen; sisters Linda (Dale Kelley) and Sandra (Brian) Tiller; her mother Annie Wychopen; numerous nieces, nephews, relatives and friends. She was predeceased by her father Nicholas and brothers Peter and Kost.A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Monday, January 20, 2014 at the RCMP Hall Arena at Glendon, Alberta. Interment will follow at theGlendon Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to “Haying in the 30s”.
Coming EventsQUALITY ASSURANCECourse for Health Canada’s Commercial Marijuana Pro-gram. February 22 & 23 Best Western Hotel, Kelowna, BC. Tickets: www.greenlineacademy.com or 1-855-860-8611 or 250-870-1882
Career Opportunities
Announcements
InformationADVERTISE in the
LARGEST OUTDOOR PUBLICATION IN BC
The 2014-2016 BC Hunting Regulations
SynopsisThe most effective way to
reach an incredible number of BC Sportsmen & women.
Two year edition- terrifi c presence for your business.Please call Annemarie
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUSDo you think you may have a problem with Alcohol? Alcohol Anonymous, Box 1257, Prince George, BC V2L 4V5Call 250-564-7550
PersonalsA+ Massage gives you com-plete stress release with a to-tal body comfort massage. (250)617-5283
Travel
TimeshareCANCEL YOUR Timeshare. No risk program. Stop mort-gage and maintenance Pay-ments today. 100% money back guarantee. Free consul-tation. Call us now. We can help! 1-888-356-5248.
Employment
Business Opportunities
ANTI-AGING BUSINESS Goldmine! #1 Baby Boomer Market in US. Prime Turn-key locations available. $12K(min. Invest)=$50K+ Yearly! Call to-day: 1-888-900-8276. 24/7.
EXCITING NEW Canadian Business Opportunity. Available in your area! Min inv req’d. For more info, call 1-866-945-6409.
Obituaries
Career Opportunities
Employment
Business Opportunities
HOME INSPECTIONCOMPANY expanding
into Prince George.~All Training Included~
Call Dave for Franchise Presentation. 1.855.301.2233www.bc.abuyerschoice.com
Obituaries
Career Opportunities
Employment
Business Opportunities
THERE IS a critical need for Medical Transcriptionists across Canada. Work from home. CanScribe graduates welcome and encouraged to apply. Apply through MTR at www.hds-mt.com/jobs
Obituaries
Employment
Career Opportunities
LEARN FROM home. Earnfrom home. Huge is a demandfor Medical Transcriptionists.Start your online learning to-day with CanScribe CareerCollege. www.canscribe.com1.800.466.1535 or email us at: [email protected].
Obituaries
250.564.0005
INDEX IN BRIEF
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bcclassi ed.com cannot be responsible for errors after the rst day of publication of any adver-tisement. Notice of errors on the rst day should immediately be called to the attention of the Clas-si ed Department to be corrected for the following edition.
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Gitxsan Child & Family Services Society
Employment OpportunityFamily Services Director
Gitxsan Child & Family Services Society is a delegated agency based in beautiful Hazelton, BC. It is a rural agency serving the Gitxsan communities. We are surrounded by beautiful scenery, clean rivers and a thriving culture. We are seeking a qualified experienced Family Service Worker to join our dynamic team. The Family Service Worker is expected to carry a regular caseload, using clinical and interpersonal skills as well as good case management system to provide a variety of services. Their primary responsibility is to ensure the delivery of family support services to families and children who require them, guardianship services and the development and maintenance of caregiver homes.Qualifications: Bachelor of Social Work Degree or a Bachelor Degree in a human relates services field, plus two years related experienceRequirements: We are looking for individuals who are delegated or are eligible to be delegated under the current Provincial (BC) Legislation.Willingness to travel.Have a valid BC driver’s licenseMust successfully pass a Criminal Records CheckKnowledge of Gitxsan Culture and language would be an assetQualified individuals interested in this opportunity should apply in writing, faxed or emailed with a copy of their resume and 3 references to:
Christine Pearson-BronschGitxsan Child & Family Services Society
DEADLINE for applications is 4:00 pm on January 17. 2014Pursuant to Section 41 of the BC Human Rights Code, preference may be given to applicants of Aboriginal Ancestry. Relocation Expenses can be negotiated. Only those who have made the shortlist will be contacted.
Smithers Public Library is seeking a Library Director.
The Director is responsible for overseeing the operation of the Smithers Municipal Library un-der the direction of the Smithers Library Board.
uali cations erienceucation
• Masters of Library Science or Library Techni-cian Diploma or Community Library Training
rogram Certi cate or tensive ublic Library perience.
erience • referred years of directly related e perience.
no le ge • Library management & administration • Community program development • Strategic planning • Financial management and budgeting.Skills • cellent communication and interperson-
al skills• Supervision and staff recruitment • Con ict resolution • Good working knowledge of library software.Suitability • Should enjoy the amenities & lifestyle of a
small northern community. • Should be looking forward to making a
long-term commitment to the community.losing Date February 14, 2014
For a full job description, further uali cations and application instructions visit:
smithers.bclibrary.ca. n uires about this position can be sent to the
NO SIMULATORS. NEVER SHARE MACHINES.See your Career or Employment Counsellor for Funding Info
OR CALL US AT: 1-866-399-3853
START WEEKLY.
GET TRAINED.
YEAR ROUND.
IN ONLY3-10 WEEKS!
Interior Heavy EquipmentOperator School
PRINCE GEORGE NATIVE FRIENDSHIP CENTRE
Our People make a difference in the community
The Prince George Native Friendship Centre, a visionary non-profi t society, has been serving the needs of the entire community for the past 43 years.
We are seeking candidates for the following position(s) within our organization
HEALTH DEPARTMENT: Aboriginal Child & Youth Wellness Program – Youth Liaison Worker Closing date: January 27, 2014 at Noon
A hard copy listing the roles, responsibilities and qualifi cations of the position are available from the Prince George Native Friendship Centre’s web site atwww.pgnfc.com (click on Join Our Team / Careers).
To apply, submit a resume, cover letter and three (3) references detailing which position you are applying for, to:
Prince George Native Friendship Centre 1600 Third Avenue Prince George, BC V2L 3G6 Fax: (250) 563-0924 E-mail: [email protected]
Applications will be accepted until dates noted on postings, no telephone inquiries please. We thank all applicants, however, only those selected for interviews will be contacted.
Are you interested in excelling in a fast paced, challenging environment? If so, we have an exciting opportunity for you.A well established Prince George truck & equipment dealer is currently seeking EQUIPMENT PARTS PERSON to join our team.
• This position pays $30.92 per hour for a Journeyman; all other Overtime is paid at double time.
• Full dental and medical packages as well as an RRSP plan in place.
• Long term commitment, including a training and career development program.
If you are a team player with a good work ethic, please forward resume to:
Jeff Morrison, Parts Manager1995 Quinn StreetPrince George, BC V2N 2X2Fax: 250-562-6288or by email: [email protected]
EQUIPMENTPARTS PERSON
Williams Lake Power Plant seeks a Fuel Manager to manage all aspects of fuel supply to this biomass facility. With a staff of eight, the Fuel Manager is responsible for managing the wood pile inventory, commercial agreements, analytics and relationships with providers related to the wood fuel.Bachelor’s degree with 5 years’ work experience preferred.For full job description, please go to www.atlanticpower.com/work with us.Th is is a fi ve month contract position, with the potential to become a full time permanent employee aft er that contract term.Please send all applications and questions to [email protected].
Deli Clerk-Sandwich Maker*Permanent part-time position
*Lots of fun in a fast-paced environment
*Must have food safeApply in person: 3578 Massey Drive, PG
EXPERIENCED MECHANIC REQUIREDSHOP, FIELD AND CAMP WORK
Must be willing and able to work independentlyDrivers Licence required
Competitive WagesPlease Fax resume to 250-692-0043
Or Deliver in Person at: 135 Roumieu Dr. Burns Lake (In the Industrial Site)
Education/Trade Schools
Employment
Career Opportunities
COUNSELLOR TRAINING online, register before January 15 online at: www.college mhc.com, Mental Health Counsellor Certifi cate/Diplo-ma, Recognized. Available: Supervision, Membership, In-surance, Employment/Place-ment Assistance, Client Refer-rals.
Drivers/Courier/Trucking
LONG HAUL TRUCK DRIVERS
Lally Trucking Ltd. in Prince George is hiring 5 full-time long haul truck drivers. Requirements:•1 to 2 years experience•class 1 driver’s licenseDuties:•perform pre-trip inspection •maintain log book•load and unload cargo•follow safety procedures for transporting goods•communicate with dispatch and clients•reading of road maps for directions etc•strong English language skillsSalary $23.00/hour with 40
Help WantedCleaning Supervisor req’d. Sal: $18.00/hr. F/T, Pmt. 1+ yrs. exp. Duties: Supervise and co-ordinate the activities of cleaners. Inspect & ensure of established safety and cleanliness standards are met. Recommend and arrange additional services. Hire, train and schedule staff. Estimate and optimize budget. May receive payments or perform cleaning duties. Lang: English, Contact: Shyama, Dependable Janitorial Services in Burnaby, BC. Work at various locations in Prince George, BC. Apply at dependable_janitorial@yahoo. ca or fax: 604.630.7275Norm’s Auto Refi nishing, Terrace, BC. High production, ICBC Accredited body shop requires a LICENSED AUTO-MOTIVE PAINTER. Competi-tive wages, excellent benefi ts. fax: 250-635-3081 or email: [email protected] Attn: Mel Rundell, Manager
Employment
Help WantedPINHEADS Bowling on Silver Star Mountain is looking for a mechani-cally minded individual to work with us during the winter season as well as June and July. This is a part time position with great pay and benefi ts, training provided. This could be a great job for a retired mechanic or trades person, or a younger person who wants to live and work in a vi-brant ski resort. This position is available immediately. Please email Heather at [email protected]
Help Wanted
Employment
Labourers
LABOURERSHouston, BC
DH Manufacturing in Hous-ton BC is looking for labour-ers. Must be reliable, physi-cally fi t and willing to work shift work. Starting wage up to $16.75/hr. Benefi t pack-age after 3 months employ-ment.
DUTY MECHANICSFort McMurray & Leduc AlbertaGladiator Equipment Ltd. has immediate positions for Journeyman Heavy Duty, off road Certifi ed Mechanics forwork in Fort McMurray and Le-duc, Alberta. Excellent wagesand benefi ts.
TRY A CLASSIFIED ADTRY A CLASSIFIED AD Multiple SclerosisSociety of CanadaS
1•800•268•7582 www.mssociety.ca
It’s here in our community. Please make a difference by volunteering.
S lives here. SHOP LOCALLY
1-250-762-9447
DEAR READERS,
“A special thank you to those residents who have already provided a safe route to their mailbox for our carriers!”
Circulation Manager
In order for our carriers to be safe while delivering the Free Press, we ask that you please rid your walkways, driveways and stairs of snow and ice to avoid unnecessary slips and falls.
22 Friday, January 17, 2014 www.pgfreepress.comPrince George - CLASSIFIEDS - Free Press
ANSWER TO PUZZLE NO. 432
ANSWER TO PUZZLE NO. 697
X CROSSWORDEmployment
Trades, TechnicalTimber Baron in Terrace is looking for a motivated Heavy Duty Mechanic. 5 years expe-rience working on hydraulics, processors, and excavators is reqd. Welding is an asset. Wages are based on experi-ence. Home every night. Please send resume to [email protected]
Services
Alterations/Dressmaking
FOUR SISTERS SEWING250-564-4985
Financial ServicesANNACIS ISLAND Pawnbrok-ers open ‘till midnight 7 days a week. 604-540-1122. Cash loans for Jewellery, Comput-ers, Smartphones, Games, Tools etc. #104-1628 Fosters Way at Cliveden. annacis islandpawnbrokers.com
DROWNING IN debt? Cut debts more than 60% & debt free in half the time! Avoid bankruptcy! Free Consultation. www.mydebtsolution.com or Toll Free 1-877-556-3500 BBB Rated A+
GET BACK ON TRACK! Bad credit? Bills? Unemployed? Need Money? We Lend! If you own your own home - you qualify. Pioneer Acceptance Corp. Member BBB.
1-877-987-1420 www.pioneerwest.com
IF YOU own a home or real estate, Alpine Credits can lend you money: It’s That Simple. Your Credit / Age / Income is not an issue. 1.800.587.2161.
Legal ServicesCRIMINAL RECORD? Don’t let it block employment, travel, education, professional, certifi -cation, adoption property ren-tal opportunities. For peace of mind & a free consultation call 1-800-347-2540.
Courier/Delivery Services
Grocery Delivery $30/$100 or $45/$200. Pick up &
deliver up to 4 items for $5 Phone 250-301-8228
Mon-Sat 6:30 pm -11 pm
Services
LandscapingFall YARD CLEAN-UPGarbage Removal &
Gutter Cleaning (250)961-3612 or
(250)964-4758 resPAL’S MAINTENANCE
Painting & Decorating
Paint Special 3 Rooms $589incl. prem qlty paint, your col-or choices, 2 coats, fi lled nail holes. Ceiling & trim extra. Free Est. HB Tech Painting250-649-6285
SnowclearingReliable person will shovel snow in bowl area. Phone250-552-3763 after 3 pm.
Merchandise for Sale
Misc. for SaleHOT TUB (SPA) COVERS. Best price. Best quality. All shapes & colours available. 1-866-652-6837 www.thecoverguy.com/newspaper?
STEEL BUILDINGS/metal buildings 60% off! 20x28, 30x40, 40x62, 45x90, 50x120, 60x150, 80x100 sell for bal-ance owed! Call 1-800-457-2206 or fi nd us online at: www.crownsteelbuildings.ca
STEEL BUILDING. “The big year end clear out!” 20x22 $4,259. 25x24 $4,684. 30x34 $6,895. 35x36 $9,190. 40x48 $12,526. 47x70 $17,200. One End wall included. Pioneer Steel 1-800-668-5422. www.pioneersteel.ca
To be included in the Free Press Careers & Opportunities PagesCall 250-564-0005Call 250-564-0005Deadlines for Friday issue: 1:00 p.m. Tuesday
FINDFIND the the staff you staff you need... need... Now!Now!
Brink Forest Products is an integrated lumber remanufacturing plant located in Prince George, BC producing a range of structural, industrial and value-added wood products destined for local and international markets.
We are looking for
Finger Joint Operatorsand Crew We are adding another shift and looking for Fingerjoint Leads, Shaper feeders, Make up feeders, Graders, Pilers and Maintenance personnel.
You must have a positive attitude, very energetic, dedicated, a solid work ethic, ability to work in a team environment.
The company offers competitive bene ts and compensation.
We thank all applicants and advise that only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
If you possess the quali cations and are interested in this opportunity please submit your resume:
Brink Forest Products Ltd.2023 River RoadPrince George, BC V2L 5S8Att’n: Shawn GrattanPh: (250) 564-0412 Fax: (250) 564-0796E-mail: [email protected] our website at www.brink.bc.ca
Brink Forest Products is an integrated lumber remanufacturing plant located in Prince George, BC producing a range of structural, industrial and value-added wood products destined for local and international markets. We are looking for a
Leadership Trainee The successful candidate will be a dedicated company oriented person interested in a career while having solid “hands on” approach to learning. Lumber grading experience along with some mechanical knowledge would be an asset.
Excellent communication and leadership skills are essential. Must be willing to start at entry level position and work up.
Most importantly is a “can do” attitude and willingness to work hard!
We thank all applicants and advise that only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
If you possess the quali cations and are interested in this opportunity please submit your resume:
Brink Forest Products Ltd.2023 River RoadPrince George, BC V2L 5S8Att’n: Shawn GrattanPh: (250) 564-0412 Fax: (250) 564-0796E-mail: [email protected] our website at www.brink.bc.ca
Kode Contracting Ltd. is currently seeking a
Offi ce Administrator/BookkeeperWe are an energetic & diverse, mid-size construction company specializing in aggregate production for the mining and forestry sectors. Knowledge & experience with construction equipment is an asset. Competence with accounting software & Excel spreadsheets required. Consideration will be given to those with a professional designation or in the 4th year of an accounting program.
Duties & Responsibilities:- Cost coding & budget control- Contract & retail invoicing- Facilitation of bid-bonds, vehicle insurance, permits- Government reports, remittances & reconciliations (WCB, T-4s, etc)- Monthly fi nancial statements on an accrual basis- Reports on equip/asset depreciation- Revenue & expense analysis- Preparation of year-end submissions to external accountants
This is a full-time position. Wages are negotiable based on credentials. Health Benefi t pkg is provided. Please submit your resume with references and a personally written cover letter to our offi ce at 2951 North St, Prince George, B.C. V2N 5P9 or fax to 250-964-7015 or email to [email protected]
For only For only $$2929 + HST + HST you receive you receive a 2x2” boxed classifi ed ad a 2x2” boxed classifi ed ad
that includes a picture of that that includes a picture of that “Special Someone” along “Special Someone” along
with your personalized wish!with your personalized wish!
Do you know of Do you know of someone with a someone with a
birthday coming up?birthday coming up?Send them a Send them a
memorable birthday memorable birthday wish this year!wish this year!
Free PrFree PressessPrince George
Friday, January 17, 2014 23www.pgfreepress.com
FridayH&H Market, Friday-
Sunday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., 3955 Hart Highway.
Read-to-me Storytime, Fridays, 10-10:45 a.m., South Fort George Family Resource Centre, 1200 La Salle. Information: 250-614-0684.
SaturdaySafe driving for mature
drivers seminar, Jan. 25, 2 p.m., Sikh Temple, 443 Kelly St., sponsored by Indo-Canadian Seniors Society. Information: 250-964-4626.
Nechako Public Market, Saturdays, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., 5100 North Nechako Rd.
A Butler’s Market, Saturdays, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., 1156 Fourth Ave.
SundayBirchleg ski tour, Jan.
19, 10:30 a.m., Hickory Wing ski area, 5k east of Tabor Mountain Resort. Information: Norm 250-963-7417, Van 250-564-8293.
Nechako Public Market, Sundays, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., 5100 North Nechako Rd.
A Butler’s Market, Sundays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., 1156 Fourth Ave.
MondayTai Chi, Mondays,
1:30 p.m., Spruce Capital Seniors Centre, 3701 Rainbow Dr.
Cariboo Toastmasters meet Mondays, 7:30-9:30 p.m., Ramada Hotel, 444 George St. Information: caribootoastmasters.com or Laura (250) 961-3477.
Northern Twister Square Dance Club meets Mondays, 7 p.m., Knox United Church basement. Information: Gys 250- 563-4828 or Reta 250-962-2740.
TuesdayAC Pionairs Club
meets, Jan. 21, 10:30 a.m., Prince George Golf and Curling Club.
Bridge, Tuesdays, 1 p.m., Spruce Capital Seniors Centre, 3701 Rainbow Dr.
Center City Toast-masters meet Tuesday, noon, City Hall Annex. Information: 9164.toast-mastersclubs.org.
Prince George Quilters Guild meets fourth Tuesday of the month, Connaught Youth Centre, 1491 17th Ave. Registration 6:30 p.m., meeting 7 p.m. Information: Echo 250-612-0499.
Buddhist meditation class, Tuesdays, 7:15-8:45 p.m., 320 Vancou-ver St. Information: 250-962-6876 or www.kmcvancouver.org.
Spruce Capital Toastmasters meet Tuesdays, 7:25 p.m., 102-1566 7th Ave. Information: Tom 250-562-3402.
Sweet Adelines women’s four-part chorus meets Tuesdays, 7:30 p.m., Studio 2880. New members welcome. Information: Kathy 250-
563-5170.Hospital retirees meet,
first Tuesday of the month, 9 a.m., Prince George Golf Club. Information 250-563-7497 or 250-563-2885.
WednesdayBingo, Wednesdays,
1-3 p.m., Spruce Capital
Senior Recreation Centre, 3701 Rainbow Dr.
Whist, Wednesdays, 7 p.m., Senior Activity Centre, 425 Brunswick St.
Hart Toastmasters, Wednesdays, 7:30-9:30 p.m., Hart Pioneer Centre. Information: harttoastmasters.ca
Army Cadet Rangers free youth program, meets Wednesdays, 6:30-9:30 p.m., Connaught Youth Centre. Information: Sondra 250-963-9462 or Andrew 250-981-8270.
ThursdayMetis Elders Craft
group, Th ursday, 10 a.m.-noon, Prince George Metis Elders Society offi ce, 117 – 1600 Th ird Ave. (Prince George Native Friend-ship Centre).
Little Artists, Thursdays, 10:30-11:30 a.m., South Fort George Family Resource Centre, 1200 La Salle. Information: 250-614-0684.
Prince George Grassroots Cribbage Club registration, 6:30 p.m. play 6:45 p.m., Thursdays, 3701 Rainbow Dr. Information: Gerda 250-564-8561.
Tai chi, Th ursdays, 7-9 p.m., Knox United
Church, 1448 Fift h Ave. Information: Lister 250-964-3849 or [email protected].
Proud to recognize those who give in our community.
AUTO BO DY LTD .2065 - 1st Ave. • 250-563-08832065 - 1st Ave. • 250-563-0883
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Thank YouPrince GeorgeFor Voting Us
Best Auto Body Shop!
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ShopShop
Phlebotomist Michelle Lachapelle checks to make sure the blood is flowing correctly from the arm of RCMP Supt. Eric Stubbs. Stubbs was at Canadian Blood Services on Wednesday to add to the RCMP total in the Sirens for Life Challenge, involving the RCMP, Fire and Rescue, and BC Ambulance.
w w w . p g f r e e p r e s s . c o m
Datebook
The Community Datebook provides free community event listings every Friday. Submissions are accepted in written form only – dropped off, mailed or emailed – No Phone Calls please. Datebook runs as space allows, there is no guarantee of publication. Mail to 1773 South Lyon St., Prince George BC V2N 1T3. E-mail [email protected]
“GIVE A LITTLE…GAIN A LOT!”
For information on volunteering with more than 100 non-profi t organizations in Prince George, contact Volunteer Prince George
250-564-0224www.volunteerpg.com
Arthritis Society Looking for people to be part of the
organizing committee of the Walk for Arthritis on June 8th.
Margaret 250-961-9631
Can-Do Committee Can Do Committee would like to fi nd a volunteer lady to help a disabled senior
citizen with her grocery shopping. Either with her or for her. Celeste 250-962-9045
NBC Children & Families Hearing - Feb 22
AGM & Workshop: Latest Technology and Communication Devices with Guest Audiologist. Sat, Feb 22, 9 am to 1 pm.
Continental breakfast, lunch and childcare is included. Register by Feb 1 at
www.nbchearingsociety.com
Welcome Wagon is looking for energetic people to meet and greet new comers to their community as well as a special event coordinator. Must be good with people, have a reliable dedicated vehicle, some evening and weekends will be required.
You have sales knowledge and experience, you are organized and have lived in the Prince George area for 5+ years. Training is provided, team work is essential but you must be disciplined and able to work on your own.
Welcome Wagon offers a great place to create, learn, mingle and grow with your community and Welcome Wagon. Are you retired but not tired? and looking for some extra cash or are you a stay at home mom returning to the work force, these positions may be perfect for you! The positions are paid by commission and allow for tax benefi ts as a commissioned agent with CRA (home offi ce and vehicle expenses. For more information please visit the Welcome Wagon web site at www.welcomewagon.ca
If you think all of the above sounds interesting, come join the over 700 Reps across Canada. Apply with a current and relevant resume and cover letter to [email protected]
Schaffer Residence at The Hart Proud to be Serving the Community of Prince George
Visit us at www.schafferresidences.com Our commitment:
“Provide a caring, supportive, safe home-like environment to our residents” Services Offered:
Residential / Complex Care, Alzheimer's / Memory care Respite for short term stays
We offer: Secure facility, Single / Double rooms, 24-hour nursing care & treatment, three nutritionally balanced meals per day, personal laundry and bed linen services. Recreation and social activities. Personal care programs developed to meet the long term care needs of our residents The residence has ready access to many essential services within Prince George, to the General Hospital, Physician offices, shopping and senior centers.
24 Friday, January 17, 2014 www.pgfreepress.comPrince George Free Press
My name is Janet Holder and I am the leader of the Northern Gateway Project. This past December, my team came one step closer towards our goal of building a better pipeline.
After weighing the evidence in the most comprehensive, scientifi c review in Canadian pipeline history, the Joint Review Panel of the National Energy Board and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency provided its recommendation.
The Panel concluded that Canada and Canadians would be better off with the Northern Gateway Project than without it. They also provided 209 conditions we must meet before we build the project or before we start operations.
From the beginning, Northern Gateway has committed to building a safer and better pipeline. The Panel’s conditions are an important step towards that goal. They refl ect the input of thousands of British Columbians and Canadians, and include many of the commitments we made in our submission. But our work is far from done. As a proud British Columbian, I assure you that my team will continue to work hard towards meeting all of the fi nal conditions set out by the Joint Review Panel, just as we’re working hard to meet the Province’s tough conditions.
Building a better pipeline isn’t easy. It takes hard work and completededication to meeting the highest standards possible. The JointReview Panel’s recommendation is an important step toward buildinga better pipeline.
Working in partnership with B.C. and AlbertaFirst Nations and Métis Communities, andleading energy companies in Canada
Find out more at gatewayfacts.ca
The Joint Review Panel’s recommendation is an important step toward building a better pipeline.”
“
Friday, January 17, 2014 25www.pgfreepress.com Prince George - SPORTS - Free Press
Allan WISHART/Free PressThe AtoMc Scotiabank Leafs clear the front of their net in a tournament final Sunday morning against the Peewee Female Cougars.
Female hockey teams busy on weekendIt was a very good weekend
for the Peewee Female Cougars on their home ice.
Th e team went undefeated to win a four-team tournament at the Kin Centre. Coach Brett Hickey said the fi nal, a 7-2 win over the AtoMc Leafs, was close for a while.
“We were down 2-1 at the half, but I thought we were car-rying the play.”
A power-play goal right aft er the re-start tied the game, and from there the Cougars rolled.
“We got better as we went along,” Hickey said. “Th e scor-ing was spread out among all three lines, which is something
I’ve hoped to see.”Th e team has a game Satur-
day as part of Hockey Day in Canada, then will take in the Cougars game in the aft ernoon.
BantamTh e Bantam Female Cougars
started off well in a four-team tournament at the Kin Cen-tres on the weekend, but then slowed up.
“In the round-robin,” coach Grant Zimmerman said, “we beat Williams Lake 3-0, lost to Kamloops 3-0 and beat West Kootenay 2-1.
“All the games were really close. It was really competitive.”
Th e Cougars played Williams
Lake again in the semifi nals, losing 3-2.
“We’ve played them six times this year,” Zimmerman said. “We’ve beat them twice, tied once and lost three. Th e games are always battles.
“We know to beat them, we have to play well.”
Th e Cougars then lost the bronze-medal game to West Kootenay 2-1.
“Both teams played Saturday evening and then again early Sunday morning. We were both tired.”
Th e Cougars have the week-end off before travelling to the Okanagan for games.
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The
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ompr
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essi
onal
jour
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ts, p
hoto
grap
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spe
cial
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g in
car
s an
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ucks
. The
y pr
ovid
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pini
ons
of n
ew v
ehic
les
to h
elp
cons
umer
s m
ake
bette
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chas
es th
at a
re ri
ght f
or th
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or m
ore
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rmat
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visi
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ith th
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ble
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atic
tran
smis
sion
has
a
fuel
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sum
ptio
n ra
ting
of 1
3.0L
/100
km
city
and
8.7
L/10
0 km
hw
y 2W
D an
d 13
.3L/
100
km c
ity a
nd 9
.0L/
100
km h
wy
4WD.
Fue
l con
sum
ptio
n ba
sed
on G
M te
stin
g in
acc
orda
nce
with
app
rove
d Tr
ansp
ort C
anad
a te
st m
etho
ds. Y
our a
ctua
l fue
l con
sum
ptio
n m
ay v
ary.
Com
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ime
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icle
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Com
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Larg
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ckup
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ompe
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lude
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ehic
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The
2-Ye
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ched
uled
Lub
e-Oi
l-Filt
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aint
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ce P
rogr
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rovi
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ible
cus
tom
ers
in C
anad
a, w
ho h
ave
purc
hase
d, le
ased
or fi
nanc
ed a
new
elig
ible
201
4 M
Y Si
erra
with
an
ACDe
lco
oil a
nd fi
lter c
hang
e,
in a
ccor
danc
e w
ith th
e oi
l life
mon
itorin
g sy
stem
and
the
Owne
r’s M
anua
l, fo
r 2 y
ears
or 4
0,00
0 KM
s, w
hich
ever
occ
urs
first
, with
a li
mit
of fo
ur (4
) Lub
e-Oi
l-Filt
er s
ervi
ces
in to
tal,
perf
orm
ed a
t par
ticip
atin
g GM
Dea
lers
. Flu
id to
p of
fs, i
nspe
ctio
ns, t
ire ro
tatio
ns, w
heel
alig
nmen
ts a
nd b
alan
cing
, etc
. are
not
cov
ered
. Thi
s of
fer m
ay n
ot b
e re
deem
edfo
r cas
h an
d m
ay n
ot b
e co
mbi
ned
with
cer
tain
oth
er c
onsu
mer
ince
ntiv
es a
vaila
ble
on G
M v
ehic
les.
Gen
eral
Mot
ors
of C
anad
a Li
mite
d re
serv
es th
e rig
ht to
am
end
or te
rmin
ate
this
off
er, i
n w
hole
or i
n pa
rt, a
t any
tim
e w
ithou
t prio
r not
ice.
Add
ition
al c
ondi
tions
and
lim
itatio
ns a
pply.
See
dea
ler f
or d
etai
ls. +
Whi
chev
er c
omes
firs
t. Se
e de
ale r
for c
ondi
tions
and
lim
ited
war
rant
y de
tails
. ¥ $
3,50
0 m
anuf
actu
rer t
o de
aler
del
iver
y cr
edit
has
been
app
lied
to th
e pu
rcha
se, fi
nanc
e an
d le
ase
offe
rs o
f 20
14 S
ierr
a Do
uble
Cab
, and
is a
pplic
able
to re
tail
cust
omer
s on
ly. O
ther
cre
dits
ava
ilabl
e on
sel
ect S
ierr
a m
odel
s. O
ffer
end
s Ja
nuar
y 31
, 201
4. ¥
¥ $1
,000
man
ufac
ture
r to
deal
er le
ase
cash
avai
labl
e on
201
4 Si
erra
Dou
ble
Cab.
Oth
er c
ash
cred
its a
vaila
ble
on m
ost m
odel
s. S
ee y
our G
M d
eale
r for
det
ails
. Off
er e
nds
Janu
ary
31, 2
014.
‡ O
ffer
onl
y va
lid fr
om J
anua
ry 2
, 201
3 –
Janu
ary
31, 2
014
(the
“Pro
gram
Per
iod”
) to
reta
il cu
stom
ers
resi
dent
in C
anad
a w
ho o
wn
or a
re c
urre
ntly
leas
ing
(dur
ing
the
Prog
ram
Per
iod)
a G
M o
r com
petit
orpi
ckup
truc
k to
rece
ive
a $1
,000
cre
dit t
owar
ds th
e pu
rcha
se, fi
nanc
e or
leas
e of
an
elig
ible
new
201
3 or
201
4 M
odel
Yea
r Che
vrol
et S
ilver
ado
Ligh
t Dut
y, Si
lver
ado
Heav
y Du
ty, S
ierr
a Li
ght D
uty,
Sier
ra H
eavy
Dut
y, or
201
3 Av
alan
che.
Onl
y on
e (1)
cre
dit m
ay b
e ap
plie
d pe
r elig
ible
veh
icle
sal
e. O
ffer
is tr
ansf
erab
le to
a fa
mily
mem
ber l
ivin
g in
the
sam
e ho
useh
old
(pro
of o
f ad
dres
s re
quire
d). T
his
offe
r m
ay n
ot b
e re
deem
ed f
or c
ash
and
may
not
be
com
bine
d w
ith c
erta
in o
ther
con
sum
er in
cent
ives
ava
ilabl
e on
GM
veh
icle
s. T
he $
1,000
cre
dit i
nclu
des
HST/
GST/
PST
as a
pplic
able
by
prov
ince
. As
part
of
the
tran
sact
ion,
dea
ler
will
requ
est c
urre
nt v
ehic
le re
gist
ratio
n an
d/or
insu
ranc
e to
prov
e ow
ners
hip.
GM
CL re
serv
es th
e rig
ht to
am
end
or te
rmin
ate
this
off
er, i
n w
hole
or
in p
art,
at a
ny ti
me
with
out p
rior
notic
e. V
oid
whe
re p
rohi
bite
d by
law.
Add
ition
al c
ondi
tions
and
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itatio
ns a
pply.
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r GM
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ler
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ils.
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e AP
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n SL
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ia S
LE-1
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.A.C
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inan
cial
. Ann
ual k
ilom
etre
lim
it of
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000
km, $
0.16
per
exc
ess
kilo
met
re. D
own
paym
ent o
r tr
ade
and/
or s
ecur
ity d
epos
it m
ay b
e re
quire
d. M
onth
ly p
aym
ents
may
var
y de
pend
ing
on d
own
paym
ent/
trad
e. L
icen
se, i
nsur
ance
, dea
ler
fees
, exc
ess
wea
r an
d km
cha
rges
, app
licab
le ta
xes,
regi
stra
tion
fees
and
othe
r app
licab
le fe
es n
ot in
clud
ed. D
eale
rs a
re fr
ee to
set
indi
vidu
al p
rices
. Off
er m
ay n
ot b
e co
mbi
ned
with
cer
tain
oth
er c
onsu
mer
ince
ntiv
es. G
MCL
may
mod
ify, e
xten
d or
term
inat
e of
fers
in w
hole
or i
n pa
rt a
t any
tim
e w
ithou
t not
ice.
Con
ditio
ns a
nd li
mita
tions
app
ly. S
ee p
artic
ipat
ing
deal
er fo
r det
ails
. # O
ffer
val
id o
nly
to e
ligib
le re
tail
less
ees
in C
anad
a w
ho h
ave
obta
ined
cre
dit a
ppro
val b
y GM
Fin
anci
al, h
ave
ente
red
into
a le
ase
agre
emen
t with
GM
Fin
anci
al, a
nd w
ho a
ccep
t del
iver
y fr
om J
anua
ry 3
, 201
4 th
roug
h Fe
brua
ry 2
8, 2
014
of a
new
elig
ible
201
4 m
odel
. Gen
eral
Mot
ors
of C
anad
a w
ill p
ay th
e fir
st m
onth
’s le
ase
paym
ent,
or fi
rst 2
bi-w
eekl
y le
ase
paym
ents
(inc
lusi
veof
taxe
s). A
fter
the
first
mon
th, l
esse
e w
ill b
e re
quire
d to
mak
e al
l rem
aini
ng s
ched
uled
pay
men
ts o
ver t
he re
mai
ning
term
of t
he le
ase
agre
emen
t. Th
is o
ffer
may
not
be
rede
emed
for c
ash
and
may
not
be
com
bine
d w
ith c
erta
in o
ther
con
sum
er in
cent
ives
ava
ilabl
e on
GM
veh
icle
s. G
ener
al M
otor
s of
Can
ada
Lim
ited
rese
rves
the
right
to a
men
dor
term
inat
e th
is o
ffer
, in
who
le o
r in
part
, at a
ny ti
me
with
out p
rior n
otic
e. V
oid
whe
re p
rohi
bite
d by
law.
Add
ition
al c
ondi
tions
and
lim
itatio
ns a
pply.
See
dea
ler f
or d
etai
ls.
*Com
paris
on b
ased
on
2013
Pol
k se
gmen
tatio
n: C
ompa
ct S
UV a
nd la
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ive
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ilabl
e an
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sed
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e m
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um le
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ble.
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r mor
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atio
nvi
sit
iihs.
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t Bu
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ad c
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ity li
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d by
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ght
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ribut
ion.
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ased
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2013
War
ds s
egm
enta
tion:
Lar
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ross
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ity V
ehic
les
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ompe
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ehic
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26 Friday, January 17, 2014 www.pgfreepress.comPrince George - SPORTS - Free Press
West proving to be best in sportsLiving in Prince George and
in B.C., I am sure one would agree that West is Best and East is Least. In the sports world, it’s undisputable that the Western Con-ference rules. Let’s take fi ve high-profi le leagues as examples with a common denomi-nator in the WHL, NHL, NFL, CFL and NBA.
WHL: Th e best team is the Kelowna Rockets (Western Conference) with a 36-5-0-2 record. Th e defending champion Portland Winter-hawks (Western Conference), following the trade deadline, have arguably the most talent in the league. At the other end
of the standings: three of the four worst teams – Moose Jaw, Saskatoon and Lethbridge – are
all in the Eastern Conference, 14 or more points out of a playoff spot. Kam-loops is the only Western team not in playoff conten-tion. In total, the 10 Western Confer-ence teams have 79 more victories than regulation losses while the 12 Eastern Conference teams have a total of just
16 more wins than regulation losses. Point made.
NHL: Th e West domina-tion is staggering. Here’s some examples. Five of the six top teams in the overall standings (aft er games Jan. 14) are in
the Western Conference. Th e Washington Capitals are in fi ft h place in the East, yet would sit ninth if they were in the West. We tend to believe the Edmon-ton Oilers (West) are having a miserable season, which they are, but the last-place team in the overall standings is the Buff alo Sabres (East). Even taking into account how awful both Alberta teams are, the 14 Western Conference teams have a combined 118 more wins than regulation losses while the 16 Eastern Conference teams have a total of just 65 more victories than regulation losses. Point made.
NFL: Th e best team in the NFC in the regular season was Seattle at 13-3 (NFC West). Th e best team in the AFC in the regular season was Denver at 13-3 (AFC West). Only two
HART BEATHARTLEYMILLER
divisions had three teams with win-ning records (NFC West and AFC West). Furthermore, the eight teams in the NFC and AFC West had a combined record of 79-49 while the eight teams in the NFC and AFC East had a combined record of 62-66. With three of the fi nal four teams located in the West, does it not seem quite obvious where the Super Bowl winner will come from? Point made
CFL: One could argue the three best teams all came from the West, but league rules stipulate a team from the East must participate in the league fi nal. Th e four Western teams had records of 14-4, 11-7, 11-7 and 4-14 for a combined 40-32. Th e four Eastern teams had records of 11-7, 10-8, 8-10 and 3-15 for a combined 32-40. To refresh one’s memory, Saskatchewan (Western Conference) crushed Hamilton (Eastern Conference) 45-23 in the 101st Grey Cup game. Point made.
NBA: Th is is the biggest discrep-ancy yet. Nine teams in the Western Conference have records over .500 while just four teams in the East have a winning record. Th e Toronto Raptors are sitting as the #3 seed in the East, yet if they were in the West, the Raptors would not even be in a playoff position. Indiana and
Miami are the only credible teams residing in the Eastern Conference, while the Western Conference has at least six teams (San Antonio, Portland, Oklahoma City, the L.A. Clippers, Golden State and Hous-ton) that can make a case of having a long run in the playoff s as those six have at least 10 more wins than losses. Let’s not forget the league’s worst team (Milwaukee) happens to be in the East. Point made.
To be objective, Easterners, who really don’t have much to brag about, will point out that the Boston Red Sox (AL East) did win the 2013 World Series, however, San Fran-cisco (NL West) won two of the pre-vious three in 2010 and 2012 while St. Louis (NL Central), the Gateway to the West, took baseball’s top prize in 2011.
So, is it a coincidence that the West clearly outshines the East in the big picture ? Come on now, nobody in the West has a mayor named Rob Ford.
Hartley Miller is the sports director for radio stations 94X and the Wolf@97fm. He also writes for hqprincegeorge.com. Send along a quote, note, or anecdote to [email protected].
Follow him on twitter: @Hart-ley_Miller
Photo courtesy of UNBCMercedes Van Koughnett and the rest of the UNBC Timberwolves women’s basketball team were wearing pink uniforms Saturday as part of Shoot for the Cure night, an event to raise awareness of breast cancer. UNBC lost to the Lethbridge Pronghorns 62-50.
Pink on court
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a minute into the extra frame.Alex Murray, just back from an
injury, played both games in goal for the Kings, and Dupas says he’ll get the lion’s share of the minutes down the stretch.
“We want to get him some games. Jesse (Jenks) knows he’ll probably be taking a back seat to Alex now, and he’s OK with that. He’s had the chance to get some games in while Alex was out.”
Dupas expects Murray will play two of the three games on the road this weekend, as the Spruce Kings are in Victoria on Friday, Cowichan Valley on Saturday, and Nanaimo on Sunday.
“Th is is our last Island swing,” he says, “and it hasn’t been friendly to us the last couple of years. Th ey always seem to have big-fast teams, they just keep coming at you all the time. Add in the long trip to get there, and it’s hard to do that swing.”
Aft er this weekend, the Kings play their next nine games at the Coli-seum.
“Th is makes up for that stretch early in the season where it seemed we were on the road all the time,” Dupas says.
“Th e important thing now is to win those games so those last two here against Langley mean some-thing.”
Th e math is simple, as far as Prince George Spruce Kings coach Dave Dupas is concerned
“We’re seven points behind Langley (for the Mainland Division lead), with three games in hand. We have to win those games in hand, because Lan-gley, really, already has won those games.”
Some of the numbers for the remaining 17 games on the Spruce Kings’ schedule are in their favour. Th ey play 11 of those 17 at home, and four of their fi ve remaining games against Langley will be at the Coliseum.
Th e Spruce Kings showed on the weekend they weren’t going to let teams come in and win games at the Coliseum, as they downed the Surrey Eagles twice, wining 6-3 on Friday and 4-3 in overtime on Saturday.
“We got the four points,” Dupas said of the week-end games, “but we still have to try and get better as a team. We got sloppy with the lead in the fi rst game, which has been a bit of a problem this year.”
Th e Spruce Kings had a 5-1 lead halfway through the third period Friday, but Surrey got two goals back, and it took an empty-net goal from Brent Lashuk, his third goal of the game, to ensure the two points.
Saturday, it was Justin Rai’s turn to pick up a hat trick, sealing it with the overtime winner just over
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Kings getting into numbers game down the stretchAllan [email protected]
Cougars not thinking about Saturday
For Mark Holick, Hockey Day in Canada isn’t even a subject for discussion at this point.
“We haven’t even dis-cussed it,” the coach of the Prince George Cougars said Wednesday about Saturday being Hockey Day in Canada, and Prince George being one of the satellite sites for CBC TV.
“We’ve got a game to play Friday night,” he said, “and then we’ll start to think about Saturday.”
Th e Edmonton Oil Kings are the opposition for the weekend doubleheader, which sees the Saturday game starting at 1:30 p.m. as part of the national broadcast. CBC will not be showing the game in its entirety, but plans to have a num-ber of cut-ins during its NHL coverage that day, as well as the possibility of an interview from CN Centre with one of the Cougars.
Holick doesn’t see the short turn-around from the Friday night game at 7 p.m. to the Saturday aft ernoon time being a problem for the players.
“Th e kids have played Friday night and Saturday morning games coming up through minor hockey. Th at won’t
be anything new for them.”One thing that will be new for lo-
cal fans this weekend is the Cougars’ new goalie, Adam Beukeboom. Prince George picked up Beukeboom from the Vancouver Giants for a seventh-round Bantam Draft pick in 2016.
“We don’t know how far away Brent Zarowny is from coming back,” Holick says, “so we needed to get a goalie, and we wanted to get someone with WHL experience.”
Before he joined the Cougars last
week, Beukeboom’s last stint in the WHL was in the 2011-12 season with the Regina Pats. He got into both games on the weekend, coming in to relieve Ty Edmonds in Friday night’s 6-4 loss in Vancouver, then getting the start on Saturday in a 4-3 shootout win in Kamloops.
“I didn’t think Ty had a good start in Vancouver,” Holick said, “so we put Adam in, and he played well enough to get the start the next night.
“He didn’t get off to a great start in
Allen DOUGLAS/Kamloops This WeekNew Cougars goalie Adam Beukeboom gloves a puck in Saturday’s game in Kamloops.
Kamloops, but he ended up getting the win.”Injuries continue to play a factor for the team,
especially up front.“We only have 12 forwards to start,” Holick
said, “and right now (Chase) Witala and (Alex) Forsberg are banged up, so we’re down to 10.
“Th at basically means three forward lines with one extra guy, maybe using a d-man up front every once in a while.”
Game time tonight (Friday) is 7 p.m. at the CN Centre, with the rematch at 1:30 p.m. Satur-day. Th e Cougars stay at home at the beginning of next week, with the Lethbridge Hurricanes at CN Centre on Jan. 21.
Th e Prince George Cougars and Vancouver North East Giants split a pair of BC Major Midget League games, played at the Coliseum because of a concert at CN Centre (the Cougars’ normal home rink), by identical 5-3 scores.
Th e Cougars won the opener Saturday, with Mitch Williams scoring twice and setting up Dallas Goodwin and Colton Th omas as well. Williams got the other Cougars’ goal.
Sunday, the Giants turned the script around with their own 5-3 win. Jesse Roach scored in the second period for the Cougars to tie the score at 1-1, and Chase Dubois scored twice in the third to make it 3-3, but the Giants scored with just over three minutes left to take the lead for good.
Next league action for the Cougars is on Jan. 25 and 26 when they host the Th ompson Blazers at the CN Centre.
Six local gymnasts will be at the BC Winter Games in Mission in February aft er qualifying through the zone tournament on the weekend in Prince George.
Naraa Little, Mekenna Parker and Reid Powers will be on the Level 3 team, while Alia Wilson, Anna Macdonald and Rhiana Palfy will be on the Level 4 team.
Five judoka from two local clubs will be in Regina this weekend as part of Team BC at the Saskatchewan Open.
Lavanna Laass of the Hart Judo Club will be joined by Kristen Yawney, Taylor Schaus, Branden Edwards and Ryan Russell of the Prince George Judo Club.
Th ere was no lack of snow in Whistler this past weekend, aft er a Biathlon BC Cup event had been rescheduled from mid-December because of a lack of snow.
Competitors had to put up with heavy snowfall and high winds during the two days, which saw local racers do well.
Emily Dickson won both the sprint and mass-start races for Youth Women, while Erik Hoff man won the Midget sprint event and Claire Lapointe won the Senior Girls mass-start race.
Th e next major event is a joint Biathlon BC Cup and Western Canadian Chamion-ship in Prince George from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2.
MIDGET HOCKEY
GYMNASTICS
JUDO
BIATHLON
Knezevic not finished yetLocal skip asked to join Van Osch team at nationals
When Patti Knezevic lost 12-6 to Allison MacInnes at the Scotties BC Women’s Curling Championships on Saturday, she fi gured that was the end.
Th en, on Monday, she got a phone call from Kesa Van Osch, the Victoria skip whose team had won the provincial title at the Prince George Golf and Curl-ing Club. Van Osch asked Knezevic if she would be the team’s fi ft h player at the Canadian Championships, set for Montreal at the beginning of February.
“It was really an unex-pected call,” Knezevic said Wednesday. “I was hon-oured they had picked me to ask.”
Knezevic said she knew all the players on the Van Osch team, but just as fel-low competitors.
“We played them a lot, it seemed, over the last year or two.”
She laughs.“Up until this week, we
had a pretty good record against them.”
Knezevic fi nished third in round-robin play at the event, then waited through a series of tiebreakers to determine who she would play in the fi rst round of the playoff s. Th at turned out to be MacInnes, who survived three tiebreakers on Friday to advance.
And while MacInnes downed Knezevic in that game, the Prince George skip had nothing but praise for her team.
“I’m very proud of my team. Maybe we didn’t have our best week this week, but we’ve had a very busy season, we’ve attained a number of the goals we set out at the beginning of the year.”
Now, she goes from be-ing a skip to being the fi ft h player on the team.
“I have to wrap my head around that new role,” she admitted. “I’m going to maintain my training pro-gram so I can go in if I’m needed. As the fi ft h, I could be curling lead or skip, so I have to be ready.”
Even if she never gets on
the ice at the Canadians, she feels she still has an important role to play.
“I’ve done a lot of mental training over the years, so I can help support the team in any way possible.”
While Knezevic was waiting for that logjam for fourth place in the round-robin to sort itself out, clubmate Tracey Jones was in the middle of the jam.
“I knew there was a chance on Friday morning (before the last round-rob-in draw). I looked at where everybody was, and knew the potential was there for a real logjam.”
Logjam was a mild term. Jones was one of fi ve teams who fi nished at 4-5 aft er the round-robin, sending organizers scrambling for ways to set up the tiebreak-er games.
Jones won her fi rst tie-breaker, then lost to MacInnes in an extra end.
“Th is was actually our fi rst year together,” Jones said of her team. “We found out the Scotties were going to be here, so we put a team together and went
aft er it.”It took them until the
fi nal qualifying bonspiel to qualify, but Jones said it was worth it.
“It’s a memory I know I’ll always cherish. It was great to curl in front of family and friends. I come from a large family, and it was great to have so many of them here.”
Jones said the team hasn’t even started to think about next year.
“I was kind of sick, as you could probably tell whenever I opened my mouth to talk, and we haven’t even gotten to-gether since the last game.
“We’ll have to sit down and discuss things and decide where we go from here.”
Judging The EventTh e Scotties was not just
the provincial women’s curling championship, it was also a test event for the 2015 Canada Winter Games, and so there was a lot of high-level evaluation going on.
Vonda Hoff erd was the co-chair and chief umpire
for the event, and she feels it couldn’t have gone better.
“My volunteers were amazing. We threw three extra sets of games at them for the tiebreakers, and I didn’t have to go looking for people. Th ey were com-ing to me asking how they could help.”
She had a chance to watch a lot of the curling over the week, and said the event itself seemed to go off without a hitch.
“Th e ice was great. It made it better for the draw game, which is more excit-ing for the fans, because you see more points being scored.”
Th e importance of the ice was highlighted in the last end of the fi nal, when Kesa Van Osch threw her fi nal rock.
“She could not have put it down in a better spot,” Hoff erd said. “Kelly (Scott, opposing skip) really had no shot to get in there.”
While Lisa Shaw-McLar-en, the manager of sport operations for the Canada WInter Games, could ap-preciate the curling, she
was more focused on other aspects.
“We were looking at things like seating at the club, where it was placed, the viewlines people had, what the traffi c fl ow was like.”
Another big area the Games was watching was volunteers.
“Th ey were great. Von-da’s group was incredible. Th ey knew what they were doing, and nothing seemed to faze them.”
Having Sportsnet come in to televise a couple of the fi nal games was also a big part of the prepara-tions.
“Th ere is a possibility there may be TV coverage from the club during the Games, so it was good to see how that worked out.”
Shaw-McLaren said she is still waiting for a formal report from CurlBC, but doesn’t see any major is-sues. She will also consult with Hoff erd’s group to go over all the details, and make sure everything is in place when the Games are here in just over a year.
Allan WISHART/Free PressSkips Kesa Van Osch, left, and Kelly Scott watch a rock in the first end of the Scotties BC Women’s Curling Championship on Sunday at the Prince George Golf and Curling Club. Van Osch won the title in a match that came down to the last rock.
