The City of Nanaimo has been recognized nationally for its Luminous Paths: Nanaimo’s 150 and Beyond festival that was hosted last winter.
The city won the Creative Cities Impact Award for Cultural Events. In January and February, a month-long light festival brought together artists, performers and community members in Maffeo Sutton Park to celebrate the city’s past, present and future.
“Luminous Paths captured the spirit of our community. It was a beautiful and unifying celebration that highlighted local talent and invited residents to see our waterfront in a new way. This national recognition is a testament to the creative vision that defines Nanaimo,” says mayor Leonard Krog.
The award recognizes the festival’s contribution to community connection, creativity and cultural celebration.
According to the city, more than 18,000 visitors attended the event over the four weeks and there are plans to host future editions of the festival
For the last 40 years Community Futures Cariboo Chilcotin has been helping make future business owners dreams a reality.
General Manager Karen Eden said they were started officially in 1985 but in Williams Lake were part of a pilot project in 1983.
“The Federal Government saw that rural communities were struggling with major industry changes particularly in forestry, mining, and agriculture. So the idea was to support local economic development from the ground up so they thought of empowering communities to take charge of their own futures.” Eden said.
Eden noted that their office is still here in the Lake City and are locally governed by a volunteer board of directors and because of that we understand the region’s needs.
“Our region goes from the Bella Coola Valley all the way down to 70 Mile, up to Mcleese Lake, Horsefly, Likely and all parts in between. It’s great that we have the opportunity to have a board of directors and staff that understands the needs of our region.”
Eden said in the last ten years Community Futures Cariboo Chilcotin has supported 806 businesses to either be created, maintained, or expanded through their business services.
“We have some businesses go full circle so they started with us through either their own initiative, they’ve been expanded and grown and they’ve exited, and that’s one of our goals to keep businesses in our communities because without businesses there is no community.”
Community Futures Cariboo Chilcotin offers business loans for those starting to get into business and over the last decade have dispersed over $14 million in loans, a lot of them for businesses that are getting started up and going.
“We provide training, one on one support for their business plans and really look after them through their journey of becoming self-employed and at the end when they’re thinking of retiring. We see many businesses coming back to us or have heard about our services when they have a particular problem they’d like help with”.
Eden noted the Community Futures Cariboo Chilcotin staff are super talented but if they do come across a challenge, we don’t know the answer to then we go and look for the answer for them.
We asked Eden what she thinks the future of Community Futures looks like.
“I like to say we’ve been here before, during, and after events of economic challenges, particularly now with the tariffs, we don’t know what they’re doing, labour shortages, the impacts of climate change, particularly in the Forestry and Agriculture sectors in this area. We’re still helping entrepenuers try to be resilient with some flexible lending, and just practical business advice so they’re not kind of blindsided when something comes down the road.”
Castlegar’s pulp mill has been fined $21,250 for exceeding its emissions limits on a handful of occasions and repeatedly failing to monitor its emissions over the past few years.
According to a decision issued this month by Stephanie Little, director of the Environmental Management Act, Mercer Celgar exceeded air emissions limits on four dates in 2024 and one date in 2025. The company was also cited for not monitoring its emissions — including reduced sulphur and sulphur dioxide from its boilers and lime kiln — on 71 days between 2023 and 2025.
While the maximum penalty for each contravention was $40,000, Little assessed fines of $6,250 for the excessive emissions and $15,000 for failing to monitor.
Each penalty included came with detailed arithmetic and rationales. While the excessive emissions were between 20 and 580 per cent over the limit, Little considered them to be “moderate” infractions, with no sustained impact to the environment.
“Given that [reduced sulphur] is generally associated with nuisance rather than than a risk of significant adverse health effects, these failures are characterized as moderate,” she wrote.
She assessed a base penalty of $5,000, which was increased by $1,250 because Mercer Celgar was previously fined $12,000 in 2024 and also received four warnings in the previous five years. She added another $1,000 because the failures happened repeatedly, over five days.
According to the decision, in response to each failure, Mercer Celgar investigated the cause and took actions. Little wrote that there was no evidence that the company did anything to increase the likelihood of exceeding emissions limits, gained no economic benefit by going over the limits, and made improvements to its recovery boiler controls from 2014 to 2020, although it did not prevent all failures.
Little deducted $1,000 because the company made some efforts to correct the failures and, as part of a maintenance shutdown in March, took action to prevent them from happening again. That brought the total down to $6,250.
As for the instances where the company failed to monitor its emissions, the base penalty was $10,000. Little increased that amount by $2,500 because of the previous fine and warnings.
The 71 instances included one missing quarterly monitoring, three missed monthly monitorings, and 568 hours of missed continuous monotoring, with the longest consecutive period being 69 hours in December 2024. Because it was a repeated failure, Little added on $4,000 to the penalty. She added another $500 for a “low level of deliberateness.”
She said the lack of monitoring was due to a variety of factors including maintenance, power outages, and government audits.
“Some of these causes are predictable but unavoidable and some are less predictable,” she wrote. “In many cases, Mercer Celgar had limited control over the events that constituted the failures.”
The bulk of the missed monitoring was attributed to maintenance, but “It is unclear how much of the missed monitoring was preventative maintenance and how much was reactive maintenance in response to a failure.”
She decreased the fine by $2,000 for the company’s efforts to fix and prevent the failures. The final total came to $15,000.
According to the ruling, Mercer Celgar declined an opportunity to be heard during the process. The company had 30 days following the Oct. 9 ruling to either pay the fine or appeal the decision.
Stephen Harris manages the Nelson Running Club, and is the Race Director for the Cottonwood Countdown Nelson Backyard Ultra. He talks to Summit Radio morning host Wayne Kelly all about the Ultra and why it sells out every year. Listen to their conversation below!
Kooper Gizowski is taking the WHL by storm in his final season.
The Western Hockey League announced today (Monday) the Prince George Cougars forward was named the Tempo WHL Player of the Week for the week.
Gizowski, a 20-year-old product of Edmonton, Alta., tallied eight points (4G-4A) and a plus-6 rating in two games in a pair of road victories.
He started his week with a hat-trick performance in a 5-0 road win over the Seattle Thunderbirds on Friday.
Gizowski opened the scoring late in the first period, before recording a power-play goal 1:09 into the second period to give the Cougars a 2-0 advantage. He completed the hat trick midway through the third period with another even strength goal. The veteran forward was named third star of the game for his efforts.
He then followed up by registering five points (1G-4A) in a 9-3 road win over the Tri-City Americans on Saturday.
Not bad for a waiver claim.
With 18 points (9G-9A), Gizowski is enjoying a nine-game point-scoring streak to open the 2025-26 WHL campaign that is tied for the longest point-scoring streak so far this season.
Gizowski’s 18 points have him tied for second in scoring across the WHL.
Next up, the Cougars host the Medicine Hat Tigers (7-4-0-0) on Wednesday at CN Centre.
Molly Wickham (Sleydo’), Shaylynn Sampson, and Corey Jocko will not be seeing further time behind bars.
That was the decision of the B.C. Supreme Court on Friday in relation to the Costal Gas Link pipeline incidents.
Wickham was sentenced with 30 days, Jocko with 25, and Sampson with 20 which were all suspended in favour of each doing 150 hours of community service work.
“While we are relieved that Sleydo’, Sampson and Jocko were allowed to walk free, the application of jail sentences – suspended or not – sends a chilling message to land defenders who act to protect Indigenous rights and territory in the face of destructive mega-projects,” said Amnesty International Americas Director Ana Piquer.
The human rights organization previously said if the three were sentenced to jail time, it would count them as the second to fourth Canadian Prisoners of Conscience.
Adam Gangon was the first after he was placed on house arrest for 60 days.
“The land defenders did exactly what they were supposed to do to uphold ‘Anuk niwh’it’en [Wet’suwet’en law]. They followed our law and our way of life. Our law stands for “land, air, water,” said Hereditary Chief Na’Moks.
The sentencing started on October 15th which saw several supporters march down Smithers’ Main Street with the three to from Goat Park to the courthouse.
A new network of monitored security cameras throughout PG’s downtown core will be installed
According to Downtown PG, a total of 10 high-resolution cameras will be installed within the area.
This will provide continuous 24/7 monitoring supported by both trained personnel and AI technology capable of detecting incidents such as fires, assaults, and other emergencies in real time.
Camera locations were selected based on a combination of RCMP guidance, Downtown PG’s local knowledge, input from area businesses, and analysis of crime statistics.
Modeled after Penticton’s successful downtown camera initiative, which has since expanded beyond its core area, Prince George’s system will launch as a pilot project.
“This initiative is about creating a safer, more welcoming downtown for everyone,” said Chrisie Berry, Executive Director of Downtown Prince George.
“By combining human oversight with AI detection, we can respond more quickly to incidents, support the RCMP in keeping our downtown community secure, and give businesses added confidence that their storefronts and customers are well protected.”
Once the pilot program launches, individuals may be captured on camera.
The system will monitor public spaces including roads, alleyways, and sidewalks—areas where activity is visible to the general public.
Signage will be placed throughout the zone to ensure everyone is aware of
the monitored areas and camera locations.
The official launch date of the program will be announced once camera equipment has arrived and installations are complete.
The garbage collecting conundrum of 2025 is no clearer.
At least for now.
Solid waste crews at the city began collecting garbage in the blue zone this morning (Monday), in the hope a decision from the Labour Relations Board (LRB) would allow regular landfill operations to continue.
This follows the strike action issued by Regional District of Fraser-Fort George unionized staff.
The City’s application to the board for a common site picketing order hearing concluded yesterday (Sunday, October 19).
However, no update or decision on the application has been provided.
The Regional District currently does not have contractors on site to cap any garbage deposited at the landfill.
As a result, it is unlikely that City crews will be able to continue collection and disposal today (Monday).
Solid waste trucks are expected to be full based on what staff was able to collect this morning and may be able to unload Tuesday morning.
Due to this, the remainder of the blue zone will not be collected this week.
City staff plan to proceed with collection in the yellow zone tomorrow.
Residents in the blue zone are asked to return their carts away from the curb.
During this strike action, service hours at the landfill are Tuesday to Saturday: 9am – 5pm.
The change will impact the garbage zone collection schedule.
The Town of Creston is participating in the 100 Radon Test Kit Challenge and is giving away 100 free radon test kits to local residents.
Why test for radon?
Radon is a radioactive gas that occurs naturally in the ground. You can’t see it, smell it or taste it—but it can seep into your home and build up to dangerous levels.
Long-term exposure to high levels of radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers, according to Health Canada.
The only way to know your radon level is to test your home.
How to get your free kit
Creston residents can sign up here to receive a free radon test kit while supplies last. The kits are easy to use and come with instructions for measuring your home’s radon levels over a 90-day period.
To learn more about radon and the national testing initiative, visit TakeActionOnRadon.ca.
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Local government representatives are working together to try come up with solutions for interprovincial health care challenges.
The region’s MP, MLA, and Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) and the City of Cranbrook are collaborating on issues affecting local residents.
Access to health care between B.C. and Alberta has been a longstanding concern.
Currently Kootenay residents can not travel to Alberta for many procedures and instead have to go to Kelowna or Vancouver.
“It’s something that’s very important to the people in our community. It’s so far to have to go over three mountain passes to get to Kelowna,” said MLA Pete Davis.
“It’s something we’re going to be working with the provincial government to try and see if there are some avenues between B.C. and Alberta that we can open up.”
MP Rob Morrison said the Canadian government could help out.
“Federally, every Canadian is entitled to healthcare and if that’s the case why are we having such an issue with B.C. and Alberta?”
Health care falls under provincial jurisdiction, but funding comes in part from the federal government.
“The federal government gives the money to the province, but now there needs to be some accountability on where that money is going and why are people in our community blocked access to an area like Calgary,” Morrison added.
“It’s so much easier for us to go there than say Kelowna or Vancouver.”
The group is also addressing issues such as derelict vehicles and illegal dumping in rural areas and plans to update the public on its progress.
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Cranbrook Legion Branch #24 is starting its annual poppy campaign on Tuesday with a ceremony with the Mayor.
Each year the mayor is presented with a poppy from the legion.
“I give Mayor Wayne Price his poppy and the campaign is on its way,” said Branch president Tammy Richert.
“We’re holding the campaign out of the 44th squadron at the end of the strip by Sandor Rental.”
They raised a lot of money last year and Richert said it all goes back into the community.
“Last year we raised over $40,000 and it all goes to the community. We sponsored the hospital, Angel Flight, the cadets and veterans in need.”
She said the poppy is an important way to show your respect.
“The poppy represents our freedom. We sent men overseas in the first and second World Wars, Korea, Afghanistan and Bosnia to fight for the freedoms that we take for granted,” she said.
“We allow our young men to represent us and we need to be diligent in being respectful and kind and represent them to the best of our ability.”
At this year’s Remembrance Day Ceremony, there will be a rifle salute, so the legion is letting residents know now so there are no surprises.
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Paving work is going on in Canal Flats for the completion of Phase 1 of the Shore to Shore Pathway.
The paving extends from the Village office to the Canal Flats Post Office on Grainger Road.
There will likely be temporary disruptions to access and parking in the area.
Drivers are asked to slow down.
Paving is expected to wrap up by Oct. 31, if weather permits.
Phase 2 of the project is still in the design phase and on hold until proposed development and potential services upgrades along Grainger Road are completed.
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Nanaimo Fire Rescue is inviting residents to tour Fire Station #1 and learn about fire safety.
The open house is part of emergency preparedness month and fire prevention week. From 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 21, residents of all ages will be welcomed into the station to explore and meet firefighters.
“Residents get a fantastic opportunity to meet their local firefighters, take a look at our new equipment and get valuable fire safety information in an entertaining and interactive manner during our open house,” said fire chief Tim Doyle.
The event will include showing off new fire trucks, an interactive fire safety house and educational exhibits.
Comox Valley residents are being asked to keep their eyes out for strangely acting birds.
MARS Wildlife Rescue Centre is warning Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), also known as bird flu, may be back in the Comox Valley after a video was posted to social media of a Canada goose acting strangely.
The video showed the bird showing no signs of visible physical injuries but was acting wobbly and disoriented.
The observant member called the team at MARS, and a volunteer arrived minutes later to grab the bird and bring it to the rescue centre.
MARS is asking the public to watch out for any strangely acting birds now to try and limit the spread of wild and domestic populations in the area.
Signs of bird flu include wobbling, head and neck tilting and twisting, paralysis, seizures, inability to properly stand or flap wings, diarrhea, regurgitation, sneezing, blue ‘hazy’ eyes, and unexplained emaciation.
Anyone who sees any strangely acting birds they suspect have bird flu is asked to call the MARS Wildlife Hospital at 250-337-2021.
The Quesnel Volunteer Fire Department attended a motocross accident on Sunday. (Oct 19)
(photo by Karen Powell-qvfd)
Fire Chief Ron Richert says they were called to the track on Oval Road at around noon.
“Upon arrival we had a motocross cyclist that had some serious injuries. BC Ambulance did call in an aircraft, a helicopter, for extra support. The patient was airlifted to Prince George hospital.”
Richert says they were on scene for a couple of hours.
He says they were first on scene.
“Fire department, we were actually assisting BC Ambulance. BC Ambulance was backed up with calls so we actually were on scene prior to ambulance coming up.”
Richert says the rider’s injuries included broken limbs and fractures.
Staff and volunteers at the BC Forest Discovery Centre in Duncan are devastated after a weekend theft that’s left one of their signature displays without power.
According to the Centre, thieves broke in on Saturday night, stealing a large number of decorative lights and extension cords from the Ranger Station display along the Trans-Canada Highway — a key feature of their annual seasonal setup.
Manager Carol Miller says the non-profit simply can’t afford to replace the stolen items, and the incident has left their team “shocked and heartbroken” after all the effort that goes into creating a festive experience for the community.
The Centre is now unsure whether it will be able to relight the display this year. Anyone approached to purchase decorative lights, or who notices them installed elsewhere, is asked to contact the BC Forest Discovery Centre or local RCMP.
An order to have a vacant lot cleaned up on Lewis Street was debated to help improve safety, limit vegetation growth, and mitigate hazards in the area.
Municipality of North Cowichan council engaged in debate on a 30-day timeframe to have the owner of 2566 Lewis Street install appropriate fencing, provide regular lawn maintenance, and install no trespassing sign on the property with some asking to shorten the timeframe.
Mayor Rob Douglas says the environment for residents has deteriorated, and the municipality needs to step up and show residents their voices are being heard.
“Lewis Street, right now, is currently in one of the worst conditions I have ever seen, with encampments on both the north and south sides,” Douglas says. “The most vulnerable clearly needs our support, but at the same time the residents of Lewis Street are suffering too.”
Encampments in North Cowichan have grown and council has voted to escalate their actions by investigating options. Photo credit: Justin Baumgardner, VistaRadio
Douglas says taking a more aggressive stance on enacting remedial action would let residents know we’re taking their concerns into the highest priority.
“This vacant lot has become the sight of rapidly growing and increasingly disorderly encampment,” he says. “While the cleanup order won’t solve all the challenges on the street, it’s a meaningful step.”
Councillor Bruce Findlay agrees action must be taken to clean up Lewis Street and restore safety to the most vulnerable population, residents and businesses, but he says costs keep mounting for people living in the area and they’ve had enough.
“There are business owners who are incurring massive costs that are outside of their control,” he says. “Fencing is an enormous cost, and it would be great if we could send the bill to the province, we didn’t cause the issue.”
According to Findlay, public safety issues aren’t just limited to Lewis Street; they’re also filtering over to York Street, Beverly Street and starting to drift up to Drinkwater Road.
The motion for remedial action to be taken at 2566 Lewis Street was passed unanimously during a council meeting last week.
CUPE 1699 members have withdrawn their services from the Foothills Regional Landfill for today (Monday).
The job action began just before 7 o’clock this morning (Monday).
In addition, as of 8:45 am, union members withdraw their services from the following Regional District of Fraser-Fort George Transfer Stations and Landfills for one day.
Cummings Road Transfer Station
Vanway Transfer Station
Shelly Transfer Station
Mackenzie Landfill and Transfer Station
Valemount Transfer Station
Services are expected to resume at these sites tomorrow (Tuesday).
The following strike actions implemented over the weekend will continue until further notice:
The union is no longer training managers or exempt employees in any manner.
A local nonprofit that’s supporting accessible and inclusive transportation, is launching the Carefree Service.
Photo credit: The Carefree Society
It’s a fully accessible and inclusive sightseeing and activities tour service designed for people of all ages and abilities.
Starting next month, the new service will operate two to three pre-scheduled trips per week, offering scenic, educational, and culturally rich tours of Prince George and area amenities, venues and events.
The initiative reflects the organization’s commitment to providing equal opportunities for exploration and connection to those often excluded from traditional tourism experiences — including seniors / elders, people with disabilities, families with young children, and more.
“This is more than just a tour. It’s a movement toward community belonging and dignity,” said Christos Vardacostas, Executive Director of Carefree Society.
“We believe everyone deserves to experience the beauty, history, and joy of our beautiful city and region — without limits.”
Tour Features Include:
Wheelchair-accessible vehicles and boarding
Friendly direct support and facilitation of rider requirements
Allows rider accompaniment
Subsidized or free seats for low-income riders
Destinations people want to get to
“Tours are something that have been greatly needed in Prince George, so it’s exciting to see Carefree Society taking the lead,” said Carmen Herman, Interim CEO, Tourism Prince George.
“By making these tours accessible and community-based, they’re ensuring that everyone can explore our community together.”
A free launch celebration and demo ride is taking place on Wednesday, November 5th, at 10:30am, at 2832 Queensway Street.
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce presented its Inclusive Growth Award to the Prince George Chamber of Commerce due to its ongoing partnership with the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation.
The award recognizes chambers, businesses and leaders that are breaking down barriers and advancing economic inclusion for underrepresented groups in Canada’s business community.
The Canadian Chamber represents over 400 chambers of commerce and boards of trade and more than 200,000 businesses of all sizes.
Lheidli T’enneh Chief Dolleen Logan joined local chamber Advocacy Committee Chair Dr. Ron Camp and Executive Director Neil Godbout in accepting the award.
In addition, the Prince George Chamber of Commerce signed a formal partnership agreement with the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation in 2022 in which both parties committed to meeting regularly and working together to develop “a sustainable environment that supports a healthy economy and a high quality of life for the betterment” of the community and the region.
Local chamber members voted to amend its bylaw so the elected chief of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation had the authority – along with the mayor of Prince
George – to swear in the Chamber’s board of directors.
At the Chamber’s 2025 annual general meeting, Chief Logan exercised that authority for the first time in the Prince George Chamber’s 114-year history.
A stolen beverage cart was found burned near Waldorf School on Tuesday following another break-in at Granite Pointe Golf Club.
Nick Kennedy, director of operations, said two people were seen on motion camera footage walking across the golf course property around 4:42 a.m on Oct. 14.
They approached the cart barn, climbed onto it and entered through a hole in a side wall.
“They ended up driving it all the way to Waldorf Elementary and then burning it down. So now we’ve completely lost that vehicle,” Kennedy said.
He said it is not the first time this season the cart barn has been targeted.
“This is probably the fourth instance of them actually breaking into the barn. We’ve caught the last few on footage, but they obviously know what they’re doing and they’ve been putting in a ton of effort to steal these carts and we are trying to track them down,” he said.
So far, two carts – including the stolen beverage cart – have been destroyed. Kennedy said another cart was stolen and later found destroyed a month earlier.
“They also crashed the beverage cart at that time, but we were able to fix it. There’s no carts that we’ve actually not retrieved or found afterwards, but we’ve completely totalled two and we’ve had damage to probably six others,” he said.
Kennedy said the cost of a new beverage cart is at least $15,000, while replacing a regular cart starts at about $8,000.
He added that the golf course has gathered a few leads on suspects, who are believed to live in the Rosemont area.
“I believe that the resident would probably live in Rosemont. They’re usually walking over. We’ve also seen them come over previously on an e‑scooter and in a mask. Our late‑night workers actually saw them pull in and they just booked away,” he said.
Although video footage in each theft shows two people, Kennedy believes only one person is involved repeatedly.
“We’ve noticed two individuals on different occasions on video. We’ve definitely been able to tell that one of the individuals has been coming back multiple times,” Kennedy said.
“I was able to tell that the second individual has changed once or twice, but it looks like for sure this one individual has been kind of the head of it.”
The individual believed to be involved in all the thefts has been seen walking with a slight limp.
Kennedy asks Rosemont residents to check any door camera footage from about 4:42 a.m. on Oct. 14 and report suspicious activity near the golf course.
“If you notice somebody driving a cart at night or something, if you don’t mind reporting that to us and please check your cameras to see if you’re noticing mass individuals walking near the course,” he said.
“We’ve been trying to get through the end of the year and finish strong. But having these repeat thefts has put a lot of stress on the business. We’re not necessarily a thriving golf course. We’re just trying to keep the doors open, and we rely on our community support. We’re really thankful for the support that we do get.”
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Some new nets and light bulbs will likely need to be ordered for the Kopar Memorial Arena after getting an intense workout.
That’s because fans were treated to a pair of offensive showdowns between the Nanaimo Clippers and the Prince George Spruce Kings, with the BCHL’s most northern franchise coming out on top with 7-5 and 9-4 victories Saturday and Sunday.
Defense was optional to put it mildly during the first period of Saturday’s contest with both teams tied at 4-4.
After Carson Lesiuk made it 1-0 Clippers, PG rattled off three consecutive goals courtesy of Spencer Masters, Ben Vreugdenhil and Michael Denney.
The fire wagon hockey continued as Elliott Perreault (Nanaimo) and Evan Bellamy (Spruce Kings) traded goals to make it a 4-2 spread.
Hayden Fechner and Indiana Grossband evened the score for the Clippers, chasing PG goalie Colin Reay from the net.
In the second, both teams settled into it with the goals becoming a little harder to come by.
Kazumo Sasaki made it 5-2 Spruce Kings while on the power-play assisted by Ozbej Rep and Tai Ushio.
Charles Beland put Nanaimo back on even terms before the end of the period notching his fourth of the campaign past Ryder Green.
Ushio and Mason Loewen issued the final blows in the third period lighting the lamp to escape with the hard-fought two points.
Green picked up the win in relief for the Spruce Kings stopping 21 of 22 Clippers pucks while Eliot Seguin-Lescarbeau took the loss in goal for Nanaimo allowing seven goals on 28 shots.
The Spruce Kings went 3-for-5 on the power-play while Nanaimo was 2-for-4.
On Sunday, the 1980’s style fire wagon hockey continued as the Spruce Kings jumped out to a 5-1 lead and never looked back against Nanaimo, enroute to the five-goal victory.
For the second straight day it would be the Clippers striking first as Samuel Boisvert scored on the power-play 90 seconds in.
PG then flicked the switched and scored five straight goals to blow the game open.
Vreugdenhil and Fraser Leonard capped off the first period scoring while Masters, Saskai and Dominik Szcygiel joined the party in period two.
A seven-goal third period kept the fans at the Kopar Memorial Arena on the edge of their seat.
Jack Rimmer opened the scoring 44 seconds in for the Clippers to make it 5-2. Then, Mathis Laplante (Spruce Kings) and Beland (Clippers) traded goals 28 seconds apart.
Ushio notched his seventh of the season to give Prince George its sizeable lead back at 7-3.
Fechner picked up his second in as many games, keeping the Clippers hanging on by a thread.
Ushio and Ryan Wachtel finished off the night with two more goals. Green picked up the victory in goal making 27 saves.
Dryden Reilly stayed in for all nine Spruce Kings goals, picking up the loss on 23 saves for Nanaimo.
The Spruce Kings went 4-for-7 on the man advantage while Nanaimo was 3-for-5.
PG improves to 5-4 on the season and will hit the road next weekend with stops in Chilliwack (Friday) and Surrey (Saturday).
Spruce Kings sit third in the Coastal East Division, four points back of the Coquitlam Express.
It was a tough end to a promising season for the UNBC Timberwolves men’s soccer team.
The T-Wolves dropped their final two games of the regular season to the defending national champion UBC Thunderbirds by scores of 2-1 (Friday) and 4-0 (Sunday).
On Friday, Isaac Tate opened the scoring for UNBC capitalizing on a James Jordan pass that found its way past Thunderbirds goalkeeper Jack Garner.
Ten minutes later, Max Comsia evened the scored for the UBC in the 28th minute with a great finish inside the box that found its way that beat UNBC netminder Logan Pierce.
Luke Norman finished the comeback for the Thunderbirds in the 48th minute from Comsia to put the visitors up for good.
Pierce made 10 saves in the loss for the Timberwolves.
On Sunday, a pair of defensive miscues led to a pair of quick strikes by UBC.
Oliver Herbert and Markus Kaiser scored three minutes apart in the first half to pace the defending national champs to a commanding 2-0 edge at halftime.
Henri Godbout capped off a great individual effort from Brandon Momotami in the 71st minute to extend the lead.
In the 90th minute, Luke Norman added to the advantage.
Pierce sustained a knee injury at the end of the game and had to be helped off the field following a loose ball collision with a Thunderbirds attacker.
UBC ends the regular season best in the Canada West at 15-0-1 while UNBC finishes out of the playoff picture at 4-9-2.
Five Directors were on hand from the Williams Lake Stampede Association to accept a very prestigious honor.
Earlier this month the Canadian Professional Cowboy Association ( CPRA) presented them with the “Rodeo of the Year Award”.
President of the Williams Lake Stampede, Court Smith, said this is actually the first year they awarded it in that fashion.
“Years past it use to be called the Committee Man of the Year but they changed it because it was specific to one person. We were honored and surprised to have received it and it’s wonderful that they recognized the changes that we made over the last few years here in Williams Lake.”
Rodeo of the Year Award is a Canada-wide award and there were seven other nominations in the running to win it.
“There’s a Board on the CPRA that reviews the nominees and we were the one that was chosen this year,” Smith said, “they have a criteria that they’re looking for, and I reviewed that criteria just the other day, and I said yep, Williams Lake hit all of those. They were looking at spectator interaction, growth, changes, which we’ve done all of those things.”
One of those changes the Williams Lake Stampede Association introduced to this past rodeo event was the installation of big screen tv’s in the Let Er Buck Saloon so fans could watch the action.
“That was really well received,” Smith said, “and we’re certainly planning to do that again next year.” It gives those spectators that perhaps either don’t want to or were unable to get a ticket into the main grandstand it gives them another venue to watch the rodeo in kind of a an outdoor atmosphere.”
And though it’s just past the middle of October, the Williams Lake Stampede Association has begun working on next year’s event.
“I always say this is a 12-month of the year operation. We had our monthly meeting just recently, we’re sorting out our portfolios, we’re organizing for the 2026 Stampede, and I’m really happy and impressed with our volunteer Directors that have stepped up and they are all excited to make things as good or better than they were in 2025.”
Smith noted that entertainment is becoming a bigger piece of their Stampede event and there will be other things they’ll be looking at in terms of providing a great spectator experience.
“Without the volunteers and the sponsorship that we get to put on this event, we couldn’t do it. I’m always amazed at the community’s support that we get and we hope that we provide what the community is looking for and hoping for. We’re always open to hearing the community’s wishes and desires and trying to make it as good as we can for everybody.”
Smith said the Rodeo of the Year Award is reflective of our sponsorship, our volunteers, the City of Williams Lake and the residents, they were all a part of this.
The City of Castlegar may try out a lower speed limit on 5th Avenue South, as council considers reducing speeds in residential areas throughout the city.
City council received a letter this month on behalf of multiple residents on 5th, a major residential thoroughfare through Kinnaird. The letter said speeding has been an ongoing issue and asked the city to consider lowering the limit, to install traffic-calming measures like speed bumps, raised crosswalks, or curb extensions, and to provide more signage or electric speed readers to encourage people to slow down.
Councillor Sue Heaton-Sherstobitoff put forward a motion that the city place speed readers as requested and ask RCMP to do some extra enforcement.
Councillor Darcy Bell, who lives on 5th, said he could personally attest that “it gets really bad there. The speed they drive is crazy. So I support anything we do to help reduce that.” Councillor Brian Bogle agreed something needs to be done, because he often sees pedestrians walking along that street, which has no sidewalks.
Mayor Maria McFaddin proposed a pilot project to see if lowering the limit from 50 km/h to 40 km/h would make a difference. She suggested that in a 50 zone, drivers might be willing to go as high as 60, but in a 40 zone, they might at least slow down to 50.
She said lowering the limit on every residential street in the city would “open a can of worms,” so she would prefer to keep experiment to one area. She also noted that the city’s electronic signs are out of commission due to vandalism.
Councillor Sue Heaton-Sherstobitoff said council has already had discussed changing speed limits, and the advice they received from engineering staff was that things can get confusing when there are different limits on different streets.
She suggested some electronic speed signs be rented until the city’s are fixed. She also suggested there are streets that have even worse problems than 5th Avenue, citing 6th and 9th examples.
“There’s complaints all the time on 9th, so I think we do simple things right now and then just pass it over to staff to see what their recommendations are,” she said.
City staff said one of the broken sign boards is expected to be repaired, while another will have to be replaced, but it’s not known how long that will take.
Heaton-Sherstobitoff’s original motion carried. McFaddin then put forward the idea of asking city staff to provide a report on reducing the speed limit on 5th, and using the results to help determine whether to make a similar change city-wide, except for the main corridors. That motion also passed.
Having trouble finding a parking spot at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital in Trail? Get used to it, because it will get worse before it gets better.
Interior Health says it’s tried to improve parking access at the hospital over the past couple of years by repainting lines to allow for more vehicles, increasing the number of accessible stalls, and increasing the number of stalls designated for seniors and expectant mothers.
But the MRI expansion project, expected to begin next year, will gobble up 14 stalls. Once the project is complete, the health authority expects to add up to 39 new stalls, and gravel sections at the far end of the parking lot will be paved. However, the MRI project isn’t expected to be finished until the summer of 2028.
In an email, Interior Health said it encourages you to arrive ahead of your appointment or ask someone to drop you off and pick you up so that you don’t have to find parking. They also encourage using public transit to get to and from the hospital.
On Tuesday afternoon, a Vista Radio reporter found a handful of spots available at the back of the lot, as well as one vacant spot about halfway down.
Parking at the hospital in Trail is free, unlike several other Interior Health facilities, including East Kootenay Regional Hospital in Cranbrook, Penticton Regional Hospital, and Kelowna General Hospital (which has its own parkade).
Parking lot at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital in Trail. (Greg Nesteroff/Vista Radio)
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Sports by Hartley Monday, October 20th, 2025 (As of 12:05 a.m.)
WHL:
Prince George Cougars 9 Tri-City Americans 3 (Saturday)
The Cougars exploded for six unanswered goals in the 3rd period, with four of them in a 67-second span, three of which came on the power play.
Terik Parascak scored twice and added three assists while Kooper Gizowski notched a goal and three assists as P.G. improved to 4-0 on the road.
“Junior Hockey at its finest right there”, joked Assistant Coach Carter Rigby on the 94.3 the Goat post-game show. “The resilience and leadership from our group tonight was fabulous. You lose Perry (Terik Parascak) there for a little bit at the end of the second and then he gets back on gets the train to roll in the right direction. It was a wild one, but proud of the group for sticking with it when it was tied in a tough barn and thankful to pull that one out.”
This week’s guest on @PGCougars Cat Scan #podcast is asst coach Carter Rigby. Topics include: Transition from player to coach & from head coach in KIJHL to assistant in WHL; coaching aspirations; looking after hotels, meals & billets; going to clinics; making hockey connections. https://t.co/E3Vk8X9R5y
The (5-4) Spruce Kings visit the Chilliwack Chiefs on Friday and the Surrey Eagles on Saturday with their next home game on Saturday, November 1st against Salmon Arm.
The (10-7) B.C. Lions are riding a 5-game winning streak entering their final game of the regular season Saturday (4:00 PT) at Saskatchewan.
If the Lions beat the first-place Roughriders, they will clinch 2nd place and a home playoff game.
Week 21 starts with a pair of games Friday; (4-13) Ottawa at (10-7) Hamilton (4:00 PT) and (10-7) Calgary at (7-10) Edmonton (6:30).
The other game on the final weekend before playoffs has (10-7) Montreal at (9-8) Winnipeg Saturday (noon).
The Division semi-finals will be played on Saturday, November 1st followed by the Division finals on November 8th and the 112th Grey Cup Game on Sunday, November 16th in Winnipeg.
CFL West: Saskatchewan 12-5, B.C. 10-7, Calgary 10-7, Winnipeg 9-8, Edmonton 7-10. CFL East: Hamilton 10-7, Montreal 10-7, Toronto 5-13, Ottawa 4-13.
The City of Prince George had a strong September for building permit values.
According to a report being presented to City Council at tomorrow’s (Monday) meeting, the City issued 48 building permits last month, worth a combined $8.9 million.
Once again housing led the way, with nine permits for new single family dwellings, and two for new duplexes.
September 2025 building permit values (Courtesy: City of Prince George)
As of the end of September, the City has issued 328 building permits worth a combined $240.7 million.
September 2025 year-to-date building permit values (Courtesy: City of Prince George)
Other items to be discussed at tomorrow’s meeting includes a nuisance property on Quentin Avenue, and amendments to the highways bylaw for an e-scooter pilot project.
Hundreds gathered and honoured each other at the Quesnel and District Chamber of Commerce’s Business Excellence Awards in Quesnel’s Senior Centre on Saturday, Oct. 18.
The night started with Kathy Somerville, Manager of the Quesnel and District Chamber of Commerce’s opening remarks. Saying it was one of the hardest years to narrow down the lists of nominees in each category. With one of the most prosperous years for new businesses growing in the city, some businesses were celebrating milestones among the plethora of reasons.
Summed up by only one category out of the eleven in the night had fewer than a dozen nominees.
This year, a brand new award was given out. Lifetime Achievement Business Award. This was awarded to Ted Martindale, owner of Granville’s Coffee.
“It means a heck of a lot. I’ve lived here since 1950, and my family has been in business in this town since 1950, including my parents, and my brother,” Martindale said, who accepted his award, dedicating it to Mary Sjostrom, who passed earlier that week.
“ I developed this crazy idea of Granville’s in 1993, and thanks to the people of Quesnel, I have enough volume to do community work. As a result I wind up with this award, but sometimes I don’t know whether I deserve it. It’s something that I really, really appreciate.”
Winning Business Person of the Year was Jamie Delves of Lil Red Pony Feed & Supplies, who said she was taken back by the win.
“There was a lot of great nominees, I am shocked to be honest,” Delves said. “I just have a lot of gratitude for the community of Quesnel and for everybody that trusted me and trusted my business, for all the support. To my family for their unwavering support. It’s a true honor.”
During the evening, around $1,000 of door prizes, donated by more local businesses, were drawn.
It was a night that showcased how the business community of the town comes together.
The List of all the winners and their categories follows:
Business Person of the Year — Jamie Delves
Business of the Year (5 Employees or Less) — Sign Stop
Business of the Year (5 Employees or More) — Paradise Salon & Spa
New Business of the Year/New Ownership — Crumb & Get it
Agricultural Excellence Award — Harvest Cariboo Agriculture Producers Association (Quesnel Farmer’s Market)
Home–Based Business — Cookie Bitz
Lifetime Achievement Business Award — Ted Martindale, Granville’s Coffee
Indigenous Social Leadership Award — Tori Clement
Excellence in Tourism Award — Lhtako Dene Nation
Social Leadership Award — Steven Mitchell, Way of the First
Greatest Improvement Award — Prestige Riverside Lodge
The BMI Group has acquired the former Mackenzie Paper Mill.
The 885-acre property, which includes about 345,000 square feet of industrial buildings and direct rail access, will be re-established as Willmarck Mackenzie.
According to a release from BMI, the project will be supported by Niagara Port Services, a BMI Ventures company specializing in multimodal logistics, warehousing, and site-readiness operations.
“At NPS, we know how getting logistics right can unlock new opportunities,” said Morgan Kernohan, General Manager, Niagara Port Services.
“Mackenzie has the core ingredients, rail, highway access, lang, and a seasoned workforce. We’re going to put our Niagara multimodal model to work up here to help get things moving again.”
“Our town has weathered its share of ups and downs,” said Mackenzie Mayor Joan Atkinson.
“But this is a community that shows up for one another. We’re resilient and ready to work with BMI to explore new opportunities for the next generation.
BMI said there are are plans to work alongside local and Indigenous partners, and they will collaborate with community and civic leadership to evaluate opportunities that align with community priorities, regional resources, and long-term goals.
A new report shows 93 per cent of residents living in Campbell River rate the quality of life as high, but also says there are some concerns to improve in the region.
Council will hear the results of the survey during a Committee of the Whole meeting on Oct. 21 that’ll highlight the responses of 1,400 randomly selected residents.
The report says 93 per cent of respondents said the city is a great place to raise children, and retire, but 56 per cent said homelessness and addiction are a big concern across the city.
Respondents also said when it came to downtown safety, 39 per cent felt safe, while 29 per cent felt unsafe, and concluded the city needed to do a better job at addressing housing affordability and availability.
According to the staff report, the results will go before council for information only and will be used in decision-making, resource allocation, and shaping the future of Campbell River.
The results were analyzed by Discovery Research and compared against past surveys from 2019, 2021, and 2023 demographic breakdowns.
967 fans at Kopar Memorial Arena were treated to a high-scoring affair last night (Saturday) as the Prince George Spruce Kings picked up a 7-5 win over the Nanaimo Clippers.
After the Clippers got on the board less than two minutes into the game, the Spruce Kings answered back with goals from Spencer Masters, Ben Vreugdenhil, and Michael Denny.
Just 11 seconds after Denny made it 3-1, Elliot Perreault brought the Clippers back within one.
Evan Bellamy restored the two-goal lead for the Spruce Kings 33 seconds later, but the Clippers scored two more to tie the game at 4-4 heading into the second.
In the middle frame, Kazumo Sasaki scored for the Spruce Kings, but Charles Beland answered for the Clippers.
In the third, Tai Ushio scored what was the eventual winner, with Mason Loewen adding an empty net marker.
Goaltending duties for the Spruce Kings were split, with Colin Reay getting the start and making 8 saves on 12 shots.
He was replaced after the fourth Nanaimo goal by Ryder Green, who made 21 saves on 22 shots.
The Prince George Cougars scored in bunches in a 9-3 win over the Tri-City Americans last night. (Saturday)
The Cougars opened the game with a quick burst of three goals in the first six minutes of the game.
After a three-goal second period from Tri-City, the Cats exploded in the third period for six goals.
Five of the Cougars’ goals in the period came in a span of two minutes and 35 seconds, stunning the 3,243 fans at the Toyota Centre in Kennewick.
“A great start by our group, we came out, we knew they were going to push, they did,” said Cougars Assistant Coach Carter Rigby on the post-game show on 94.3 the Goat.
“They came back, but the resiliency and the leadership of our group I thought tonight was fabulous.”
The Cougars’ powerplay was perfect on the night, scoring on all four opportunities, including a stretch of five-on-three that started the third period.
Kooper Gizowski opened the scoring less than two minutes into the game to continue his hot start to the season.
Brock Souch added onto the lead with a powerplay marker 5:49 into the period.
Both Gizowski (9G, 8A) and Souch (4G, 10A) have points in every game for the Cougars so far this season.
Just 13 seconds after Souch made it 2-0, Jett Lajoie added onto the lead and chased Ryan Grout from the Tri-City net and bringing in Xavier Wendt.
The Americans answered with three goals in the second period, coming from Savin Virk, Ismail Abougouche, and Cruz Pavao.
In the third period, Terik Parascak started the party 1:29 into the final frame, potting in a powerplay goal.
The Nelson Police Department is bringing back its Youth Police Academy this November- a hands-on program designed for youth aged 11 to 14.
Running over four weeks, the Academy offers young participants a behind-the-scenes look at law enforcement, with interactive sessions led by Nelson Police officers. From learning about investigations to exploring teamwork and leadership, it’s a unique opportunity to experience the world of policing in a fun and educational setting.
The program is free, but space is limited—early registration is strongly encouraged.
Western Pacific Marine (WMP) has notified passengers that the Osprey 2000 will be out of service from tomorrow, Monday, Oct. 20, to Monday, Nov. 17, for scheduled semi-annual maintenance.
During this time, the MV Balfour will operate in its place on the Kootenay Lake Ferry route.
“Please note the Balfour will be running on the winter schedule and will have reduced deck capacity.” said WPM.
For the latest updates on sailings and delays, visit DriveBC.
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Despite recent rainfall bringing brief relief to parts of southeastern B.C., much of the Kootenay region remains under significant drought stress heading into the fall.
British Columbia’s drought monitoring summary shows several areas in the Columbia Basin — including the East Kootenay and Elk Valley — are still facing Level 3 to 5 drought conditions, the highest on the province’s five-point scale.
In the Kootenays, where communities rely heavily on local watersheds for everything from drinking water to agriculture and wildfire protection, the prolonged dry conditions have renewed calls for local water governance and long-term watershed security planning.
“The current drought in southeastern B.C. demonstrates how vulnerable our water systems are and why more coordination and investment in local decision-making is urgently needed,” said Kat Hartwig, executive director of Living Lakes Canada and chair of the Elk River Monitoring Collaborative.
“Many of our small and rural communities are already experiencing how water shortages impact everything from drinking water to wildfire suppression,” said Hartwig.
That message was front and centre at the Without Water Symposium, held in June in Grasmere, south of Fernie. Organized by the Elk River Monitoring Collaborative, the event brought together more than 100 residents, knowledge holders and community leaders to discuss the future of water security in the region. Their insights are captured in the recently released What We Heard report.
“The message from the symposium was clear: there is enough water, until there isn’t,” said Hartwig. “We need transparent data, watershed planning, and empowered local leadership to manage water quantity across B.C.’s regions.”
Participants spoke candidly about their personal, cultural and spiritual relationships to water, and emphasized the importance of making watershed-related decisions in uncertain conditions. They also called for more integrated, community-driven approaches.
Feedback from the symposium led to three main calls to action:
Better incorporate Indigenous worldviews into decision-making, including mechanisms such as rights for nature or legal personhood.
Support local and Indigenous water governance with sustained resources, such as funded local water tables.
Reduce knowledge silos to improve efficiency by leveraging collective action for climate adaptation in communities.
These findings echo wider calls across the province for increased watershed investment, especially in regions like the Kootenays where drought, wildfire and ecosystem stress often intersect.
“The provincial Watershed Security Fund, with annual disbursements ranging from $3 million to $5 million, is a good start,” said Hartwig. “But it’s not enough. We need dedicated and sustained support for regions like ours.”
Hartwig also pointed to water licensing reform as a potential tool to enable better local governance.
“Modernizing B.C.’s water licensing system could support community-based decision-making and strengthen both local economies and ecosystem health,” she said.
A provincial organization that provides support for adults with developmental disabilities is reviewing an incident in Warfield this month where a man assaulted a teacher.
RCMP said a 36-year-old man with special needs jumped from a moving vehicle and then entered Webster elementary through a door left unlocked due to a construction project.
They said a teacher found the man in the school gym. When she approached him, he grabbed her hair. The teacher freed herself with help from a colleague.
School staff managed the incident until the man was returned to his support worker.
Community Living BC would not agree to an interview, but provided a written statement. They said they couldn’t comment on the specifics of any individual receiving supports funded by the organization, but acknowledged the impact on the teacher and the school.
“We want to assure you that CLBC is working closely with the service provider as well as the individual and have offered support to the school community to address concerns and prevent similar incidents in the future,” they wrote.
The organization said it will review whether the man’s individual support plan was implemented as intended and whether any changes are needed to ensure his safety and well-being.
“This follow-up also includes determining whether policies and procedures were followed and whether further review action is required,” the statement said.
Community Living BC said it works will all its service providers to ensure “continuous improvement in quality and safety.”
“Reviews following an incident help us identify opportunities to strengthen practices and ensure that supports remain responsive to each person’s unique needs and to address any overall safety concerns,” the statement said.
The organization added that they are co-operating with the Trail RCMP and offering support to the school.
A grizzly bear involved in a recent attack near Fort Steele has been confirmed dead, according to the B.C. Conservation Officer Service.
Officers said they responded last week to a report of a dead grizzly found near the site of the attack. DNA testing later confirmed it was the same bear responsible.
The victim remains in hospital and is still recovering, the agency said.
Conservation officers thanked everyone who supported the response efforts.
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Discussions were left open by the District of Port Hardy after a delegation appeared before council to improve the baseball fields at Park Drive.
According to Trish Fossum, the fields need repair and upgrades as numbers grow in the community, but also for safety reasons.
Fossum also said to council during the Oct. 14 meeting that making improvements would elevate the district’s ability to host more and be a leader in the Triport region.
“We’re kind of in the best position in the Triport area, in regard to our number of diamonds, and the quality of them,” she says. “Being a leader in that regard would be awesome.”
According to the letter submitted to council, improvements include better drainage and levelling the surface, providing a safer and softer diamond for players, as well as expanding the infield by 10 feet.
Fossum says other improvements would include emptying port-a-potties on a regular basis.
Councillor Brian Texmo says he agrees, and sympathizes, with Fossum’s assessment of the field and the condition it’s in and is unsuitable for older players to have games.
“There’s no question that the field isn’t suitable except for teaching some super young kids,” he says. “As soon as you get into games the infield is dangerous and rock hard, and the outfield is swampy.”
Texmo says he is going to advocate for finding a solution to bring the Park Drive field back to life and make it safer for all members of the public to play.
According to Fossum, improvements to the field would align with the district’s Official Community Plan.
A garbage truck fire sends its driver to the hospital on Saturday, Oct. 18.
The truck caught on fire on Larch Avenue, off Highway 97 in South Quesnel. Fire Chief Ron Richert says the fire department was called to the scene at around 10:40 in the morning, at the Dragon Lake Veterinary parking lot.
“Upon arrival, the garbage compartment was fully involved. Crews quickly extinguished the fire, and the fire was contained to the rear of the garbage truck.”
The driver of the truck was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation. Richert says the driver is okay, otherwise.
The Quesnel Fire Department brought two of their own trucks, Engine 21 from the Red Bluff fire hall and Tender 11, to the scene. All together, it took the Fire Department nine minutes from when the call came in until they were at the scene to extinguish the flames.
Childcare spaces in Crofton have been approved by North Cowichan council, but there are some concerns surrounding the building.
Council agrees childcare spaces are needed but says the $5.4 million price tag is extremely high despite the province providing all the funding for the facility.
Councillor Bruce Findlay said he’d support the motion to build the facility, but the price tag it carries could be better utilized in other aspects.
“We could build 30 affordable apartment units for that, with a main floor of childcare spaces,” says Findlay. “I want to see daycare, but the cost just floors me.”
He says the costs have escalated from $2.6 million.
General manager George Farkas says the project is being totally funded by the province, and the cost to the municipality will be for maintenance only.
“Yes, it’s a very high-priced building, and capital construction is very hard to do,” Farkas says. “Council will have to make a commitment in the long term for future repairs to the facility as it ages.”
Mayor Rob Douglas says he understands the apprehension about the costs for the project, but this will be a welcome addition not only for children but for the local economy.
“While I do appreciate the concerns about the high cost of the building, it’s fully funded by the province,” says Douglas. “This will create local jobs, and give children access to early learning, and provide a space while parents are unavailable.”
“We could see construction started in early 2026 and completed by 2027,” Douglas adds.
The recommendation to proceed with tendering construction of the facility has been approved by all members of council.
The facility will be located on Berridge Street, Crofton.
The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George’s landfills and transfer stations are currently following their regular operating schedules.
This is after CUPE 1699 served the Regional District with a 72 hours strike notice on Wednesday.
If the union initiates job action at the landfills and transfer stations, an essential services designation from the BC Labour Relations Board would have:
Foothills Boulevard Regional Landfill remain open five days per week for eight hours per day
Mackenzie Select Waste Landfill and Regional Transfer Station remain open three days per week for eight hours per day
Valemount Regional Transfer Station remain open three days per week for eight hours per day
Job action may impact some transfer stations’ operating hours, but residents can expect locations to be open within the Regional District’s network of sites to dispose their waste.
Another prescribed burn is scheduled to begin later this week in the Cariboo.
BC Wildfire Service along with Williams Lake First Nation are planning to conduct this project in an eight hectare area near Brunson Lake, approximately 7 kilometres North of Felker Lake, and is expected to begin as early as this Tuesday, October 21 continuing periodically until Friday October 31.
“Ignitions will proceed only if conditions are suitable and allow for quick smoke dissipation,” Cariboo Fire Centre Information Officer Madison Dahl said, “Smoke will be visible to surrounding areas and to motorists travelling along Dog Creek Road, Chimney Lake Road and Highway 20.”
Dahl said low to moderate intensity spot fires will be lit to remove slash accumulation and the objective is to reduce wildfire risk around Williams Lake and surrounding communities.
“Firefighters will closely monitor the fire activity at all times during the burn,” Dahl noted, “and will remain on-site to monitor conditions into the evening. Smoke from within the perimeter of the burn may be visible up to 72 hours after ignition.”
There wasn’t a whole lot of cheering from the 3573 fans at accesso ShoWare Centre, as the visiting Prince George Cougars blanked the Seattle Thunderbirds 5-0.
The Cougars victory was led by goalie Josh Ravensbergen with a 36 save shutout and sniper Kooper Gizowski with his first WHL hat trick.
It was Ravenbergen’s first regular season shutout since Dec. 9th, 2023.
“I think Josh [Ravensbergen] earned his first star award in the first period when we gave up four or five grade A scoring chances.” said Associate Coach Jim Playfair in the post-game show on 94.3 The Goat. “He helped us in there, gives a chance to get our footing in the game, and I think that’s something that we talked about was our starts and our finishes.”
Gizowski was the first player to put the Cougars on the board 14:43 into the first, extending his point streak to all eight games this season (8 goals and 5 assists).
Shots favoured the Cougars 12-10.
It didn’t take long for things to get going in the second period, as Gizkowski found the back of the net for the second time 1:09 in, thanks to a power play.
Brock Souch managed to extend the lead by three with two seconds remaining, as the puck trickled past Thunderbirds goaltender Grayson Malinoski.
The Cougars had 18 shots that period, over the Thunderbirds 14.
Just past the midway point of the third period at 10:34, Gizkowski took advantage of a struggling Thunderbirds team, scoring his third of the game, earning the third star of the game and extending his team’s lead by four.
“I think he’s [Gizowski] really proven to us that he’s a good teammate, he’s a good person, and he’s a hired gun.” said Playfair. “He’s hired to score and that’s his job, that’s what he wants to do, that’s what we need him to do, and I think that he’s found a niche on the powerplay with Carson [Carels] working over there, and he’s found some big goals for us.”
Aiden Foster joined in on the action, picking up the team’s fifth and final goal 12:50 into the third.
The Cougars once again had the most shots that period with 15, over the Thunderbirds 12, bringing the total shot count to 45-36 for PG.
The Cougars now have a 6-2 record, (including 3-0 on the road) and will travel to Kennewick, Washington, to face the Tri-City Americans (2-5) tonight (Saturday) with puck drop at 6:05.
Some drivers across the Kootenays are still deciding to use their cell phones and failing to buckle up.
Dozens of drivers in the region were ticketed in September for distracted driving and seatbelt violations, according to figures from B.C. Highway Patrol.
The enforcement was part of Distracted Driving and Occupant Restraint Month, an annual safety campaign that targets unsafe behaviours behind the wheel.
“It’s simple. If we can get fewer people to drive while distracted, and more people to wear their seatbelts, then we will save more lives,” said Supt. Mike Coyle with B.C. Highway Patrol.
“We will keep writing tickets for people who don’t obey the law, but the real goal is public safety.”
In the Kootenay region, which includes Revelstoke, Nelson, Cranbrook and Golden, officers issued:
116 tickets for using an electronic device while driving (a $368 fine)
58 tickets for failing to wear a seatbelt or other occupant restraint offences (a $167 fine)
“As we move into the Halloween season and the days get shorter, it’s even more important that you eliminate distractions behind the wheel,” said Coyle.
“Pedestrians are hard to see in the darkness and rain of fall. You need all of your attention to keep yourself, your loved ones and the people in your neighbourhood safe on the roads.”
A major debris flow mitigation project designed to protect Fairmont Hot Springs from future landslide events has officially been completed.
The Cold Spring Creek Debris Flow Mitigation Project, which was celebrated Oct. 8, includes a large containment barrier capable of holding up to 84,000 cubic metres of debris — enough to withstand a 300- to 1,000-year return period event, according to project engineers.
The new barrier stands about eight metres tall and 135 metres long, located above the existing Cold Spring Creek channel. It features a three-metre-wide vertical outlet equipped with steel bars that allow water to flow through while trapping larger debris.
Additional work included the excavation of a sediment basin, diversion of the creek, reinforcement of water lines and the creation of an upstream access road for ongoing maintenance.
$13.6M project funded primarily by grants
The total cost of the project was $13.6 million. The Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) secured 98.5 per cent of that funding through a combination of federal, provincial and municipal grants.
Key funding sources included:
$750,000 from the UBCM Community Emergency Preparedness Fund – Structural Flood Mitigation Stream (2019)
$150,000 from the Fairmont Flood and Landslide Service Area
$475,000 from Community Works Funds
$9,723,000 from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program – COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream (80/20 federal-provincial split)
$2 million from the UBCM Community Emergency Preparedness Fund – Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Adaptation (2023–24)
$500,000 (approximate) from the Growing Communities Fund
Construction began in September 2023.
Federal and provincial officials who supported the project say it plays an important role in climate resilience and community safety.
“Our government is dedicated to ensuring communities are better protected from weather-related events,” said the Honourable Stephen Fuhr, secretary of state (defence procurement) and member of Parliament for Kelowna.
“This project strengthens community resilience by preventing damage before it happens and avoiding costly disruptions to essential services. We are proud to have supported this project, which will safeguard people, local infrastructure and livelihoods in Fairmont Hot Springs from the devastating impacts of debris flows for years to come.”
B.C. Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Kelly Greene also emphasized the long-term benefits.
“This project is an important step toward making the Fairmont Hot Springs community safer by reducing the impacts of future debris flows,” Greene said.
“Our government is proud to invest in projects like this, which will help protect people, homes and infrastructure and strengthen the community’s resilience for years to come.”
Local leaders credit partnerships
Electoral Area F Director Susan Clovechok said the project is a strong example of multiple levels of government working together to act on scientific risk assessments.
“From the funding we received from both provincial and federal sources to the support of the regional board, this project showcases the importance of partnership at every level in ensuring community safety when scientific evidence demonstrates that there is a significant risk to the community,” said Clovechok.
“And none of it would have been possible without the tireless efforts and commitment of our staff, project partners and contractors.”
The Cold Spring Creek project is one of several flood and debris mitigation efforts underway across southeastern British Columbia, where mountainous terrain and increasingly volatile weather patterns have increased the risk of debris flows and flash flooding.
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A Castlegar-based non-profit has come to the rescue of a proposed extended-hour childcare facility in Tadanac.
Kootenay Family Place was announced this week as the agency that will operate the Unicorn Childcare Centre, expected to be completed in the spring of 2027.
The project was originally announced in 2021 and supposed to open the following year, but it was delayed in part because no non-profit could be found to run it. Having such an operator in place was a requirement to receive provincial funding.
Kootenay Family Place executive director Gert Harrison explained in an interview that his organization didn’t become involved initially because it was too busy completing the Castlegar and District Kids’ Club, a childcare centre next to the recreation complex. Although the City of Trail approached them about running Unicorn, they declined.
Harrison said there was an assumption a non-profit childcare provider in the Trail area would be found to operate the facility, but a proposed extended hours model made that challenging. Although uncommon, the model is one Teck and the city had identified a need for, he said. Last December, with the Unicorn project still in limbo, Sue Bock, who conducted the original feasibility study, asked Kootenay Family Place if they would reconsider.
“We took the proposal to our board and spoke with some of the staff from ChildCare BC,” Harrison explained. “The message that we heard was that this project either needed to go forward or they were going to lose the funding for the new space.
“As we got the Kids’ Club centre off the ground and running, we now had the capacity to take on another project.”
Kootenay Family Place met with the city several times as the proposal was scaled back from 65 spaces to 44 due to rising construction costs. Those spaces include a dozen for infants and toddlers and 32 for ages three to five, split between two rooms.
It’s expected there will be 10 staff to start and hours of 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m, which will be gradually increased, as they get a better sense of demand, Harrison said. Originally the proposal called for the facility to be open from 4:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week.
Harrison added they have been working with an architect and discussing final plans, with construction expected to start in the spring.
“This is a real opportunity to expand childcare in the Trail area,” he said. “We know there is limited childcare in Trail. We hear that regularly from families that we work with. So we’re really excited to partner with the City of Trail and the Province of BC and we’re very thankful for Teck for donating the land.”
In addition to the Kids’ Club, Kootenay Family Place operates the Hobbit Hill and Selkirk College children’s centres and offers youth, family, and community programming. The organization was founded in 1972.
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This weekend is your last chance to visit Pumpkin Fest at Linden Lane Farms in Krestova.
The seventh annual edition of the family-friendly event will be on from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and tomorrow.
Owner Matt Carr says they’ll have U-pick pumpkins, vendors, their produce stand, a treasure hunt, a maze, and a chance to see goats and cows do their thing.
Linden Lane was established in 2012 when Carr started growing food on his grandparents’ property.
“We started the Pumpkin Fest because we love having people come up to the farm, enjoy the magic of the fall and get to celebrate with the rest of the community,” he said.
One major part of the festival is the Hope in the Field fundraiser. Over the last decade, in honour of the late Brooke Malakoff, who died at 20, all proceeds from pink, blue, and green pumpkin sales have gone towards family care for kids fighting cancer.
Carr said they’ve raised almost $20,000 in that time.
The Ministry of Transportation and Transit says traffic will be able to use the main road to Bamfield starting Oct. 24, but the route will remain closed during daytime hours for ongoing work.
Crews paused work over the past weekend because of heavy rain and are anticipating pausing again on Oct. 22, with 50 to 75 millimeters of rain in the forecast.
A news release from the province says the heaviest rainfall since the wildfire closed the road this summer will allow staff to monitor slop stability.
Traffic will be allowed through in the morning on Friday, Oct. 24 and the road will remain open through the weekend. Daily closures from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. will begin on Oct. 27.
“By the time the road reopens on Oct. 24, the ministry will have removed the highest-risk trees. Patrols will continue to monitor the slope and respond to any changes,” the news release says. “Utility work will require some full closures and, whenever possible, single lane alternating traffic will be implemented to minimize the impact to traffic.”
All planned closures and updates will be posted on Drive BC’s website.
The Sunshine Coast Regional District wants to hear how residents want their tax dollars spent. The SCRD has launched a survey on its website to gather input.
“Your answers will help inform the SCRD board as they begin the financial planning process for 2026. The first meetings take place in late October, followed by round one budget meetings in December and round two budget meetings in February,” reads a news release from the SCRD.
Anyone who completes the survey can be entered to win a gift card from a Sunshine Coast business.
Residents have until late November to take part and the SCRD says it will host an open house to discuss priorities in-person later this year.
RCMP arrested a wanted man who was a suspect in a violent break and enter that occurred last week.
36-year-old Travis Storoschuck was identified as the suspect by police, who issued an unendorsed warrant for his arrest on October 9.
Storoschuk was wanted on charges including: Assault by suffocating or strangling; Break and Enter; Forcible Confinement; Fail to Comply with Release Order; Uttering Threats; and Fail to comply with a Probation Order.
On October 17, police said in a statement that Storoschuk has been arrested and is being held in custody to appear before the court.
It was a special day for two Prince George community members, getting recognition from the province.
Ted Price and Anne Laughlin with Miracle Theatre were presented with the B.C. Medal of Good Citizenship for their contributions to the city, spanning as far back as August 1st, 1994.
“I think it’s important for Prince George. It’s this community that supports Ted and I so that we can make a difference.” said Laughlin.
“So, today’s congratulations is to us, but I think it’s a congratulations to Prince George.”
The two found out about being the medal recipients in the late summer, after the government left a message asking them to give them a call.
“The last time I got a call like that, it was actually about property tax.” said Price.
“Somehow our homeowner grant had gone sideways, and had to get that straightened out, so we thought ‘oh no, another hassle.’”
Price said finding out it was for the B.C. Medal of Good Citizenship was a pleasant surprise.
Minister for Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Kelly Greene, who presented the medals, said what they’ve accomplished is very touching.
“They’ve created not just a love of arts and culture, but also that deep community engagement, which has obviously really taken off because of the wild amount of support I’ve seen in the room, as well as the amount of funds they’ve been able to raise.”
The two have managed to raise over $1 million, which went to different organizations, and most recently establishing a Prince George Seniors Emergency Fund.
As for what’s next, they will be announcing the next play for 2026 on October 29th, at 1:30 p.m., at the Prince George Public Library, and invite the community to see.
Price and Laughlin were among this year’s 18 recipients of the B.C. Medal of Good Citizenship.
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Photo (Minister Kelly Green with Ted Price) – taken by Zach Barrowcliff, My PG Now
Photo (Minister Kelly Green with Anne Laughlin) – taken by Zach Barrowcliff, My PG Now
Greenwood council has approved putting a city-owned heritage building up for sale.
Council gave final reading to the by-law this week allowing the former West Kootenay Power substation to be put on the market, at an expected price of $229,000.
City manager Dean Trumbley said the building will go on the market early next week.
Council decided last month to sell the building, which it has owned since 1997, in hopes that private interests will succeed in finding a use for it where efforts by the city and local non-profits have failed.
In a Facebook post, mayor John Bolt wrote that the decision wasn’t made lightly. “It was one of those moments where leadership demands we look beyond sentiment and face the realities of stewardship,” he said.
“For decades, the West Kootenay Power building stood as a symbol of Greenwood’s industrial past — a proud reminder of our resilience and ingenuity. But as the years passed, so did the building’s structural integrity.”
Bolt said despite their best efforts, the building continued to deteriorate as the cost of restoration grew beyond what they could afford. He said selling the building was a decision based on “careful analysis, community consultation, and a deep commitment to preserving what we can.”
He added: “By transferring ownership, we open the door to new possibilities: restoration by those with the means and vision to breathe life back into the building, and a chance for Greenwood’s history to be preserved in a way we could not achieve alone.”
The building was constructed in 1905-06 and used for its original purpose until the 1970s. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the city obtained some grants to help turn the building into a centre where people could learn the history of power generation. But while solar panels and a windmill were installed on the roof, the energy that was collected was never used for anything.
FortisBC is urging residents to be prepared for power outages as winter weather approaches.
The utility said that while it’s important to be prepared year-round, unpredictable weather in the fall and winter months can increase outage risk.
“While we work year-round to keep the electricity system reliable, external factors such as weather, especially during this time of year, mean outages can happen at any time,” said Ada Nadison, public safety program manager, FortisBC.
Although most residents in the Southern Interior recognise the importance of being prepared, a recent survey suggests many feel they could do more to get ready for an extended outage.
In June, FortisBC commissioned a survey of 400 respondents from within the utility’s Southern Interior electric service boundary.
It found that 78 per cent of respondents agree it’s important to be prepared for prolonged outages, but only 29 per cent feel prepared.
Nadison sees this as a sign of the utility’s commitment to reliable service.
“We’ve been very reliable with our electricity over the years. So the longer customers go with the power on, the less they think about moments when the power goes off. It doesn’t become top of mind for them to be prepared for those instances.”
In fall and winter, adverse weather is the most common cause of outages, with wind or snow causing trees to come into contact with power lines.
Between 2020 and 2023, the utility’s service area experienced an average of 122 weather-related outages each fall and winter.
In 2024, that number jumped to 230 outages, 18 of which lasted more than 24 hours.
Nadison said the steps to prepare for prolonged outages (longer than 24 hours) are the same as for shorter ones.
“I would say preparing for a prolonged outage looks the same as being prepared for a shorter outage, but just have more of those things available,” she said.
“Extra bottles of water, maybe propane for a barbecue, knowing who your neighbours are, have a communication plan in place with your friends and family if you can’t seem to get a hold of them, having extra medication on hand etc.”
Other recommended steps include:
Assemble an emergency kit with supplies that are easy to find in the dark.
Keep phones, batteries and electric vehicles charged.
Have a safe way to prepare food and store water (remember: never use outdoor cooking appliances indoors).
If you rely on medical equipment, ensure you have a backup power source.
Businesses should consider backup power options such as generators or uninterruptible power supplies.
Know what resources and supports are available in your community.
“Just make sure you have food that’s easy to prepare, fresh water, warm clothing, candles, a battery-operated or crank flashlight and fully charged batteries - ensure your kit has the basic things to make your life comfortable while you’re waiting for us to get power back on,” added Nadison.
While prolonged outages are rare, they do occur. Factors that would necessitate a prolonged outage include an obstruction to a line that’s beyond the utilities’ control.
“A prolonged outage is usually due to really intense weather factors that we have to work around to get to,”Nadison explained.
“Like if the winds are consistent and a lot of trees are falling onto the line and there’s obstructions in the road impacting our ability to get to our lines to assess the damage, that can take longer for us to repair.”
For more information on preparing for outages, click here.
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The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said it has not destroyed any birds at the Universal Ostrich Farm, despite supporters claiming many have gone missing.
An avian flu outbreak killed about 69 of the farm’s flock of roughly 400 birds in December 2024. The CFIA ordered the farm to cull the entire flock in January.
On Sept. 22, CFIA agents and RCMP officers arrived at the farm to carry out the order.
Cull operations were halted on Sept. 25 when the Supreme Court of Canada granted the farm an interim stay order while it awaits a decision on its leave application.
However, the CFIA and RCMP have remained on site and continue to have custody of the birds.
CFIA officials told Vista Radio in an email that while the farm was granted a stay of execution, the court did not order the agency to stop its operations or preparations at the site.
But the farms owners and supporters claim these operations include moving forward with the cull.
Several Facebook posts in recent weeks have claimed a significant number of birds have gone missing.
The CFIA said it estimates there are between 300 and 330 birds on the farm. But spokesperson Katie Pasitney said in an Oct. 14 Facebook post that photos taken by supporters suggest many birds are missing.
“We have a big concern about the number of animals we have on the farm. During the first days before our interim stay order, they had dumpsters leave here with high RCMP presence – why?” Pasitney wrote.
“We have had incredible supporters taking images and time-stamping them, and we have done our count of our animals and are missing a large number of ostriches.”
Pasitney posted aerial photos of the farm showing tents set up by the CFIA near the ostrich pen.
Supporters have speculated the missing birds are being culled in the tents and hauled off site in blue shipping containers.
The CFIA rebutted the claims, saying the bins observed being hauled off site contain waste from its daily operations.
“The material being removed from the premises includes remains from meals eaten on site, Tyvek suits and other personal protective equipment that has been disinfected, and packaging from supplies used on site,” the CFIA said.
“The bins have not been used to remove dead ostriches or ostrich body parts.”
Since CFIA operations began on the farm, it said one bird has died, none have been euthanized and no live or dead birds have been removed from the property.
The bird that died was compromised by a chronic pre-existing condition affecting its left leg and mobility. It died on Oct. 4 despite treatment and electrolyte supplements provided by the owners.
Officials said determining an exact flock count based on visual images would be difficult, given the frequent movement of the birds and visual obstructions on the large site.
The agency also said the farm’s owners failed to provide flock records or inventory information.
It said the CFIA has been unable to determine whether the difference between the current estimated number of birds and previous claims should be “attributed to the original size of the flock being overreported” or the “number of deaths since December 2024 being underreported.”
“In previous court affidavits, the owners have stated that they had about 450 birds before the 2024 disease outbreak on the farm,” the CFIA said.
“However, in a Sept. 22, 2025, affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court of Canada, one owner stated that they had approximately 420 birds before the outbreak.”
The CFIA said affidavits filed by the owners indicate the original flock has been reduced by:
69 birds dying during the initial outbreak
one or two isolated age-related deaths
three from ice-related injuries
one after running into a fence while fleeing from a presumed predator
one shot dead by an unknown person
one shot dead, possibly by a drone
All of these deaths occurred before the CFIA began operations on the farm.
Officials added that the CFIA “has respected and will continue to respect all orders and decisions of the courts throughout the legal process.”
A notice posted on the Supreme Court of Canada’s website Friday said it will render its decision on the farms leave application on Oct. 23.
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The Town of Creston has announced the addition of two new leaders to its management team.
As of Tuesday, Oct. 14, Jacob Pawer has officially joined the town as Director of Finance, while Scott Pemberton will take on the role of Utilities Superintendent.
Jacob Pawer joins from BC Children’s Hospital
Pawer brings a wealth of experience in public sector finance, having spent the last four years leading the finance team at BC Children’s Hospital under the Provincial Health Services Authority.
He has also served as treasurer on the board of a non-profit in Vancouver and remains actively involved with Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA) Canada, where he contributes as a Common Final Examination (CFE) marker and financial literacy educator. Earlier in his career, he articled with Deloitte, auditing large, publicly traded mining firms.
“Jacob’s impressive professional background and his passion for community will serve Creston well,” said Mayor Arnold DeBoon. “We are fortunate to welcome someone who brings both financial expertise and a genuine excitement to be part of our valley.”
Scott Pemberton brings local knowledge and industry experience
Scott Pemberton brings over 16 years of operational and safety leadership experience from Columbia Brewery, where he worked in roles including Packaging Group Manager, Environmental Health and Safety Manager, and most recently, Utilities Business Process Manager.
He has led large-scale infrastructure projects such as the brewery’s warehouse expansion and upgrades to its CO₂ storage systems.
A Creston resident since 2009, Pemberton has worked closely with the town’s Wastewater Treatment Plant for more than a decade.
“Scott has already collaborated with our Wastewater Treatment Plant for 12 years, so in many ways, he is already part of the team,” said Mayor DeBoon. “His knowledge, experience and commitment to safety will be tremendous assets as he steps into this new role.”
The Town also recognized Steffan Klassen, who recently accepted a new position with the City of Castlegar after 17 years of service in Creston.
“On behalf of council and staff, I want to thank Steffan for his many years of service and commitment to the Town of Creston,” said Mayor DeBoon. “We wish him all the best in his new adventure and continued success in Castlegar.”
The Town of Creston is pleased to welcome both Pawer and Pemberton to their new roles.
“Both of these individuals bring not only professional expertise but also a true enthusiasm for living and working in the Creston Valley,” Mayor DeBoon said. “We look forward to the positive contributions they will make as we continue building a strong future for our community.”
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The garbage pile within residential neighbourhoods in PG might become a little higher for the time being
Due to the unionized staff at the Regional District of Fraser Fort-George serving strike notice on Wednesday, it may impact the city’s ability to conduct its regular garbage removal schedule.
The Regional District controls all the landfill stations within city limits.
The Labour Relations Board (LRB) has designated the Foothills Landfill as an essential service, requiring it to remain open five days per week for eight hours per day.
However, the potential presence of a picket line at the site could prevent the City from delivering residential garbage to the landfill during the strike.
This may put City staff members in a difficult position as legal picket lines are respected by all unions and staff are not expected to cross.
The City has applied to the LRB for a common site picketing order to explore options that would allow garbage to continue being dropped off at the landfill.
The hearing began this afternoon (Friday, October 17) and is expected to continue tomorrow (Saturday).
A decision may not be reached before Monday.
Under the Labour Relations Code, the LRB may regulate picketing activities at locations where more than one employer operates.
If the Foothills Landfill is determined to be a common site, conditions may be set to ensure the Regional District’s picketing does not disrupt solid waste operations.
The City will continue to provide updates to residents as soon as new information becomes available.
Terry Jones jokes that reaching 1,200 career wins—920 in the regular season and 280 in the playoffs — just means he’s been coaching in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League “a long, long time.”
He’s quick to credit the players, coaching staff, and executives who helped him reach the milestone as a head coach, assistant coach and manager in his 30th year.
“We’ve had a lot of success, so it’s been a great run,” says Jones, who won the league championship and Cyclone Taylor Cup in his very first season.
The newly retired educator coaches because, “I really like the challenge of building a team. I enjoy seeing all the individual players come in, watching them grow from young men into adults.”
Now, in retirement, he enjoys morning skates, skill sessions, conversations, and extra video work with players.
“For us, every player is on his own journey. It’s about figuring out each player’s strengths and weaknesses, what they can improve on daily,” Jones explains. “Off the ice, we focus on routines — getting into the gym, taking courses, volunteering. We want each guy to lead a productive day. On the ice, it’s individualized. Some need to work on skating, others shooting. We look at speed and agility coming out of corners, walking the line for defencemen — things that make them better players.”
Morning skill sessions are easy going.
“We focus on the individual. For a winger, for example, receiving a puck off the wall, getting to the middle, getting a quick shot on net. It’s a repetition of what happens on the ice every game,” says Jones, an eight-time KIJHL champion and four-time provincial champion. “We’re also bringing in Danny Holland, a former player who runs an academy in Boston, to work with our guys on shooting. He’s a great asset. And we have a power-skating coach coming as well. ”
Retirement also means more time for family. Jones’ son, Connor, an assistant coach at Princeton University, brought his wife and two sons to visit while he scouted during the BCHL Showcase. Jones took his three-year-old grandson golfing with a friend — letting him “drive” the golf cart, once the morning frost lifted.
The Nitehawks’ Appeal
When asked why players choose Beaver Valley, Jones laughs. He says recruiting is tough, with so many good KIJHL programs competing for the same talent.
“Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose,” says Jones. “When players get here, they see what we call ‘family.’ Our community is small, authentic, and supportive. It’s beautiful here, and we have high standards. We’re looking for kids who are comfortable in a smaller place, enjoy the outdoors, and appreciate the family nature of our program. You hope that players are looking for something that might be a little bit different. That’s what we’ve built here, and it’s working.”
“We’re trying to find most kids who are comfortable in a smaller place and like the outdoors and like the kind of family nature of our program,” he continues. “I feel like that’s kind of what we’ve tried to develop here and it’s working so far.”
A Throwback Third Jersey
The Nitehawks’ third jersey is a nod to their original logo, used from 1981 to 1984.
Jonelle Piccolo photo.
“We decided to do the retro jersey to recognize those who worked so hard to start this team,” says Piccolo. “We do have an honour roll banner in the arena with their names.”
The Independent Investigations Office of BC has determined that there are no reasonable grounds to believe that an officer committed an offence in the death of a man in Williams Lake RCMP jail cells.
A lengthy report did find however, that the guard, did not meet the standard of care that is required by RCMP policies of a civilian jail guard.
Surrance Myers was arrested back on September 30th, 2022.
RCMP say he was driving a moped and at the time he was prohibited from operating a motor vehicle.
After a series of attempts to pull him over, an officer eventually arrested him and a female passenger.
He was booked into cells at 12:29 a.m.
The prisoner log noted that he had consumed alcohol that evening, and that he showed signs of intoxication.
However, he was placed in a normal cell rather than the “drunk tank” as he was not seriously intoxicated.
He was described as polite and cooperative.
The report noted that the Williams Lake detachment was short-staffed that night as the watch commander was not on shift and the acting watch commander had gone home sick.
By midnight only two RCMP members were on duty at the detachment along with the civilian jail guard.
At about 2-20 a.m, those two police officers were called out leaving only the guard to monitor prisoners.
They were not back until 4-19 a.m.
RCMP records show that five other individuals were detained at the detachment during part or all of the time that Myers was in cells.
His time in cells was continuously recorded by CCTV video.
-At 12:29 a.m., Myers enters the cell on his own power, he lies down on his back on a mattress and appears to fall asleep, occasionally changing positions.
-at 2:56:57 a.m., he shows a series of physical motions, including movement of his head and limbs.
-at 2:57:05 a.m., Myers falls off the bench onto the concrete floor, appearing to land on his forehead without using his hands to break his fall. He continues to move on the floor and rolls onto his side, facing away from the door and camera.
-at 2:59 a.m., he remains lying on the floor and is not seen to move again until he is found to be unresponsive.
-at 3 a.m., a brief physical check is made from outside the cell door by the civilian guard.
The IIO report says the jail guard testified that she checked on Myers who said he was OK.
She also said that he sat up and looked at her before laying back down.
The IIO says that statement is not supported by the video evidence.
It also noted that it could not be determined by video evidence whether a conversation took place between the two.
The guard told IIO investigators that “she did tell the watch commander when he came through” that Myers had fallen from his bunk.
No officer was present in cells from before he fell until prisoners were being released close to the time that Myers was located unresponsive.
Physical checks, according to RCMP policy, are to be done every 15 minutes.
That is physically at the cell door and not remotely via a television monitor.
RCMP policy states that the use of CCTV (video) checks “may augment but not replace physical checks.”
The guard noted that she did fewer physical checks that night because her knee was hurting.
She also said that there are times when a physical check every 15 minutes is not practical if it was “super busy”, or they are dealing with multiple prisoners for transfer to another prison.
The report noted that no physical checks were done between 1-01 and 2-27 a.m., and again between 3-01 and 4-18 a.m.
Myers was found to be unresponsive at 4-48.
An officer and the guard attempted first aid, including administering Narcan and performing CPR, until paramedics arrived at around 5 a.m.
He was subsequently declared deceased.
In its conclusion, the IIO report said that the actions of the officers initially involved with stopping and arresting Myers were within lawful execution of their duty and that they did not use excessive force.
There was no evidence of any injuries prior to Myers going into cells.
The postmortem report did not identify a cause of death, but it did make note of a number of injuries to his face.
That includes a combined pink-purple abrasion and contusion on the right hairline, a red-brown abrasion on the right forward, a red-brown abrasion over the bridge of his nose, and a red-brown abrasion above the right half of his upper lip.
The report indicates that it is reasonable to conclude that the injuries resulted from Myers’ fall, face first, from the bench onto the concrete cell floor, and were not caused by officers during his arrest.
The IIO report also concluded that the civilian jail guard did not meet the standard of care expected of her.
It says that included monitoring detainees in cells and taking immediate steps to summon medical aid whenever it appears necessary.
Guards are not permitted by RCMP policy to enter cells except in the company of an officer, so the guard’s duty, whenever there is a concern about a prisoner’s physical welfare, is to inform officers and have them come to cells to assist.
The report said it was of significant concern that the guard did not notice, during physical and CCTV checks, that Myers did not appear to move from approximately 2:59 a.m. until 4:48 a.m.
It says previous detection of his medical condition may have provided an opportunity for earlier medical intervention.
Additionally, the report concluded that supervision on the night of the incident was also inadequate, but that it was reasonable to conclude that this was due, at least in part, to the detachment being understaffed.
It goes on to say that any lack of supervision of the jail guards does not support a determination that there are reasonable grounds to believe any officer may have committed an offence, although it highlights the critical importance of ensuring that cell block policies, and consequently the way vulnerable detainees receive care, are followed.
It concluded that while Myers was one such a vulnerable detainee, and his death while in cells was tragic, there wasn’t reasonable grounds for the consideration of charges.
The Chief Civilian Director with the IIO did not have the authority at the time of this incident to refer charges against individuals like civilian guards, as they did not fall under the definition of an “officer” under the Police Act.
As of September 1, 2025, an amendment was made to bring both on-duty and off-duty detention guards under the jurisdiction of the IIO with respect to any future incident where a detention guard may have caused serious harm or death.
After years of fundraising, Kootenay Christian Academy has unveiled its new playground for both students and the community as a whole.
KCA Board Chair Craig Janzen said a lot of work has gone into the project and they excited for the community to check it out.
“It’s so special for the school,” he said.
“They’ve been fundraising for years for this and it’s also something that’s for the community. We’re just thrilled to pieces.”
Mayor Wayne Price said it’s always great to have new outdoor amenities for residents.
He said a new playground was put in place last year near where he lives and it’s constantly getting used by families.
“I live on the south end up above Gordon Terrace and they put new playground equipment in there last year. That playground goes day and night all days of the week,” he said.
He believes the same thing will happen with this playground.
“This will bring a bit of that young vibrancy to this end of town.”
The playground wouldn’t have happened without donations and KCA principal David Anger said they want to thank everyone who helped out.
“We are so grateful to all of the businesses, parents, staff and families that have been involved in supporting all our fundraisers.”
The playground cost approximately $200,000.
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The Regional District of East Kootenay board of directors will be weighing in on whether or not to help fund Cranbrook’s social development coordinator position.
Chair Rob Gay said they will be making their final decision during this year’s budget discussions.
“The request is for $80,000 a year for the next three years,” he said.
“The resolution from the board was to carry that forward to our budget process so a decision will be made at that point.”
The city said the position has improved coordination between local groups that help with homelessness.
Gay said it’s a region wide issue but they want a little more information on the scope of work outside of Cranbrook before saying yes to the funds.
“Is that coordination just between the groups in Cranbrook or is it in the Columbia Valley and Elk Valley,” he added.
“We know some of the residents in Cranbrook are from those areas. I don’t think there’s any doubt in the boards mind that it’s a regional problem and we all want to be part of the solution.”
He said the city has agreed to provide more info on how the work benefits the greater area in the near future.
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New childcare spaces are coming to the Comox Valley this fall.
As part of a provincial government announcement of new spaces or spaces that have already opened, Puddleduck Child Care Centre will receive 31 new spaces.
B.C. Minister of Education and Child Care Lisa Beare said the new spaces are about making life easier for parents.
“These spaces mean shorter waitlists, more access to affordable, high-quality childcare and peace of mind for parents, knowing children are learning in safe, supportive environments.”
Of Puddleducks 31 new spaces, 15 of them will be for infant-toddlers, while the other 16 will be for kids from 30 months to kindergarten.
The Comox Valley is one of 14 communities across the province getting new spaces, combining for 900 new licensed spaces in B.C.
The new spaces cost nearly $34 million and come from the ChildCareBC New Spaces funding which was provided to non-profit organizations, local and Indigenous governments.
New single-family home construction in Ladysmith will need to meet provincial requirements for zero carbon emissions starting in the new year. The Zero Carbon Step Code is a provincial imitative that aims to reduce emissions by using electric appliances and heating.
Ladysmith town council approved requiring builders to be compliant with Emission Level 4 of the code at its meeting on Oct. 1.
“By adopting this higher energy standard, Ladysmith continues to demonstrate its commitment to reducing carbon emissions, improving energy efficiency and supporting consistency across jurisdictions,” says Mayor Deena Beeston.
Builders in Ladysmith currently must meet Emission Level 1 and the town moving to level 4 aligns it with neighbouring municipalities, including Nanaimo and the Cowichan Valley Regional District
As of Jan. 1, the code will apply to all single-detached dwellings. In 2028, it will be effective for all building types.
Smithers Secondary Art Teacher Perry Rath received one of five Rita L. Irwin Art Teacher Dissemination of Knowledge Awards last night. (Thursday)
The award is given out by the Canadian Society for Education Through Art and the Canadian Art Teacher.
“Every provincial art education organisation, for us the B.C. Art Teacher’s Association, was to forward one name to nominate to represent their province,” Rath said.
“It’s very humbling and one of those things that isn’t expected. You show up every day, do the work you do to connect with students, and there are so many great art teachers around.”
He added the reason behind his nomination wasn’t disclosed but felt they were similar to when he was named the 2022 B.C. Art Teacher of the Year.
“Basically just having an inclusive classroom, doing lots of projects that connect the school with the community, finding innovative ways to have students engaged with art, and some of my other wider ranging involvements with the school,” Rath said.
As word spread that he would be receiving the award, he said several reached out with words of encouragement and to send congrats.
The B.C. General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) and the provincial government have agreed to enter non-binding mediation.
The request came from the government, late Thursday afternoon, as the strike reached its seventh week of province-wide strike action by more than 25,000 public service workers.
Including 460 members in the Cariboo. 298 in Williams Lake, 96 in Quesnel, and 66 in 100 Mile House.
“Public service workers have been steadfast and united in their call for a fair deal,” BCGEU President Paul Finch said in a statement.
“Their solidarity and determination have brought the government back to the table. Mediation represents a next step toward resolving this dispute in a way that respects the vital work our members do every day.”
Both parties expect mediation to commence as soon as possible, with mediators Vince Ready and Amanda Rogers facilitating the process.
The BCGEU said in its statement that its members will maintain picket lines across the province while mediation proceeds.
The BCGEU is negotiating for a 4 per cent general wage increase per year for two years. The B.C. government’s current offer remains for a 2 per cent increase per year for two years.
The RDEK is hosting a public information session ahead of a vote in the Edgewater and Spur Valley area.
Residents will be voting on a proposed new commercial space service.
“The community of Edgewater has been advocating that the RDEK find a way to find a new location for the post office and providing a space has been a Board priority since an assessment by a structural engineer on the current post office building determined that there is significant deterioration and signs of structural distress,” said Electoral Area G Director Roberta Schnider.
“The process has proven to be quite complex; however, following lengthy discussions with the Province to find a path forward, the RDEK is now working to establish the Edgewater Commercial Space Service, provided the vote is in favour of proceeding.”
So residents have a better understanding of what they’re voting on, a public information session will take place on Oct. 28 at the Edgewater Community Hall at 7 p.m.
Our goal is to ensure eligible electors have all the information they need to make an informed decision on voting day. This meeting will be an excellent source of information and I’m hoping to see a strong turnout,” added Schnider.
The vote is scheduled to take place on Nov. 22 with advanced voting starting on Nov. 12.
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Central Cariboo Search and Rescue (CCSR) members were kept busy in September.
The Auto Extrication Team responded to 9 Motor Vehicle Incidents, some which were highly intensive requiring specialized techniques and Embankment Rope Rescue.
Last month CCSR was also tasked out to 8 Land Search and Rescue missions.
Those included rescues of individuals in the back country, lost and overdue persons, lake searches, mutual aid for swift water rescue and assisting with evacuation orders.
Central Cariboo Search and Rescue also attended a complex call where both their Auto Extrication and Land Search and Rescue teams worked together.
They safely rescued individuals from a vehicle teetering on the edge of a very steep embankment.
CCSR said with support from RCMP and BC Emergency Health Services, the incident was resolved without injury.
The Prince George RCMP are looking to identify the suspects involved in a tire slashing incident on Tuesday.
According to police, officers were contacted shortly after 8:00 p.m. by the victims, whose car was in a parking lot off the 1600-block of Fifteenth Avenue, finding the passenger-side tires slashed.
They add there’s reason to believe there may have been others in the area whose vehicle tires were similarly damaged.
Investigators are also looking to obtain any video surveillance that may have captured the suspects moving through the area between 7:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m..
Anyone with information, footage, or who was also a victim of this mischief is asked to contact the Prince George RCMP at 250-561-3300.
Police sketch of the assault suspect (Photo Supplied: Burns Lake RCMP)
Burns Lake RCMP are turning to the public for help identifying a person in relation to an assault.
Police say they received a call on July 11th at the Lakeview Mall where a 14-year-old youth reported an unknown male grabbed her in the neck area and attempted to grab her waist.
Mounties add the man walked away with no further contact with the victim.
He is described as a male between 50 and 55 years old with grey hair, a brown beard, was wearing dark clothes, and smelled of alcohol at the time.
Anyone with information about the incident or may recognize the person is asked to contact the Burns Lake Detachment.
The B.C. Football Conference is starting to take notice of its most northern franchise.
Less than a week after appearing in its first-ever league playoff game, Prince George Kodiaks head coach Jamie Boreham has been given the Ranji Mattu Coach of the Year Award.
In his third season at the helm, Boreham led the Kodiaks to a 5-4-1 record, good enough for third place in the seven-team league.
The Kodiaks enjoyed a +35 differential when it came to points scored (286) and points allowed (251).
In 2024, the Kodiaks went 3-7 and missed the playoffs.
PG fell 45-28 to the Westshore Rebels last Saturday in playoff action.
Local CUPW 812 President Nicole Chouinard is taking a “believe it when I see it” approach after Canada Post stated rural mail delivery will be protected in its overhaul.
The postal company has been given a 45-day window by Ottawa to outline their plan to modernize service measures that were spearheaded by federal minister Joel Lightbound.
Chouinard told Vista Radio this week, with the labour squabble approaching two years in length, the issue of getting a deal done has become too much of a political football.
“We have a collective agreement. It needs to be bargained and it needs to be ratifiable. The government involvement created a huge smoke screen instead of what was actually going on and has worked against us every step of the way in negotiating a collective agreement. We are not even having the same conversation anymore.”
“We were a year into negotiations with our employer and they had shown us time and time again we are not interested in negotiating until the government got involved. When the government got involved, the government backed them and created instance after instance of delay and diverted the attention of the negotiations away to the future of Canada Post.”
Chouinard added while the commitment to keeping rural delivery sounds good, it’s also one of the bigger ticket items for Canada Post.
“The union has urged them for decades (the federal government) to not only maintain service to those rural communities but to grow service in those rural communities because it grows revenue and it creates more service for communities with limited resources.”
“It is quite a bit more expensive to deliver 100 parcels in the northern reaches of own province than it is to deliver one hundred parcels in a high-rise in Toronto. It is one thing for them to say they are actual going to keep rural service, it is another to actually prove that.”
As for community mail boxes, replacing door-to-door delivery, Chouinard added a change like that will be an issue for our elderly population, especially those with chronic health and mobility issues.
“There are people who are disabled who may not have enough of a hindrance to qualify for the delivery accommodation program but will still struggle not having the mail delivered to their address, that is something they can say is going to be fine, but it’s not.”
“The reality is that it’s a process to go through that delivery accommodation for an address. Not every senior is going to have the ability to qualify for that process but every senior with mobility issues is going to struggle to get to a community mailbox.”
Last month, the federal government ordered Canada Post to begin a sweeping overhaul that could spell the end of traditional door-to-door delivery among other changes.
Since 2018 the corporation has lost more than $5 billion, including over $1 billion last year.
Wasim Aka is one step closer to scoring goals for his hometown team.
UNBC Men’s Soccer head coach Steve Simonson announced the local striker has committed to the program.
Aka, a recent graduate of Duchess Park Secondary, is red-shirting this season and has been training daily with the TWolves since early August.
The PGYSA alum is studying General Business at UNBC and figures to play a big part in the team’s future successes down the road.
“UNBC has such a great community,” shared Aka. “My teammates have made me feel so welcome and Coach Steve has such great connection, patience and understanding with his players.”
A natural goal scorer with speed to burn, Aka was the third player with Northern B.C. roots to commit to the TWolves in 2025, joining the likes of Luis Rodrigues and Mion Kinugasa.
“Wasim is a talented local player with significant potential to develop into a key contributor at the U Sports level. He possesses exceptional athleticism and a natural creative flair on the field. Surrounded by quality players, he will have the ideal environment to take the necessary steps to thrive at this level. I’m very excited to watch his growth and see the impact he will have on the program in the years ahead,” added Simonson.
The Prince George Spruce Kings launched their annual Show Home Lottery, in support of the community owned hockey team.
This year’s home is located at 2922 Links Drive in the Aberdeen Glen Subdivision and was built by Hopson Construction.
The approximately 2,400 Square Foot home comes fully furnished, including appliances, and is valued at $865,000.
It will be drawn on Friday April 17th, 2026.
The house features 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and has a spacious double garage with extra workspace and a large covered deck in the front.
It is open for viewing starting as of today (Friday) from 11 AM to 5 PM, and will continue with those hours Wednesday to Sunday each week.
Single tickets are available for $125.00, or you can a 3-pack of tickets for $300.00.
Mega 50/50 Jackpot #1 has also launched, where someone will win up to $200,000 in February.
Tickets are $25.00 each or a 5-pack of tickets for $100.00. Jackpot #1 will be drawn on Friday February 20th, 2026, before a second Mega 50/50 launches.
A Powell River councillor says residents will be eager to weigh in on a new plan for area forest management.
The Sunshine Coast Forest Landscape Plan is being called a “holistic approach” to managing timber which will include First Nations.
A Ministry of Forests spokeswoman told the committee of the whole Tuesday (Oct. 14) the plan is a “paradigm shift” to forest management.
Committee chairman Rob Southcott says many people will be “anxious” to participate.
“This is a forest industry town and it’s in transition in a big way. There’s all sorts of challenges right now and there was certainly attention at UBCM to this challenge. We’re right in the epicenter of it,” Southcott said.
“I’m sure there are going to be many people in this community who are very interested in your work and will be anxious to participate in whatever way that is possible…we have a very engaged community,” he said.
Ministry of Forests spokesman Ryan Jordan told councillors public engagement is supposed to happen through November but the B.C. General Employees Union strike is adding a “logistical challenge.”
Asked by Councillor Trina Isakson what the public engagement will look like, Jordan said there would be “multiple open houses,” a survey and targeted stakeholder engagement “with specific interest groups.”
It would be distributed through Engage B.C. (govTogetherBC) and local media outlets, including radio stations.
If all goes as planned by the ministry, the new landscape plan should be in place by spring.
Twenty-eight animals were removed from a rural property in the Kootenays earlier this month following an animal protection investigation involving concerns of irresponsible breeding and neglect.
On Oct. 7, the BC SPCA seized 27 dogs and one cat. The dog breeds included French bulldogs, Boston terriers, Kangal shepherds, and heelers, as well as several mixed-breed dogs. The group included 12 puppies ranging in age from eight weeks to seven months old.
Due to the number of animals known to be on the property, their condition, and the remote location, the BC SPCA mobilized a team of 10 staff, including eight animal protection officers, as well as a significant RCMP presence.
“The animals were kept mainly outdoors without appropriate shelter and there was inadequate fencing on the property, so the dogs were wandering off and running loose,” explains Matt Affleck, regional manager, cruelty investigations, Okanagan/Interior.
“A number of the animals are underweight and have been put on a veterinarian supervised refeeding plan and many of the puppies were found with scarring and bite wounds, most likely due to fighting. We think it’s possible the animals were regularly drinking from a nearby, algae-covered pond since most of them have tested positive for parasites such as coccidia and giardia.”
Photo supplied by BC SPCA.
The puppies, due to their underdeveloped immune systems, were especially susceptible.
“Some of the puppies had severely distended stomachs because of a very serious worm infection,” says Affleck. “The infection is so significant it will require a specialized deworming protocol as the sheer number of worms could cause a bowel obstruction if they all passed at once. It is really heartbreaking to see puppies in this condition.”
Affleck said he has never heard of this type of procedure being required in dogs.
“I believe this process is more common in horses, but this is the first time I’ve heard of a worm infection so grave that it needed to be followed for puppies. These little ones just have such an extreme number of worms in their systems that a different type of treatment from what we’re used to seeing is needed.”
The animals have been transferred to SPCA centres across the province to receive the appropriate care. The BC SPCA said many of the dogs were initially very fearful from under-socialization, although they are already warming up to centre staff.
“It’s so nice to hear that the dogs are starting to let their guards down. When they first arrived, many of them were extremely fearful of hands and leashes, but they’re starting to warm up to our staff and accept some love. The Kangal mama let one of our volunteers sit and snuggle with her for a whole 30 minutes over the weekend,” said Affleck.
“And they’ve made great progress with one of the heeler mixes as well. He was one of the more mistrusting dogs at first, but now he likes to come in for bum scratches and will do a little wiggly dance for them. And of course, one of the staff favourites is the little tripod pup. She is just the sweetest thing. We don’t know exactly what happened to her leg, but we do know it was amputated at some point.”
Photo supplied by BC SPCA.
The animals are currently not available for adoption as the investigation continues.
Twenty-eight animals were removed from a rural property in the Kootenays earlier this month following an animal protection investigation involving concerns of irresponsible breeding and neglect.
On Oct. 7, the BC SPCA seized 27 dogs and one cat. The dog breeds included French bulldogs, Boston terriers, Kangal shepherds, and heelers, as well as several mixed-breed dogs. The group included 12 puppies ranging in age from eight weeks to seven months old.
Due to the number of animals known to be on the property, their condition, and the remote location, the BC SPCA mobilized a team of 10 staff, including eight animal protection officers, as well as a significant RCMP presence.
“The animals were kept mainly outdoors without appropriate shelter and there was inadequate fencing on the property, so the dogs were wandering off and running loose,” explains Matt Affleck, regional manager, cruelty investigations, Okanagan/Interior.
“A number of the animals are underweight and have been put on a veterinarian supervised refeeding plan and many of the puppies were found with scarring and bite wounds, most likely due to fighting. We think it’s possible the animals were regularly drinking from a nearby, algae-covered pond since most of them have tested positive for parasites such as coccidia and giardia.”
Photo supplied by BC SPCA.
The puppies, due to their underdeveloped immune systems, were especially susceptible.
“Some of the puppies had severely distended stomachs because of a very serious worm infection,” says Affleck. “The infection is so significant it will require a specialized deworming protocol as the sheer number of worms could cause a bowel obstruction if they all passed at once. It is really heartbreaking to see puppies in this condition.”
Affleck said he has never heard of this type of procedure being required in dogs.
“I believe this process is more common in horses, but this is the first time I’ve heard of a worm infection so grave that it needed to be followed for puppies. These little ones just have such an extreme number of worms in their systems that a different type of treatment from what we’re used to seeing is needed.”
The animals have been transferred to SPCA centres across the province to receive the appropriate care. The BC SPCA said many of the dogs were initially very fearful from under-socialization, although they are already warming up to centre staff.
“It’s so nice to hear that the dogs are starting to let their guards down. When they first arrived, many of them were extremely fearful of hands and leashes, but they’re starting to warm up to our staff and accept some love. The Kangal mama let one of our volunteers sit and snuggle with her for a whole 30 minutes over the weekend,” said Affleck.
“And they’ve made great progress with one of the heeler mixes as well. He was one of the more mistrusting dogs at first, but now he likes to come in for bum scratches and will do a little wiggly dance for them. And of course, one of the staff favourites is the little tripod pup. She is just the sweetest thing. We don’t know exactly what happened to her leg, but we do know it was amputated at some point.”
Photo supplied by BC SPCA.
The animals are currently not available for adoption as the investigation continues.
Just over 1,000 Prince George community members gathered into the CN Centre yesterday (Thursday) to both listen and share the challenges being faced in the city.
This was for the Safe Streets Rally, which was put together in hopes to get a better understanding on what residents want to see when it comes to crime and mental health through a live online poll.
Photo (Dr. Barbara Kane, medical lead in the Mental Health Program with Northern Health speaking at the Safe Streets Rally) – Zach Barrowcliff, My PG Now staff
Dr. Barbara Kane, medical lead in the Mental Health Program with Northern Health, hopes residents also walked out with a better understanding of the situation at hand.
“That was one of my goals, it’s to just explain how the system works.”
“How not having long-term involuntary care affects our psychiatric ward, that it affects the hospital, that affects emergency because it’s overcrowded, and then they’re out on the street and then there’s more crime. It’s like dominos.”
During the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention in late September, Premier David Eby announced two involuntary care sites, with one coming to Prince George.
Photo (Business Owner and Downtown PG President, Eoin Foley speaking at the Safe Streets Rally) – Zach Barrowcliff, My PG Now
Business Owner and Downtown PG President, Eoin Foley, used the platform to push residents to continue demanding action.
“We want them to show our civic leaders, provincial leaders, federal leaders that we’ve had enough. We need them to step up and make these changes.”
“For those municipal leaders that can’t directly affect these changes, they need to be loud, and they need to be annoying, they need to be a thorn in the side for the provincial leaders for them to make the changes that they need to make.”
The event had six speakers share their experiences with the issues the city faces.
City Council members, MLA’s, and Cariboo – Prince George’s MP were in attendance for the rally, listening to business owners and residents, rather than speaking at the event.
“It’s a proliferation of enabling policies, that we enable drug use, we enable property crime, and then we’ve seen arsons that have happened in our community.” said Prince George – Mackenzie MLA, Kiel Giddens.
“All of this is because government has chosen to turn a blind eye to what’s happening, and we can’t do that anymore.”
It was announced that new legislation targeting bail reform will be tabled in the House of Commons next week, which Cariboo – Prince George MP Todd Doherty said actions have to happen now.
“We have Attorney Generals and Premiers, and police associations all across our country pushing for bail reform, and hopefully we’ll see what happens with this latest announcement.”
One thing was clear coming out of the rally, and that was the public’s demand for all levels of government to step up and take meaningful action.
Those that were unable to attend, or want more information, can find it on Downtown Prince George’s website here.
Crime in Greater Trail was down nearly across the board in the third quarter of this year compared to the same period of 2024.
RCMP Sgt. Mike Wicentowich said he was surprised the numbers were down so much, and doesn’t think the decrease could be attributed to any single cause.
“These things do fluctuate from quarter to quarter,” he said. “I still think we’re within normal range, but we’re happy to have crime down.”
Wicentowich said he was particularly pleased to see thefts from single vehicles in the single digits, as “when I first got here, those were in the hundreds. So clearly people are taking proactive steps.”
He added that they usually get between 1,300 and 1,600 calls per quarter for all types of service, and this time they were closer to the low end, with 1,391 in July, August, and September. Last year, there were 1,615 over the same three months.
Wicentowich said the amount of work per investigation has “gone up considerably” but the quality of work is also good.
“I do have a good crew,” he said. “If they can solve a crime, they will. Statistically, the solve rate for crime can be quite low in comparison to the number of crimes committed, but I think we’re trying to do our best to solve each one.”
Among the third-quarter statistical highlights:
28 assaults (down from 35)
8 sexual offences (up from 7)
2 theft of vehicles (down from 9)
6 break and enters (down from 8)
9 thefts from motor vehicle (up from 7)
6 drug investigations (down from 10)
32 motor vehicle collisions (down from 37)
0 fatal motor vehicle collisions (down from 1)
22 impaired driving incidents (up from 19)
134 BC Motor Vehicle Act violations (down from 155)
15 police contacts with young people (up from 4)
11 domestic violence incidents (up from 7)
137 mental health related incidents (up from 128)
155 check wellbeing incidents (up from 144)
174 suspicious person/vehicle/occurrence incidents (down from 215)
123 unspecified assistance incidents (down from 148)
Total of 58 person and violence related criminal code files (down from 62)
Total of 132 property related criminal code files (down from 201)
Total of 277 criminal code related files (down from 371)
Total of 1,391 calls for service (down from 1,615)
This week’s Summit Radio Pet of the Week from the BC SPCA in Castlegar is Timmy!
Timothy is a very special boy. Although he is a bit timid to start, he gets comfortable very quickly. His purr can be heard loud and strong as soon are you start petting him. He is playful and active but also enjoys sleeping in the sun. His beautiful markings along with his sweet personality definitely make him a show stopper. He does enjoy the company of other cats and has lived with a small dog so he should adapt well in any home. If you think Timothy is the kitten for you, please fill out a pre-adoption questionnaire or call the center at 250-509-0297 for more information, or check out his page here: https://adopt.spca.bc.ca/pets/786239/
Sports by Hartley Friday, October 17th, 2025 (As of 12:05 a.m.)
WHL:
The (5-2) Prince George Cougars are on the road for a pair of games this weekend in the U.S.
The Cougars, sitting 4th in the WHL Western Conference standings, visit the (3-5) Seattle Thunderbirds tonight (Friday) at 7:05 and the (2-5) Tri-City Americans Saturday at 6:05.
This week’s guest on @PGCougars Cat Scan #podcast is asst coach Carter Rigby. Topics include: Transition from player to coach & from head coach in KIJHL to assistant in WHL; coaching aspirations; looking after hotels, meals & billets; going to clinics; making hockey connections. https://t.co/E3Vk8X9R5y
The (4-7-2) UNBC Timberwolves conclude their men’s soccer season by hosting the
(13-0-1) UBC Thunderbirds tonight (Friday) at 6:00 and Sunday afternoon at 2:00 at Masich Place.
The UNBC women’s soccer team finished its season with an 0-13-1 record.
MSOC: Local Striker Wasim Aka the Latest to Commit to the Green and Gold.
Campbell River native Braedyn Morrison-Stovman, 23, has been selected to represent Canada at the first Pan American Open Gymnastics Championship for athletes with Down syndrome.
Braedyn Morrison-Stovman wearing his medals | Photo Submitted
He will be the only Canadian athlete competing in the event, which is scheduled to begin Oct. 18 in Cancún, Mexico.
According to a release from the West Coast Caregiver Network Society, Braedyn discovered his passion for gymnastics at age 16, practising it as a homeschooling physical-education activity.
He now trains under head coach Todd Sader, with his mother, Brandi Stovman, serving as his assistant coach after obtaining certification to support him.
“They actually hired me so that I could help Braedyn reach this milestone,” Stovman said. “Being able to coach alongside Todd, and to support Braedyn and other athletes like him, is one of the greatest joys of my life.”
Stovman also said that in late 2018, after a couple of partial seizures, tests revealed Braedyn had a bicuspid aortic valve. He was later diagnosed with migralepsy in January 2019.
Medical professionals advised caution, but Braedyn has maintained his health through consistent training in gymnastics.
As the event approaches, supporters are encouraged to share his story and rally behind him.
“This is about inclusion, breaking barriers, and celebrating ability over limitation,” Stovman said. “When Braedyn steps onto that floor, he carries the pride of Campbell River and all of Canada with him.”
Local government officials will meet regularly to identify challenges facing the area and determine how best to tackle them.
Our MP, MLA, RDEK and City of Cranbrook representatives held their first joint meeting and agreed on two initial priorities.
“We’ve narrowed it down to two that we’ve all agreed on that we’re actually going to start to work on within the next 4-6 months,” said MLA Pete Davis.
The first is healthcare access between B.C. and Alberta.
Limited access to care in larger Alberta centres such as Lethbridge has been a significant challenge for East Kootenay residents, particularly seniors.
“It’s something that’s very important to people in this community,” Davis added.
“It’s so far to have to go over three mountain passes to get to Kelowna or to Vancouver.”
The second problem they will be tackling is abandoned vehicles and garbage that are being left in rural areas.
The problem has often resulted in different levels of government pointing fingers over whose jurisdiction it is to clean it up.
“We’ve been getting a lot of calls about squatting and illegal camps in rural areas and these areas are just being left with garbage and abandoned vehicles,” said Davis.
A local working group will be formed to take initiative.
“We will be putting together a committee and asking for support from the community,” he added.
“We will work on getting some structure to create a proper society to be able to go out and target these areas and start helping out with some cleanup.”
A group of local representatives plan to meet quarterly and will update the public on what they’ve accomplished so far and what will happen next.
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The Municipality of North Cowichan has awarded the Freedom of the Municipality, its highest honour, to a longtime community leader for his many years of public service.
Graham P. Bruce began his public service as an alderman at just 24 years old before becoming North Cowichan’s mayor in 1979 at the age of 27, making him the youngest mayor in Canada at the time.
He helped shape North Cowichan’s first Official Community Plan, led efforts to preserve the Cowichan Estuary, and played a key role in creating ecological reserves at Mount Tzouhalem and Somenos Flats.
He later served as an MLA and cabinet minister, holding portfolios including municipal affairs and labour, and went on to lead several community and Indigenous organizations.
Mayor Rob Douglas says Bruce’s decades of leadership and advocacy make him a very worthy recipient of the honour.
The award presentation took place Wednesday, Oct. 15, Bruce is the fourteenth person to receive this distinction in the municipality’s history.
Find more information about the North Cowichan’s Freedom of the Municipality award here.
– Article includes link and image supplied by Municipality of North Cowichan
The B.C. General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) ramped up its job action across the province.
While the Professional Employees’ Association pulls the remaining members, the union announced that at the start of this morning (Thursday), over 370 members joined picket lines.
That brings the total to nearly 25,000 taking job action, and over 470 picket lines across the province.
This is after the province came to the table with a four per cent general wage increase over two years in late September, with the union seeking eight per cent, leading to talks breaking down within a day.
“Our bargaining committee remains ready and willing to find common ground.” said BCGEU President Paul Finch.
“But until the government comes to the table with a real solution and a deal that our members will want to ratify, we’ll keep standing strong. If the government were genuinely interested in reaching a fair deal, we would already be at the bargaining table working toward one.”
The full picket lines and job action listings can be found here.
Hydrant maintenance work is scheduled to restart in parts of the South Cariboo starting this Monday (October 20).
Cariboo Regional District Manager of Utilities Kelly McDonald said the contractor they were using could only get half the hydrants done by this past July.
“He’s coming back now to finish before winter. There are about 100 hydrants left in the South Cariboo that this maintenance will be done on. That would be 103 Mile, Canim Lake, Lac La Hache, Forest Grove, and parts of 108 Mile. Horse Lake is complete.”
McDonald said what they are doing is a full hydrant tear down for half of them and the other half is getting maintenance done and should take about a week to complete.
The Cariboo Regional District said this means you might see discoloured water or bubbles when you first turn on your tap but not to worry as it’s part of the process.
Those water system users are asked to let the water run until it clears and think about swapping out their home water filters when the work is done.
A prescribed burn above the town of Sirdar, north of Creston is scheduled to begin as early as Oct. 17.
The BC Wildfire Service says the burn will cover up to 33.5 hectares of land about 19 kilometers north of Creston.
The exact timing is dependent on weather and site conditions.
The burn aims to reduce the risk of wildfires. Key goals include:
Reduce build-up of dead and combustible materials
Encourage re-growth through the release of Ponderosa Pine seeds from their cones, encouraging natural regeneration
Prepare the site for natural regeneration
Decrease the risk of future catastrophic wildfires in the area
Smoke may impact residents near the burn area and could be visible from Sirdar and surrounding communities, and to motorists travelling along Highway 3A.
The wildfire service says burning will continue if conditions are appropriate to achieve objectives and allow for smoke dispersal, although smoke may linger in the following days, particularly the morning after the burn operations.
Despite all precautions to manage it, unintended smoke impacts are possible after any burn.
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As of noon today, Thursday, Oct. 16, all Category 3 open fires are once again permitted throughout the Southeast Fire Centre.
The BC Wildfire Service said that due to decreased wildfire risk, the following activities are now allowed in the region:
Burning material in three or more piles, each not exceeding two metres in height and three metres in width
Burning material in one or more piles, each exceeding two metres in height or three metres in width
Burning one or more windrows, none of which exceeds 200 metres in length or 15 metres in width
Burning stubble or grass over an area exceeding 0.2 hectares
Use of air curtain burners
Use of carbonizers
Residents are advised to check with their local government or other jurisdictional authorities before lighting a fire of any size and to abide by any bylaws or restrictions in place in their area.
More information on prohibitions and restrictions within the Southeast Fire Centre can be found on the BC Wildfire Service website.
Anyone planning to conduct a Category 3 open burn must obtain a burn registration number in advance (at no charge) by calling 1-888-797-1717. Burn registration numbers are entered into the Open Fire Tracking System, which allows the BC Wildfire Service to monitor open burning activity across B.C.
Police are looking for witnesses to a fight in Rossland that has resulted in the death of one person.
RCMP say they were called at about 4:40 p.m. last Thursday to a fight between two people at the intersection of Nevada Street and Dunn Crescent in Rossland.
They say one person later died in hospital, although that person was not identified.
The Southeast District Major Crime Unit is investigating. Insp. Brent Novakoski asked anyone who may have seen the incident to contact them at 1-877-987-8477.
A brief news release issued Thursday left many questions unanswered. Among them:
• The gender, age, and hometown of the person who died.
• How long after the fight the death occurred.
• Why it took a week for police to notify the public.
• Whether police have identified the other person involved in the fight, and whether any arrests have been made.
The Village of Sayward is seeking court approval to reduce the number of councillors required for a quorum from three to two.
In a statement, the village said it has taken the unusual step of filing a petition in the Supreme Court of British Columbia, through the Victoria registry, to request the change.
The village said the move is intended to help council members carry out their duties and responsibilities effectively and to ensure the village has the authority to manage its own processes.
Sayward continues to face economic, transitional and governance challenges — issues that led to a by-election earlier this year to replace two councillors who resigned.
The statement said the long-term stability of the community is at risk if council cannot make decisions and fulfil its responsibilities.
“This is a step in the right direction to restore order, civility and professionalism to the village and, most importantly, to enable council to carry out the work that residents expect and deserve,” the statement said.
A Passmore neighbour’s fast response helped prevent a fire from turning into a larger loss when a tiny home went up in flames Tuesday afternoon.
Passmore Volunteer Fire Department Chief Gord Ihlen said the structure fire broke out just after 2 p.m. Tuesday.
A tiny home under construction on a Passmore property was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived on scene.
The tiny home’s owners had a trailer near the blaze, but Ihlen said the quick action of a neighbour likely saved it.
“The owner’s trailer was saved by a neighbour who threw buckets of water on it that he got from running back and forth to the river. He probably saved the trailer by doing this until the fire department was able to action the fire,” Ihlen said.
Firefighters from Winlaw and Passmore battled the blaze for about two to three hours, and a watch team remained on scene for another two hours to guard against rekindling.
A GoFundMe page set up for the tiny home’s owners said the fire caused an estimated $80,000 in damage.
The fundraiser said the fire not only destroyed the tiny home but also two sheds that housed the owners’ tools.
It also said a solar battery installed by the owner on Monday was believed to have caused the fire.
No injuries were reported.
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Three parcels of land totaling 194.7 acres have been added to Snuneymuxw First Nation reserve lands.
Chief Mike Wyse announced the transfer today alongside federal Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Rebecca Alty.
“These te’tuxwtun lands have always been Snuneymuxw. Our sacred connection can never be broken,” Wyse said in a news release. “Nearly two centuries of big work and perseverance have led us to this moment. On behalf of our Nation, I thank Minister Alty and her team for their commitment and dedication. The return of these te’tuxwtun lands affirms the brilliance of our Ancestors, the strength of our Treaty, and the enduring truth that Snuneymuxw never surrendered our land.”
The land was formerly owned by the Department of National Defence. According to the release, Snuneymuxw’s vision for the lands includes a mixed-use development with housing and commercial spaces.
“The development of these lands will have a significant and lasting impact on the regional economy,” Wyse said. “Today, the path of reconciliation we are walking alongside Crown-Indigenous Relations is leading to meaningful progress and historic outcomes. We will continue to bring forward economic results with Minister Alty and all other willing partners. As we move forward, our relationship with te’tuxwtun will continue to deepen and grow, for our children, and all generations to follow.”
Work is being done to have a bottle depot open in Houston after the previous one closed in March.
That’s according to Encorp Pacific, also known as Return-It.
“The operator was trying to sell the business for about a year before he closed but couldn’t find a buyer,” said President and CEO Cindy Coutts.
Another issue she attributed to the depot closing was a declining population in Houston
Coutts added work is being done with the district to find a solution with two options available.
The recycling company reached out to organizations in the community to see if any were interested in taking on the depot which saw some response.
“None of the interest was meeting all of our requirements,” said Coutts.
The other option Encorp is looking at is bringing its Express and Go program to the district which would have residents collect recyclables at home to drop off at a location.
“Whether we go ahead with a new depot or an Express and Go, the key message is there will be an easy and convenient way for the citizens of Houston to return their beverage containers,” Coutts said.
She added the deadline for organizations to submit expressions of interest has passed with the end of the year as a deadline for those that have to fulfill Encorp’s requirements to operate.
If none are successful, Coutts said an Express and Go location will be established.
The next closest recycling locations are in Smithers or the Knockholt Transfer Station.
Fernie city council has approved a development variance permit for the Montane Campground on Coal Creek Road.
The applicant sought to remove the requirement for curb gutter and underground drainage, asphalt surfacing and full illumination.
The justification was that the campground is intended for low-impact, seasonal tourist accommodation rather than year-round housing or commercial use.
The city acknowledged that the lot is in a flood-susceptible area and noted that a paved road could be more problematic in the event of a washout.
“It’s situated on the boundary between a developed subdivision and undeveloped natural lands,” said engineering manager Nick Pennell.
“The roadway would be intended to function more like a forest service road to an unpaved campground then a city street to a subdivision.”
The campground will be constructed in two phases, with 50 sites bult in Phase 1 and another 50 in Phase 2.
The variance will apply only to the portion of Coal Creek Road from the end of the existing asphalt portion east of the intersection with Pine Crescent to the proposed Phase 2 entrance of the campground.
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The City of Kimberley is raising awareness about how to make Halloween more accessible for children with disabilities.
The initiative was discussed during a recent meeting of the city’s accessibility advisory committee, where members explored ways to improve accessibility for trick-or-treaters.
Some ideas include roadside trick-or-treating stations so that children with mobility or vision impairments can participate without needing to navigate stairs.
Some municipalities have implemented inclusive trick-or-treat events, which Kimberley may use as a model.
City staff plan to promote accessibility tips for Halloween this year and work on a more in-depth plan for next year.
“To me this is a wonderful initiative,” said councillor Jason McBain. “Halloween is a fun time and everyone should be out there having fun and have the opportunity to. This is a no brainer.”
Other ideas for improving accessibilities could include designated accessible blocks where, all participating homes commit to making accessibility adaptations.
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The City of Courtenay has received awards at both the provincial and national levels for its efforts during National Public Works Week earlier this year.
Courtenay was recognized by the Canadian Public Works Association and the Public Works Association of British Columbia for community engagement initiatives held during the May event.
Mayor Bob Wells said the city is proud to be recognized for the work of its staff.
“Public works are at the heart of our city’s operations, and this award reflects the dedication of our staff who work tirelessly to maintain and improve the infrastructure that supports our daily lives.”
The city was honoured in the category for communities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 that hosted events to engage residents during Public Works Week.
Activities included school tours, student art projects, interactive exhibits, equipment demonstrations, and a public open house.
The awards were presented Oct. 7 at the 2025 PWABC Joint Annual Conference and Trade Show in Whistler.
Next year’s National Public Works Week is scheduled for May 17 to 23, 2026.
The Skeena Salmon Arts Festival is making a stop in Smithers to feature at the Art Gallery starting today. (Thursday)
The show features artists with connection to the Skeena, Nass, and Bulkley watersheds celebrating salmon as a life sustaining species.
The gallery said some of the work includes carving, painting, sculpture,
photography, clay, jewelry, and fabric.
“When we started this show seven years ago, we had no idea how strongly our northern communities and artists would embrace this concept,” said Art Festival President Dave Gordon.
The show first opened this year on August 1st in Terrace and showed at the Nisga’a Museum last month.
An opening reception is being held tomorrow (Friday) night at 7:00 with the show available to visit until November 8th.
Calls for service were down slightly last month for members of the Williams Lake Fire Department.
Assistant Fire Chief Cory Boyd said in September they had 41 compared to 43 in August.
“Looking back at September 2024 we had 40. In terms of year to date, as of the end of last month, we had 367 calls and at this same time year we had 402.”
In 2024 Boyd said the Williams Lake Fire Department had a busy first part of the year and that they are on pace to get almost 200 calls more than they did the previous highest year.
“After last September things kind of slowed down a little bit so on our current pace we will actually match our calls from 2024. But if we do slow down similar to how it worked at the end of last year then we’ll end up being under that number somewhere in the 450 range. ”
Of the 41 calls for service in September the department responded to 7 motor vehicle incidents and rescue related calls, a variety of 9 fire calls that included a couple of grass wild land calls and some burning complaints.
The Williams Lake Fire Department also had 18 fire alarm calls and 7 miscellaneous calls.
With colder weather starting to settle into the region Boyd had these safety reminders.
“Typically once the temperature drops we do see a higher potential for vehicle and structure fires usually due to heaters and extension cords being used more. We always try to encourage the public that they maintain any heating equipment that includes chimneys and furnaces. Make sure you use devices like block heaters, extension cords and portable heaters responsibly.”
Boyd added that smoke and carbon monoxide alarms should be checked monthly to see if the batteries need replacing.
A fatal collision between a pickup truck and a motorcycle closed a section of the Sunshine Coast Highway in Halfmoon Bay on Tuesday.
Sunshine Coast RCMP were called to the 7900 block of the highway around 11:19 a.m. on Oct. 15.
“Witnesses reported that the motorcycle unexpectedly veered across the centre line, colliding with the oncoming truck,” said RCMP in a news release. “Despite extended lifesaving efforts by EHS personnel, the motorcycle driver was pronounced deceased at the scene. The driver of the pickup truck was not seriously injured.”
The road was closed in both directions for several hours, and traffic was detoured via Redrooffs Road while emergency responders and investigators worked at the scene.
RCMP said officers are still looking for dashcam footage that could help with the investigation. Anyone with relevant footage is asked to contact the Sunshine Coast RCMP at 604-885-2266 and quote file number 2025-8297.
Quesnel has lost a prominent member of the community.
Mary Sjostrom, Director of Electoral Area A for the Cariboo Regional District, passed away suddenly on Tuesday morning.
In her decades of public service, Mary served as a City Councillor for Quesnel before becoming the City’s first female Mayor. She was the president of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities between 2012 and 2013, and at the time of her passing, she sat as the Electoral Area A Director for the Cariboo Regional District, on top of being a board member on countless committees across Quesnel and the Cariboo.
Mary was instrumental in many projects and programs getting off the ground, such as the West Fraser Centre and Communities in Bloom.
She had a passion and love for her community, its people, and a drive to improve the quality of life in the Cariboo for everyone.
Information regarding any public memorial or service will be shared when available. Out of respect for the family’s wishes, we ask that their privacy be honoured during this difficult time.
The Burns Lake Foundry held its grand opening today (Thursday) after over two years of construction.
“Young people today are navigating an increasingly complex world,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Health.
“While they continue to show remarkable resilience and strength, they deserve access to the right supports to make that journey a little easier.”
The space will be operated by Carrier Sekani Family Services (CSFS) to provide supports for youth ages 12 to 24.
It includes an integrated health and wellness centre, indoor and outdoor gathering spaces, drop in counselling, social services, and more.
“The CSFS Youth House and Foundry will play a pivotal role in shaping the future for the young generation from all walks of life,” said CEO Warner Adam.
Chief Administrative Officer Travis Holyk said, “We worked extensively with the community and our youth advisory council, who helped shape the centre in a way that would suit their needs in the best way possible.”
The pool at the Castlegar and District Community Complex is closed until further notice following a fire overnight.
The Regional District of Central Kootenay says staff noticed smoke in the pool area at about 1:15 a.m. today. Upon further investigation, they discovered smoke coming from the roof. The fire department responded and quickly put it out.
The RDCK says the fire was contained to a small area, but there is a noticeable smoke smell in the pool area, and repairs will be required before they can reopen.
“As a result, the pool area will be closed until further notice, pending inspection and confirmation that it is safe for both patrons and staff,” the RDCK said in a news release.
The rest of the facility remains open, as it was unaffected aside from minor smoke odour. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The Prince George RCMP wants to reunite the owners of several smaller items with their belongings, after arresting a suspect in a local parking lot who was seen checking vehicle door handles.
Police say the incident occurred just before noon on Tuesday at a parking lot in a shopping complex on the 1600-block of Fifteenth Avenue.
“The suspect was located by the security company on scene after they witnessed her behaviour in the parking lot. A search after her arrest located multiple items in her possession that do not appear to belong to her. We are looking for anyone else who may have left their vehicle unlocked and are now missing some of the smaller, personal items from their cars,” stated Corporal Jennifer Cooper.
Anyone with reason to believe the police may have your belongings, are asked to visit the detachment and speak with an officer.
Residents are asked to describe what they are missing and if it matches what investigators recovered.
RCMP are reminding drivers to lock their vehicle when they leave it – whether it’s in your driveway, on the street or in a parking lot, as vehicle theft can occur in any neighbourhood, at any time of day.
The suspect was released from custody with a future court date. This file remains under investigation.
LIFT Community Services Executive Director Kim Markel says the 24-hour snapshot is considered an under count.
“Does this mean that homelessness is improving in our community? Well, not necessarily. We know what we’ve seen, we know you’ve heard about the increased visibility and impact of homelessness in the community over the past two years,” Markel told council Tuesday afternoon.
“Our outreach team has connected with 62 individuals sleeping rough within city limits,” she said.
Community Resources Manager Jessica Colasanto says the count also puts a rumour to bed.
“More respondents are long term local residents than short term or transient residents. Seventy-one per cent were here five years or more so we hope that this helps to dispel the unfounded rumours that people come to our community solely to access our housing services,” Colasanto said.
Speaking to council Tuesday, Executive Director Markel believes, citing a CBC report, that some people might have left the area as the count happened within weeks of the Joyce Street shelter closing.
Councillor Jim Palm said one of the stats that “jumps off your report” is the increase in youth and Indigenous respondents. Asked for an explanation, Markel said the survey didn’t capture “that qualitative data.” Youth are those under the age of 25.
“Unfortunately, I don’t have any significant insights into why those numbers have jumped while others haven’t,” Markel answered.
The Aboriginal Housing Society of Prince George is asking the public for help following a tire slashing incident at its facility.
According to a social media post, it happened just after 7:30pm on Tuesday where three people were caught on camera damaging vehicles in front of their 17th Avenue location.
The footage shows one suspect wearing a light blue jacket with white sneakers while carrying a backpack.
The second and third suspects are seen wearing dark clothing.
Anyone with information is asked to call 250-564-9794.
Residents are invited to CN Centre this evening (Thursday) from 7:00-8:30 to give feedback on the growing problems with crime and disorder on Prince George streets.
The Safe Streets Rally will be able to have voices heard by voting with phones in an online poll during the event.
This comes after downtown businesses had been calling for a state of emergency.
Different speakers will be at the event, including:
Dr. Barbara Kane, the medical lead in the Mental Health Program at the Northern Health Authority.
Eoin Foley, president of Downtown Prince George, owner/operator of Nancy O’s, Betulla Burning and The Dudley, and active member of the provincial Save Our Streets Coalition.
Cindi Pohl, past president and current director of the Prince George Chamber of Commerce, the owner of a small business, and an experience leader in the waste management and recycling industry.
A prescribed burn will be taking place on Dipping Road, 10 kilometres west of Williams Lake.
BC Wildfire, in partnership with the Williams Lake Community Forest, and the Williams Lake First Nation, will start the burn as early as October 16th and continue periodically until Friday, November 7th.
The burn will cover around 29 hectares of land within the Williams Lake Community Forest, north of Highway 20 along the Fraser River.
BC Wildfire says ignitions will proceed if conditions are favourable, and motorists along Highway 20 and Williams Lake and surrounding area residents may see smoke and flames.
Low-to moderate-intensity spot fires will be lit within pre-established boundaries to remove combustible materials. Firefighters will closely monitor the fire activity at all times during the burn and will remain on-site to monitor conditions into the evening.
BC Wildfire cautions that smoke from within the perimeter of the burn may be visible up to 72 hours after ignition.
Council’s resolution “gives us the authority to start having those conversations to see if we could secure land or not,” city manager Chris Barlow said.
At this point, no costs are being incurred for the city or residents of the subdivision, he added. However, if at some point residents are asked to pay for the park, it would require approval from more the half of the landowners.
In a letter to council, resident Stephen Hill explained that their preferred location is land owned by the McCarthy brothers. Acquiring it would require a land swap or purchase by the city, he said. Its advantage is that it is flat and central.
Their second choice would be a small piece of city-owned land that runs from Grandview toward the Emerald Green neighborhood. The advantage of that site is that it would benefit both neighbourhoods and tie in with trails and bike paths that run through the back of Emerald Green. However, this would require a land swap or city purchase of some privately owned land that would connect the neighbourhoods.
Hill said they have no budget for the park or a proposed playground, but it is something they could take on over the next five to 10 years.
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A volunteer who has been the driving force behind the development of the Trail Regional Airport for more than 20 years was honoured Wednesday as the terminal was named after him.
A sign was unveiled, officially declaring the building the Don Nutini Air Terminal. A new interpretive panel also outlines his vision and legacy.
Nutini, who was applauded to the echo by a packed crowd and a host of dignitaries, has never been one for public recognition, preferring to toil in the background. “I’d rather be digging a ditch,” he joked.
The Friends of the Trail Airport recently brought the idea of honouring Nutini to city council.
“I couldn’t turn it down, because it’s a great honour,” he said an interview after the ceremony, adding that he only learned about it 10 days ago. “It makes me feel wonderful, really. Humbling.”
Mauro Chiocchetti, who spoke on behalf of the Italian Consul, said Nutini is the only Canadian citizen of Italian heritage for whom an airport terminal building has ever been named.
“This should be a tremendous point of pride for not only him, his family, and the Italian community, but also the entire community of Trail,” he said.
“[Nutini is] a shining example of the dedication, resilience, and vision of the Italian-Canadian community. His legacy stands as a testament to the lasting contribution of Italians in Canada. It strengthens the historic and cultural bond between Italy and the City of Trail.”
Nutini has long worked to promote the airport, first convincing the City of Trail to purchase the facility from the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary, then helping to secure regular passenger service, first with Northern Hawk Aviation in 2004-05, and, since 2006, with Pacific Coastal Airlines. Nutini also pitched in to help with daily airport operations.
In 2017, the city opened a new terminal building to replace the pilots’ clubhouse that had previously been used. That new building is the one that now bears Nutini’s name.
Asked what has made him such an advocate for local air service, Nutini replied that he felt it was important to ensure medevac flights, since Trail is home to the regional hospital. Plus the airport has been key for economic development, he said.
Nutini, who was also honoured in 2012 as the Trail-Warfield Citizen of the Year, is still involved in the airport as a member of the city’s advisory committee, and said he has no plans to give it up.
“I don’t think I have ever met a more selfless individual who has worked harder to make our community a better place,” said city councillor Thea Hanson, who co-chairs the airport committee.
“He is one of the reasons we have such an incredible airport. He has been the builder from Day One. All of us could learn something from Don Nutini and the incredible effort he puts in.”
Speakers related how Nutini was always eager to fix whatever needed fixing at the airport, no matter how minor, and quoted his motto: “Don’t tell me it can’t be done. Instead ask how it can be done.”
“I don’t like the word ‘can’t,’” he chuckled. “I should get it taken out of the dictionary. Maybe that’s my next chore.”
Don Nutini speaks to a large crowd Wednesday in the building that now bears his name. (Greg Nesteroff/Vista Radio)Nutini gets a hug from airport committee co-chair Thea Hanson. (Greg Nesteroff/Vista Radio)Nutini acknowledges the large crowd that filled the building Wednesday. (Greg Nesteroff/Vista Radio)A sign was unveiled Wednesday at the Trail Regional Airport on the Don Nutini Air Terminal. From left, city councillors Doug Wilson and Bev Benson, mayor Colleen Jones, Nutini, and councillors Thea Hanson, Paul Butler, and Nick Cashol. (Greg Nesteroff/Vista Radio)An interpretive sign is unveiled, spelling out Don Nutini’s contribution to the Trail airport. From left, city councillor and airport committee co-chair Thea Hanson, mayor Colleen Jones, Nutini, Italian Consul representative Mauro Chiocchetti, and city councillor and airport committee co-chair Paul Butler. (Greg Nesteroff/Vista Radio)A directional sign to be installed. (Greg Nesteroff/Vista Radio)Don Nutini (Greg Nesteroff/Vista Radio)
This week’s guest on @PGCougars Cat Scan #podcast is asst coach Carter Rigby. Topics include: Transition from player to coach & from head coach in KIJHL to assistant in WHL; coaching aspirations; looking after hotels, meals & billets; going to clinics; making hockey connections. https://t.co/E3Vk8X9R5y
The (4-7-2) UNBC Timberwolves wrap up their men’s soccer season by hosting the
(13-0-1) UBC Thunderbirds Friday night at 6:00 and Sunday afternoon at 2:00.
The UNBC women’s soccer team finished its season with an 0-13-1 record.
BC Transit, the City of Nelson and the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) are advising riders of a temporary detour on Route 20 Slocan Valley due to bridge construction.
From Thursday, Oct. 16, through Thursday, Oct. 31, work on the Perry’s Back Road Bridge will impact regular transit service in the area.
During this time, Route 20 will detour off Slocan River Road and Perry’s Back Road, instead travelling along Highway 6 between Winlaw and the Threads Guild Hall.
Riders can expect delays and changes to regular routing.
Homelessness in Nelson continues to rise, with the 15th Annual Report Card on Homelessness showing a sharp increase in both visible and hidden forms.
The report, released by the Nelson Committee on Homelessness, highlights the current state of homelessness in the community and outlines steps to address it.
Based on data from residents surveyed during the November 2024 Point-in-Time Homeless Count, the report recorded 122 individuals experiencing some form of homelessness – a 30 per cent increase from 2018.
Most concerning, according to the report, is the doubling number of people living unsheltered, such as in tents, vehicles or entirely outdoors.
Fewer than 20 people stayed outdoors from 2018 to 2020, but that number doubled to 40 in 2024.
The average length of time experiencing homelessness has also increased, with 56 per cent of individuals in Nelson saying they have been without stable housing for a year or more, and 14 per cent indicating they have been homeless for more than five years.
On average, unhoused residents in Nelson spent 285 days experiencing some form of homelessness.
Additionally, of the 122 people experiencing homelessness, 40 per cent said they identified as Indigenous.
Stigma and discrimination
While the causes of homelessness are complex, the report said Nelson stands out for the high rate of discrimination reported by those experiencing homelessness.
Almost a quarter (23 per cent) of respondents said discrimination contributed to their most recent loss of housing, while more than one-third identified stigma and discrimination as barriers to accessing housing and other services.
For comparison, provincially only six per cent indicated that discrimination contributed to their most recent loss of housing.
“The stigma on the visible vulnerable folks in this town, like the hate and rumours spread by the Neighbourhood Network, treating opinions like facts, creates a false reality and puts a target on our backs,” said an unhoused resident quoted in the report.
“It is harder and harder to feel safe when it seems like everyone is afraid of me for something I had nothing to do with.”
Rising rents and reduced vacancies
The report identified the housing affordability crisis as the single most cited barrier to escaping homelessness in Nelson.
In 2025, the average rent in Nelson reached $1,716 for a one-bedroom and $2,812 for a two-bedroom – a more than 40 per cent increase since 2023.
Meanwhile, vacancy rates for bachelor and one-bedroom units remain at zero, which the report said leaves people already marginalized by poverty, disability or addiction without options.
“Rental options remain scarce, expensive and highly competitive, with vacancy rates for one-bedroom and studio units lingering at 0.0 per cent for several years. This leaves individuals already marginalized by homelessness and poverty at a severe disadvantage,” said the report.
A 2024 housing needs report conducted by the City of Nelson found a need for 3,104 new homes over the next two decades, with 43 per cent needing to be below market rent to meet community demand.
Health, trauma and lack of services
The report also highlighted the challenges faced by unhoused residents.
Sixty-eight respondents reported struggles with mental health, 62 per cent reported substance-use challenges, 40 per cent had experienced a brain injury and 46 per cent said they lived with physical disabilities.
Despite the urgent need, accessing health-care services in the community remains difficult, with 43 per cent of individuals experiencing homelessness citing lack of transportation, cost and physical or health disabilities as the largest barriers.
Dental care, eye care and mental-health support were cited as the most needed but unavailable services.
Community progress
The report said 56 people have been housed through Nelson’s Coordinated Access System since 2021.
The initiative, linked with the federal Reaching Home strategy, has seen local organizations including Nelson CARES, ANKORS and Street Outreach work together to provide harm reduction, shelter, advocacy and basic-needs services.
However, demand is outpacing supply.
“The majority of people who are homeless are children we fail, and they have been failed by systems of support all along the way,” said Dylan Griffith, Point-in-Time Survey co-ordinator.
“We have a situation now where what we’re seeing is people are entering homelessness more easily and having much, much more difficulty getting out.”
The closure of the HUB Drop-In Centre on Vernon Street in 2024 created a major service gap, especially for those needing warmth, safety and connection.
A temporary drop-in space has since opened one to two days a week, but the report said the community needs a full-time, low-barrier service hub.
Recommended actions
The 15th annual report acts as a call to the entire community to step up, speak out and support systemic change.
With homelessness on the rise and housing becoming increasingly unattainable, the report urges businesses and governments to act now – not later.
The report highlights several areas where immediate and sustained action is critical:
Support the creation of supportive, youth-specific, and complex-care housing.
Address the loss of low-barrier, multi-service hubs.
Strengthen and invest in harm reduction, mental health, and addiction services.
Confront and challenge stigma and discrimination.
Engage with people who have lived experience
Residents are reminded that the crisis is not abstract. Fifty per cent of those currently unhoused in Nelson have lived in the community for more than a decade.
“Everyone has a story. Without kindness and compassion, we are all vulnerable. I want to encourage my community to have more reason, intelligence and caring,” said Paula Kiss, business owner and former Nelson city councillor.
“I want to be proud of our ability to look after each other. We must do better; we must care more.”
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The March with Arch has a new short documentary honouring its healing journey.
The new documentary was shown during a presentation about Archie Chantyman’s annual 700-kilometre walk from Lhoosk’uz Dene Nation to St. Joseph’s Mission at the North Cariboo Community Campus at the College of New Caledonia.
The five-minute film detailed Archie’s start of this year’s March, on his birthday, on September 5, which finished on October 5.
Lhoosk’uz Dene elders, and Archie’s sister were in attendance, and after the film, Archie spoke on why he started his healing journey as a residential school survivor.
Archie detailed his struggles with addiction and substance abuse, his struggle to appreciate and accept his Indigenous heritage at first, and the traumas he still carries as a survivor.
Now, what started as one man’s healing journey has grown into a powerful act of remembrance, resilience, and community healing.
“With this walk, I want to show the world we’re still alive and thrive,” Archie said in his speech. “I still carry it all with me, the pain, the struggle. But I also carry our language and our lessons with me.”
Archie Chantyman (left) and Lhoosk’uz Dene members share their story of surviving residential school. [Photo credit: KCP Photography]
Other Lhoosk’uz Dene elders and Lhtako Dene Nation elders shared their residential school survivor stories as well.
The March with Arch travels through five Indigenous nations Nazko First Nation, the Lhtako Dene Nation, ?Esdilagh First Nation, Xatśūll First Nation, and the Williams Lake First Nation
“Each of the nations could have imposed war on us, in our initial trespassing,” Archie said, reflecting on his first walk. “But they didn’t. Instead, they opened their hearts to us and allowed me to heal. Since then, we’re healing together.”
The hope coming out of the presentation is that the lessons and compassion Archie shared can be carried forward by the youth. Elders say they are happy that their youth do not have to go to residential schools, and they hope the lessons will be carried by the youth to further understanding and reconciliation into the future.
School District 57 saw a slight drop when it came to its student enrollment, according to its preliminary enrollment report.
This was revealed during last night’s (Tuesday) school board meeting, which showed the student number being down 72 from its anticipated number of around 13,100.
“Our long term forecast does show that we probably are losing a hundred or so students per year. The number of students coming into kindergarten is not equal to the number of students leaving at grade 12.” said Superintendent Jameel Aziz.
“We were expecting a decline, it’s just a matter of how large that decline is going to be.”
Aziz noted that this won’t affect the School District significantly from an operational standpoint, collapsing 5 planned classrooms forecasted in the spring, but would mean losing $900,000 in funds.
“We still have some other counts in terms of our Indigenous Ed enrollment and our categorized student enrollment to look at.” said Aziz.
“There may be some adjustments that are made once those final numbers roll in. But again, not having the number of classrooms that we had also anticipated in our spring budget, really kind of off-sets that loss in enrollment dollars.”
The School District puts together its enrollment forecast each spring, but can be a hard thing to predict.
The full school board meeting agenda can be found here.
Central Vancouver Island residents are invited to share feedback on the development of the West Central Vancouver Island Forest Landscape Plan, which will help guide long-term forest management.
“Forests are the heart of many B.C. communities, providing spaces for recreational and cultural activities, supporting biodiversity and offering economic opportunities,” said Forests Minister Ravi Parmar. “I encourage everyone in the region to tell us what matters most to you about nearby forests and help shape the future of forest management.”
According to the province, people can share their thoughts on the plan through a short survey, open from Oct. 15 to Dec. 15, or at an open house in a nearby community.
Four in-person open houses are scheduled:
Zeballos Village Hall, 161 Maquinna Ave., on Oct. 16 from 3:30 to 7 p.m.
Gerry Morgan Community Centre in Gold River, 350 Muchalat Dr., on Oct. 27 from 5 to 8 p.m.
Tahsis Community Centre, 285 Alpine View Rd., on Oct. 28 from 3:30 to 7 p.m.
Museum at Campbell River, 470 Island Hwy., on Nov. 4 from 6 to 9 p.m.
The province said developing forest landscape plans is a new approach to forest stewardship that sets clear direction for managing forest-related values.
Residents in Campbell River’s council chambers broke into applause after city council voted down a proposal to allow industrial uses on two parcels of land at the former Elk Falls pulp mill site at last week’s city council meeting.
The mill, located just off the Island Highway in north Campbell River, closed in 2010 after ceasing operations in 2009.
According to a city report, property owner NTE Maple Holdings Ltd. proposed rezoning portions of 4200 and 4405 Island Highway from rural to industrial.
The company’s request included a range of uses for the land to provide flexibility for future business opportunities and attract a wider variety of tenants.
In the report, staff recommended council consider the proposal for first and second reading, followed by a public hearing, on the basis that it aligns with the official community plan (OCP).
The pitch was opposed during the regular council meeting on Oct. 9.
“I’d like to kill it right away by not supporting first and second reading,” said Coun. Ron Kerr.
Mayor Kermit Dahl shared some of the concerns that were voiced at the council table.
“If it was going to be a change to density, to townhouses or something that is needed, that would be completely different,” said the mayor. “But to change from residential to industrial, whether it aligns with the OCP or not, is unacceptable.”
The proposal was then unanimously defeated.
“It doesn’t mean it won’t be developed,” Dahl said. “It just won’t be industrial.”
The North Island College Foundation is celebrating a milestone this year, distributing more than $1 million in student awards for the first time in its history.
So far, more than $650,000 has already been awarded to students across North Island College campuses, with additional funding expected in the months ahead. The awards help students cover the cost of tuition, rent and other expenses at a time when the rising cost of living continues to add pressure.
In total, the foundation is providing more than 500 awards, including 24 focused on supporting Indigenous students. The average award amount is about $1,500.
NIC Foundation acting chair Shannon Baikie said the record year reflects both the generosity of donors and strong returns from the foundation’s endowment investments.
“Every donor carries a unique story, a personal reason for giving that pulses with purpose,” Baikie said. “Through their generosity, NIC students are equipped to pursue an education that transforms not only their lives but the communities around them.”
In a statement from the college, Baikie said the foundation’s ability to award more than $1 million this year was supported by strong performance in global financial markets. While this year’s results were exceptional, she noted that award totals can vary from year to year depending on investment performance and donations.
“For 34 years, the NIC Foundation has helped thousands of students pursue their dreams and transform their lives,” she said. “That’s made possible through the commitment of our team and the generosity of donors who believe in the power of education.”
The foundation says it remains focused on supporting NIC students and continuing to make a lasting impact in the communities the college serves.
– Article includes image and link supplied by North Island College
The City of Nelson has completed repairs on several leaks in its wastewater force main.
Repairs were successfully completed as of Oct. 10.
Over 11 days, the city said it identified and fixed four leaks. All water‑quality tests returned results within normal parameters.
Dive teams conducted three full‑length inspections to ensure the system’s integrity, and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) did two additional inspections along the force main.
It has applied to the Province of B.C.’s 2025 Strategic Priorities Fund for $7 million toward the estimated $11.6 million cost of replacing the force main.
Project designs are expected to be finished in 2026, with a view to beginning construction in 2027.
“The city extends sincere thanks to the divers, support teams and the operations department, who worked tirelessly to address the issue, improve processes and strengthen future system performance,” the city said in a statement.
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Fourth year medical students from the University of British Columbia are continuing their education as they make their way to become full doctors in northern Vancouver Island.
Doctor Alex Nataros says Elise Wang and Julia Hughes have made a solid impact on the community as they continue their education.
“They’re fabulous and fast learners, in their fourth year almost full doctors,” he says. “They’ve contributed a lot to the community, and they learn a lot.”
Nataros says once Wang and Hughes complete their training, and education, he’s hopeful they’ll remain in the community.
“They still have to finish school and do a two-year medical residency,” he says. “They’re not at the stage where they can choose where they want to work yet, but it’s hopeful for us and we’re always trying to recruit.”
Elise Wang is a fourth year medical student from UBC. Photo credit: Dr. Alex Nataros, North Island Community Health Centre
He says the community currently has four family doctors at the North Island Community Health Centre, along with two physiotherapists, an RMT, occupational therapist. But, more are needed and the community needs to attract more medical professionals.
“Making it appealing for medical students makes it more likely that we’re going to attract doctors back to the North Island,” he says.
Nataros believes learning how to deliver patient care in a rural/remote setting is extremely important to developing a new doctor’s skills and calls the experience he shares in the North Island very unique to all students.
“It’s really important not matter what these ‘near doctors’ become,” he says. “If they become cardiologist, plastic surgeons, or family doctors that they understand what it’s like to deliver healthcare in a low resource setting.”
Nataros has had nine students and one resident train in the North Island in the past year.
The City of Fernie has completed an updated integrated infrastructure capital plan, and significant funding will be needed to address high priority projects.
With current annual water rates of $362 and sewer rates of $488, it would take more than 20 years for all high and very-high priority water projects, and 10 years for all sewer projects
However, the plan suggests that such projects should ideally be completed within five years.
To complete the water utility work in that timeframe, the city would require $12.7 million, resulting in a 148 per cent fee increase — or $899 annually.
Sewer projects would require $7.06 million, which would be a 69.4 per cent increase or an annual fee of $861.
Councillor Ted Shoesmith said a shorter timeframe would cost less in the long run with rising construction costs.
“I think the more we address these issues and the faster the better because we’re risking less tax dollars. When we convert that money that’s ethereal and has fluctuating value into a pipe, that pipe has value to the town for another 150 years,” he said.
“So as far as the water and sewer goes I’m all for ripping off the band-aid and whatever projects need to happen we should streamline them and get them going as quickly as possible.”
There are a couple other ways the city could make up the money other than water and sewer rate increases.
One option is temporarily reduce contributions to the stormwater reserve.
City staff said there are some risks to reducing funding, but the risks are lower than the other high priority utility projects.
Another option would be to divert money used for road rehabilitation.
City staff said roads are less of a risk but are highly visible and a significant topic in terms of citizen satisfaction.
Staff are generating a 20-year capital plan, which will be presented as part of 2026 budget discussions.
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Equality and inclusivity were the main topics of discussion during a forum put on by the Smithers Community Services Association on October 9th.
This is the first time it has ran with the focus being on creating cross sector conversations.
“I have been here for two and a half years from outside of town and I was kind of a stranger to the community,” said Executive Director Myung Lee.
“What I was thinking since I came to town was how I could change the narrative of even our own organization.”
Lee added she wanted to share some of what the services association was doing to improve equity and inclusion with other organizations.
The forum included a panel discussion with five local diversity or service group leaders looking at where equity and inclusion currently are in the community.
“The service providers have gathered today to really think critically about their role in enabling an equitable access to services and what inclusion would look like if they were to really consider their role in providing supports,” said Speaker Mary Gerges.
Following was a workshop to look at different organization’s visions, values, barriers, gaps, actions, accountability, and collaboration.
“We as humans tend to organize ourselves in silos, boxes, categories, and that is not the most effective way to address issues,” said Gerges.
Gerges and Lee hope to run the forum again in the future to get an update and continue helping organizations work together.
With Thanksgiving wrapped up, the Comox Valley is shifting gears to Halloween, and there’s no shortage of spooky fun ahead.
In Courtenay, the City is promising a spooktacular time at the Lewis Centre, where the Downtown Business Association and Courtenay Recreation will host a children’s Halloween parade and party.
The event is set for Oct. 31, the parade starts at 3:00 p.m. around downtown, and the party goes from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Over in Comox, the annual Costume Halloween Parade is back along Comox Avenue between Port Augusta and Nordin streets.
That event is also set for Oct. 31
And for an early scare, the Comox Valley RCMP is opening its doors for the first-ever Haunted Cell Block event.
Police say cells at the Courtenay detachment will be transformed into a spooky scene where visitors must help “watch the prisoners” as strange things begin to happen.
That is set for Oct. 29 from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
A total of 158 calls for service were received by Duncan Fire during the third quarter, an increase of 56 from the previous one.
According to a report from acting fire chief Geoff Spriggs, alarm calls ranked the highest for calls to service (30) while motor vehicle incidents came in second, followed by first responder calls.
Non-emergency calls increased in the region by 25, and the report says the leading causes of these calls were brush fires (22), followed by burning complaints (12) and investigations (8).
Medical calls were minimal with only 13 recorded in the report, most of them going to assist BC Ambulance Service (8).
In the first quarter, Duncan Fire had a total of 123 combined calls.
According to the report, Duncan Fire is still working diligently to complete various capital projects; including a garage door motor installation and a new utility pick-up truck that is awaiting emergency response equipment.
The Cariboo Fire Centre currently has 23 active wildfires.
3 in the Quesnel Zone
14 in the Chilcotin Zone
2 in the 100 Mile House Zone
and 4 in the Central Cariboo Zone.
“All fires are classified as Under Control,” Fire Information Officer Amanda Cullum said, “with the exception of C32270 which is east of Bells Lake which is being held with crews on scene mopping up hot spots.”
Cullum said the Itcha Lake wildfire, 200 kilometres West of Quesnel, is also listed as being held and minimal fire activity is being observed on this fire and personnel may continue to patrol the fire for hot spots.
Effective at noon on Friday October tenth all open fire prohibitions and associated restrictions were lifted throughout the entire Cariboo Fire Centre and Tsilhqot’in/Xeni Gwet’in declared Title Area.
“Although Fire Danger Ratings have decline throughout the Cariboo Fire Centre as a result of recent rainfall along with shorter days, longer nights, and cooler temperatures, the public is encouraged to continue exercising caution with the use of any open fire,” Cullum said.
She added it is the responsibility of the individual to ensure that burning is done in a safe and responsible manner and in accordance with regulations.
The RDEK will be hosting a series of open houses for the Rockyview official community plan.
The new OCP involves updating the current OCP and combining it with the Moyie and area OCP.
It will also merge the Wycliffe zoning bylaw and Electoral Area C South zoning bylaw.
“Public engagement is the foundation of success in a planning process, and we are hoping to see a strong turnout to the Open Houses over the coming weeks,” said Regional District of East Kootenay Electoral Area C Director Rob Gay.
“We have a total of six Open Houses planned that will be held both in person and via Zoom to encourage as much participation as possible.”
Open Houses will be held:
• Saturday, October 25, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Moyie Community Hall
• Monday, October 27, 4:30-7:30 p.m. at the Cranbrook Senior Citizens Hall
• Saturday, November 1, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Cranbrook Senior Citizens Hall
• Monday, November 3, 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the Cranbrook Senior Citizens Hall
• Thursday, November 6, 7-9 p.m. online via Zoom
• Tuesday, November 18, 4-6 p.m. at the Moyie Community Hall
A draft of the updated bylaw is expected to complete in early 2026.
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About 100 union employees rallied up Main Street today (Wednesday), calling on the B.C. Government to voice contract concerns.
This included the B.C. General Employees Union (BCGEU), Professional Employees Association, B.C. Nurses Union, and the Kitimat-Terrace and District Labour Council.
“This is our sixth week of being on strike so we’re doing a march across town, meet with a worksite that’s also picketing, and show the community we’re out here,” said Spokesperson Ryan Lapointe.
He added one of the main requests the BCGEU is looking for is an increase in wages on top of various other changes as jobs have changed.
“In addition to the high inflation of the last couple of years since [the COVID pandemic], we’re also looking to catch up becuase we’ve had two to three decades of wages that were stagnent and not keeping up with inflation,” Lapointe said.
Today was chosen to do the strike as there are more sites on strike wanting to meet and show solidarity together.
While marching up Main Street, the rally stopped outside Bulkley Valley-Stikine MLA Sharron Hartwell’s office.
“I think pretty much all British Columbians are hurting with the cost of living other than a small percent, and we support all workers to get better wages,” said Lapointe.
The Kimberley RCMP had 551 calls for service between July and September, an 11 per cent increase from the previous quarter.
The largest jump came in abandoned 911 calls or reports of suspicious persons, which rose to 65 from 40.
Assaults dropped from 25 to 14 and vehicle incidents remained similar with 114 up slightly from 105 last quarter.
The detachment was kept busy in September with the death of three hikers at Meachen Falls.
Officers assisted with the response for seven days and worked with the Mexican consulate, as all three individuals were from Mexico.
The RCMP was also called out to fire last month.
“On Sept. 25 we responded to a large structure fire at the Skoocumchuk pulp mill, in which the warehouse holding machinery burnt down,” said Cst. Clint Corbeil.
“The loss is substantial in value. I don’t have an exact number but I was advised it was between $4-5 million potentially.”
Police and investigators are still looking to determine a cause.
“That’s an ongoing investigation at this time and are working with fire investigators to determine the cause and if there was any criminality.”
Devin Christopher Fuller (Photo Supplied: Smithers RCMP)
Smithers and Houston RCMP are on the hunt for 39-year-old Devin Christopher Fuller from Telkwa.
Police said he is wanted on multiple warrants for various offences dated for this and last year.
They include multiple counts of breach of probation, break and enter, commit an indictable offence, mischief under $5,000, and assault with a weapon.
Fuller is described as five-foot ten-inches with brown hair and hazel eyes.
“Because people in the Bulkley Valley often travel between nearby communities, sharing information across the region is important in helping police locate individuals who are wanted,” Mounties said.
Anyone with information on Fuller’s whereabouts can contact the Houston or Smithers detachments, or Crime Stoppers.
The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. (IIO) will not be pursuing further action against the Vanderhoof RCMP, after an arrest lead to an injury.
On November 27th, 2023, police responded to a call of a person breaching her conditions by being at a residence, where she was arrested shortly after.
According to the report, the person was resisting arrest, crying, making a lot of noise, and kicking them.
Once the person was place on the ground, one of the officers placed their knee on the person’s leg, where they heard it snap, however, officers said they didn’t see what the person alleged.
The person was taken to hospital by police after complaints of leg pain, with medical examination determining a lower left leg fracture, with now explanation on how it occurred.
The IIO was notified of the incident several months after by a community member, as police felt the injury wasn’t serious enough to fall under its jurisdiction.
Investigators worked to locate evidence or civilian witnesses for the arrest, but couldn’t find any.
The IIO said while officers used force, there wasn’t sufficient evidence that showed it was beyond excessive in this case.
They add the matter won’t be referred to Crown counsel for consideration of charges.
The full IIO report can be found on its website here.
The College of New Caledonia and the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation advanced their relationship this morning (Wednesday), signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will help provide education opportunities to the Nation’s members.
The MOU is entitled ilhoh nus ts’et’oh Tuition Initiative – We are Paddling Forward Together, named by Lheidli T’enneh language holders.
“Lheidli T’enneh has been focused on building a partnership for the last number of years with partners we know will help create and foster strong futures for our members, no matter their age or socioeconomic status,” said Lheidli T’enneh Chief Dolleen Logan.
“One of the most important partnerships we could ever create relates to education.”
Under the MOU, tuition and fee waivers will be available for ten students per year from the First Nation, five for trades students and five for university transfer students, which Logan hopes will expand in the future.
“This agreement is more than a document, it’s a commitment to reconciliation, to equity, and to the shared belief that education is a powerful tool for transformation and growth,” said CNC President Cindy Heitman.
“It recognizes strength, wisdom, and resilience of Indigenous communities, and affirms our responsibility to create space where First Nations students feel welcome, supported, and empowered.”
Heitman added they’re having conversations with other First Nations on similar agreements.
“Currently, we work closely with our First Nations and we’re trying to develop and strengthen relationships that maybe have wandered a little bit over the past few years,” she said.
“We are working hard to commit to the other nations, and we look forward to having conversations.”
A 39-year old man, charged in connection with a shots fired case in Williams Lake, has been sentenced in provincial court.
Curtis Joseph Paul received a 12-month conditional sentence and 18 months probation after pleading guilty to a charge of possession of a firearm without a license, flight from police, refusing to provide a breath sample, and mischief under $5,000.
Several other counts, including unlawfully discharging a firearm, possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose, and dangerous driving, were stayed.
RCMP were called to a residence on Mackenzie Avenue back in December of 2023 for a report of a man discharging a firearm in the direction of a person at a house.
The suspect was then accused of fleeing the scene in a pickup truck.
While at the residence, police say they received multiple calls of an erratic driver in different parts of the city, and that a person also reported that the driver pointed a firearm at them.
A suspect was eventually arrested with the aide of a spike belt.
RCMP say a search of the vehicle revealed a loaded firearm.
A homicide in downtown Campbell River is under investigation by the RCMP’s major crime unit.
Campbell River RCMP says they received a report of a stabbing in the 1300 block of Dogwood Street shortly before 2 a.m. on Oct. 12.
According to an RCMP news release, an officer conducting proactive patrols in the area responded to the scene shortly after the call and identified and detained a 29-year-old woman as she was fleeing the area.
Additional officers arrived and began performing life-saving measures on a 30-year-old woman who had suffered a life-threatening stab wound. According to the release, emergency medical efforts were unable to save the victim.
RCMP spoke with several witnesses at the scene, though some left before speaking with police. Witnesses who have not yet spoken with investigators are being urged to contact the Campbell River RCMP.
On the evening of Oct. 12, a charge of second-degree murder was approved against the 29-year-old suspect, who remains in custody.
A new report from Ladysmith RCMP shows the number of local incidents rose by an average of 24 per cent compared with the same period last year.
The biggest increase was in general assistance calls, which rose 43 per cent — including mental health-related calls (up 39 per cent), wellness checks (31 per cent) and unspecified assistance calls (106 per cent).
Ladysmith RCMP post their quarterly updates during a council meeting, noting crime has increased almost 25 per cent. Photo credit: Ladysmith RCMP quarterly report.
Assault and sexual assault incidents both increased 25 per cent, while traffic-related offences rose 13 per cent.
Ladysmith RCMP post their quarterly updates during a council meeting, noting crime has increased almost 25 per cent. Photo credit: Ladysmith RCMP quarterly report.
Despite several categories showing growth, the report notes declines in drug- and alcohol-related crimes by 56 per cent, property offences by 43 per cent, and mischief calls by three per cent.
Ladysmith RCMP post their quarterly updates during a council meeting, noting crime has increased almost 25 per cent. Photo credit: Ladysmith RCMP quarterly report.
Ladysmith RCMP responded to a total of 1,284 calls in the second quarter of 2025 — an increase of 246 calls from the same period last year.
The Province is launching a new in-person program aimed at helping youth get through employment barriers.
The YWCA NextStep program will be held in Prince George, Port Coquitlam and virtually provincewide that provides group-based, trauma-informed training, supporting life and employability skills.
The province said participants can earn certifications, such as FoodSafe Level 1, Emergency First Aid, and Serving It Right, helping expandjob opportunities.
The program offers classroom workshops for hands-on experience, one-on-one support and financial incentives for completing the program.
It’s in partnership with the Government of Canada, through an investment of $2.4 million over three years.
The program will support up to 288 young people over that time frame, with registrations accepted on an ongoing basis.
Virtual training opens to youth throughout B.C. on November 10th.
Information and registration for YWCA’s NextStep program can be found here.
The Quesnel Community Foundation’s 50 thousand dollar challenge got underway today. (October 15)
President Graeme Armstrong says an anonymous donor has once again agreed to match all donations up to that amount.
“We have been very successful with this. Last year we far exceeded that goal. It’s always a great time at the end of the year to raise funds.”
The challenge will go until December 15.
Armstrong reminds people that all of the money raised will stay in the region.
“This spring we handed out over 200 thousand dollars in grants that were all to local non-profits, you know from sports and arts and recreation to seniors care, a wide variety of things. Environmental stewardship. There was also a little over 30 thousand dollars in scholarships and bursaries.”
The Quesnel Community Foundation’s endowment fund, that started out at 50 thousand dollars as a legacy of the 2000 BC Winter Games, is now up beyond the 6.3 million dollar mark.
It is the money raised in income and interest from the endowment fund that goes out into the community in the form of grants, scholarships and bursaries.
Armstrong says the easiest way to donate is to go to their website.
Upgrades to the Cowichan Aquatic Centre are complete, and the facility is operating safely for the community, but the Municipality of North Cowichan says more work remains.
According to Mayor Rob Douglas, improvements were made to the pool filters, chlorine systems, acid pumps and a deep clean, along with maintenance to the change rooms and fitness centre.
Douglas said further enhancements will be needed to reduce the building’s carbon footprint, and work should be done quickly.
“The facility’s old boiler, which was operating at under 60 per cent efficiency, has been replaced with two new high-efficiency units,” he said. “Once completed, this upgrade will help improve energy performance.
“The front desk is also being renovated to create a more functional, secure and welcoming space for staff and customers.”
Although upgrades are still underway, Douglas said the facility remains open with full access to core programs.
Nanaimo RCMP are asking the public to help identify a suspect who allegedly stole a unique handmade banjo.
Police say it was taken from a vehicle parked along Victoria Crescent on Oct. 4, along with a backpack containing a MacBook Pro.
“A short time after the theft was reported, the individual shown attempted to pawn a similar style banjo at a nearby pawnshop,” said RCMP in a news release. “The sale was refused and the unidentified person left with the item.”
Police say the man is Caucasian, about 35 to 45 years old, of medium build and sporting a brown moustache. He was wearing a grey T-shirt, dark grey sweatpants, a black backwards cap and white running shoes.
Police ask anyone with information on the theft to contact the non-emergency line at 250-754-2345.
A Rossland senior is out $40,000 after being told she’d won a sweepstakes contest.
RCMP say they received a report Friday morning that the 90-year-old woman had received a letter claiming she’d won $2.8 million. She was told to send $40,000 by electronic bank transfers and electronic gift card codes to claim her prize.
When no prize was forthcoming, she realized it was a scam. Police say she can’t the money back.
“Everyday people fall victim to this kind of prize scams,” Sgt. Mike Wicentowich said in a news release.
“Anyone requesting you send him/her money to claim a prize is trying to scam you out of your money. Do not send anyone an electronic fund transfer or electronic gift card codes. It cannot be recovered and is gone forever.”
Trail woman avoids cheque scam
Police say a Trail woman received a $16,000 cheque from a company by email. The company said it was trying to buy something from another Canadian company.
The 61-year-old woman tried to cash the cheque, but her bank determined it was bogus. The woman reported the incident to police.
Wicentowich said frauds like this one usually have someone deposit a cheque into their own account and immediately send a portion to the so-called company electronically. The victim expects to keep the rest, but later learns the cheque is fake. The victim is still on the hook for the amount sent electronically.
September was a resurgence of sorts for home sales in Northern B.C. and across the province.
According to the B.C Real Estate Association (BCREA), 368 units changed hands last month, a 17.6 percent spike year-over-year when compared to September of 2024 (313).
Active listings in our region saw a five percent dip in the past twelve months going from 2,127 (September 2024) to 2,018 (last month).
The average house price in Northern B.C. was $441,465, an uptick of 2.6 percent when compared to the same month last year $430,430.
That price was a bit higher in Prince George at $545,424.
Provincially, 5,782-unit sales were tallied in September an increase of 4.4 percent on a year-over-year basis.
The average residential price in the province last month was up 0.4 per cent at $948,296 compared to $944,298 in September 2024.
Vista Radio has reached out to BCREA economist Amit Sidhu for a comment and is awaiting a response.
The mayor of Grand Forks says he’ll go to Ottawa next week on his own dime to help present a united front with Interfor following the indefinite shutdown of the local sawmill.
Everett Baker says he has been working with all levels of government to make softwood an issue in trade talks with the United States.
“We’re looking to deliver a common message to the feds that we need some attention,” Baker said. “And this is a crisis.”
Interfor announced in September that the Grand Forks will would be curtailed for three weeks as part of company-wide plans to cut production by 12 per cent by December.
The shutdown has since been extended until further notice. The company cited “persistent market headwinds and the continued impact of U.S. trade actions.” Tariffs and duties on US-bound softwood exports now total 45 per cent.
The Grand Forks mill has about 150 employees and an estimated 300 contractors are also affected by the closure.
On Tuesday, Kootenay Central MLA Brittny Anderson, who is also the minister of state for local governments and rural communities, visited Grand Forks to meet with affected employees and contractors.
“They shared how any of these are young families with mortgages. And now their livelihood has been threatened,” Baker said. “So it was a good opportunity for the minister to hear firsthand what’s happening on the ground here in Grand Forks.”
On Friday, some of those same people are expected to meet with South Okanagan-West Kootenay MP Helena Konanz to share the same message.
Baker said he was encouraged that Premier David Eby issued a statement Tuesday, calling for federal support for forestry workers. Baker said he has also spoken with Kootenay West MLA Steve Morissette and BC forests minister Ravi Parmar. Next week Baker will be in Ottawa with Interfor CEO Ian Ian Fillinger.
In an Instagram post last week, Konanz said she wrote to the Liberals asking for an emergency debate in the House of Commons on softwood.
Responding in the House of Commons, Government house leader Steven MacKinnon said he treated the request “with a little dose of skepticism” as to whether it was much of an emergency to the opposition.
“I have a different message to deliver to him,” Baker said. “It is not just for ourselves, but for all the mill towns in British Columbia and actually through Canada.”
Baker said following the 2018 floods that devastated Grand Forks, the city was front and centre with senior levels of government. He is hoping to draw the same attention to the region on softwood.
Baker added some of the idled Grand Forks mill workers are now collecting employment insurance, while others are ineligible, and some who are training to be millwrights are wondering whether they will be able to obtain their certification.
In addition to politicians at all levels, Baker said he has had many phone calls from the community offering support, including the credit union, Chamber of Commerce, and food banks.
“I certainly recognize what this could mean to our community and to the workers. That’s really what I’m fighting for, is the workers to maintain their jobs and to keep Interfor operational in Grand Forks.”
The Prince George Spruce Kings gave the Sherwood Park Crusaders all they could handle at the BCHL Showcase, but it wasn’t quite enough.
Two goals third period goals in a span of 3:35 by Braeden O’Keefe proved to be the difference as the Crusaders escaped with a 3-2 victory Tuesday night at the BCHL Showcase in Abbotsford.
The Spruce Kings found themselves up 2-1 early in the third thanks to a goal from Mason Loewen, his first of the season.
Quincy Supprien opened the scoring for Sherwood Park at the 18:57 mark of the first period giving them a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes.
Ben Vreugdenhil notched his first in the BCHL at on the power-play from Kazumo Sasaki and Marcus Lougheed in the middle period.
The Crusaders outshot the Spruce Kings 33-27. PG went 1-for-3 on the power-play while Sherwood Park was 0-for-2.
Colin Reay made 30 saves in defeat while his counterpart Jack Scali stopped 25 of 27 Spruce Kings pucks in the victory.
PG drops to 3-3 and will play the Brooks Bandits (4-2-1) at 4pm Pacific Time today (Wednesday).
Some drivers across Northern B.C. are still deciding to use their cell phones and fail to buckle up.
During a September-long blitz across the province, 116 drivers from our region were nabbed for committing one of the two violations according to the B.C Highway Patrol.
“It’s simple. If we can get less people to drive while distracted, and more people to wear their seatbelts, then we will save more lives,” said Superintendent Mike Coyle with BC Highway Patrol.
“We will keep writing tickets for people who don’t obey the law, but the real goal is public safety.”
Fines for people who are caught using an electronic device behind the wheel face fines of $368 while failing to wear a seatbelt will ding you $167.
Province-wide, 1190 drivers were pulled over for these offences during the blitz.
The most tickets were issued in Central B.C., which consist of Kamloops, Kelowna, Meritt and Clearwater with 447.
“As we move into the Halloween season, and the days get shorter, it’s even more important that you eliminate distractions behind the wheel,” said Superintendent Coyle.
“Pedestrians are hard to see in the darkness and rain of fall. You need all of your attention to keep yourself, your loved ones, and the people in your neighbourhood safe on the roads.”
It’s a massive loss for ringette in Prince George.
According to a Facebook post, PG Ringette says longtime coach Keith Sullivan has passed away.
For nearly four decades, Keith served as a coach, a referee, a board member, and a referee mentor, guiding players and officials with patience, kindness, and unwavering belief in the power of sport to build character and community.
Sullivan was inducted into the Ringette BC Hall of Fame, a tribute to his decades of leadership and generosity to the sport.
In 2024, he received the Sport BC Presidents Award, honouring his outstanding volunteer contributions.
Sullivan was also recognized by Ringette Canada for his remarkable dedication and impact on the sport nationwide.
A special tribute will be held during the upcoming Prince George Ringette Tournament on November 8th, with a time and location to be determined.
In 1989, Vancouver writer-director John Pozer made The Grocer’s Wife, a noirish comedy that used Trail’s industrial backdrop to create an eerie atmosphere.
The independent film caused a minor sensation when it debuted a few years later on the festival circuit, but it was never released on video. Except for a few special screenings and TV airings, there has been no way to see it. At last, Pozer has had the film digitized and placed on Vimeo, where it can be streamed for free.
It remains one of the few films ever shot in Trail.
“I still believe in Trail as a filming destination,” Pozer said in an interview last week. “The people of Trail certainly helped me make the film. Trail is completely unique. It’s like no other little town. The whole thing wouldn’t have been as big, as magic, as wonderful of an outcome if it hadn’t been for Trail.”
Although he was born in Kamloops, Pozer’s first exposure to Trail wasn’t until 1986, when he came to the area to work on Housekeeping, filmed in Nelson. Pozer had written to director Bill Forsythe, asking if he could be an observer on set. On the way back to Vancouver, Pozer detoured through Trail and was astonished to see the smelter lit up at night.
“It was like I had stumbled into an alien landing site,” he said. “I honestly couldn’t believe it. The lights were bright, the sound was pervasive, and when I turned on the radio, it was in Italian.” (At the time, Ben Angelucci provided Italian-language newscasts on the Kootenay Broadcasting System.)
“I felt completely disoriented,” Pozer said, “but I loved it.”
Mother and son
Pozer spent the night in Trail and walked around the next morning, realizing that he’d found the setting for a story that he had been working on for months as part of a thesis project for a UBC master’s program.
His starting point was a Freudian quote he’d read: “A son’s first day of freedom is when his mother dies.” It planted the seed for a story where a man’s mother dies but she is immediately replaced by another mother figure.
In the film, mild-mannered Tim Midley (played by Simon Webb) works at the smelter and lives with his controlling mother (Andrea Rankin). After his mother falls ill to smelter fumes, a stripper (Susinn McFarlen) waiting for a train out of town moves in with him. To his growing dismay, he finds she has no intention of leaving. The title character, Mrs. Friendly (Nicola Cavendish), offers a way out.
Much of the movie was actually shot in Vancouver, so don’t bother trying to find the Midley home in Trail. But Trail nevertheless figures prominently, with scenes on the old bridge, Groutage Avenue, the Esplanade, the smelter staircase, the Masonic Lodge, and a hill above West Trail. Shots of the smelter’s belching stacks recur throughout.
While The Grocer’s Wife paints an unflattering portrait — Pozer describes the smelter as “a big industrial machine that towers over [the town] and gives it a sense of a societal prison” — Pozer says the film doesn’t actually take place in Trail, but in a nameless town.
“Trail just created this backdrop, this texture, this opportunity for me to explore certain things and places that I had been inspired by,” he says. “The way the [smelter] stood over the town created this skyline.
“I was just smitten by the entire imagery of the town. I think it’s one of the most European cities in British Columbia.”
The film also has a timeless quality. Shot in black and white, it seems to come from a bygone era, but what era is hard to say.
Susinn McFarlen as Anita Newlove in a production still from The Grocer’s Wife. (Courtesy John Pozer)
Shooting in Trail
After several subsequent visits to Trail to scout locations — including a tour of Cominco — Pozer arrived with his cast and a mostly student crew. They shot for five or six days in July 1989. The budget was low, but the production enjoyed support from Trail city hall.
“Once we got there, we had kind of the key to the city. The mayor [Marc Marcolin] said ‘you can shoot wherever you want on the streets,’ and this is all without permits … To shoot on a bridge requires a fair bit of traffic control, a lot of organization, and a lot of support from the city administrators. And we got all of the support that we needed.”
It was Pozer’s first time directing. Another 40 days of filming followed in and around Vancouver, where the production had a magnetic pull for prospective crew. So great was the interest, Pozer had to turn down people who offered to work for free.
The film would turn out to be a proving ground for other film students who became part of what was dubbed the West Coast Wave. Lynne Stopkewich, Mina Shum, Bruce Sweeney, Reginald Harkema, Greg Middleton, Ross Weber, and Glen Winter were among those who worked on The Grocer’s Wife and went on to noteworthy careers.
Definitely not The Beachcombers
Post-production took years. Pozer set up an editing suite in his parents’ basement in Vancouver and settled into a cycle of editing and fundraising. Processing the 16-millimeter film stock alone was a significant cost. But Pozer felt he was in no rush.
He ultimately transferred from UBC to Concordia University in Montreal, and completed the film there, including the sound mixing. His cousin, Mark Korven, contributed a striking, jazzy score.
When an unfinished preview was screened for a Toronto International Film Festival selection committee, Pozer was asked where the film was from. “I said, ‘Well, I shot it in British Columbia.’ They were all kind of raised on Beachcombers and the beautiful coast and mountains.
“These selection committee people just wondered how in the world did this come through in a Canadian setting without any true organized Telefilm help. We were very proud of that. It was a struggle, but it certainly hit them as a surprise and I think that stood us in good stead of getting us into our first premier festival.”
The film debuted in Toronto in 1991 and received an honorable mention as Best Canadian Film. It made an ever bigger splash when the winner of that category, Atom Egoyan, signed his $25,000 prize over to Pozer.
Further screenings followed in Vancouver, at Cannes, and at smaller festivals in Europe. In May 1993, the film played at the Royal Theatre in Trail with Pozer and star Simon Webb in attendance. Some people bristled at Trail’s depiction as a smoke-choked moonscape, but Pozer explained it was part of the film’s fictional setting, not a commentary on the city.
At the 1993 Genie Awards, Pozer received the Claude Jutra Award for best first feature, Nicola Cavendish won best supporting actress, and Mark Korven received a nomination for best original score.
Susinn McFarlen as Anita Newlove in a production still from The Grocer’s Wife. (Courtesy John Pozer)
The film’s afterlife
Since its initial run, opportunities to see The Grocer’s Wife have been few and far between. The film aired on the CBC in the 1990s, and Pozer was surprised one day to receive a call from his mother-in-law, who spotted it on television while she was vacationing in the US.
He subsequently discovered a licensing agreement had been renewed that let the film continue to be broadcast, albeit rarely. It complicated the possibility of a video release. He was approached many times by people who wanted their own copy — cast and crew not least of them — but while he raised the idea with the distributor, no commercial release ever happened.
“So everything is closed off with distributors who have the exclusive right to show your film. If they want to just sit on it, they can sit. If they want to sell it, they can.”
Only recently did all of the rights to The Grocer’s Wife revert back to Pozer, more than 30 years after the film was completed. The impetus to finally digitize it came when he received a note from the national film archives that the Trail Museum and Archives was trying to obtain a copy.
“I thought if the film was going to go to a museum, I’d like it to be presented in the best possible way for everyone who worked on it,” Pozer says. “So they [the museum] were very helpful and kind of the push we needed.”
A Kelowna company transferred Pozer’s 16-millimeter print to digital and it was launched online last week.
Revisiting the film now, Pozer is particularly struck by the scenes in Trail. “I just knew in my heart that this was where we should be,” he says.
Pozer hasn’t been back to Trail in a long time, but he says he would love to do a benefit screening of the film to help support young creative types in the community.
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The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary will seek millions of dollars to expand the Christina Lake fire hall and do energy and accessibility upgrades at the Grand Forks aquatic centre.
They are among three projects for which the RDKB has applied to a Union of BC Municipalities fund.
The biggest ticket item is an expansion of the Christina Lake fire hall, expected to cost $5.9 million. A report to the board from fire chief Tom Service said the current hall, built in 1997, has become cramped. The administrative space is limited, which results in shared offices and training and meeting areas that can’t easily accommodate the departments 20 to 25 firefighters, Service said.
An Atco trailer was added to help, but it’s not considered a long-term solution. “Over the past several years, the department’s staffing and service demands have grown, increasing pressure on the existing space,” Service said.
The proposed 2,000 square-foot expansion would provide more room for administration and training, as well as dedicated sleeping quarters for work experience program firefighters, he added. Retrofits, including the installation of solar panels, would make the building more energy efficient.
The second major item is a $3 million application for the aquatic centre in Grand Forks, which recreation and facilities manager Paul Keys said is the RDKB’s biggest energy consumer and greenhouse gas emitter.
The project calls for using solar thermal as the pool’s primary source for hot water and using a dedicated heat exchanger, backed up with an air source heat pump and condensing boilers.
The project would also include accessibility improvements, including a new washroom in the main lobby, lowered fire alarm pulls, and new wayfinding signs that use pictograms, tactile lettering, and braille.
The project was supposed to begin last year but stalled when the RDKB couldn’t find a contractor within its budget.
The third application is for $1.5 million to conduct a risk assessment of the RDKB’s critical infrastructure. A staff report said the regional district owns 39 such assets.
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The Town of Smithers assigned a $26,000 contract to Calian for creating a Cold Response Plan during tonight’s (Tuesday) council meeting.
It is needed for the town to access provincial funding to operate a temporary warming centre during extreme cold weather events.
The funding to create the plan was provided by the Northern Development Initiative Trust.
“It’s good for us to have this plan but I think we need to recognize there are other agencies that should be doing this instead and we are pursuing those,” said Councillor Frank Wray.
“We weren’t able to provide a nice warm tent last year so instead, people were having overdoses in the cold.”
Councillor Sam Raven added the plan isn’t just for the homeless population in town.
“If we have a power outage for 48 hours and have seniors that don’t have heat in their homes, this will benefit them too,” she said.
One issue that was brought up during the public comment period was previous warming centres wouldn’t allow anyone to shelter overnight.
“With the funding that was available, we were able to fund something that was a warming centre and not an overnight sleeping location,” said Fire Chief Alle Jan de Vries.
He added the plan could allow for an overnight sleeping location to be included but was uncertain if it would be included.
“The intention of this is to contract a company to help support us with the development of an extreme weather emergency response plan and that does deal with numerous different scenarios,” said Chief Administrative Officer Michael Dewar.
Councillor Genevieve Paterson added she hopes part of the plan will include allowing those needing to sleep at the warming centre during extreme cold events.
Council voted unanimously to move ahead with creating the plan.
The (4-7-2) UNBC Timberwolves conclude their men’s soccer season by hosting the
(13-0-1) UBC Thunderbirds Friday night at 6:00 and Sunday afternoon at 2:00.
The UNBC women’s soccer team finished its season with an 0-13-1 record.
Ash at the front door of Nancy O’s (Supplied by Eoin Foley)
Nancy O’s Owner Eoin Foley says he’s grateful the restaurant didn’t burn down last week.
Through email, Foley shared photos from the downtown restaurant last week, showing a pile of ash and a burn mark outside of the back door, as well as a smaller pile of ash at the front door.
“For me, personally, it’s been dozens over the years, but just two last week,” Foley said in an interview with My PG Now.
“I personally had to grab a bucket of water and put out some smoldering debris just two days after the CrossRoads fire.”
Foley adds many buildings he’s seen throughout the downtown have burn marks as well.
“It’s a surprise that we don’t see even more fires than we already do.”
Foley says a local state of emergency would have to send a message to higher levels of government that this is a real emergency.
“They need to treat it as such, because they haven’t,” he said.
“Even the provincial government, they declared a public health emergency in 2017, and they changed the course on that at all, that was eight years ago, and we’re worse off than we were back then.”
Foley said actions and policies have been an inappropriate response to what is an urgent crisis.
“They’ve been putting together piecemeal policies and half measures for so long, and waiting to see if this works, or if this works,” he said.
“What we need is a transformational change in our systems, and we’re not seeing that.”
Foley said he recognizes locally the City doesn’t have the resources mandate to address some parts of the issue, such as
“We’re talking about things like overnight security, so much of this bad behaviour and fires happen in the middle of the night when there’s very few people around in the downtown area to protect our businesses, to call the police or the fire department as needed,” he said.
“A local state of emergency can give a few extra powers, like implementing a curfew in those hours of the night, so anybody’s that’s skulking around, that’s up to no good can be detained for the evening and without having to actually commit a crime. I’m talking about people that are clearly up to no good, and have likely had a ton of police interactions already.”
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Today (Tuesday), Prince George City Council sent out the following open letter to residents:
Public safety is the most urgent challenge facing our City. The recent fires and ongoing issues in our downtown have made many residents feel unsafe. This is a difficult time for the community, and a time when Council is particularly grateful for the unwavering service provided by our frontline workers, including our colleagues and friends in Bylaw Services, the RCMP, and Prince George Fire Rescue.
As your mayor and council, we have considered every tool available to us to address safety concerns downtown and have implemented those which are known to be effective, including funding for CCTV, increasing funding for Bylaw and RCMP, and cooperating with the Province to build more housing for people living on the streets.
On paper, things are improving. In 2024, the Crime Severity Index, which measures the frequency and severity of reported crime, dropped to the lowest level since 2018.
But downtown remains in crisis. We have heard calls for Council to take action. We want to see action too. The frustrating reality is that municipal government does not have the authority to address the fundamental problems in the mental health and criminal justice systems which allow widespread street disorder to persist. But we know who does.
Council fully supports recent calls to the Federal government to strengthen our criminal justice system: amendments to the bail provisions that lead to “catch and release”, stiffer penalties for repeat offenders, and longer sentences for people who commit violent crimes. We also support calls to the Province to hire more Crown Counsel and expand services to provide custodial care for individuals committing crimes due to untreated mental illness or acquired brain injury. Every one of these steps is outside the authority of municipal government, but Council has been advocating fiercely to attract Provincial and Federal attention and resources to Prince George.
We are seeing results: most recently, following persistent advocacy from Council, the Province announced that Prince George will be home to one of only two new involuntary care facilities in B.C. The Province has also constructed more than 555 units of affordable and supportive housing in the city since 2022, as well as a 42-bed transitional housing facility which was purpose-built to get people off the street while they wait for permanent housing to become available. This is a tangible step towards addressing downtown disorder.
But it’s not enough.
Advocating for the tools we need
Council hopes to host a community meeting to discuss solutions to the challenges we face as a city. We have asked Ministers from the Provincial government to attend and we are awaiting their response. This will be an opportunity for them to share the steps they are taking to address the ongoing issues around public safety.
More importantly, it will be an opportunity for them to listen to the people of Prince George.
Along with maintaining strong working partnerships with all other levels of government and our continued focus on advocacy is making sure our community also feel like they can make their voices count.
This is why part of our advocacy push will be to give residents the opportunity to sign a petition to the Attorney General of Canada advocating for changes to bail reform. With enough signatures and the support of a member of Parliament, this petition will be presented to the House of Commons. In cooperation with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, our goal is to raise further awareness that the failings in the Criminal Code have created massive problems in cities and towns across the country.
A number of members of Council also plan to attend the Safe Streets rally planned for October 16 at the CN Centre. We look forward to listening to residents and standing together as a community.
What about declaring a state of emergency?
We heard calls for Council to declare a state of local emergency, and we looked into it. The clear advice we received is that provincial emergency and disaster legislation limits this tool to respond to limited-duration events, like earthquakes, mass flooding and narrowly defined terrorist and security threats. It’s not something Council can legally use to respond to ongoing disorder downtown.
Council is responsible for a wide range of services in Prince George, from playground maintenance to major water infrastructure, and everything between. But public safety remains at the very top of our agenda. We are listening. We are acting. And we are committed to fighting for the safe community that Prince George deserves.
The BC Forest sector is calling on the federal government to bring the same urgency to the lumber file as it has to steel, aluminum, and energy.
Kurt Niquidet is the President of the BC Lumber Trade Council.
“Really we’re just trying to make sure that the forest sector is a priority, that we’re a priority in the broader trade discussions with the U.S. We hear a lot about steel and aluminum and sometimes we feel like we’re a bit of an afterthought.”
Niquidet says they would also like to see some of the support measures that were announced in the summer, that have been a bit slow to roll out, to be expedited.
“There was about 1.2 billion of supports that were announced by Prime Minister Carney in August and 700 million of that was for a loan guarantee program. This is to help companies, particularly small and medium sized companies, weather the storm coming at us with these duties and tariffs. There also was funds for supporting workers as well as initiatives to grow the domestic market as well as to diversify into other markets.”
Niquidet says these are unprecedented times with duties and tariffs at a level that haven’t been seen before.
“Up to 35 percent that started in August. And then now with the imposition of these tariffs, that’s on top of things, so we’re at 45 percent now. We’ve never been in this situation so it’s a real blow to the sector, and this is why we’re saying that this is an urgent situation and it needs to be a priority for the federal government.”
For reference, Niquidet says prior to August their duties were just over 14 percent.
A joint statement within the BC forest sector was out out today. (Oct 14)
Forests Minister Ravi Parmer said:
“These are tough days for forestry workers and contractors around British Columbia. Fighting American duties and tariffs will require everyone working together-industry, workers, and all levels of government-to defend pay cheques and keep businesses operating-but it’s clear that we need the federal government to stand up, shoulder-to-shoulder with us.”
The long-stalled Unicorn Childcare Centre in Tadanac is moving ahead again, but it will have fewer spaces than originally envisioned.
The project was proposed following a 2018 feasibility study, but not formally announced as a go until May 2021. A few months later, Teck announced it would transfer land for the project at the north end of Kootenay Avenue. The facility was originally supposed to open in September 2022.
However, the City of Trail says the project fell victim to challenges in finding a non-profit operator, which was a requirement to receive provincial funding, as well as higher construction costs driven by inflation and market volatility.
The city announced today that work is finally poised to begin in earnest, with construction to be completed by spring of 2027.
“This project has been years in the making,” mayor Colleen Jones said in a news release. “We’re thrilled to see it come to life and to know that families in our region will soon have access to the kind of childcare that meets their real-world needs.”
The centre will be managed by Kootenay Family Place, a local non-profit childcare agency.
“This is a passion project for us,” executive director Gent Harrison said in the release. “We see the importance of childcare every day, and we cannot wait to operate this innovative new childcare centre.”
The centre is expected to have 44 licensed spaces, including 12 infant/todder spots and two separate rooms for children ages three to five. Originally the project was to have 65 full-time spaces but the city says a “significant escalation in construction costs” after the pandemic forced a reduction.
The original plan also called for operating hours of 4:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week, year-round. The city says the facility will open with more limited hours before gradually expanding to its full extended-hour model.
In addition to the land donated by Teck, the project is receiving over $2.45 million from a BC government childcare fund and $50,000 from the Columbia Basin Trust, previously announced, as well as another $733,000 from the Union of BC Municipalities.
The city says the name Unicorn “originated as a lighthearted reference to the rarity and ambition of extended-hour childcare.”
This sign had be modified to say 44 new spaces, down from 65. (Photo submitted)
A new record overnight low was set in one Cariboo community.
Environment Canada Meteorologist Derek Lee said last night (October 13) they saw some pretty cool temperatures in the Quesnel area.
“The new record has it being as cold as minus 9.1 degrees Celsius and the old record was minus 7.8 degrees set in 1910. Definitely with cooler nights and no cloud cover a lot of cooling can happen overnight in the Cariboo region.”
With that in mind we asked Lee if it was possible that another record could be set in the days ahead.
“To break a record I would say it is possible to be contending in the top five but to break the all time record we would likely have to be as cold as minus 9 or even below that to break a daily record. Anything that is below minus 6 should be in the top five.”
Lee noted that overnight on Thursday (October 16) temperatures will be close to zero so it’s cool to the point that we could be seeing some rain mixed with flurries or even flurries or freezing rain if it gets much cooler than forecasted.
“Overnight lows should be hovering around zero to two degrees at this point in October.”
The BC First Nations Justice Council (BCFNJC) and the Prince George RCMP signed a letter of agreement this afternoon (Tuesday), marking a milestone achievement in Strategy 1 of the BC First Nations Justice Strategy.
BCFNJC Chair Kory Wilson and Prince George RCMP Darin Rappel signed the agreement at the newly opened Indigenous Diversion Centre.
“This is a momentous advancement advancement of Indigenous-led justice reform and a start to transforming the relationship between First Nations and policing,” Wilson said.
“Police are most often the first aspect of a person’s interaction with the justice system, and as the main referrer to the diversion centre, the RCMP is key to helping Indigenous folks access culturally appropriate supports and resources.”
According to the BCFNJC, the Indigenous Diversion Centre is the first-of-its-kind in Canada, and a therapeutic diversion model that focuses on the root causes of offending by providing a caring cultural environment where true rehabilitation and healing can occur.
The IDC has a pre-charge program, which will divert Indigenous people away from being charged with eligible offences to the IDC where they can commit to following an individualized 90-day diversion plan to have their charges dropped.
There is also a post-release program supporting individuals in reintegrating into the community after release from custody.
“The Prince George City RCMP is excited to work with the BC First Nation’s Justice Council in providing a community-based alternative to the criminal justice system,” Rappel said.
“For certain types of crimes, where those causing the harm are found to be in the repeating cycle of criminality, police can consider the Indigenous Diversion Centre.”
The IDC opened its doors with a soft launch of the post-release program in July, and the diversion project is underway with pre-charge and post-release programming now available to Indigenous, Métis, and Inuit adults in Prince George.
A Smithers youth was the first recipient in the RCMP’s Youth Challenge Coin Project.
Grade 12 student Nicole Murray was nominated by Smithers Deputy Fire Chief Matt Herzog for her contributions to emergency preparedness and response.
Herzog also mentioned her leadership during the Mass Casualty Exercise on May 23rd, coordinating students and ensuring it ran smoothly.
“Murray’s help was instrumental in the success of the operation. I could not have organized this event without her,” he said.
“Youth like Murray represent the very best of what it means to serve others with courage, compassion, and dedication. We are honoured to celebrate her contributions through the challenge coin project,” said Acting Staff Sergeant Ryan Law.
The challenge coin honours youth that volunteer with a community agency, create initiatives that benefit the community, and participate in the planning of community events.
RCMP challenge coin with art designed by a youth who lives in Quesnel, B.C. (Photo Supplied: Smithers RCMP)
Enrolment numbers from Kootenay Lake’s School District 8 (SD8) show a small drop in overall student numbers for the 2025-26 school year, though a growing number of students are learning online.
According to an SD8 document, 4,623 full-time students were enrolled in the district’s schools as of Sept. 30, 2025 – about 13 more than expected but 52 fewer than in September 2024.
Of that total, 94 per cent attend school in person, while the remaining six per cent are enrolled in SD8’s online courses.
Online and unique learners
Online enrolment exceeded projections for this year by about 29 students and was about 37 higher than in 2024.
The number of students with unique learning needs – including those requiring special education support, English/French immersion language learners, or Indigenous students – is down by 89 compared with last year and 30 fewer than projected.
Students needing moderate support (Level 2) increased by 11, but those with higher needs (Level 3) dropped by about 15.
Enrolment for English/French immersion language learners was slightly above expectations but still seven fewer than last year.
Meanwhile, Indigenous student enrolment dropped by 71 compared with 2024.
Budget implications
The province provides funding to school districts based on enrolment, meaning these shifts affect SD8’s budget.
Based on the Sept. 30, 2025, enrolment numbers, the district is expected to receive $70,628 more than budgeted for basic student funding.
Revenue from unique student enrolment is projected to rise by $36,491. Other funding sources, including homeschooling and course challenges, are expected to decrease by $1,596.
Funding for students with special needs will bring in another $83,000.
However, revenue for English or French language learners, Indigenous learners and non-graduated adult learners is forecast to be $46,749 below budget.
Due to funding protections that help school districts manage enrolment drops, SD8’s total operating grant remains unchanged despite the shifts.
Overall, the district continues to see year-over-year enrolment declines following a couple of years of growth – but the rise in online learning and targeted funding increases for certain student groups have helped balanced this years books.
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The Town of Comox is inviting residents to take part in a virtual open house Thursday, Oct. 16, as work continues on its Urban Forest Management Strategy.
The plan will guide how the community cares for its trees and green spaces over the next 30 years.
The open house runs from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. and will include a presentation on Comox’s urban forest, followed by a Q-and-A with the consulting team and town staff.
Feedback from the session will help shape the draft strategy, which is expected to be shared online later this fall for public review.
More information and the event link are available here.
Thompson Rivers University Williams Lake Campus is putting out the welcome mat.
Tomorrow (October 15) they invite everyone in the community and surrounding area to their annual Open House from 9 am to 3 pm.
Events Coordinator Kim Kimberlin said this is a great opportunity to learn about what TRU has to offer.
“We will have campus tours available running about every 90 minutes. You can walk through the school, see the library and go through our Trade Shops. We have a Nursing Apartment Simulator that will allow people to visit the Nursing Labs as well as the Gathering Place. This Open House really gives the community an opportunity to get to know the Campus and the Staff, and really become acquainted with everyone here.”
And even though the TRU Williams Lake Campus is relatively small, Kimberlin said they offer a lot of courses.
“We have our new courses that will come out the winter and we have all of our programming from trades to nursing to education and social work, we have the School of Business, as well as the Adventure Culinary and Tourism program coming up along with a few others.”
Kimberlin said they were working with the School District to try to have all the grade 7 to 12 students come to the Open House which is a great way for them learn what we have to offer.
“Our Williams Lake Campus has a lot of Mature Students who have already completed High School and have been in the workforce for a couple of years. They may already have families so they are typically pretty busy folks so a lot of our programming and courses are designed so that they can be taking those while they are still working and potentially making a career shift. We also have a lot of upgrading options available for people to choose from,” Kimberlin added.
No one was hurt after a sedan slid beneath a semi-trailer in Nelson last week.
Nelson police said the incident occurred at an intersection on Wednesday, Oct. 8.
A sedan became trapped under a semi trailer on Oct. 8 at an intersection in Nelson. (Photo courtesy of Chelsey McQuillan)
Both drivers told officers the semi-truck was making a right-hand turn onto another street when the sedan, attempting to make a wide right turn onto the same street, crossed into the right lane.
The sedan then became trapped under the trailer’s right side.
The semi-truck was assessed and deemed safe and operable. The sedan, however, was not and was towed away from the scene.
Nelson Fire and Rescue Service also attended and helped safely remove the sedan from beneath the trailer.
“It’s important for all drivers to remember that large trucks require significantly more space to make turns, and extra caution should be taken when driving near them,” said Special Const. Taburiaux in a news release.
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The District of Sparwood is applying to the UBCM strategic priorities fund looking to shore up more waste water treatment plant funding.
Council approved the submission for up to $7 million, with the district already having some grant funding in the bank.
They received $2,575,000 from a federal grant and $5,856,300 from a previous UBCM strategic priorities fund.
The initial cost estimate for the project was $11 million, but design modification and estimate changes brought the total to $17 million plus a $2 million contingency.
However further estimates of consulting, change orders, inspections and commissioning has brought the total project cost to approximately $25 million.
“This is the first time the district of Sparwood has had to borrow any substantial amount of money,” Mayor David Wilks said.
“We’re getting to a point now where our infrastructure needs to be replaced or upgraded.”
both federal and provincial grant coordinators confirmed that the district can pursue further grant funds.
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Campbell River RCMP are investigating a deadly stabbing that happened early Saturday, in the downtown area.
Police say they were called to the 1300 block of Dogwood Street around 2:00 a.m., where a woman was found with life-threatening injuries.
Despite efforts from first responders, she did not survive.
Campbell River Crimestoppers says a 29-year old female suspect was arrested nearby and has been charged with second degree murder, she remains in custody as the Major Crime Unit leads the investigation.
Anyone with information or video from the area is asked to contact Campbell River Crimestoppers.
Cranbrook city council has approved a zoning amendment that would allow congregate care apartments in the C-4 zone along Victoria Avenue.
The amendment applies to the entire zone, not a specific property.
A congregate care apartment is defined as a residential facility for elderly residents that includes a dining room, kitchen, amenities and social areas. It may also include an administrative office, a suite for a resident manager, a hairstyling salon and a gift shop for residents.
The key difference between the previous zoning and this one is the reduced parking requirements.
Typical parking under C-4 is two parking stalls per unit, but with this use it would be 1.3 stalls per unit.
City staff said the use would be acceptable in the area and just be a specific form of high density.
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Travelers taking a vehicle on BC Ferries from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo will have to book and pay before getting to the terminal starting this week.
The change on Oct. 15 is to help control traffic during renovations at the ferry terminal and will only apply to people sailing from the Vancouver side.
BC Ferries has launched a new online tool to help customers plan their trips. It will set up an email alert for customers when a sailing is full to let them know if a space opens.
“This new tool is designed to help customers stay informed and act quickly if space becomes available,” said Melanie Lucia, vice president of customer experience at BC Ferries. “It reflects our commitment to invest in digital solutions that make travel easier, more transparent, and more certain for our customers.”
The booking system was launched on the Powell River-Comox route on October 8 and will expand to Horseshoe Bay routes to Langdale and Departure Bay on October 15.
BC Ferries will also add a separate digital waitlist tool to select routes later this year, which will allow travelers to add themselves to a waitlist on sailings where advance booking space was previously sold out.
If space becomes available, customers will be automatically booked on the sailing according to available capacity and their position on the waitlist.
“These tools are driven by customer feedback and reflect our broader strategy to expand digital tools, improve transparency and make better use of system capacity – whether you’re travelling for a vacation, work, a medical appointment, or anything in between,” says Lucia.
Details of a conduct board review that led to the ordered resignation of a Williams Lake police officer were released earlier this month.
Constable Olavo Castro was accused of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and of pointing a restricted firearm at two civilians while he was off-duty on medical leave.
According to a document of the decision, Castro veered his Ford F-350 pickup truck across a road and pulled up next to two men that were walking and had just left the Williams Lake Stampede on July 1st, 2022.
The document says he rolled down his window and asked the two men if they had a problem before reaching into his hoodie and pulling out a handgun and placing it on his stomach.
He is then accused of pointing the handgun at the two men and of asking once again “do we have a problem here ?”
The two men claimed that Castro then drove off toward the stampede grounds and that they then went to an on-duty police officer who was engaged in a nearby traffic stop to report the incident.
The vehicle was then located driving in the parking lot of the rodeo grounds just after 2 a.m.
RCMP noticed an odour of liquor on his breath and that his eyes were slightly watery.
In addition, they noticed an open can of liquor in the center console of the vehicle.
The document indicates that Castro then failed a breath test for alcohol and received a 90-day driving prohibition and had his truck impounded for 30 days.
The board noted that Castro had been diagnosed with PTSD and alcohol-use disorder in May of 2022, but determined that these incidents amounted to “discreditable conduct” and that his loss of employment was necessary.
Castro was also charged with a criminal offence and pleaded guilty to possession of a restricted firearm in November of 2023 and received a suspended sentence and 12 months probation.
Two hikers were seriously injured after encountering a grizzly sow with two cubs on Farm Cabin Trail near the Pass Lake Forest Service Road.
According to the BC Conservation Officer Service, the incident occurred in the McGregor Mountain area on Sunday.
Both victims were transported and treated at University Hospital of Northern BC.
The hikers are in stable conditions and recovering in hospital.
Following an investigation, the COS Predator Attack Team determined the bear’s actions were defensive.
Due to the location and nature of the incident, no action will be taken against the bears.
The trail head remains closed and signage has been posted.
Reminder: If you’re heading into bear country, always follow those bear safety tips:
• Stay Alert & Make Noise
Talk, sing, or clap regularly to avoid surprising a bear—especially near streams, dense brush, or when visibility is low.
• Travel in Groups
Hike in groups whenever possible. Bears are less likely to approach larger groups.
• Carry Bear Spray
Keep bear spray accessible (not in your backpack) and know how to use it. It’s highly effective in deterring aggressive bears.
• Keep a Clean Camp
Store food, garbage, and scented items in bear-proof containers or hang them at least 10 feet off the ground and 4 feet from tree trunks.
• Avoid Bear Habitats
Steer clear of areas with fresh tracks, scat, or animal carcasses. These may indicate a bear is nearby.
• Respect Closures & Warnings
Obey trail closures and posted signs. They’re there for your safety and the bears’ protection.
• Never Approach Bears
No matter how calm or curious they seem, keep your distance. Use binoculars or zoom lenses for viewing.
• Know What to Do in an Encounter
If you see a bear:
• Stay calm and don’t run.
• Speak in a calm voice and slowly back away.
• If the bear charges, stand your ground and use bear spray if necessary.
North Cowichan–Duncan RCMP have arrested two male youths after an attempted armed robbery in Duncan last month.
Police say the incident happened September 8th on James Street, when two suspects — aged just 13 and 16 — allegedly tried to rob two other boys, ages 14 and 15. Officers quickly located the pair nearby and arrested them without incident. A black replica pistol was recovered at the scene.
One of the victims suffered minor facial injuries, and both are now being supported by victim services. The suspects face several charges, including robbery with an imitation firearm and assault with a weapon.
Constable Tessa McDonald says parents are urged to talk with their kids about the dangers of carrying replica firearms, noting that police will treat them the same as real weapons.
A search warrant that was conducted by Police on a property on Bissett Road in the South Cariboo led to a large seizure of items.
On October tenth, 100 Mile House RCMP located 21 firearms, thousands of rounds of ammunition and various magazines.
“Additionally various power tools, several generators, and other various items were also seized,” Sargeant Brian Lamb said, “The property seized is believed to be stolen from recent break and enters in the area.”
Police said an adult female and an adult male were arrested and a vehicle described as a red GMC truck with a white water tank in the back fled from the scene.
“The female was released to appear in court at a later date with anticipated charges of Possession of Stolen Property over $5,000 and Possession of Firearms Contrary to an Order.” Lamb said, “The male was later released with no charges.”
Police are continuing the investigation and will be contacting property owners to return the property.
The latest Maclean’s university rankings has UNBC once again near the top once again.
The university placed second in the primarily undergraduate category for smaller schools.
For more than two decades, UNBC has consistently ranked among the top five universities in its category, placing in the top three in 18 of the past 19 years.
This year marks the fourth consecutive year UNBC came in second.
“The latest Maclean’s rankings demonstrate that UNBC continues to be recognized for the quality of its learning environment and the reach of its ideas,” says UNBC Interim President Dr. Bill Owen. “Thank you to the students, faculty and staff whose passion and dedication drive this progress every day. UNBC’s commitment to discovery, inclusion and sustainability is shaping a University that’s ready for what’s next.”
The post-secondary school matched its best-ever result in the reputational survey, which asks university faculty, administrators and employers across Canada to rate the quality of education at universities. UNBC ranked fourth in its category.
UNBC students once again topped the charts in the national awards category. It’s the third consecutive year, and fifth time in six years, they’ve won the most per capita national academic awards.
In the student–faculty ratio category, our university was first in the entire country, with 13 students for every faculty member.
Lastly, UNBC placed third in its category for total research dollars, with researchers bringing in more than $110,000 per faculty member.
Mount Allison placed first in the primarily undergraduate category. Simon Fraser was first in comprehensive, and McGill was ranked the best in the medical/doctoral category.
Local residents attending the Safe Streets Prince George rally on Thursday at CN Centre can make
their voices heard by voting with their phones in an online poll at the event.
Rally organizers, the Prince George Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Prince George, are urging resident from 7 to 8:30 p.m., to give all levels of government direct feedback on the action they’d like to see to combat the growing problems with crime and disorder on local streets.
“The questions will encourage audience members to make their own tough choices about what are the most urgent actions we need from the local, provincial, and federal government and how to
pay for it,” Neil Godbout, executive director of the Prince George Chamber of Commerce, said in a
media release.
“The responses will be shared on the screen in real time to allow audience members
to see what their fellow residents are thinking and to help elected officials set priorities.”
An onstage panel will discuss the same questions to offer insights on the complex issues before the
audience will be asked to vote.
The panel, moderated by Godbout, will feature:
– Dr. Barbara Kane, the medical lead in the Mental Health Program at the Northern Health
Authority. Dr. Kane’s advocacy efforts contributed to the provincial government’s
announcement last month to create an involuntary care facility in Prince George.
– Eoin Foley, president of Downtown Prince George, owner/operator of Nancy O’s, Betulla
Burning and The Dudley, and active member of the provincial Save Our Streets Coalition
– Cindi Pohl, past president and current director of the Prince George Chamber of Commerce,
the owner of a small business, and an experience leader in the waste management and
recycling industry.
“We acknowledge that this panel does not include all the voices that must be part of the solution
— including First Nations, government, law enforcement, the legal community, social services, and
advocates for the unhoused,” said Chrisie Berry, Executive Director of Downtown Prince George.
“Our goal in moving quickly to organize this event was to draw urgent attention to the public safety
crisis downtown and to call for collective action. As these discussions continue, we know it’s critical
to bring these perspectives forward to work together toward real and lasting change.”
The Voices For Change Safe Streets Prince George rally is a free event, set for Oct. 16th at CN Centre,
starting at 7 p.m
Winning is contagious and if you are the Cariboo Cougars, you don’t want to relinquish the feeling of being top.
The U17 AAA hockey club had a plentiful Thanksgiving Long Weekend securing six points.
On Monday, the Cougars scored six straight times to cruise to a 6-1 victory over the Valley West Giants at Planet Ice in Delta.
Gavin Parmar lit the lamp twice in a four-goal second period while Garrett Harrop and Rhys Barnes chipped in with singles.
Brett de Gans and Nigel Nitschke completed the scoring barrage for the BC Elite Hockey League best 8-0-1 Cats.
Cariboo also swept the winless Vancouver Island Royals Saturday and Sunday with 8-3 and 5-1 wins at the league showcase from the Richmond Oval.
Parmar once again drove the bus on offense Saturday with two more goals while Harrop and de Gans also found the back of the net.
Brody Bustard, Jayden Brideau, Tavon Peterson and AP Cole Chapman also lit the lamp.
On Sunday, Bustad, Brideau, Harrop and Barnes found the back of the net while Taryn Willis also tickled the twine.
The U17 Cougars are off to the Canadian Crown tournament in Devon this weekend. Their first game is Friday at 3pm Mountain Time against the Leduc Oil Kings.
Cariboo has a double-header on Saturday to wrap up the round-robin against NAX (10:30 am) and the Red Deer North Star Chiefs (8pm).
In U15 action, the Cariboo Cougars went winless at the Bauer Showcase Tournament in Abbotsford dropping all five games.
Cariboo was shut out in their first games losing to American-based academies Fairmont and Star Academy by identical scores of 7-0. The Cougars also dropped a 6-0 decision to the Burnaby Winter Club.
A 4-3 defeat at the hands of the Pacific Academy was followed up by an 8-1 thrashing at the hands of the Anaheim Jr Ducks.
Cariboo (5-1-0) is back in league play this weekend when they take on the Okanagan Rockets (6-0-0) at MNP Place Saturday and Sunday.
After a bye week, the U18 Cariboo Cougars welcome the Vancouver North West Hawks to Kin 1.
Cariboo is fourth in the eight-team league with a mark of 3-2-1 while the Hawks sit seventh at 1-3-2.
Games times are 6:30pm (Saturday) and 9am (Sunday).
Lastly, the Northern Capitals club participated in the Canadian Crown Female Elite U18 Tournament in Devon, Alberta, which was hosted by the Northern Alberta Xtreme.
The Capitals dropped the D Division Final to the host Xtreme 3-2 in overtime on Sunday.
Sasha Fofonoff and Jenna Van Angeren scored in defeat for the Caps while Taylor Rutter took the loss in goal.
The Capitals won their semi-final matchup against the Penticton branch of the Okangan Hockey Academy by a 4-1 score earlier in the day.
Lucy Lafontaine, Paige Umbach, Paxton Fraser and Reese Overton lit the lamp in the win.
Rutter made 16 saves on 17 shots.
On Saturday, the Capitals lost a pair of close shaves to the Sherwood Park Athletic Club and Delta Hockey Academy by scores of 4-3 and 4-2.
Fraser, Fofonoff and Alliesha King all had one goal each against Sherwood Park.
Kenzie Bragg made 32 saves on 36 shots in defeat.
Against Delta, Overton and Tylor Jensen found the back of the net.
Overton, a University of Saskatchewan commit led the team in scoring during the tournament with three goals and three assists.
The Caps dropped Friday’s round-robin opener to the Regina Rebels by a 4-1 margin.
Bragg made 29 saves on 33 shots.
Capitals (2-3-1) are back in league action this weekend in Vernon against the Thompson Okanagan Lakers (5-2-1) at 4:45pm on Saturday and 12:15pm on Sunday at Kal Tire Place.
Two prescribed burns will be ongoing in the Siwash area over the next ten days.
The BC Wildfire Service and Cariboo Chilcotin Natural Resource District will be conducting the prescribed burns starting on Tuesday, October 14, and will continue periodically until Friday, October 24.
The burns will be conducted on approximately 220 hectares of land in the community of Yunisit’in and southwest of Alexis Creek, around 100 kilometres west of Williams Lake.
The Cariboo Fire Centre said the burns will be split into two treatment areas, which will be ignited at different times, and burning will only start and continue with safe conditions.
The Fire Centre says smoke and flames may be visible to residents in the area and motorists along Highway 20. Smoke from within the perimeter of the burns may also be visible for 72 hours after being ignited.
Firefighters will be on-site through the day and evening to monitor all fire activity, and extinguish the burns at the end of the day.
Greenwood will stand in for Oklahoma and Los Angeles when shooting begins this week on the movie Tombs, written and directed by BC filmmaker Marie Clements.
Asked in an interview with Vista Radio why she chose Greenwood, Clements replied “Why not Greenwood? We went on a location scout and kind of fell in love with Greenwood. It’s a bit of a time capsule with these beautiful buildings that really spoke to us and we wanted to put that on screen.”
Clements, who lives on Galiano Island but works in Vancouver, said it is just coincidence that Greenwood was one of the principal locations for Snow Falling on Cedars, filmed in 1998.
“I didn’t put the two together, but when I went to Greenwood, I was like, ‘wait a minute, I think I’ve seen this before.’ So obviously they picked it for a very good reason, because it has that kind of cinematic and tonal quality that has been left period accurate.”
Tombs is based on a play Clements wrote several years ago called Tombs of the Vanishing Indian that she has been working to adapt for the screen.
The story concerns three young Indigenous sisters who leave Oklahoma with their mother for Los Angeles in 1955 as part of a relocation program. But the program isn’t what they thought it would be, and they are left struggling. The mother dies and the girls are separated. The story then shifts to 1973, when the girls reunite, having led separate lives.
The film’s cast has not been revealed, but Clements said they will have two groups of actors playing the sisters, first when they’re young and then when they’re in their early 20s. The story concerns their relationships with each other, as well as three men.
The Greenwood scenes will be shot on Copper Street, which will be depicted in the film as a small town in Oklahoma. Meanwhile, the interior of a house close to downtown Greenwood will be used as the rooming house where the family lives in Los Angeles. Crews will also film in the alley behind Copper Street, representing the back of the rooming house.
The Greenwood shoot is expected to last just over a week. Some crew members arrived last week to begin preparations. The production put out a call for locals to help and Clements said while they could still use more people, the majority of what they needed has been filled.
“A lot of residents have come to support us and help us,” she said. “There seems to be a lot of film people in Greenwood … We’re really grateful to be in Greenwood and to have such a welcome reception and support.”
Other scenes will be shot in Vernon, Kelowna, Penticton, Summerland, and Kamloops, she said.
Road renewal work in Castlegar is scheduled this week, with paving planned for sections of Columbia Avenue.
After receiving public feedback during last year’s budget engagement process and through ongoing conversations with the community, council approved $250,000 for 2025 to support a more extensive paving program in the city.
“Residents have been clear that improving roads is a priority,” Mayor Maria McFaddin. said in a news release. “Council listened and is taking meaningful action by investing more resources into paving, which will improve daily travel, support our local transportation network, and help us plan responsibly for the future.”
The paving work will be completed by Terus Construction Ltd., a contractor with whom the city has worked with before.
Crews will begin by milling existing pavement before repaving, with single-lane, alternating traffic in place during construction. You’re asked to watch for signage, follow traffic control measures, and plan for minor delays while the work is underway.
Toxic drugs claimed the lives of a dozen more people in the Kootenay-Boundary over the summer.
The BC Coroners Service says they were among 153 people who died in July and 149 who died in August across the province.
In the West Kootenay-Boundary, seven died in July and one in August, for a total of 24 so far this year. In the East Kootenay, one person died in July and three in August, for a year-to-date total of 12.
Community-by-community monthly totals are not available, but so far this year, Nelson has had nine deaths, Cranbrook has had eight, and Trail has had seven. There have also been three fatalities in each of Castlegar and Grand Forks, two in Fernie and on the Arrow Lakes, and one each in Creston and Golden.
The coroners service said fentanyl and its analogues remain the most common substance detected in toxicological testing, showing up in 70 per cent of cases, followed by cocaine and meth, each found in the systems of 52 per cent of those died. That was virtually unchanged from May and June.
Toxic drugs claimed the lives of a dozen more Kootenaians over the summer.
The BC Coroners Service says they were among 153 people who died in July and 149 who died in August across the province.
In the West Kootenay-Boundary, seven died in July and one in August, for a total of 24 so far this year. In the East Kootenay, one person died in July and three in August, for a year-to-date total of 12.
Community-by-community monthly totals are not available, but so far this year, Nelson has had nine deaths, Cranbrook has had eight, and Trail has had seven. There have also been three fatalities in each of Castlegar and Grand Forks, two in Fernie and on the Arrow Lakes, and one each in Creston and Golden.
The coroners service said fentanyl and its analogues remain the most common substance detected in toxicological testing, showing up in 70 per cent of cases, followed by cocaine and meth, each found in the systems of 52 per cent of those died. That was virtually unchanged from May and June.
The Canucks start a 5-game road trip Thursday night (5:00 PT) in Dallas.
Winnipeg 5 NY Islanders 2 Detroit 3 Toronto 2 Nashville 4 Ottawa 1
There are 8 Tuesday games in the NHL with half of them involving Canadian teams; Vegas at Calgary, Edmonton at NY Rangers, Seattle at Montreal and Nashville at Toronto.
Prince George recorded its coldest temperature for October 13th this morning (Monday) according to Environment Canada.
“Prince George Airport registered a low temperature of minus 9.5, which broke the record of minus 7.0, set in 1993,” said Environment Canada Meteorologist Gary Dickinson.
Dickinson said the Prince George area is still under a ridge of high pressure, but temperatures will be slightly warmer.
“For early in the week, we’re looking at a low temperature tonight of minus six, and for Tuesday, a low temperatures of minus five,” he said.
“It does remain chilly, not as chilly as last night, but we’re still looking at temperatures well below seasonal, normally for this time of year we expect a low of zero.”
However, Dickinson said he doesn’t expect any more records to fall this week.
