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Jill Earl photos
One student learns how several small stressors can provoke a psychotic episode, symbolized by balls piling up in a bucket.

By Jill Earl 

 DAWSON CREEK- Crazy, lunatic, sicko, insane, and mad are just some of the words people use to describe psychosis and mental illness, but the B.C. Schizophrenia Society and Here ToHelp have sponsored a presentation that aims to help students view mental illness is a more empathetic way.

ReachOut Psychosis, the presentation, took the trip north to visit schools in Fort St. John, Dawson Creek, Tumbler Ridge and Prince George last week. 

Presenters reviewed types of psychosis, which include: hallucinations, paranoia, irritability, behaviour changes, and delusions. They also taught students about the early signs of psychosis like trouble concentrating, reduced motivation, depressed mood, problems sleeping, anxiety, withdrawal from friends and family, suspiciousness, difficulties completing everyday tasks, and mood swings. 

“It’s like any other medical condition…it’s a medical condition, there’s treatment, people can live totally awesome happy lives, so there’s no reason to think less of any person going through it or be ashamed of yourself if you are. It’s just something that some of us have to deal with,” said Barbara Adler, ReachOut Psychosis’ program coordinator.

Information was broken up with songs performed by Proud Animal, whose members also disseminated the information. Comedy and audience participation was a big factor in the presentation, keyboardist Mike Young believes the informal and fun format helps youth retain the information.

“Student[s] learn better when they’re faced with something… as opposed to just material out of a textbook or a sheet of paper. We do the demonstrations with them so they can see their peers put in the position [of someone] who potentially could be going through some symptoms. I think that makes it a little more real for them; it makes it a deeper connection than just words on paper,” Young said, who has been with ReachOut Psychosis since it started in 2005.

Demonstrations, using little balls, portrayed how genetic vulnerability (family history of psychosis) along with environmental stressors like a traumatic experience and little stressors like homework can build up until that person has a psychotic episode. They also demonstrated how hard it is for someone experiencing a psychotic episode to function with constant audio, visual and tactile distraction.

During the presentations, Young also talks to the students about his experience being clinically depressed and his road to recovery, which included medication, therapy, and participating in sports. He said that treatment comes in many different forms, and will depend on the person and what they’re suffering from.

“There are just so many different ways it could happen, so many ways that it can be treated, it’s so individual,” said Young.

He said the goal of the presentation is just to educate youth as early as possible. According to the B.C. Schizophrenia Society, people between the ages of 16-25 are at a higher risk of experiencing mental illness. They want youth to be aware of how common it is, six times more likely than getting Type One Diabetes, and know where to seek help if they expect themselves or a friend are experiencing symptoms of psychosis.

“I think that a lot of the message that we’re trying to portray is we’re trying to get rid a lot of the stigma surrounding mental illness and try to get people talking about it, so that younger kids can start realizing that mental illness happens to so many people, and if they start talking about it, the easier it’s going to be as we go,” said Young.

They wanted to dispel common misconceptions about psychosis; psychosis is treatable. People suffering from mental illness are not often violent. They also wanted the students to become more comfortable talking about psychosis, and have more empathy for those suffering and not use derogatory words like insane or crazy.

“I think that part of the thing is that people don’t have the vocabulary to talk about this, or they don’t have comfort talking about these kinds of issues. It’s [crazy] just the safest fastest thing that you can say and I think that also sometimes they’re showing off for their friends, if they know it’s going to get a response,” said Adler.

ReachOut Psychosis tours seven to eight weeks of the year; they usually spend one week of every month throughout the school year in a different region of the province. This isn’t the first time they have visited the Peace Region. Adler said that the performance changes regularly with different bands, jokes, and demonstrations. She said next year they are thinking about incorporating a rap artist and the new program coordinator’s tap dancing skills.

“If they get help sooner then they’ll have a way better outcome, it could change their entire lives,” said Adler on the importance of education and the presentation.

By Kyla Corpuz

FORT ST. JOHN – The Peace Project in Fort St. John has entered the next phase in its initiative to end violence against women and girls in the community. 

Domestic violence is a dark subject that is coming to light. Last week was the first time results from the Peace Project’s survey were presented. Three-hundred-and-twenty-two people participated. 

“It’s been a very big process of coming to this point,” said Clarice Eckford, the Peace Project coordinator. “It feels good to be here having now all of the information that we’ve gathered and understanding some of the really key things that may contribute to violence against women and girls.”

The results from the survey launched an in depth look, during a seminar on May 7, at what can be done to implement programs and initiatives to encourage healthy relationships. 

“It’s a hard thing to research and understand it,” said Eckford. “But it’s nice to know it now and maybe things can start to move forward and happen in terms of creating programs that can address gaps and barriers.”

Representatives from the North Peace Resource Society, RCMP, Fort St. John crown counsel, United Way, private counsellors, School District 60 and financial institutions attended the seminar. 

While there were ideas around prompting more education and awareness around abuse and instilling enhanced resources and support, it quickly became apparent that many of those outlets already existed. 

“It’s not like this isn’t happening, [the community] is doing a lot of work already,” said one attendant. 

“We already have a lot of different organizations but they don’t regularly talk to each other and that’s something we can focus on, trying to have that happen more so there’s more of a synergy,” said Coun. Byron Stewart, who also sits on the steering committee for the project.  

“In our jobs we see the front lines and the beginnings of a domestic situations,” said Shelkie. “We see people at their very worst and we want to get them to their best … and there needs to be resources—and there are resources out there—and maybe more current resources developed so we can refer them and ultimately make it a safer community.”

She added that the Peace Project was a “great starting point to get those resources in place so we can help people.”

Suggestions started to float around implementing programs for men in work camps. However it was quickly brought up that most men in camps aren’t jumping at the opportunity to talk about their feelings.

While talking to a male friend who worked in camp, Eckford recalled a story he told her. He described camp life as ‘Lord of the Flies.’ He told her that it was difficult because there was a pressure to do drugs and party. “When [the men] come home they feel the need to blow off steam. They look at women as a release and not as women,” she was told.

Though there are services available for families residing in Fort St. John it was noted that there is still a gap on how to reach out to the transient population. 

Eckford also pointed out that the data collected from the survey were specific to families with children in Fort St. John. “There were no ideas given to offer support for men and boys in oil and gas [sector].”

She hopes to initiate conversations with oil and gas companies in the near future. “It’s all happening very fast … but it’s my job to have those conversation to build capacity in that sector.” EnCana is currently a representative on the project’s steering committee.

While there were suggestions on how to educate women to be financially independent, promote counselling for males and widen access to support groups, it was also mentioned that there is a lack of professional counsellors, and it has to be a personal choice to seek help. 

The ideas started to delve a little deeper, and it was pointed out that despite the amounts of education and awareness surrounding violence against women and girls, the root cause to determine why abuse occurs was a far greater venture.  

“You can teach those things but it’s not going to change the cycle if you don’t look at why it’s happening, it’s not going to address the bigger situation,” said participant Sam Corbett.

“We need men leaders to show that it’s very acceptable for men to talk about their feelings … to say it’s okay to channel their feelings,” said one participant, adding that the BC Lion’s Be More Than A Bystander was a good example.

“The statistics show how high domestic violence and violence against women in general is in Fort St. John,” said Shelkie.

Seventy per cent of those surveyed answered ‘yes’ to being abused, whether it was physical, sexual, emotional, verbal, social, financial, spiritual or cultural. Thirteen of the 322 surveyed are currently experiencing abuse. Ninety-three per cent who experienced or experiencing abuse are aboriginal while 72 per cent are Caucasians. Eighty-eight per cent of respondents grew up with violence in the house.  

“It was interesting to learn just how high the violence is in Fort St. John,” said Shelkie, who added that hearing the statistics confirm how prevalent domestic violence is in the community, even though she regularly sees it in her line of work. “Statistics show there is a lot [of violence] in this region and it’s something that needs to be addressed and so luckily we have the Peace Project...”

Shelkie and Coun. Stewart both agree the efforts of the Peace Project is a first of its kind in Fort St. John

“It’s such a consorted effort … this is so concentrated and so forward, it’s not [just] saying this is what we can do to help, it’s saying what is going to benefit in the future, what are we doing now to get there?” said Shelkie.

“It’s a fresh look at things,” said Stewart. “The three-year term gives plenty of time to focus the direction on what the needs specifically are for the community, it’s not easy for anybody … it’s very emotional to talk about all aspects of violence.”

The Status of Women Canada federally funds the Peace Project. Eckford noted that the same initiatives are happening across the country.

 By Jill Earl 

DAWSON CREEK- Peace River region members of the North Central Local Government Association were successful in having their resolutions endorsed last week at the Association’s 58th annual general meeting. 

Over 250 delegates representing the 41 municipalities and regional districts within the NCLGA met in Quesnel, B.C. May 1-3 to discuss the pressing issues in their communities regarding resources, the environment, finance, health, justice and protective services, transportation, communication and social. 

NCLGA’s membership passed a resolution, submitted by the Peace River Regional District, that will have them and the Union of British Columbia Municipalities request that the Province of B.C. examine the policies that Norway implements in managing its resources, with the goal of adopting a similar approach in B.C. The resolution highlighted that Norway has a population and resources similar to that of the province and have become the second wealthiest country in the world. It suggests that if B.C. also manages in a sustainable manner it could mean enhanced physical infrastructure, health, education, and social progress for the province.

The PRRD’s resolution calling for the NCLGA and the UBCM to request that the Province of B.C. enact changes to legislation that would require all dam permit holders to prepare all-encompassing emergency management plans was also endorsed by the membership. The resolution also requested that the legislation require the dam permit holders to conduct public education, develop comprehensive public notification procedures and assist in the coordination of emergency response and recovery efforts to ensure the safety of the public.

The district noted that the province has many man-made dams and that the current Dam Safety Regulation does not include any provisions that would require dam holders to inform and education the surrounding population on the risks and impacts associated with it.

The District of Chetwynd and the District of Taylor both put forward financial resolutions; both were passed. Chetwynd’s resolution called for the NCLGA to petition the UBCM to encourage the provincial government to commit to providing stable and sustainable funding for small communities to ensure that those communities can continue to provide essential infrastructure and services to their residents.

“The small communities grant is something that small communities depend on and it’s not really consistent. Sometimes we get this much, sometimes we get this much, and so on and the resolution was simply to ensure that this is consistent and something that we can plan on and all the small communities in B.C. are in support of that,” said Chetwynd Mayor Merlin Nichols.

To address the proposed changes from the Public Sector Accounting Board, the District of Taylor put forward a resolution that the NCLGA support the UBCM in working with the PSAB to ensure the framework for municipal financial reporting addresses the concerns of local governments and is meaningful to the public.

A total of 29 resolutions were brought forward and all but two were endorsed.

Members defeated the resolution brought forward by the District of Stewart that would have had the NCLGA and the UBCM lobby the Province of B.C. to give preferential treatment to implementing grant applications for projects identified as critical in a report by a previous planning grant. In an effort to reduce violent crimes, the City of Williams Lake brought forward a resolution that the NCLGA and the UBCM lobby government to enact legislation which would restrict sale of and access to bear spray and machetes; that resolution was defeated by the membership.

After resolutions are passed they are brought to the UBCM to be voted on again. If passed there, then a resolutions committee will forward it to the provincial government to hopefully gain their support and encourage future possible action.

“We try to make the resolutions be very general so that it does concern the whole province, you get better support from the government if it does…Then we follow up with the ministers as much as we can to lobby, so that the resolution does become part of the government’s process,” said Bruce Christensen, Fort St. John councillor.

Christensen has been on the NCLGA executive for approximately four years, and was voted in as president of the organization during the meeting. He said that the NCLGA have recently added more money in their budget for advocacy.

“I’m hoping, I know that the board is hoping with our increased allotment in funding for advocacy, some of the resolutions that come forth really make a difference and government will hear us and put those things in place,” said Christensen.

Christensen said that one resolution he thought would benefit not only the PRRD but the entire province was the resolution to lobby the provincial government to further support the development of a reliable air ambulance service.

“The air ambulance, ground ambulance and lack of quality of that, that’s probably the one that I think that if we can make our citizens safer than what they are that’s what our job is as elected officials,” he said.

The membership also endorsed lobbying government to: assist the ranching community in controlling noxious weeds, establish a world class emergency and hazard mass notification system, enact legislation that would require consumer labeling of products sold in B.C. where there are genetically modified organisms in those food products and move the date of BC Heritage Week to later in the year.

Next year the NCLGA’s AGM will be held in Fort St. John, May 7-9.

Jill Earl photo
One meeting attendee states her opinion on charging all students for bussing service.

By Jill Earl 

DAWSON CREEK - The cafeteria at Dawson Creek Secondary School’s Central Campus may not have been packed with people, but it was certainly filled with passion last Wednesday night when School District 59 hosted their student transportation public meeting, May 8.

The school district also hosted a public meeting at Little Prairie Elementary School in Chetwynd on April 30 to gage public opinion regarding several options the district can implement in order to save the $750,000 they lost in their transportation funding due to a new formula; for the past several years their transportation funding has been approximately $3.3 million. The district lost $250,000 from this school year’s budget, will lose $500,000 next year, and $750,000 every year following that.  

Parents of students and concerned citizens attended the meetings for more information about the funding cuts, the possible impacts to their children and to offer suggestions to district staff and directors.

One attendee suggested finding money elsewhere in the budget to compensate for some of the loss, but meeting facilitator Gerry Slykhuis, secretary-treasurer for School District 59, said that they are also facing budget cuts of one and a half per cent per year for the next six or seven years, accounting for $2.7 million based on what they’re currently receiving for operations.

“We’ve cut everywhere we can,” Slykhuis said.

Other attendees suggested selling district assets such as the closed O’Brien School or the Pat O’Reilly Outdoor Environmental Studies Centre on Gwilliam Lake. Slykhuis said that there isn’t a big market for old schools and that both properties wouldn’t accumulate much money; he also said that the district wanted to keep the O’Brien School just incase there was an enrollment increase.

“We’re looking for ongoing money because it doesn’t help us a whole lot to only do half the cuts this year and then roll them all in in February, instead of in September. It buys us some time, but not a lot,” Slykhuis said.

Some attendees suggested finding sponsors, charging the private school students more for the bus services, or charging students not going to their catchment school for bus service. One audience member thought the bus service should be tax deductible and that the district should be issuing tax receipts if they have to start paying for the service.

Though the district has already implemented some changes and plans to implement more beginning September 2013, Slykhuis said that the district is still looking for approximately $350,000-$400,000 in savings. 

The district has already begun charging increased bus fares to private schools, taking attendance of all students riding the bus and will not deviate from a route for a student riding less than 60 per cent of time. They also stopped adding route deviations for students not riding in their catchment area school and bus route 43 to Rolla (one of four) was cancelled due to low attendance.

For the school year starting in September, the board has approved: no route deviations for students not riding in their catchment area school, charging  fees for Chetwynd in-town busing with free busing for high school students from November 1 to March 31. The board also decided to change their route extensions policy and extensions will be reviewed annually to see if they are still warranted. Under the new policy, the route deviation can be 3.2km to pick up one student, 4.8km to pick up two students, 6.4km to pick up three students and up to 8km to pick up four students.

Other implementations the board is considering for September 2013 include: eliminating two Fellers Heights routes, eliminating two Tate Creek routes, eliminating route 49 and route 57 that runs from Chetwynd to Dawson Creek for dual credit students studying at Northern Lights College, incorporating driver positions into wash bay positions, and transferring student discipline issues to school administration.

For September 2014 they are considering: moving to transit-style bussing, charging fees to students riding outside their catchment area, increasing private school and college student fees, instituting a rider fee structure for all students, holding a referendum and raising the shortfall through local taxation and closing some rural schools.

Though Slykhuis said that the district has spoken to ministers, government representatives and agencies, their formula has not changed and that they have to move forward with action. He said that formula considers population density but not the amount of area in a region, and that a number of other districts are also suffering from budget losses brought on by the new formula. Attendees urged the district to keep trying.

“It doesn’t make sense,” said one attendee.

“Who are we going to in Victoria? We have a problem here,” another said.

“We’ve done as much as we think we could have done politically to get answers, now we’re down to the practical, we need to be proactive. We don’t know what’s going to happen funding wise we don’t know what’s going to happen enrollment wise over the next year…and it’s not an easy decision, that’s why we want your input,” said Richard Powell, chair of the board.

School District 59 is still accepting public comment and will be until May 15. Their next meeting is on May 22, where directors are expected to make a decision on their future direction.

TransCanada photo
Natural gas pipeline construction in Stittsville, Ontario.

By Kyla Corpuz

FORT ST. JOHN – TransCanada launched their environmental assessment into the proposed Prince Rupert Gas Transmission project. 

TransCanada started their round of open houses throughout northern B.C. on May 16.

Three of the seven sessions will be held around the Peace from Jun. 10 to 12 in Fort St. John, Hudson’s Hope and Chetwynd. The proposed $6 million-LNG pipeline would start in Hudson’s Hope and meet with the proposed LNG facility on Lelu Island within the District of Port Edward, a separate project by Progress Energy. 

Engaging with First Nations groups and local government has already begun in Hudson’s Hope. “Reaching out and holding meetings … has already started,” said TransCanada spokesperson Grady Semmens. “We began just after we announced the project earlier this year [we’ve been] going out and getting on the ground.”

The open houses would be an opportunity for TransCanada to introduce the project to the surrounding communities and gather any input from attendants. 

“People can show up and see how we are going to select the route [and] the environmental process, so we are really there to answer any and all questions that people might have.” 

Even though Hudson’s Hope would bear the most impact, Semmens said sharing information with Chetwynd and Fort St. John could open up opportunities for potential local employment and partnerships. 

“It would make sense to hold an open house in Fort St. John, there would certainly be a lot of opportunities and business and local workers to be involved in the project,” said Semmens.

As far as dangers that come with transporting natural gas, he said, “Generally speaking, pipelines are by far the safest and most efficient way to move natural gas.”

However, he also noted its adverse effects, which are attributed to the potential of third parties digging into the ground and striking the pipeline.

“Natural gas is a volatile substance. If a pipeline is broken or compromised then gas generally leaks out of it and vents out,” he added if the pressure is high there could be potential for it to ignite.

Therefore, Semmens said TransCanada promotes safe digging practices to avoid these circumstances from happening.

In an earlier interview with then premier, Christy Clark, from the Liberal government, Clark stated that the transmissions lines would “pass [its environmental assessment] with flying colours” because, “If there was to be an event, it would escape into the air and float off into the ocean because it’s lighter than water.” She added the pipeline infrastructure has the “overwhelming” support of First Nations.

However, according to the Treaty 8 press release, natural gas developments, including pipelines, has a “very intense” ecological and environmental disturbance. 

“Gas field infrastructure typically remains in place for many decades. As a result, First Nations people (and future generations) are unable to use the land for traditional purposes,” reads the release. 

The proposed pipeline is approximately 750 km in length, according to a TransCanada press release. If approved, over the three-year construction period “thousands” of short-term jobs would be created. 

If the project receives its environmental certificate in 2014, it won’t start construction until 2015 and be in operation until 2018. 

The pipeline is expected to generate an estimated $22 million in annual property tax payments to five regional districts: Peace River, Fraser-Fort George, Bulkley-Nechako, Kitimat-Stikine and Skeena-Queen Charlotte and two municipalities the District of Hudson’s Hope and the District of Port Edward.

TransCanada has a second proposed LNG transmission pipeline, Coastal GasLink Project, which was announced in June 2012. If approved it would run from northeast B.C. to a proposed LNG site in Kitimat. 

OPEN HOUSES:

Fort St. John: Pomeroy Sport Centre, Jun. 10, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Hudson’s Hope: Community Hall, Jun. 11, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Chetwynd: Recreation Centre, Jun. 12, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Submitted photo
Rick Koechl and Mike Kroecher from Fort St. John had set up a display booth at the North Central Local Government convention in Quesnel on Apr. 24 to 26. The pair presented their case against Site C to approximately 100 politicians.

By Kyla Corpuz

FORT ST. JOHN - Two community members, Mike Kroecher and Rick Koechl, won’t give up the fight against Site C.

So, they brought their ideas on alternatives to Site C to the North Central Local Government Association from Apr. 24 to 26. It’s a message they’ve been voicing for the past year.

“Essentially what we want to do is let the public know there are alternatives, like natural gas, would be substantially less expensive than BC Hydro,” said Kroecher. 

Site C communication manager Dave Conway maintains that Site C’s unit energy cost of $95 per megawatt hour is a “comprehensive cost accounting for all anticipated life-cycles costs to ratepayers.” 

Site C’s cost would be amortized over a long period to mitigate the rate impacts on customers, said Conway. 

But Kroecher and Koechl don’t see the rationale in carrying on a financial debt to future generations with the alternative to use natural gas in a facility like the Shepard Centre, which would cost $6.7 billion less than Site C and flood a sliver of land when compared to Site C’s land use footprint.

Natural gas is not considered a clean energy source because it emits CO2 (carbon dioxide). Kroecher and Koechl understand the affects of carbon dioxide but they question how the Liberal government can pursue the transportation of LNG yet refrain from using it to its fullest potential in its own backyard.

“If it’s okay for others to use it, we should be allowed to burn it,” said Kroecher. 

According to Conway, Site C’s GHG emissions, including methane, were looked at using Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change guidelines.

“The project would produce substantially less GHG emissions, per gigawatt hour, than thermal sources such as natural gas, diesel or coal, because they have additional GHG emissions associated with the operational combustion of hydrocarbons,” said Conway.

Kroecher and Koechl pointed to a 2007 study from Switzerland in their case against Site C. “We would also like to make the point that hydro is not as clean as BC Hydro would like us to believe,” said Kroecher.

The study concluded that hydroelectric reservoirs have, in addition to other environmental impacts like destruction of the flooded area, an important influence on the airborne greenhouse gases. 

It went on to say that, “they have the potential to emit large amounts of CO2 and CH4 (methane) and contribute to global warming.”

Conway said that BC Hydro has acknowledged those who suggest hydroelectric development is a potentially important net source of greenhouse gas emissions. 

“These concerns may be justified in some circumstances, primarily in tropical environments where there is evidence that some hydroelectric reservoirs are large sources of methane emissions,” said Conway. “However, these concerns are not applicable to all hydroelectric facilities.”

Reservoirs in northern environments have lower quantities of GHG emissions (the Switzerland study does note that a reservoir in tropical climates is representative of green house gas source) because in colder, oxygenated systems emissions are primarily emitted in the form of CO2 rather than methane, added Conway.

Kroechel and Koechl’s effort to educate the public about alternatives to Site C will not rest. “We’ll be optimistic until the bitter end,” said Kroecher.

They said their presentation and booth at the NCLGA conference was an ‘eye-opener’ to many of the northern politicians who attended.

“It left an image, they have to understand what’s at stake,” said Koechl. 

 Mixing perscription and illegal 
drugs cause spike in overdoses

By Kyla Corpuz

FORT ST. JOHN – Overdoses from mixing illegal and prescription drugs together have spiked over the last three months, according to Fort St. John’s RCMP Crime Prevention Unit Cpl. Jodi Shelkie. 

The surges in overdoses coupled with a recent drug bust lead RCMP to believe more people are experimenting with ‘poly drug’ use (using two different drugs to reach a certain effect).

“Any drug use is very dangerous but especially when they use poly drug use,” said Shelkie, adding: “But just one drug on it’s own can cause your … body to really go into overdrive to process it.”

On May 8 the Fort St. John RCMP seized marijuana, cocaine, OxyContin and a significant amount of cash after executing a search warrant on two apartments.

Four males and one female ages 23 to 31 were arrested and later released on documents to appear in court in July. 

All suspects are facing possible charges of possession with the purpose of trafficking and two are facing possible charges of possession of a prohibited weapon. 

OxyContin is a prescribed drug used for pain relief but has the potential for substance abuse and life-threatening respiratory depression.

Shelkie believes the alleged suspects are not obtaining the OxyContin drugs from a prescription.

“I would assume most of the people we are seizing it from don’t have a prescription for it. Where they’re getting it from it’s probably from dealers as well, and where they’re getting it from, I don’t know.” 

Though the RCMP has responded to a number of calls addressing overdoses, Northern Health has not seen the rise in patients using cocaine and OxyContin.

However that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening, said Northern Health communications officer Eryn Collins.

“We haven’t noticed any change in trends, but that may be because a patient who was treated for a non-fatal overdose hasn’t come into contact with our staff members.”

She said if a patient doesn’t seek help from the mental health and addictions unit, it would be difficult for them to see the same trend the RCMP have observed.

“Just because [our staff doesn’t] notice the change in trends doesn’t mean it’s not happening,” she said. 

The RCMP isn’t releasing any additional information on how many overdoses have occurred in recent months.

“It doesn’t matter how many there have been, one is dangerous and that’s what we want to tell people,” Shelkie explained. “You never know, someone might say, ‘It doesn’t matter, I’m very careful,’ [but] anytime you’re using a drug or a prescription drug, and you’re not using it appropriately, it could lead to serious consequences or death. Especially if you’re using poly drug use it’s a much, much greater chance.”

Jill Earl photo
Dawson Creek’s provincial courthouse saw the sentencing of three criminals involved in robberies in February, April 26.

By Jill Earl 

DAWSON CREEK- The increase in robberies that occurred in the month of February decreased entirely to zero from Mar. 3 until May 5 when that streak was broken by a retail robbery that occurred on 103rd Ave.

RCMP reported that a male approached the cash register and pushed the cashier to the floor when the cash drawer was open, stole the contents and then fled. Police are still following up on leads to identify the suspect and are asking members of the public with information regarding the robbery to come forward.

In addition to the May 5 incident, a theft of patio furniture from a residence in the 1300 block of 108th Ave. was reported on May 6. Police are also asking for the public’s assistance in this theft.

“Successful investigations rely on community members coming forward and providing information. Without that community spirit and support our investigators might find it difficult to bring a case to a charge approval standard,” said Sgt. Scott West of the Dawson Creek RCMP via email.

Robberies in the month of February included a home robbery on Feb. 2 of a residence in the 900 block of 102nd Ave., a break and enter and the theft of several collectable coins at the Post Office in Pouce Coupe on Feb. 9, an attempted armed robbery on Feb. 14 of the 7-Eleven, an attempted robbery of Fas Gas on Feb. 17, an attempted robbery at Lothar Triebal Jewellers on Feb. 20, and two robberies at Legacy Village Market one on Feb. 27 and the other was an attempted armed robbery on Mar. 3.

“I can only imagine that people in the retail industry were apprehensive during this time.  All of the cases were given the highest priority in our office realizing that these acts affect people in the community. The retail store robberies occurring in February and early March all resulted in arrests and charges being recommended as quickly as possible,” West said.

On April 26, three men pleading guilty to their involvement in the robberies were sentenced at the Dawson Creek Courthouse.

Brandon Badger and Kevin Beattie were both arrested for the armed robbery of the 7-Eleven on 8th Street on Feb. 14.

Badger was charged with robbery, disguising his face with the intent to commit an offense, and possession of a prohibited weapon. He received a jail sentence of five years for possession of a restricted firearm initially but will end up serving 1,753 days when his 72 days in custody is considered. He will also concurrently serve 1,095 days for disguising his face with the intent to commit a crime.

Badger’s friends and family attended his sentencing.

“We all love you,” they said, from the gallery.

Beattie, 22, was charged with the robbery, possession of a restricted firearm and the possession of a firearm contrary to an order; he will also serve 1753 days.

Victim impact statements submitted by the cashiers involved in the 7-Eleven robbery read that the incident has had considerable psychological impacts on them, they are nervous while working and have sought psychological help.

When asked if he had anything to say after the charges against him were read, Beattie shook his head ‘no’.

“I’m sorry and that I’ll never do it again,” Beattie said, reconsidering.

Jeremy Bellows was found guilty for the attempted robbery of Lothar Triebal Jewellers on Feb. 20, and was charged with the careless use of a firearm, unauthorized possession of a firearm and the possession of a firearm contrary to an order; he will serve 1212 days.

Damian Rice, who was also charged in the jewellery store robbery, is still awaiting trial.

Gilles Guay was arrested in relation to the Legacy Village Market robbery on Mar. 3. He has been charged with disguising his face with intent to commit an offence and possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose. His next court appearance is on May 28.

Though the RCMP have been successful in most cases, according to West their success doesn’t always act as a deterrent to would-be criminals.

“I know that we get positive feedback from the community when we make arrests in criminal cases…I would hope that a would be thief would consider the consequences, but desperate people do things that would seem irrational to the average person,” he said.

Jill Earl photo
The Dawson Creek Fire Department works to contain a grass fire that occurred just north of the city, May 5.

By Jill Earl 

DAWSON CREEK - Warm and dry weather conditions in the Peace River region has led the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources to place a fire ban on certain areas of the region, which was effective at noon on May 9. 

The ban includes category two open fires, described as fires smaller than two metres high and three metres wide, fireworks and grass fires less than 2,000 square metres. It applies to B.C. Park land, Crown land and private lands and other areas that are not within the boundaries of a fire protection zone or municipality. The ban will continue until June 15, unless it’s withdrawn before then or extended to a later date.

The City of Dawson Creek’s Fire Department has also issued a fire ban that started on May 7 and will no longer be issuing burn permits.

“The city typically follows Forestry’s lead in this, because forestry… they have a better idea of what the conditions are going to be in the future so when they do that, we typically follow lead,” said fire chief Gordon Smith.

“It’s typical for this time of year. What’s really bad with the Peace River regional district is that they have the dry grass and once the snows off the dry grass is there and it’s really volatile. It’s easy to start, it [fire] spreads really rapidly and it burns with a fairly good intention, and it’s always windy in the Peace, so we get some really big fires, really quickly,” said Brent Bye, senior protection officer for the Wildfire Management Branch in Prince George.

According to Bye, in the last couple of the weeks the ministry has responded to approximately 21 fires in the Peace River Region. They respond to fires outside of any fire protection area and any other fires they are requested to respond to. He said they use air tankers to contain the fire and have their ground crews extinguish any remaining smoke with hand tools, pumps and hoses. He said that grass fires tend to burn out quickly on their own. The ministry has ground crews in Chetwynd and Fort St. John, Bye said that because those crews are expected to cover a big area response times reflect that. 

“We are not a volunteer fire department, so our response times aren’t what you might expect from a volunteer fire department. The area that we cover is considerably larger, so they’re [response times] dependent on how far the fire is away from our initial attack base,” Bye said. 

One of the 21 fires the ministry has responded to included the grass fire north of Dawson Creek on May 5. 

“We had what we call a unified command and Forestry assisted us with that fire because it was in a wild land situation and it was encroaching on urban areas, so there were 16 homes that were threatened by this fire,” said Smith. 

Bye said that many of the fires they’ve responded to were human-caused either intentionally or unintentionally. He said that fires could be started from dry grass hitting a hot quad muffler, sparks from the railroad and land clearing activities. 

“People either want to burn off some dead grass in their yard or maybe they had some construction waste like some old timbers or some branches or something that they want to burn off in their yard, and with the winds that we get here, they’re going 40 to 60km an hour, it doesn’t take a big spark, especially this time of year, to get a stubble field going,” Smith said. 

Bye said that the ministry considers forecasted temperatures and relative humidity when deciding whether or not to place ban. He believes that category three fires, used mainly for industrial activity, do not cause a major fire threat to the area at this time and will be able to continue burning so long as they have a permit.

“Right now I don’t think that the industrial fires are that big of an issue because the people have a permit. They know that they have to do this type of work, they are liable for it if it escapes and that type of stuff, so they’re not generally a big problem for us,” he said.

The ban will not affect campers either, as campfires less than half a metre high and half a metre wide are still permitted but Bye still urges users to side with caution as improperly extinguished campfires cause a lot of hassle.

“Our problem with campfires is people walking away without putting them out. Generally while their burning they’re sitting there but…when they’ve been abandoned and no ones keeping an eye on them and they’re not constructed properly,” he said, adding that campfire users are required to have either a bucket of water or shovel to extinguish the flames. 

By Jill Earl 

DAWSON CREEK - Over 25 years has past since the Peace River Regional District developed their last South Peace Fringe Area Official Community Plan (SPFA OCP); the district is now close to adopting a new one. 

Directors have given the plan its second reading and turned to the public last week to hear their comment