Caledonia Courier, February 06, 2013

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Logging truck accident

A loaded logging truck went off the North Road near Fort St. James on the “S” curve on Monday, Jan. 28. No one is believed to have been injured in the crash, as the RCMP and emergency services were not called to the scene, but the truck spent the day there before it was pulled out, serving as a warning for other drivers to drive carefully through the section, where local residents share the road with many industry users.

Berit Christensen Photo

ER remains open

The Stuart Lake Hospital emergency room will remain open throughout February.

So far, scheduling has filled the required on-call positions in order to maintain the emergency service for the commu-nity.

Three new physicians are now working in the community raising the local number to four, with one more physician to come this year.

Indecent exposure leads to arrest

A man suspected to have exposed himself to two young girls was taken into custody and will be facing charges.

On Jan. 24, two 12-year-olds girls were walking after school near the David Hoy Elementary School.

According to the two girls, an adult male then exposed himself to them, which they then reported to their parents.

The RCMP received the complaint the same evening, and based on their description, located the man they believed involved in the incident.

The man, a resident of Fort St. James, was then arrested and will be charged for indecent exposure, according to RCMP.

The man has been re-leased on conditions to protect the public based on the circumstances of the case until he appears in court.

Close callSnowmobile accident results in back injury

Ruth LloydCaledonia Courier

One man is in hospital in Vancouver after a seri-ous back injury caused by a snowmobile collision on Jan. 26.

The victim has since undergone surgery and there does not appear to be injury to the spinal cord.

A group of twelve re-portedly went out for a day of sledding off the Leo Creek Road near Fort St. James on Saturday, Jan. 26 and were on their way back to their vehicles the same evening when a crash took place.

One of those involved in the crash, Sky Per-reault, said he was struck from behind by some-one in their group as he was riding down the trail alongside another snow-mobile from the group.

RCMP said snow being thrown up from the lead-ing sleds may have re-

duced visibility for those following.

The second snowmo-bile was carrying two people, and all three were thrown from their sleds.

“The next thing I know I just hear ‘crunch,’ -that’s what I remember- and I’m flying through the air,” said Perreault. “I kept asking ‘What hap-pened?”

A third snowmobiler was then unable to avoid striking one of the acci-dent victims with his ma-chine as he was laying on the trail.

The young man who sustained serious injury to his back was taken by ambulance to Prince George and then flown to Vancouver early in the morning Jan. 27, where he underwent surgery.

The other persons in-volved in the crash were not seriously injured, and were checked by medical personnel and released.

The injured man’s hel-

met was broken into piec-es in the collision, and it likely saved his life, in combination with the first aid training of the rest of the group, who kept the injured man immobile while waiting for medical assistance.

As well, a good sa-maritan, unknown to the group was instrumental in helping to get the injured man to the ambulance, by stopping and offering the assistance of his snowmo-bile and skimmer which they used to transport the patient.

RCMP attended and do not believe alcohol to be a factor in the accident but are cautioning snowmo-bilers to keep safe riding distances between sleds, especially in white-out-like conditions with fly-ing snow.

Tl’azt’en First Nation also responded to the scene with their fire crew, which the RCMP said was appreciated.

The helmet of a man injured in a snowmobile crash was bro-ken into pieces by the impact, but likely saved his life.

Caledonia Courier

A2 www.caledoniacourier.com Wednesday, February 6, 2013 Caledonia Courier

NEWSCourierDetails of

investigation remain undisclosedCameron Ginn Black Press

The RCMP are restricted to how much information they can disclose about a homi-cide investigation by the North District Major Crime Unit into the deaths of Blaine Albert Barfoot, 29, and Tara Lee Ann Williams, 40.

“It could mean jeopardizing the entire in-vestigation,” said Sergeant Jason Keays, com-mander of the Vanderhoof RCMP detach-ment.

Since the bodies of Barfoot and Williams were discovered in a Vanderhoof home by RCMP on Jan. 13, police dogs have searched nearby areas for clues and the major crimes unit has acted on tips, pursued leads and con-ducted interviews.

Investigators on Jan. 16 asked for the pub-lic’s assistance in tracking down an unidenti-� ed person who may have suffered injuries to their arms or hands during the homicides, but the RCMP are not elaborating citing the ongo-ing investigation.

“I think it’s important that people know the majority of the North District Major Crimes

Unit is working on this case � le,” said Keays. “A lot of resources are being invested into

this.” During criminal investigations, the RCMP

shares information with other police agencies to identify potential links. The major crime unit also coordinates with municipal RCMP detachments to acquire intelligence from members of the public.

“It’s reassuring to know the public does have faith in us and trusts to call us with their information,” said Keays.

Keays said the double homicide in Vander-hoof was a targeted incident and didn’t pose a danger to the general public.

“Cases like this incident are exceedingly rare,” he said.

“I think it’s really important for people to understand that Vanderhoof, in my opinion, is still a very safe community.”

Homicides have occurred in Vanderhoof before, but each incident is individual and not connected, said Keays.

“I think for anybody to � ll in the blanks, or draw their own conclusions, would be ir-responsible.”

The bodies of Blaine Albert Barfoot, 29, and Tara Lee Ann Williams, 40, were found in a home on Silvermill Road in Vanderhoof on Sunday, Jan 13. The North District Major Crime Unit cannot disclose details about the ongoing homicide investigation.

Cameron Ginn/Omineca Express

February, 2013District of Fort St. James Calendar

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

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Palm Sunday First Day of Passover Good Friday

Easter Monday(Australia & Canada)Easter Tax Day

Administrative Professionals Day

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AdBuilder.comIgniting Your Ad Sales

• AdBuilder® Retail• AdBuilder® Classified• Co-op Sales Ideas

Hot Retail Co-op CategoriesBicycles, Accessories and SuppliesLawn and GardenMotorcycles and SnowmobilesOutdoor FurnishingsRecreational Vehicles

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Special EventsNCAA Men’s Final Four Championship 4 & 6NCAA Women’s Final Four Championship 5 & 7National Stress Awareness Day 16National Volunteer Week 19–25Week of the Young Child 19–25Boston Marathon 20National Jelly Bean Day 22Take Our Daughters/Sons to Work Day 23

Month-long EventsAlcohol Awareness MonthNational Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.212-269-7797www.ncadd.org

Child Abuse Prevention MonthPrevent Child Abuse America312-663-3520www.preventchildabuse.org

Jazz Appreciation MonthSmithsonian National Museum of American History202-633-3129www.smithsonianjazz.org

National Car Care MonthCar Care Council240-333-1088www.carcare.org

National Donate Life MonthU.S. Department of Health and Human Services202-619-0257www.organdonor.gov

National Lawn Care MonthPLANET, Professional Landcare Network800-395-2522www.landcarenetwork.org

National Parkinson Awareness MonthNational Parkinson Foundation, Inc.800-327-4545www.parkinson.org

Prevention of Animal Cruelty MonthASPCA, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals212-876-7700www.aspca.org

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Saturday February 16th 3-9pmNordic trails will be set on the lake from Cottonwood Park to Golf Clubhouse AND on the Golf Course!!

Community Potluck 5-6:30pm & Fantastic Raf� e Prizes at Golf Clubhouse! Skating Oval open 3-9pm with a Lights & Music! CANDLE LIGHT MEMORIAL SKATE from 7-8pm to honor the community members we have lost.

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March, 2013

17th Annual Caledonia Classic Dogsled Races! The Caledonia Classic is the only race in Canada that combines sprint, mid-distance, and long-distance races into one exciti ng weekend February 22-24. Mushers come from all over North

America to race and Fort St. James is home to the most dog mushers per capita in Briti sh Columbia!Saturday races include the Politi cians Race, Kid ‘n Mutt Race and the Classic Community

Connector Race!Visit www.caledoniaclassic.fsjames.com for schedule details! Mens Bonspiel

Open House & AGM, 5pm @ Dstrct Of� ce

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Serial No. 132934

• Column• Guest editorial‘School Wars’

Tom FletcherBlack Press

Like a bad reality show about a dysfunctional family, B.C. School Wars has lurched to life again for the 2013 election.

Coming soon to billboards and buses across the province: staged pictures of sad-faced kids crammed into dirty classrooms by a heartless government.

It doesn’t even matter which government. This ritual combat went on through Social Credit and NDP gov-ernments too.

Premier Christy Clark opened the new season with her promised pitch to restructure bargaining. It sug-gested splitting up bargaining into traditional wage and benefit talks, and a separate table and fund for classroom size and support.

Cast in her familiar role of the sullen, rebellious teen-ager, BCTF president Susan Lambert staged a news conference to distort and mock the government’s offer.

A 10-year deal if we give up bargaining wages and classroom conditions? “Ludicrous.”

What’s ludicrous is her characterization of a formula to link teacher pay to nurses, post-secondary faculty and other government workers. Nurses are renowned for getting raises when no one else does, so this should be an opportunity for these powerful unions to co-ordinate.

But the BCTF can’t get along with other unions any more than it can negotiate with any discernible compe-tence.

Lambert falsely claimed there was no consultation on the proposal. This reminded me how she low-balled the costs of her union’s demands by hundreds of mil-lions during what passed for negotiations in last year’s strike season.

Behind the scenes, the BCTF executive and the

school district bargaining agent had just settled on a mu-tual costing model. What this means is the school dis-tricts, which have to make payroll and balance budgets, have convinced the BCTF to stop misrepresenting costs. I’ll believe that when I see it.

Before Education Minister Don McRae had even spoken, BCTF vice-president Glen Hansman was growling his reply on Twitter: See you in court. That message presumably also goes for premier-in-waiting Adrian Dix, unless he replaces the hated B.C. Liberals in May, then quickly kneels before the BCTF and extends the key to the provincial treasury.

Two generations of British Columbians have been bullied by this bad drama, since Bill Vander Zalm de-cided an industrial union bargaining structure was just the ticket for public schools.

Students are taught by example, if not by blatant propaganda in classrooms, that all problems are solved by demanding more money from the government. After this conditioning, older students are sometimes pressed into service as union pickets.

There’s your Social Justice class, kids. Sorry about those sports teams and field trips, but we need those as bargaining chips to get more paid leave time.

To state the obvious, Clark and McRae staged this as a pre-election event to frame the issue. They knew their effort would be greeted as a declaration of war.

The main reason the BCTF agreed to a contract ex-tension with a wage freeze last year? It wasn’t the blin-dingly obvious fact that every other public sector union had already taken two zeroes. It was strictly tactics.

The delay sets up the latest rematch of these old war-riors in the spring election. Along with basic math and economics, a point the BCTF seems unable to grasp is that its strategy is self-defeating. Those sad kids are making more and more parents seek a better deal.

Social media musing


The power of social media is manifest everyday.

As I write this, there is a Twitter buzz about the tweeting inside the company HMV as they fired their social media team, but before they changed their Twitter and Facebook passwords and administrators.

So the team tweeted all the details of the firings as they were going on, drawing at-tention to the importance of their jobs -how ironic and ingenious.

One of the strengths of social media is absolutely in how many people can be involved and be reached, nearly instanta-neously.

But therein also lies the danger.Unfortunately, in the immediacy of the

medium, some things are lost - like facts. I often have to remind myself to slow

down and make sure I check things, and I am not always successful at getting it right, being one person, there will be mistakes.

Last week, when a horrible accident re-sulted in a serious injury to a local man, it was on Facebook before they were even in the hospital. Which led to all kinds of er-roneous information and rumours.

While in any small town, rumours run rampant, as people seem to be naturally

drawn to talk about what is going on in their community, even if they do not actu-ally know first hand, we need to remember the power of words.

It can become increasingly difficult not to believe something the more people you hear it from, however, it can be necessary at times to ask yourself, did I hear this from someone firsthand?

If the story you have heard has never come from someone directly involved, then perhaps you might think about not repeating it.

It is difficult in places where everyone knows each other not to feel what you hear must be true because “everybody knows it” but then remember everybody once “knew” the world was flat and the sun ro-tated around the earth.

This is something I must keep remind-ing myself, because as I ask people in-volved in situations to explain what hap-pened, I nearly always hear something different, and even within a small group with first hand knowledge of something, there will be differences in peoples’ experi-ences.

The importance of social media in stay-ing connected is obvious, but also remem-ber social media is not exactly confirmed news and things we say in any medium can have lasting impacts.


NEWSCourierShocker unveiled: Government not

understanding rural realitiesOBAC looks at government disconnect and potential ways to address it


If you have ever sat wait-ing on hold for ages trying to access government services, or struggled for hours over government service forms, you are not alone.

But you already knew that.

The real news is now at least government may be-come more aware of these issues and more, at least if the Omineca Beetle Action Coalition has anything to say about it.

This was the message brought with the presentation of a study of the coordination of social services in the Om-ineca region.

The study was initiated by the Omineca Beetle Action Coalition (OBAC), which is an organiza-tion formed in 2005 to look at economic diversi-� cation and long-term sustainability in the region after the massive pine beetle epidemic which could potentially jeopardize many forestry-based communities.

One of the objectives set out when OBAC was formed was by 2025 to "be known as a model re-gion for delivery of quality, equitable, coordinated, relevant and cost-effective services to small and rural communities."

Sarah Cunningham, the consultant who did the study for OBAC, has been travelling throughout the region from Smithers to Valemount to present the study's � ndings and potential strategies and ac-tions going forward and was in Fort St. James on Jan. 31.

In a one-hour presentation at the College of New Caledonia last week, Cunningham breath-lessly attempted to hit the highlights of the ex-tensive study which summarized the � ndings she gathered through region-wide interviews on social service coordination.

Cunningham said the tour is an attempt to vali-date the � ndings of the research and get feedback to help improve the � ndings and further re� ne the draft plan.

However, Cunningham did admit so far there has been a lack of meaningful engagement with the First Nations in the region for the project, with the municipalities and regional districts being the primary sources of input, and not a lot from First Nations.

"That hasn't really happened and that's where the future is, for sure," said Cunningham.

But so far, what has come out of the research is community service providers are not able to connect effectively to the public (ie. gov-ernment) service providers, and overall coordination is inadequate, which can limit the effectiveness of the community services.

"Coordination is actually funda-mental to service provision," said Cunningham.

The study found evidence people experience limited or no ac-cess to a wide range of needed pro-grams and services, online or call centre government services can be very dif� cult for people to access, and government funding programs are sometimes inaccessible, with often highly restrictive funding criteria, little local control over re-

sources and the tendency for govern-ment to be focussed on their internal processes at the expense of supporting or working with contracted agencies.

Those internal processes can be very dif� cult to over-come in relation to rural communities, and there is little recognition within gov-ernment of rural realities, including geography and in-frastructure, according to the research.

Cunningham was look-ing for some validation of the study's � ndings from those in attendance to give OBAC a mandate to take her � ndings to the government and lobby for potential changes to ad-dress these disconnects and others.

Those attending the Fort St. James ses-sion seemed focussed on resource sharing in resource-rich rural areas.

"We're expected to maintain all of those things - but a fair share has to come back into the community," said Councillor Joan Burdeniuk.

For more information on the details of the study or OBAC, go to: http://www.ominecacoalition.ca

Sarah Cunningham presented the research she had compiled regard-ing social services delivery in the Omineca Region at the College of New Caledonia campus in Fort St. James on Jan. 31.

Ruth Lloyd/Caledonia Courier

Early DeadlinesDue to Family Day Holiday

(Monday, February 11th, 2013)

Please note the following

changes to deadlines.

Caledonia Courier February 13th issueDeaDline: Friday, February 8th 11am.

OFFICE HOURSCLOSED: Monday, February 11, 2013

Lakeshore Realty

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Please remember that all events are subject to changes and all events are weather permitting!!

January 27th Snowboard Cross has been moved to February 10th

Fort vs Vanderhoof


The eclectic musi-cal stylings of Black-berry Wood revisited Fort St. James for a one-night-only show at the Legion.

The group is on a western Canadian tour, getting out into the winter wonder-land for a few weeks, a change from their native land of the Van-couver area.

Most of the group lives in East Van-couver, but drummer Ryan Trigg is living in Squamish, B.C..

With everything from gypsy music to Hank Williams Sr. and Johnny Cash tunes, the group got the crowd up and dancing, some despite themselves.

While short their trumpet player, who is reportedly "some-where in Mexico," Blackberry Wood still put on a good show as a three-piece, though perhaps a bit less en-ergetic than their fes-tival shows to larger audiences.

While the group may have toned it down for the low ceil-ings of the Legion and smaller turnout, they still had some table-top performing by the sexy saxophone player Jen Charters and audi-ence participation, in-cluding everyone lay-ing on their back with their legs in the air

riding an imagi-nary bicycle.

Audience turn-out was low, with around 30 attend-ees, but those who did come seemed to enjoy them-selves immensely, with plenty of opportunity for interacting with the band after the show.

While only their second time in Fort St. James, the group said they had been in-vited to play pre-viously at MoM by Lionel Conant, and other friends had played the festival be-fore and told them to try it out.

"It's a different fes-tival, we had a great time," said Charters.

For those who were not at MoM, or missed Blackberry Wood's performances, the group has a very the-atrical show, full of audience involvement, dance-offs and bright costumes (remember the bumble bee?).

"We try and turn up the energy as much as we can when we play and the antics usually follow," said Trigg.

When asked how they manage to bring together such a variety of styles and influenc-es, the group seemed to look at it a bit like an old-school circus act, where everything from the exotic to the

down-home would have been under one "big top."

"We put it all under one big circus tent," said Kris Wood, group

front man.The band is ex-

cited to be playing Glastonbury Festival this summer, a mon-ster-festival in June in

England, with around 140,000 people at the festival over the weekend (not includ-ing performers, crew, etc.).


NEWSCourierOf gypsies

and cowboys

FROM TOP: 1) Blackberry Wood play as a three-piece at the Legion. 2) Jen Charters (left) and Kris Wood get into the music during their set.Ruth Lloyd Photos

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we have to offer

ArcheryBadminton

BridgeCarpet Bowling

CribbageCycling

DartsDragon Boating

Equestrian5 Pin BowlingFloor Curling

GolfHorseshoesIce CurlingIce Hockey

Lawn BowlingMtn. Biking

PickleballSlo-Pitch

SoccerSwimming

Table TennisTennis

Track & FieldWhist

ArcheryBadminton

BridgeCarpet Bowling

CribbageCycling

DartsDragon Boating

Equestrian5 Pin BowlingFloor Curling

GolfHorseshoesIce CurlingIce Hockey

Lawn BowlingMtn. Biking

PickleballSlo-Pitch

SoccerSwimming

Table TennisTennis

Track & FieldWhist

Fort St. James Office169 Stuart Drive

Fort St. James, BCV0J 1P0

To schedule an appointment, please call1-800-976-7780 (toll-free)

[email protected]

[email protected]

RHN ScHmitz de GRaceChartereD aCCountantSINCOME TAX PREPARATION

(Personal and Business)

RHN SCHMITZ de GRACEChartered Accountants

Fort St. James Office(Lakeshore Realty)169 Stuart Drive

(Fridays from February 6 to June 12)

To schedule an appointment, please call1-800-976-7780 (toll-free)E-mail: [email protected]: www.rhngroup.ca

• CorPorate anD PerSonaL taX • BooKKeePInG anD Data ProCeSSInG • aSSuranCe • FInanCIaL StateMent PreParatIon • eState PLannInG • CoMPuter ConSuLtInG

FREE EVENTS going on can be submitted to the Caledonia Courier

online calendar, visit: www.caledoniacourier.com and

see the calendar on the bottom right and click on add your event.

Fas Gas250-996-7305

Cafe open 6am to 2pm, Monday to Friday

Open 6am to 10pm3 cents a litre back to you!

642 Stuart Drive, Fort St. James B.C.


CorrectionIn last week's Caledonia Courier story "Two-part plan will cost

$120,000" a misprint occurred in the � nal paragraph.The story incorrectly stated the project to drill the new lines would

require one lane on Stuart Drive to be closed for 83 days, when in fact the project would require one lane of the road to be closed for only three days.

We apologize for the confusion.

NEWSCourier

Council drafts new

loitering bylawRuth LloydCaledonia Courier

The District of Fort St. James mayor and council are looking at adopting a bylaw to address loitering in the downtown.

While presenting his quarterly statistics to council at the Jan. 23 council meeting, Staff Sergeant Paul Thalhofer mentioned a bylaw could help to give RCMP another tool to implement more enforcement in the downtown.

He expressed con-cern some of the peo-ple asking for money have become more ag-gressive.

"It doesn't take away from the Liquor Act and the Crimi-nal Code that we use right now, but it just … gives us some more authority," he said.

Mayor Rob Mac-Dougall agreed with Thalhofer, and said council had already been discussing intro-ducing some sort of bylaw.

So far the changes look at potential ticket able offences involv-ing standing in public places in ways which block pedestrian or vehicular traffic, so-liciting in ways which cause obstruction, and prohibits solicit-ing within 10 m of the entrance of a bank or credit union or auto-mated teller machine.

"It is trying to ad-dress some of those exact concerns that we've talked about in the community," said MacDougall. "We'll try to come up with something that's work-able and will comple-ment what you have as far as your laws."

Thalhofer said it would be another tool to help the RCMP bet-ter deal with the con-cerns around loitering and drinking in the downtown, but also with the understand-

ing, they are not only doing enforcement.

"Although we're doing this here with the enforcement as-pect of things, it doesn't mean we're still not working to-wards a long-term solution as well," he said.

Thalhofer said he has been working with the Nak'azdli Alter-nate Justice Centre on their Drop-In Cen-tre and speaking to

Tl'azt'en about their drop-off locations for community transpor-tation.

Councillor Joan Burdeniuk, manager of the local Integris Credit Union branch, said the work the RCMP have been do-ing downtown has helped.

"We definitely have noticed the increased enforcement. We have had the officers drop in several times and

introduce themselves and just walk up and down and introduce themselves to every-body on the street, so that's good," she said. "There's a comfort level with the staff … and that relationship has been very well-established."

The draft bylaw is available as part of the Jan. 23 council meet-ing agenda at www.forstjames.ca.

Family time

Proud grandfather Cam McCormick takes his grandson for a ski at Murray Ridge on Jan. 26.


Community EventsCommunity Events are free of charge as they are sponsored

by the Caledonia CourierCOMING EVENTS... Will appear as space is available, free of charge in this section. Coming events are available to non-profi t organizations only. This area is not intended for thank you submissions or selling products. It is simply a place for nonprofi t organizations a place to announce upcoming free activities. You can e-mail your item to [email protected] or by fax: 567-2070. Your organizations’ an-nouncement can also be dropped off at our offi ce located at #111-250 Stuart Drive, Fort St. James. Decision of the publisher is fi nal.

***FORT ADULT CENTRE FOR EDUCATION...Suite 221-250 Stuart Drive, in the Goodwin Building. Open daily 8:00-4:00. Call 250-996-7712 for more in-formation.

***FIREWEED STOPPING THEVIOLENCE & OUTREACHSERVICE For those who be-lieve all is possible!...Provides free Confi dential, Safe, and Sup-portive counselling and outreach services for women. Hours of Service: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and every other Fri-day. Location: Room 203, 349 Stuart Drive, Fort St James, BC Phone: (250) 996-1214 Fax: (250) 996-7647 Email: fi [email protected]

***ST PATRICK’S ANGLICAN CHURCH... hosts a free lunch every Tuesday from 11.00am - 1.00pm. All are welcome. This lunch is made possible through the generous giving of time and resources,by many people in the region, including Sylvia Isaac, The Roman Catholic Church, Camp Living Water, and many other individuals.We wish to thank all those who contribute their labour

to this program as well as those who provide food and other ne-cessities. We also run a small food bank on Tuesday morning, and are very thankful for all who contrib-ute to this endeavor. For further information please call Gwen An-drews 567-6744.

***SERVICE TIMES... at St Pat-rick’s Anglican Church, Fort St James, will be 10:30 am every Sunday. Free lunch every Tues between 11-1pm with music and Prayer. Please come and join us.

***FIREWEED CLOTHES DRIVE...The Fireweed Safe Ha-ven is doing a winter clothes drive. We are looking for jackets, boots, snow pants, mitts, hats, scarves, fl eeces, etc, for men, women and children. The items will then be given to families in the community that need them. If you do not have anything at home that you can part with but still wish to contribute, you can purchase mitts, socks, or thermal underwear. Please drop items off at the Fireweed Safe Ha-ven. For more information please contact Talia at (250) 996-8081. Every little bit helps.

***AUXILIARY TO STUART LAKE HOSPITAL... Monthly meeting 2nd Wednesday each month. Hospital Cafeteria 7:00 p.m.

***FORT ST. JAMES PUBLIC LI-BRARY HOURS...

Tuesday 11:30-8:00Wednesday 11:30-4:30Thursday 11:30-4:30

Friday 11:30-8:00Saturday 11:00-3:00

***NECHAKO VALLEY COM-MUNITY SERVICES SOCI-ETY...Child and Youth Mental Health and Counseling Services available at no cost. Monday to

Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Call 996-7645 for appointment.

***FORT TRAP AND HANDGUN CLUB... meets last Sunday of ev-ery month. Contact Sharon at 996-8373 for more information.

***FORT ST. JAMES SEARCH &RESCUE... steering committeemeetings fi rst Tuesday of every month. 7:00 p.m. above the Fort St. James Firehall. Training is the third Tuesday of every month at the Firehall at 7 p.m. New mem-bers welcome.

***MUSIC MAKERS...New mem-bers always WELCOME. Not everyone has to be on stage, there is lots of work behind the scenes. Call Rosemary Allan at 250-996-8997 for more info.

***THE THRIFT STORE...has a new name! “The Bargain Base-ment”. We are still at the same lo-cation, across from Shoppers Food Mart. Donations of clean clothing and small housewares are greatly appreciated. Please, no books or magazines. Proceeds are used for community needs. Open Wed-Sat, 12 noon to 4pm.

***PUBLIC SERVICE AN-NOUNCEMENT...If you knowanyone, including a child, who has been abused or harmed by a psychiatrist call the Citizens Commission on Human Rights at: 1-800-670-2247.

***ALCOHOLICS ANONY-MOUS... Every Thursday, 8 p.m. at the United Church Hall on 2nd Avenue. Contact 996-8290.

***FIREWEED SAFE HAVEN...asafe place for women and their children leaving violence or abuse. 24 hour access - please call 996-8000.

If you have seen a photograph you would like in theCaledonia Courier

call your local community paper at 250-996-8618

or stop by to order at Lakeshore Realty - 169 Stuart Drive West, Fort St. James

Reprints ReprintsReprints

Available Now!


©2012 Northern Gateway Pipelines Inc.

It’s more than a pipeline.

Tankers will reduce speeds in the channels…Tankers travel slowly, but to make sure that marine species and their habitats are respected, tankers will be required to reduce speed as they pass through certain sections of the channels. Even their escort tugboats will have quieter engines to reduce underwater noise.

Additional radar and navigational aids will improve safety for all vessels…For increased safety and sure guidance, additional radar systems and navigational

aids, such as beacons, buoys and lights, will be installed throughout the routes. This will not

only improve safety for tankers, but for all marine traffi c on the north coast.

Discover more about our rigorous marine safety plan and join the conversation at marine.northerngateway.ca.

Although tankers have been safely navigating the north coast and its channels for decades, marine safety remains a top priority for British Columbians. We have been planning the Northern Gateway Project for over a decade, with a particular focus on protecting the environment. We have added specifi c safety requirements to our marine operations plan to help

make the waters of the north coast safer not just for tankers serving the project, but for all marine vessels.

Qualifi ed BC Coast Pilots will board and guide all tankers… To prevent spills, all tankers

serving the project will be modern and double-hulled, and will be vetted

by independent, third party agencies before entering Canadian waters.

Once strict safety and environmental standards

are met, they will be guided through the Douglas and Principe Channels by qualifi ed BC Coast Pilots.

Powerful tugboats will escort tankers…Tugboats have been shown to signifi cantly reduce tanker incidents worldwide. Powerful tugboats that have

been specially commissioned for Northern Gateway will assist in the

safe arrival and departure of tankers. All tankers will be attended by a close escort tug. In the channels, laden tankers will have two tugs–one tethered at all times. These tugboats will

have emergency response equipment on board and will be capable of assisting any marine vessel.

Ad

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It’s a path to delivering energy safely.

Strict marine safety standards will ensure we respectour neighbours above, around and below us.

EN9020 Enbridge Marine Ad V2_EN018-11-12E REV.indd 1 01/11/12 4:16 PM


NEWSCourier

Seeing past stereotypesSubmitted

One person is nine years old and the other is 17. One is from Vander-hoof and the other Fort St. James.

At � rst glance one would think that there is no chance of these two meeting.

Furthermore, it would be hard to see a reason for them to meet. However, what emerged when they did meet was a beautiful thing.

It all started when Andrew Vogelsang and Gretchen Vogelsang, two teachers from different towns decided to have their two classes pen pal with each other.

Andrew’s Grade 4 class from Sinkut View El-ementary Schools in Van-derhoof and Gretchen’s Grade 11 English class

from Fort St. James Sec-ondary School wrote back and forth to each other a few times.

Each Grade 4 stu-dent was paired up with a Grade 11 and they dis-cussed a variety of things from hunting, sports, art, school, family in their let-ters.

What amazed both An-drew and Gretchen was the relationship that was forming between the stu-dents.

What started as an academic exercise was be-coming something more. It was then that the teach-ers decided to have the class meet.

On Monday Jan. 16, the Grade 4 class loaded on the bus and headed to FSJSS to meet their bud-dies. When we got there we were greeted and the two classes met.

What amazed Gretch-en and Andrew was the fact that there was engage-ment on both sides with a Grade 11 and a Grade 4 really talking to each other.

They were so im-pressed with the empathy and kindness the grade 11 students showed to the Grade 4 students.

They were equally im-pressed with the Grade 4 students being outgoing and engaging while not shying away from what was a possible stressful situation.

Both teachers agree that making connections between these two com-munities is a great thing.

It allows for these stu-dents to see a real face from a town they live so close to but may not know very well. It puts human faces past possible percep-tions and stereotypes.

Mr. Andrew Vogelsang’s Grade 4 students at Sinkut View meet with their pen pals from Ms. Gretchen Vogelsang’s Grade 11 students from Fort St. James Secondary School.

Photo courtesy of Gretchen and Andrew Vogelsang

Auditor loses bid for BC Rail bills

Tom FletcherBlack Press

Auditor General John Doyle has lost his bid for detailed defence lawyer billings in the case of two ministerial assistants convicted for their role in the sale of B.C. Rail opera-tions in 2002.

In a ruling released Tuesday, B.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Bauman found that Doyle was seeking a "sweeping invasion of solicitor-client privilege" in the case and dismissed his petition to see the documents.

Doyle went to court in an effort to com-plete his review of the BC Rail sale, in which Dave Basi and Bobby Virk pleaded guilty to breach of trust and accepting a benefit for their role in bidding for BC Rail assets.

Seven years of pre-trail manoeuvring came to a sudden end in October 2010, when Basi and Virk pleaded guilty to providing bid in-formation to a Colorado-based railway com-pany, in exchange for a trip to Denver for a football game and other rewards.

The B.C. government's decision to aban-don efforts to recover $6 million in legal fees for the pair sparked a political battle. Two deputy ministers said they made the decision to overrule the policy to recover legal defence fees from government employees if they are found guilty. They concluded it would have added more to legal costs than their assets were worth.

Bauman states in his ruling that current B.C. legislation does not give the Auditor General access to privileged materials such as lawyer bills, and his assurance that they would not be widely shared makes no differ-ence.

Bauman also found that the government's

voluntary disclosure of privileged cabinet documents in the case is not relevant to the confidentiality of lawyer bills.

There’s no mistaking the importance of Kitimat, B.C., to the Gateway project. It’s where the pipeline ends, and it’s where marine operations begin.

I’d like to set the record straight on why we chose Kitimat, at the head of the Douglas Channel, as the site for Gateway’s marine terminal. The answer took thousands of hours of research, planning, engineering, environmental science, oceanography consultation, weather monitoring, and simulation. But the simple reason is . . . safety, all the way.

The Douglas Channel is one of the widest and deepest inland waterways on North America’s west coast. Government research had already determined Kitimat to be among the safest ports in B.C., and about 1,500 tankers carrying petrochemicals have docked safely at Kitimat over the past quarter-century.

Strategically speaking, Kitimat provides the lowest environmental risk for all aspects of Gateway operations. It offers a safer endpoint for the pipeline route, from a geotechnical perspective. The marine terminal at Kitimat also provides safe approaches for tanker traffi c — with a suitable turning basin in Kitimat Arm, and natural deep-water berths that are sheltered from open-water wave conditions.

At its very narrowest, the Douglas Channel is 1.4 kilometres wide — three times wider than Transport Canada’s recommended width for two-way tanker traffi c. Water depths in the marine channels are up to several hundred metres.

As an added measure, full simulations of vessel traffi c in the Douglas Channel were carried out at a world-leading facility in Denmark. It tested the largest proposed vessels in environmental conditions that tankers would experience in the marine channels. The result was a thumbs-up on the shipping route, endorsed by both government departments and the British Columbia Coast Pilots.

Why Kitimat? Why the Douglas Channel? It’s the safe option for Gateway.

Janet HolderExecutive Vice PresidentWestern AccessEnbridge Inc.

Kitimat: A safe option

Join the conversation at northerngateway.ca

©2012 Northern Gateway Pipelines Inc.

Ad

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THE CHURCHESOF

FORT ST. JAMES

EVANGELICAL FREE CHURCHWELCOMES YOU!4th Avenue W & Birch Street

SUNDAY SCHOOL .........10:30 am - 12 NoonMORNING WORSHIP ....10:30 am - 12 Noon

Church Of� ce 996-7261

OUR LADY OF THE SNOWSROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

SUNDAY LITURGY: Saturday 7:30 pm & Sunday 10:30 amDAILY MASS: Monday - Friday 9:00 am

PASTORAL TEAM: FATHER FRANK SALMON 250-996-8343PAT MACAULAY, SR. DIVINA PEDRO

250-996-2275

(Across from the Petrocan Station)

WELCOMEYOU!


Celebrate BC’s � rst Family Day Monday Feb 11

Eat together■ Family Day is the ideal time to bring your family

‘back to the table’. Given the increasingly busy sched-ule of every member of the family, eating together has been a casualty of our hectic days.

Whether you’re together in your home, on a mini-vacation or enjoying a local restaurant, there are numerous bene� ts to eating together.

Sharing a table means sharing your day, sharing your undivided attention and sharing conversation. It is a chance to give extra attention to your children and teens. Family meals foster warmth, security and love, as well as a sense of belonging.

The way that you act at the table becomes a model for your children. They learn from your appreciation of the meal and your social skills - especially when outside the home. Table manners are social skills and leading by example makes it easier for parents to teach without lecturing.

Using family meals as a way to sample new menus can be both fun and a great learning experience. By giving family members input and the opportunity to choose the menu, it becomes an ideal way to expand their horizons on a wider range of foods and cultures. It also can lead to healthier choices as well as develop-ing an open mind for experiencing new things.

A way to get more out of a family meal is to engage the family in menu selection, shopping and preparation. You can begin this at a very young age giving children age-appropriate tasks like stirring ingredients, washing vegetables, tearing lettuce and setting the table. As your children grow they can take on more key responsibilities and the pride that comes with preparing a special family meal. This teaches your children cooking skills, nutrition and appreciation for

the e� ort of meal preparation. It can also provide a great source of accomplishment and sense of

self-su� ciency. Plan to make your Family Day special

by including all those who make up your family. Pay tribute by making your meal

special and so memorable you’ll want to ensure you do it more often.

■ There is no better province to explore than British Columbia and no better family bonding experience than sharing the thrill of a new discovery or experience. Day trips can create remarkable family memories. They o� er a wonderful way to spend time together and learn more about where you live.

The variety of experiences available to families is di� erent in each region of this spectacular province - you might decide to explore close to home or venture to one of the other regions in B.C. over the Family Day weekend.

Whether taking SkyTrain, BC Ferries, driving, or hopping a � ight, there are many ways to invest in a day of discovery. Travel is just one aspect. To maximize the experience families should involve everyone in the planning.

By planning ahead you and your whole family can experience a worthwhile outing and make every aspect fun. Create a list of activities or venues and assign a rough budget for each. Allow fam-ily members to weigh in on their preferences and discuss what they would like to see, do or learn at each.

You might decide to stay in a hotel and be a tourist in your own hometown. Kids or youth can map out the sites and activities,

creating a family agenda including selecting the points of interest, lunch and shopping as well as enjoying the amenities your hotel might o� er. It’s the perfect way to free up everyone from everyday tasks and roles.

Researching history, attractions, museums, parks and markets can teach valuable lessons and it helps children to plan within a budget. This way they are part of making important decisions, appreciate both the e� ort and cost of outings and will be more enthused about an agenda they helped develop.

Be sure to capture your family time by taking photos, saving literature or purchasing a memento. This can lead to great family discussions about what each individual enjoyed or learned and starts you planning for future family explorations.

Explore together

Fam

ily D

ay!

on more key responsibilities and the pride that comes with preparing a special family meal. This teaches your with preparing a special family meal. This teaches your children cooking skills, nutrition and appreciation for

the e� ort of meal preparation. It can also provide a great source of accomplishment and sense of

self-su� ciency. Plan to make your Family Day special

by including all those who make up your family. Pay tribute by making your meal

special and so memorable you’ll want to ensure you do it more often.

Family Day 2013 There are many activities to experience with your family in the Fort St. James area, including sledding, cross country skiing, downhill skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, public skating and more. You can also visit our public library or take a walk along the lake. Try something new and enjoy the time with your family.

250-567-9258


■ � ere is nothing like the fun and innocence of childhood. Whether it’s a game of kick-the-can with the neigh-bourhood children or building a tree fort in the backyard, some of our best memories are playful.Board games are a great indoor activity, and Fam-ily Day is a great time to dig out some of your old favourites like Monopoly and Clue, and maybe try out a few new ones that are geared towards family fun. Your local toy store will have a wide range of options, along with other family-friendly entertain-

ment such as puzzles and books. Set up a

card table, get your

favourite puzzle out and spend hours putting together the pieces. Finishing a complicated puzzle will also give your kids a sense of accomplishment.

If you’re looking for something a bit more high-tech, your game console or computer is a good place to start. Video games have come a long way from the classic Super Mario and Donkey Kong, and you may dis-

cover that your kids have a much larger technical knowledge than you do. � ey might beat you at Wii Sports but it will make for a great story!Getting outside for a game of tag or basketball will check o� two things on your list: play and exercise. Taking a trip to a local playground or � eld will give you hours of entertainment for a low cost. Pack a picnic as well for an entire day of fun. Practicing your batting or pitching will also get you ready for the upcoming sports seasons, or maybe compete to see who can run the fastest to the swings.� is year, Family Day is a time to make

memories, spend time together and maybe learn a thing or two. What-ever the weather is like outside, you have plenty of options for having fun at all ages.

■ Try something new this Family Day. It might be as simple as agreeing that everyone observe a no-technology or TV day. If you � nd your gatherings often involve all the adults sitting around visiting while the youngsters play among themselves and the teens segregate away from both you and the little ones, you’re probably not alone. A family gathering can be a wonderful opportunity for family to hear the latest on jobs, trips, hobbies and health, but if you � nd your gatherings following the same tedious patterns where one or two family members dominate with the same old stories, this is the year to change it up. Consider adding new experiences to the plans, and making a new and fun tradi-tion out of them. Here are some ideas to get started:

Get out and enjoy our beautiful out-doors – no matter what your weather. If you live in a snowy region of B.C., orga-nize a hayride, snowshoe trek, sledding time or ice skating at a community rink. If you don’t have snow in your area, you can travel to � nd it or consider planning a bike ride, a hike or even hitting a mini-golf course or a driving range. � e idea is to bring everyone together in a family activity you’ve never done before.

Plan a meal away from the house – Instead of cooking for the gathering, plan a formal brunch or dinner at a new restaurant. Not only do you experience

a new menu together but everyone in your group can sit together and enjoy the meal. B.C. has a widely diverse cultural make up and ethnic restaurants are part of that.

Make your Family Day gathering a retreat for all – consider getting your family out of the house and turn your gathering into a festive retreat. Many ven-ues have activities for all ages to enjoy, from winter outdoor fun to refreshing spa services. � ink of how much fun it would be for your whole family group to take a yoga class together.

Host a family talent show – Everyone has a special talent in your family, so encourage them to bring their talent to your gathering. If you’re really ambitious set up an area to be used as a stage and arrange chairs for audience members. Many living rooms have dimmer switches so play with lighting and lamps so the performance area is in the spotlight. You might want to rent a popcorn machine or ask family members to bring along some treats and snacks. By bringing new activities to your family gathering this year, you’ll be creating many new memories to share in the future, as well as making the event much more enjoyable.

FAMILY DAY 2013Experience as a Family

Play together

ment such as puzzles and books. Set up a

card table, get your

Getting outside for a game of tag or basketball will check o� two things on your list: play and exercise. Taking a trip to a local playground or � eld will give you hours of entertainment for a low cost. Pack a picnic as well for an entire day of fun. Practicing your batting or pitching will also get you ready for the upcoming sports seasons, or maybe compete to see who can run the fastest to the swings.� is year, Family Day is a time to make

memories, spend time together and maybe learn a thing or two. What-ever the weather is like outside, you have plenty of options for having fun at all ages.

arrange chairs for audience members. Many living rooms have dimmer switches so play with lighting and lamps so the performance area is in the spotlight. You might want to rent a popcorn machine or ask family members to bring along some treats and snacks. By bringing new activities to your family gathering this year, you’ll be creating many new memories to share in the future, as well as making the event much

Enjoy time with your

family and create

memories this

Toll free: 1-877-964-5650E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.johnrustadmla.bc.ca

Family Day

Feb. 11th2013

183 First Street, VanderhoofTel: 250-567-6820

Fax: 250-567-6822

2500 Butler Avenue, HoustonTel 250-845-7770

Fax: 250-845-7780

John RUSTAD, MLANechako Lakes

SCHOOL DISTRICT 91(Nechako Lakes)

A day to enjoy spending

quality time with your

family!

Celebrate Family Day 2013

Monday, February 11

Here are some activities to enjoy with the family* Put out bird seed or a suet block and feed the neighborhood birds. Com-pare the di� erent species that come to grab an easy meal. Artistic kids can sketch what they see by looking out the window.* Shovel a shallow path in the snow around the yard to create a snow maze. Build snow blinds, behind which kids can hide.* Gather winter nature items, like pine cones and icicles. Look for fro-zen “fossils.”* Brew a thermos full of hot chocolate and go sit out with the neighbors who are probably going a bit stir crazy as

Keep busy with fun activitieswell.* Check in on elderly friends and neighbors and o� er to shovel their driveways and walk-ways, if necessary.* Pretend you are on a North Pole expedi-tion and hike through the neighborhood in a quest to reach the summit of a mountain or to � nd a hidden treasure.* Use spray bottles or squirt bottles � lled with water and food coloring to draw mas-terpieces in the snow.* Gather a clean patch of snow and pour maple syrup onto it. Allow to harden and then enjoy homemade maple candies.* Explore and look for winter plants and other foliage that survive the chill.* Grab skates and head to an ice rink or solid

(and safe) pond. * Decorate an outdoor tree with streamers and popcorn garland.* If it’s too chilly for a picnic in the snow, place a blanket on the family room � oor and enjoy an indoor picnic.* Rent a movie and cuddle on the couch under blankets.* Put on some tunes and dance around the house.* Play a classic game, such as Twister(R) .* Take out modeling clay or dough and create di� erent play � gures or orna-ments.* Whip up a hearty meal together, giving kids free reign over the

ingredients.* Play with toy trucks and cars in the snow.* Engage in a snowball � ght.* Find the tallest hill in the area and test your bravery on the back of a sled.* Chase the dog around the backyard. Dogs often like to play in the snow, too.* Sit in sunny windows and read books silently or to the group.* Make sock puppets and put on a show.* Catch up on beauty sleep by taking a nice nap under a warm quilt.* Bake a batch of brownies or cookies.� ere are many di� erent and fun ways to pass the hours.


Share together■ Bringing together your extended family can create a highly memorable and valuable life event. � ey say “it takes a village to raise a child” and many would agree especially in today’s world of working parents and latch-key kids. � e support, experience and interest of your extended family can have a signi� cant im-pact on your immediate family. Regardless of your de� nition of ‘extended’ family, bringing together those with whom you share history with can have lasting bene� ts not just for you and your children but for those you invite to share your day.It is common in today’s world to have older chil-dren in nuclear families reach their teens before meet-ing extended family members. Geographical isolation is common for middle-class families who move based on occupational opportunities while family branches retain their independence.Family Day is the ideal occasion to hold family reunions to re-establish and integrate a stronger family connection. � is allows your children to connect with extended family members and to share a better sense of their heritage and belonging. Don’t forget to include senior members of your family. Family reunions and relation-ships inspire seniors to stay active and pursue their well-being. Studies have found seniors feel revitalized when they spend time with families. Your children will bene� t from hearing their oral history and that’s an inspiring experience that won’t always be available to them. Another way to celebrate Family Day is to gather your extended family and friends around something you care about. It might be a shore clean-up, a family walk or a garage sale. You might volunteer at a foodbank. Food is often central to gatherings and with everyone contributing to a family meal afterwards, it becomes a great way to share B.C.’s � rst Family Day.

Create together■ One of my favourite memories was creating an enormous piñata in prepa-ration for a multi-family holiday. We blew up a huge bouncy ball and covered it with papier mache. Our children and those of our friends were young so after my young sons painted the ball white, I drew a score of cartoon characters, shapes and funny animals all around it. Filled with age-appropri-ate, small toys, puzzles and treats, the big white ball became a major activity for everyone in our three-family group. Every age took turns colouring in the shapes through-out the day, knowing when it was completed the ball would be strung up. � e anticipation and excite-ment was heightened because the reward came with activity and was not immediate. Creating something as a family can mark an important time in your family history. It captures the age and ability of your children, your interests and a point in time. By working together on a project your family can develop new skills, collabo-rate on something truly memorable and enjoy what each family member brings to the endeavor. � ink about all the things a family

could create together – a family album complete with stories, mementos and funny or poignant memories. Your family might be old enough to handle something more ambitious like prepar-ing a garden, building a dog house or designing and painting a family recre-ation area in your home. Technology puts an amazing array of

tools in the hands of today’s families. You can plan, write, � lm and edit a movie with your everyday computer and smartphone technology and software. Even more fun is sharing your fam-ily creation with friends around the world.You might even suggest a � lm festival by inviting families to create their own � lm and have a “popcorn premiere” to show them all. Searching online will

uncover an astounding number of crafts and projects you could tackle as a family. It can be as simple as building and � ying a kite. Or you may look for something you can recycle or re-pur-pose into a creative new item – whether a work of art or function. It’s bound to make your family members proud envi-ronment stewards as well as treasuring your time and project as a family.

FAMILY DAY 2013

It’s our first BC Family Day

Monday, February 11, 2013

Celebrate!Enjoy time with your family

See what’s happening around BC, visit: www.bcfamilyday.ca

Game night hits the jackpotOn Friday, Jan. 25 the sta� at the Fort St. James Public Library could be found pouring co� ee, passing out snacks and prizes and engaging in dis-cussions with patrons about board game strategies. You see, Friday night was the � rst of many game nights for Fort St. James Public Library. It was a great sight to see, and the library was abuzz with people of all ages playing Twister, Chess, Guess Who, and many other popular board games. People can drop in anytime between 5-7 p.m., choose a board game pick out some delicious goodies and refreshments and enjoy time with their family and other community members. You really can come alone and join up with just about anyone and have some friendly competition. As the gaming wound down, many families took the the stacks and started their nightly read-alouds with the younger children. In fact, this night garnered such positive reviews we will be expanding our selection of games (and patrons are always welcome to bring their own) and will continue this night every two to three weeks. � e next game night is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 15 and has been more aptly named, Community Game Night to ensure that everyone in the com-munity feels welcome to join us for some fun!

Kids and stuffed animals all came out to participate in the library’s first Fam-ily Game Night.


■ If you ask any adult about some of their favourite memories of childhood, you will invariably hear something related to food. Whether it’s baking with Grandma or grilling hamburgers for a cookout with Dad, cooking is always an important part of growing up.Family Day is a great time to dig out

those family cookbooks and try a recipe handed down by the older generation. Your mom’s famous meatloaf or your uncle’s recipe for spinach

dip are great things to try with family members of

all ages.Maybe you’re looking to make some-thing you’ve never made before, or perhaps you want to try out a new cuisine. Hitting the library or the web will give you ideas for new recipes, whether it’s trying to duplicate your favourite takeout pizza or make an authentic spicy Indian dish. Let each member of the family choose a recipe that they want to try, whether it’s for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack. That way everyone gets involved and has their say in what the family eats. Maybe you’ll find a new favourite food or discover that your child is aiming to become the next Mario Batali or Julia Child.Your local grocery store is sure to have a wide selection of ingredients that you may never have tasted be-fore. Wandering the aisles may even spark your imagination.Learning about what goes into a dish will set your family on the road to healthy eating. Taking a few minutes to read the labels on a food item will demonstrate how to make healthy choices and help your children in the future. Finding healthy alternatives to not-so-healthy foods can be a fun experiment, and may end up being tastier than the original food. Many stores will have sections devoted to healthier options, whether they’re gluten-free or just lower in calories.

■ Having a day o� from school doesn’t mean learn-ing stops for the day. � ere are plenty of educational things you can do in British Columbia, whether in your own home or outside.How about starting with a trip to your local library? It will hold plenty of books on any topic that you can imagine. Maybe a book of science experiments or a historical novel set in the early days of Canada will stoke your imagination. Let the kids each pick out a book to take home with them and start a lifetime love of reading. Your local bookstore will also hold a variety of options if your child can’t bear to part with his or her new favourite book.A local historical attraction is also a great place to pay a visit. Whether it’s China-town or Steveston � shing village, there is a ton of history right in your own back-yard. Most places will have a museum or heritage building around that can serve as a jumping-o� point for learning more about the city where you live.Learning can be more than just reading though. Pull out the laptop and get your kids to type out an email to a family member or friend outside of B.C. Perhaps they can even tell the person about what they learned at the museum or library!Keeping a journal is also a great way to practice writing and literacy skills. Even if it’s not a daily occurrence, sitting down in the evening to write about the events of the day or week can get kids thinking and practicing their handwriting.

FAMILY DAY 2013

Learn togetherCook together

it’s baking with Grandma or grilling hamburgers for a cookout with Dad, cooking is always an important part of growing up.Family Day is a great time to dig out

those family cookbooks and try a recipe handed down by the older generation. Your mom’s famous meatloaf or your uncle’s recipe for spinach

dip are great things to try with family members of

� ough winter sports can help fend o� cabin fever, those who don’t exercise certain safety precautions might � nd themselves dealing with another kind of fever. Cold weather can leave men, women and children susceptible to illness or injury if they aren’t careful. � e following are a few safety tips for winter sportsmen who want to make the most of the coming winter sports season.

ClothingInadequate clothing is one of the easiest ways a winter sportsmen can fall victim to illness or injury . But the right clothing can go a long way toward ensuring this winter sports season is fun and illness- and injury-free.* Wear protective head gear. Protective headgear can help sportsmen avoid colds and head injuries. When venturing outdoors in the winter, always wear a protective wool ski cap. Most body heat is lost through the head, but wool caps help your body retain warmth on cold days and nights. In addition, sportsmen should always wear protective headgear when skiing, sledding, snowboarding or playing ice hockey. Even the most experienced sportsmen can su� er a head injury when playing a winter sport, but the appropriate headgear can prevent head injuries to veteran and novice athletes alike.* Dress in layers. Dressing in layers is another way to stay warm and prevent illness in the winter months. Kids are especially susceptible to cold weather, so parents should dress them in one more layer than they dress themselves. When wearing scarves, sportsmen should tuck their scarves in so they don’t get tangled with sporting equipment.* Remove drawstrings from kids’ clothing. Drawstrings on winter hats, overcoats and pants can prove harmful to children. � ese drawstrings can easily get tangled and lead

to strangulation. Parents should remove all drawstrings from kids’ winter clothing before kids participate in winter sports.

Ice skating & hockeyWinter is a great time to go ice skating or play some hockey. However, ice sports like skat-ing and hockey can be especially dangerous, and it’s wise for adults and children to be as cautious as possible when getting in some ice time.* Beware of thin ice. Ice that forms on moving waters, including rivers and creeks, is never safe enough to skate on. Such waters should always be avoided no matter how thick the ice may appear. When going ice skating or playing hockey outdoors, only do so on waters that are supervised and have been tested and approved for skating.* Skate with the crowd and never skate alone. Skating alone might give you all the room in the world to perform a � gure eight, but skat-ing alone leaves you with no backup should the ice break and you fall in or if you injure yourself in a fall. When skating, never skate against the crowd.

Skiing and snowboardingSkiing and snowboarding are immensely popular in the winter, but that popularity should not overshadow how dangerous these activities can be.* Get instruction. Ski resorts typically require guests with no previous skiing or snowboard-ing experience to get lessons before they can take to the slopes. � ese lessons are a must for novice skiers and snowboarders and even those athletes with no recent experience on the slopes.* Be especially cautious when entering or exiting the ski lift. Ski lifts pose a signi� cant injury risk, so skiers and snowboarders should always be attentive when entering or exiting the lift.

Safety � rst for winter

* Don’t allow young children to snow-board. Many of today’s youngsters prefer snowboarding to skiing. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics recom-mends that children seven years of age and younger should not snowboard.* Don’t be in a hurry. Skiing or snow-boarding too fast increases the chance you will lose control and cause injury to yourself or others. Go at a slower, more relaxed pace and take in all of the beauti-ful scenery along the way.

SleddingSledding is a great way to have some fun in the winter snow. But even though sledding is often seen as a carefree activ-ity, it can be risky as well.* Never sled near tra� c. Sledding near tra� c is a de� nite no-no, as it risks the

lives of sledders and motorists alike. Al-ways make sure you sled in an insulated area far away from roadways.* Sled feet-� rst or sitting up. Sledding feet-� rst or sitting up greatly reduces a sledder’s risk of su� ering a head or neck injury. Never sled while lying down head � rst.* Never sled on ice. Sledding on ice can cause injuries and make it di� cult to control a sled. When sledding, only do so on packed snow.* Do not allow a sled to be pulled by a vehicle. Being pulled by a vehicle while on a sled might seem like fun, but it’s nearly impossible for oncoming tra� c to see a sledder behind a vehicle, and it’s very easy for the sled to � shtail into oncoming tra� c.

Enjoy watching or playing a game of hockey.

Treat your sweet

Valentine’s Day week will have a number of special events going on in Fort.

You can look for the big white tent downtown on Friday, Feb. 8 between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. for the unique Valentine’s Day Farmer’s Market.� ere will also be a Valentine’s weekend races and

deals at Murray Ridge. Check the calendar online at www.caledoniacourier.com for more details or to submit your own event.


183 First StreetVanderhoof

Tel: 250-567-6820Fax: 250-567-6822

Toll Free: 1-877-964-5650

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.johnrustadmla.bc.ca

John Rustad, MLANechako Lakes

2500 Butler AvenueHouston

Tel: 250-845-7770Fax: 250-845-7780

Featuring the spirit of the local people

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In the pitRuth LloydCaledonia Courier

It was a star-studded tour of Mt. Milligan on Jan. 12, with original prospectors of the deposit Richard Haslinger Sr. and Heidi Haslinger on site.

The father-daughter team, along with Fort St. James Mayor Rob MacDougal, Mackenzie May-or Stephanie Killam, Fort Council-lors Dave Birdie and Riley Willick and Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad as well as a number of their respective partners, all received a special tour of the mine, includ-ing driving the bus into the pit and seeing the seven-story high shovel in action.

Heidi Haslinger was visit-ing all the way from Rainier, Washington, where she now lives and came up to see what the mine looked like as well as to see the new bus which now sports her contest-win-ning graphic design.

Only 16 years old when she went on the prospecting trip with her father in 1983, Heidi Haslinger remembered the flowers she saw there, with meadows of both crim-son and purple Indian paint-brush. She said she does not recall ever seeing both colours of the flower in one meadow as she did on Mt. Milligan, and this helped in-spire the mountain scene on the bus, which has both co-lours of paintbrush and lu-pins in yellow and purple as well.

The trip through the mine in the winter did not reveal any paintbrush meadows, but instead there were views of the tail-ings storage facility or dam, which will be six kilometres long in order to raise the elevation of the top of the dam to 1,045 m.

Within the pit, mine trucks which hold

240 tonnes of material each were being loaded by the massive shovel, each scoop of the shovel holding 42 cubic metres of material. The shovel itself fully extended reaches around seven stories in height.

Where the primary crusher sits, on top of an earth-stabilized wall, Terry Owen, managing director of projects for the mine, said the earth-stabilized wall under

the primary crusher is very exciting for engineers, because it is the tallest one in North America.

The wall is 10 stories high or 33 m.The site currently has nearly 900 peo-

ple per day working on the site during the construction.

“We’re really at our peak, at our maxi-mum manpower right now,” said Owen.

The project is still on schedule, accord-ing to Owen, and should begin production by the third quarter of this year, and move into full production by December.

Once in production, approximately 400 tonnes of concentrate a day will be shipped out of the mine to smelters over-seas, requiring about 10-15 trucks per day to transport it to rail from the mine.

Clockwise from top left: 1) RIchard Haslinger Sr. (front left) and his daughter Heidi Haslinger (front right) were guests on honour on a special up-close tour of the Mt. Milligan Mine on Jan. 12.) A large mine truck being serviced in the pit dwarfes the man working on it. 3) The primary crusher will sit on top of the highest earth-stabilized wall in North America. 4) The shovel drops a load into a mine truck in the pit at Mt. Milligan.


Caledonia Courier, February 06, 2013

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